Ozias Ferox ran though the Susurrans Wood. He was hunting for his supper. He was pursuing a herd of deer. His strides were long and his speed fast. Even with the canopy above blocking out the direct sunlight, the midday heat was on the rise and Ozias was sweating profusely. Finally he caught up to the herd, which was grazing in a forest clearing.
Cervid munched on sparse grasses, tree leaves and some fallen acorns. Ozias watched crouching in the shadows. His plan was stealth. He would sneak up on an unsuspecting animal and quickly snap its neck. He had done this many times in the past. Deer meat made for good eating when combined with water from a nearby brook and wild nuts and roots he scavenged in the forest.
Suddenly the deer scattered, taking off in a flash, their white tails raised. The reason? A female voice humming a wordless tune. Very loudly. Ozias crouched lower, angry that his quarry had been startled and fled. Concealing himself in the underbrush among some holly bushes, the wild man observed a brown-haired peasant woman approach.
The woman carried a basket and a small knife. She noticed the holly bushes and headed straight for them. Realizing he would be discovered, Ozias stood and let out a loud bellow, hoping to scare the woman into fleeing. In addition to being a man that valued his privacy, he was quite angry. Another villager intruding upon his domain was the last thing he needed today.
The woman screamed, dropping her basket and knife. Then, instead of running, she simply stood there. Apparently frozen in fear. "You better run, if you don't want to be torn limb from limb", Ozias growled.
The woman cried out again, then turned and ran. But she didn't get far before tripping on a root and violent falling to her knees. She cried out in pain and fell on her stomach. "Please don't hurt me!" the terrified woman yelped.
Ozias wasn't sure what to do. He felt a strong urge simply to leave. He picked up the knife and basket, thinking they could be of use to him.
"Hey, those are mine", the woman said softly, her voice quivering in fear.
Ozias, not being a thief, reconsidered. He threw down the items and growled. "Get out of here and don't ever come back! Tell the others of your village, this forest is mine".
That should do it, he thought. He turned to leave, but then he heard the woman speak.
"No", she said definitely, her voice rising.
This definitely wasn't a good development as far as Ozias was concerned. "I should rip your arms off and skin you for my stew", the wild man threatened.
The blood drained from the peasant woman's face. "Please sir Wild Man, I have a family. I need some holly boughs for protection".
Ozias was confused. Holly berries were toxic. He was unaware of any protection they offered. "What nonsense do you spout, you saddle-goose woman?"
The wild man was speaking to her, so that gave Myrtle (which was the woman's name) some courage. She was desperate and needed that holly to protect from malevolent dark forces that had manifested recently.
Ozias, upon hearing of the woman's fears, chuckled softly. This woman might be soft in the head. According to her blubberings, some teens, investigating the Susurrans Wood Bramble, had spotted an old crone and deduced she was a witch. Ozias knew who Myrtle was speaking of.
"The crone of whom you speak is no witch", Ozias fibbed. He had encountered this crone. She gave him the name Sadie Goodhart, and yes, she was a witch. She assisted after he was injured battling the Darkwood versipellis on a moonlit night nigh 2 years ago. The creature, a shapeshifter who appeared as a dire wolf, stood upright and had a hair covered humanoid form. He seemed determined to murder Ozias for some reason. He suspected because the beast was ravenous for human flesh.
Bitten, Ozias ran in terror, blood gushing from his shredded arm. He wrapped his arm in rags and some healing herbs, but his arm continued to throb throughout the rest of the night and into the following day. Being really worried about contracting lycanthropy, he decided to seek assistance. And he had seen the Susurrans Wood Bramble crone. Though he had never spoken to her. The crone, like him, was obviously an individual that valued their privacy.
But, driven by his (completely rational) fear, he decided he had no choice but to enter the bramble. This was a good place to conceal oneself, as the thickly growing picker bushes greatly stymied passage. He was pretty sure this is where she lived, however. There must be a hidden path, but he didn't know where it was.
That's when he heard a voice. "Can I help thee?"
Ozias had taken a seat on an old moss and mushroom covered log. He swatted the stinging gnats. He was extremely sweaty and his arm continued to throb mercilessly, causing him to grit his teeth to keep from crying out due to the extreme pain.
He turned and saw a shapely middle aged women dressed in black robes. She threw back her hood and Ozias could see, though there was some gray in her raven black hair, she was no crone. Maybe she knew of the crone? He queried her and she insisted she was the individual known as the Susurrans Wood Bramble witch.
Ozias was doubting the claim, as he found this woman quite attractive. Perhaps she had cast a enchantment spell on him to cloud his judgment? But the woman, seeing his bloody bandages, offered to help.
After introducing herself, she bade that the wild man follow her. A path, where Ozias was sure he had looked before and saw nothing, appeared. To his amazement the brambles parted when she spoke some arcane words. Magic words, he gathered.
Walking for a while they arrived at an old shack in the woods. "Stay here", Sadie ordered him while pointing to an old wood bench just outside the shack.
Ozias did as she asked and the woman went inside the shack. A short while she emerged, carrying a basket. Turns out it she had some medical supplies. Ozias unwrapped the bandages when asked, though he had to pull, as his wound was thick with yellowing pus and the fabric had adhered itself to the goo. The wound was clearly inflamed. He almost passed out from the pain.
Sadie examined the injury. "This looks extremely serious", she concluded. Then she applied a salve from an old tin. "This is a concoction of my own devising. It may treat your infection, but it is no cure for lycanthropy if the infection is more than 24 hours old".
Ozias was astounded. It seems this woman recognized the bite of a werewolf? She confirmed she did. Then she rewrapped his wound with some bandages produced from the basket. Sadie, who Ozias concluded must indeed be a witch, told him she was sorry, but there was no cure for the disease. Excepting for bites that were less than 24 hours old. Then he had a chance.
After he informed her he was bitten approximately 8 hours ago. Sadie told him that was good news. She had some wolfsbane, but not much. Ozias correctly deduced she wanted something in return. Which was to assist her in keeping intruders away. He readily agreed, and Sadie proceeded to use a sharp knife to slice open the wound, then pack it with crushed wolfsbane. She claimed it would literally burn the venom from his flesh.
This turned out to be true. He was left with a hideous scar, but otherwise seemed ok. It had been almost 2 years and he had not transformed to a wolfman. Though maybe he never would have because lycanthropy wasn't real. Regardless, he was grateful, as the bite was obviously seriously infected and the treatment seemed effective. Oddly, his armed ached when the moon was full, indicating that lycanthropy was real?
Whatever the truth was, he agreed to help the witch. Which was something he would have done anyway, so it was no biggie. Ozias remembered this as he stood over the frightened woman. He helped her up and allowed her to collect some holly boughs. Then he warned her not to return.
Ozias had no desire to do such a thing, but he was a lonely man. Thinking of it, he decided he might give Sadie a visit. No friendship had developed between them, but he might give it a try. Perhaps, if he returned with some wolfsbane, she would be appreciative?
swtd-452. absurd-4. Analysis. Previous. Next.
