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it had been days since zav had trapped anything new, and they were starting to get really hungry. the forests were usually jam-packed with wildlife, but with winter beginning to set in, many of them were in hibernation, or struggling themselves to get enough food. the half-orc had set several traps in this part of the woods last week, and not one of them had anything in them. all they had was bread and some cheese they had stolen from the market before they left town. just as they were about to give up, they heard a branch snap and an animal yelp somewhere off to their left. they turned and ran towards the sound. they just hoped whatever animal had fallen down was big enough to get a substantial meal out of. after a little bit of walking, they found it backed against the tree it had fallen out of. the thing was black, with white stripes down its back, and it was much too small to get a good meal out of. zav decided it would be their travel companion, should it be amicable to that.
“come here little guy, i won’t hurt you.” when the thing didn’t move, zav begrudgingly pulled a small piece of bread from their pocket and held it out to the creature. it looked like a badger- couldn’t have been much older than a cub- and it looked like it was scared. the half-orc crept closer, averting their eyes in an attempt to soothe it. as soon as they took the first step, the badger started chattering and whining, as if trying to garner sympathy from zav.
“i’m already giving you some food, buddy, you don’t need to convince me! just come here and get it!” they extended their arm as far as it could go, and the badger began to curl its lip. zav began to back away, attempting to give the thing some space, but it lunged before they could get out of the way. sharp pain shot through zav’s arm, and they screamed out in pain.
“what the fuck! what the actual fuck? i was trying to help you! and you fucking bit me? what the fuck, man!” the badger didn’t stick around long enough after biting to hear the half-orc scolding it, but they yelled after it anyway. their arm fucking hurt, and it was bleeding everywhere. they took a few deep breaths to calm themself and began wrapping it up they really did not have the resources to treat this by themself, but they were miles away from any doctor, so it would have to wait until they got into the next town. for now, they kept looking and listening for animals big enough to eat.
***
it had been a couple days since they found that badger, and zav felt bad. their head hurt like crazy, and they had been unable to keep anything down. their muscles had been stiffer than usual, they could typically power through it in the name of finding somewhere to sleep, but they could barely stand up at the moment. just as they sat down to catch their breath and try to loosen their muscles, a human came barreling through the trees, nearly knocking them over.
“well howdy stranger, what brings you to my neck of the woods? you lookin’ for a hot bed or a comfy meal? i mean- a comfy hot or a meal- sorry, can i try this again?” with a tremendous effort, zav nodded, and focused on trying to understand them this time. fighting the urge to pass out right there, zav noticed the stranger was rather handsome, and in another place, zav may have been inclined to buy them a drink.
“i’m jaffa. my cabin is just this way. you look like you could use a meal and a drink, and maybe a nap. are you okay? you look a little… green, joke not intended.” before zav could even shoot the hot stranger a dirty look, their field of vision went black and they hit the forest floor.
***
zav woke up in a bed that was not their own- which could have meant a fun night, had there been another person in it. as it were, the bed was empty and the smell of meat cooking floated in through the open door. they rose carefully, noticing a lack of stiffness, headache, or nausea. stepping into the rest of the house, they heard someone singing along to music gently, and the sizzle of a pan. “uh…hi?” the stranger from earlier- jaffa, if they recalled correctly- jumped nearly out of their skin.
“good morning sunshine! took you long enough- you were out for a whole 5 days! i almost thought you weren’t going to make it! sit down, breakfast will be ready soon.”
“what did you do? why do i feel better?” “sit down! we can talk over breakfast!” zav followed jaffa’s suggestion and picked a seat at the table.
“okay, i’m sitting. now if you would please tell me why i don’t feel like shit anymore, that would be stellar.” at this, jaffa laughed.
“well, you did have rabies, but luckily the best (and most handsome) healer this side of the woods found you! whatever bit you must have got you good, your arm was infected pretty bad and your brain was nearly fried with fever. if you had passed out by yourself, you’d be a goner by now.”
“rabies? what fucking year is it, jesus christ i thought we extincted rabies ages ago. well, thank you for finding me and thank you for breakfast, but i should get going. i need to find another town to stock up on supplies.”
“no, come on, stay a while, let’s hang out! i’m pretty lonely out here, could use a friend- you seem like you could too. either way, you need to recover some more, you’re not done healing yet. ” quite frankly, zav couldn’t recall the last friend they’d had after they left town.
“yeah, alright. you got any board games?” jaffa perked up at the mention of games.
“as a matter of fact, i do! right this way, new friend.”