Content warning: Mentions of blood and past bodily harm

Ulanbek looked down at Murat’s worried eyes and thought about Luka.  He blinked a few times to get the image of his long-lost friend out of his head.  “We’ll just…go back to the cave…or find another one…”  He loosened his arms around Murat.  “Are you all right?  You looked like you were almost dead earlier.  What happened?  I was only half conscious after the wolf bit down on me.”

Murat exhaled slowly.  “A lot of crazy things happened.  The Silver Sorcerer merged with me so we could rescue you.”

“He what?”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it.  He said that if we merged, I’d gain all his powers and that they would be stronger than if he just fought the wolf alone.  Also said that if he tried to use that much magic on his own, he’d disintegrate.” Murat sighed.  “Even after all that, he still ended up disintegrating.”

Ulanbek looked at him solemnly.  “What was it like when you were merged?”

“It was the strangest experience ever.  I felt like I died and was reborn as a new person.  All the usual fears that I always have just vanished and my senses were sharpened.  I still had my own thoughts, but his thoughts were in my head too.  When I spoke, it was his words coming out of my mouth.  I was able to fly through the air and use magic for attacking and healing.  But I wasn’t invincible.  The three wolves merged into one even larger wolf with nine eyes, and we fought, and I thought I had defeated it, but it ended up crushing me with its paw.  I could feel my bones break.”

Ulanbek drew in a sharp breath.

“I felt like I was dying, and in the midst of that, I could also feel the Silver Sorcerer’s anguish too, like he was really upset with himself that I ended up getting hurt.  He always promised me that I was being shielded and that no real harm would come to me.  And after that I lost consciousness and when I woke up again, he had separated from me and was a little orb again, trying to heal me.  The wolf’s gone, so I guess he defeated it.  But it must have cost him a lot of energy, and what little he had left, he used it to finish healing us both.”  Murat sighed.  “I have so many questions now, but he’s gone…”

They were interrupted by the sound of tumbling rocks.  Ulanbek looked to the side.  “More of those moving rocks?  We should get out of here before they decide to ambush us too.”  He walked up to his horse and got on.  Once he was settled, he held out a hand and pulled Murat up.  

Murat wrapped his arms around Ulanbek’s torso carefully.  “Your chest is not still injured, is it?  The wolf bit down on you pretty hard.”

“I’m okay,” Ulanbek replied.  “The wounds closed up and they feel really sore.  I’ll just end up with more scars.”

“More scars?”

Ulanbek smiled.  “I have a lot actually, they’re just hidden under my armor.  From training, battles, and now a giant wolf.”

“Ohhh…” Murat murmured.  His head started to hurt thinking of having to endure all that over years.  It was already painful when his bones were broken by the wolf’s attack, and that was relatively brief.  He suddenly remembered something else.  “Oh no, my satchel’s gone.  I must have lost it during the battle.  The blankets and half our food were in there.”

“I might have some food still stashed in my robes, but you probably don’t want to eat that after all the injuries I’ve sustained,” Ulanbek replied.  “I can go find more.”

***

They eventually found another cave similar to the one they had stayed in earlier, complete with scattered dragon bones and some dragon heart stone pieces.  Ulanbek went off to hunt while Murat gathered plants near the front of the cave.  He recognized some of the herbs as having medicinal properties, so he took a few and kept them in a separate pile in the cave.

Ulanbek returned with a few small animals and wooden branches.  He started a fire in front of the cave and began the process of smoking and drying the meat.  While he was doing that, Murat took two stones and began to grind some of the medicinal plants into a mash.

“What are you doing?” Ulanbek asked.

“Making a poultice,” Murat replied.  “You put it on your skin and it relieves the pain and soreness.”

Ulanbek raised an eyebrow.  “Are you still hurting?”

Murat smiled.  “Well, I did get my bones broken and mended.  It’s still a little sore.  What about you?  The wolf's teeth must’ve hurt.”

“Yeah, there is still a dull throb, so maybe I could use some of what you’re making later.  Were you a healer in your village?”

Murat blushed.  “No, not really.  I learned some of the basics and other people encouraged me to go down that route, but I didn’t want that kind of responsibility.”

“Why not?  You seem like you would make a good healer.”

“Yeah, but I was afraid I’d make a mistake eventually and harm someone instead of healing them.  I don’t think I could live with that, and it would embarrass my family.”

“Oh?  Was your family influential in your village?”

“My father was the chieftain.”

Ulanbek’s eyes widened.

Murat looked downward.  “Yeah, I didn’t mention that earlier, sorry.”

“Were you supposed to be…?”

“The next chieftain?  Oh no!  Definitely not, and thank the gods for that.  I have…had…an older brother who was going to inherit the chieftain role.  He was the complete opposite of me.  Tall, strong, and brave.  He had just gotten married too, but a small group of Vargoranth crashed his wedding to offer us that alliance deal that we refused.  My father got them to leave, but then they invaded our village a few days later.”  He pounded the rock into the plant mash.  “Maybe…maybe we could eat first.  I’m afraid I’m going to spiral downward again if I start talking about my village and family.”

“Of course,” Ulanbek said, grabbing some strips of dried meat.  “Sorry I brought it up.”

“No, it’s okay if you’re curious,” Murat replied as he took a strip of meat.  “I’m kind of curious about where you came from too.”

Ulanbek gave a half smile.  “It’s been over a decade since I left home and I will likely not ever see it again.  Not until I retire at least, and that’s more than a decade from now.  I am not even sure if my parents would recognize me or if they’d still be around by then.”

***

After they finished their meal, Ulanbek and Murat went inside the cave to rest.  Murat brought the poultice with him.

“Do you want me to apply this on you first?” Murat asked.  “You had some pretty bad gashes earlier.”

“Sure,” Ulanbek replied.  His armor was flecked with dried blood and had large tears where the wolf’s teeth had bitten down.  He loosened the straps and pulled the armor over his head.  Then he took off the upper halves of his tattered red robe and white inner robe.  His long black hair cascaded over his back and he moved it over one shoulder so Murat could get a clear view.

Murat’s eyes widened and he gasped.  Ulanbek’s back was criss-crossed with scars.  Most were old and faded.  The newest one from the wolf’s teeth was a long inflamed trail that ran diagonally from shoulder to hip.  He felt pain just staring at them and began to tear up.  “Ulanbek…all these scars…”

Ulanbek turned his head and looked at him solemnly.  “I told you I had a lot.  Some of the oldest ones are from training.  They worked us pretty hard and punished us if we couldn’t meet their high standards.”

Murat shuddered.  “I couldn’t imagine going through something like that.  I’d probably die right away.”

Ulanbek sighed.  “Yeah, I’m just glad Luka got sent to the palace.  He was so delicate I doubt he’d last a day in the military.”

Murat stared at the poultice.  “Do you still want me to apply this or would you rather do it yourself?  I don’t want to cause you any pain.”

“Oh, you can do it.  It’s hard for me to see my own back.”

Murat carefully caked the poultice onto the newest scar.  Ulanbek tensed up and squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry,” Murat said.

“No, it’s all right,” Ulanbek said as he relaxed his shoulders.  “It just felt very cold.  Although now it feels like it’s numbing the pain.”

“Oh good, it’s working.  Faster than I thought.”

Ulanbek turned around to face Murat.  There was also a long scar running across his chest from the wolf’s teeth, as well as some older faded scars.  Murat looked at Ulanbek’s broad shoulders, firm muscles, and tapered waist.  He felt a strange tingling sensation course through his veins and quickly turned away, face flushing.

Ulanbek blinked.  “Something wrong?”  He noticed the subtle rosiness of Murat’s cheeks.  “I could just apply it myself.  It’s easier for me to see in the front.”  He reached his hand out.  Murat placed the stone with the poultice in his palm.  Ulanbek caked some of it across his scar and winced.  He inhaled sharply and then let his breath out slowly.  He looked at Murat.  “Do you need me to help you apply it on yourself?”

“Um…no, it’s okay,” Murat said, turning even redder.  “My muscles are sore all over so…I can do it myself.”  He took the poultice back, stood up, and went further into the cave until he disappeared into the shadows.  Ulanbek blinked a few times and sat in silence.