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Jester did not understand the Wildmother at all. Speaking through breezes instead of talking like a normal person was bad enough. But, if all of nature was her domain, why did her followers have such a bad time every time they stepped into a forest? She could understand Fjord struggling. He was brand new to following Her. And well, struggling was kind of his thing. Caduceus, on the other hand, was a super dedicated follower. He was basically one of her chosen ones.
So why did nature seem to be out to get him?
"Look out!" She cried, as the creature charged Caduceus.
Her friend brought his shield up just as the beast's antlers crashed into him, driving him backward. His back slammed against a nearby tree with a loud whack! Grimacing with effort, Caduceus reached forward to touch the creature, black energy surging from his hand. The beast lurched back, screaming, red eyes wild. It bared sharp fangs at the cleric, wild and full of rage. Then, it charged Caduceus again.
"Caduceus, move!" Jester shouted.
But the firbolg stayed where he was, leaning against the tree, shield at the ready. And the creature was bearing down on him.
Desperately, Jester sent a Guiding Bolt toward the beast. The power of the Traveler surged through her, and her aim was true. Burning magical radiance slammed into the monster, and it was blasted to the side just before it reached Caduceus. There it lay, unmoving, as Jester caught her breath and turned to her friend.
"Caduceus!" She scolded. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you move?"
"Well," Caduceus said, still leaning on the tree. "That would have been a good idea, and I would have. But…"
Caduceus moved his shield aside as Jester got closer. At first, she couldn't tell what was wrong. His face was pale, and there was a line of sweat running down from his temple. He held his body stiffly against the tree, with one hand pressed to his side…
Suddenly, understanding flooded her mind. She swallowed thickly.
"Is that…?"
"Yup," Caduceus nodded tightly. "It's a tree branch."
And so it was. Looking around Caduceus, she could see the base of it, where it met the tree. She could see where it entered Caduceus' back, just below his armor. She could see where it came out the front of his body. Where the bloodied tip of it pressed against the fabric of his shirt. She was also starting to see little sparkles at the edge of her vision, so she took a deep breath.
"What do we do?" She asked.
"Well," Caduceus said, voice a little breathy. "I think I'm going to stay here for a second and just… if you could take my shield and my staff, that'd be helpful."
"Of course," she said.
Quickly and gently as she could, she set the staff aside and started to unbuckle the shield.
"It's funny," he said. "I didn't even feel it at first. I just thought I was caught on something."
"I mean, technically, you are," Jester said. Caduceus didn't seem to hear her.
"It feels really strange," he said in a detached voice. "But it doesn't hurt. Should it hurt?"
"I don't know," Jester said, carefully sliding the shield from his arm. "I'm guessing it will once we move you."
"Yeah," he said. "Moving sounds… not good. Do you think it's strictly necessary?"
Jester looked up to see if he was joking. He had his eyes shut, so it was hard to tell.
"I mean," she said. "I guess we could heal you around the tree, and you could just stay here forever and be a tree-man. I'd still be your friend and come visit you."
"That sounds nice," Caduceus said. Jester could see his hands starting to tremble, and his voice was high and wavery. This was Not Good.
"But, you know," she said, keeping her voice light as she examined the tree branch, trying to figure out how to get it out. "This isn't the nicest forest to stay in."
"No," Caduceus agreed. "It's not where I'd choose to put down roots, so to speak. Still, I'm not too excited about moving right now."
"Well," Jester said. "We wouldn't have to pull it out yet. I could cut the branch off the tree first, then we could get a closer look. I have this!"
She pulled out her hand axe with a flourish as Caduceus cracked an eye open to look. Alarmingly, he went a shade paler beneath his fur.
"Ah," he said. "Actually, maybe we should just go for it. Get it over with."
"Are you sure?" She asked, sheathing her axe.
"Yeah," he said. "I can heal up after, it'll be fine."
"Okay," she said. "Grab my hands and lean on me as you come forward. We'll do this one step at a time."
Caduceus nodded, and grabbed her hands tightly. His palms were sweaty and cold, and she could feel shivers beginning to wrack his thin frame. She braced him, looking into his face and trying to hold his wavering gaze. His eyes were glassy, their normal fuchsia color almost completely overtaken by the blown-out black of his pupils. She tamped down her own fear with determination. He would be fine. She was going to get him off of there, and he would heal and be fine.
"Ready?" She said. Receiving another nod, she prepared to move. "On the count of three. One, two, three."
She stepped back, pulling Caduceus with her. A choked cry was torn from his throat as he took one feeble step forward. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he went limp.
Oh no!
Jester struggled to support his light but lanky form, keeping him steady. The branch was still inside him! Making a split second decision, she continued to pull him forward, as evenly and quickly as she could. She tried to ignore the way his body spasmed involuntarily from the pain, even unconscious. She wondered how much more damage she was doing, and hoped their combined healing would be enough. Finally, he came free of the branch with a wet squelching sound that made Jester's stomach lurch. She could feel hot blood pulsing from the wound as she laid him down and pumped healing into him.
"Come on, Caduceus," she said, gathering his hands in hers. "I'm not as good at this as you are. Wake up and heal yourself!"
After a moment, his long eyelashes fluttered. His eyes opened, squinting in the dim light of the forest. Jester held his hands tightly.
"Caduceus?" She said, leaning over him.
"Jester," he said faintly. He swallowed, blinking and finally meeting her eyes with a grimace. "Now it hurts."
"I bet," she said with a light laugh. "Can you heal yourself some more?"
"I need my staff," he said.
"Oh, right," she surged to her feet and retrieved it for him.
Some of the tension drained from his features as the Wildmother's healing magic washed over him. For a moment, everything was still. Taking stock, Jester realized that the sun was beginning to set. It would be night soon.
"We probably should be getting back," she said. "The others will worry."
"Yeah," Caduceus said. "Give me a hand?"
Jester pulled him up easily and kept one arm wrapped firmly around him as they started back through the woods.
"Hey, Caduceus," she said. "If the Wildmother's in all of nature, why does she let nature beat the crap out of you all the time?"
Caduceus let out a light chuckle.
"That's the nature of, uh, nature," he smiled. "It doesn't play favorites. It's equally kind and cruel no matter who you are or what you do. She's not like your friend. She's… unscrupulously fair."
"I guess that makes sense," Jester said. "But, I don't know. I think for you, she could make an exception."
"You know what?" Caduceus said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I think that at this moment, I'm inclined to agree."