Melvi

Having heard that my childhood friend Leanehsa was in town, I rushed to her home as fast as I could. Leanehsa had left on a trip up north several years ago, and I had always hoped that one day she'd return. I had not seen her in so long. I was so anxious to see her again!

Walking down the winding trail that led towards her home, I reminisced about the times she and I had spent together.

She was always so mischievous, trying to get me to go along with one of her off the wall schemes. She made our childhood interesting though. There was never a boring moment when we were together.

Stepping off the trail, I headed down a cobbled path towards her home. Her face lit up when she saw me approaching. She jumped to her feet and ran down the steps to give me a warm hug. I hugged her in return, then pulled back from her. It struck me that she looked different. There were tiny scars up and down her arms leading up under the sleeves of her dress. Her face was also covered in tiny scars. I took her hands in mine, turning them over I saw that they too had scratches and large scars. I gasped as I looked into her eyes, wondering what she had gone through to end up looking like this.

She giggled at what must have been my odd expression. She sat down, patting the spot next to her. She laughed happily and told me it was wonderful to see me.

"Calm yourself, Melvi!" she said as she adjusted her dress. "I have so many things to tell you, but first tell me how you have been. You wrote and told me about your little girl, and I am so sorry about Cornell. He was a good man." She gave me another hug.

Cornell had indeed been a good man. He had been older than me, and quite sophisticated. He was so handsome! I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. He must have thought me a nuisance when I was a little girl, always following him around. When I became older, and my persistence finally wore him down, he took me out on one of his hunting trips. I was in awe of his ability to kill critters in one swing. It was the skinning part I didn't like. I always looked away. I found it too repulsive. He was a wonderful hunter. At first, he guarded me from any dangerous creatures, then later taught me how to defend myself against them.

Before Leanehsa had left on her travels, she told me she saw a romance growing between Cornell and I. She was right, for we married a year later. A few months after we were married, Cornell, known for his hunting abilities, was called by the town council to take care of a pack of dangerous critters invading a nearby town. A group of twenty of our town's best fighters and archers left immediately to help. Two days later only one member returned, but soon died from the serious wounds he had suffered. Before he died, he spoke of the bravery of the hunting party, and how most of the pack had been killed, and those that were not, had run away.

The following spring I gave birth to my daughter, Nethia. She looked so much like her father. She filled my loneliness and my broken heart with such joy, that after several years Cornell had become a warm memory. The pain of his death faded as much as such pain could. I taught Nethia all the wonderful things Cornell had taught me. She reminded me of him more and more each day.

Bringing myself back to the present I chuckled when I saw Leanehsa looking at me so impatiently, waiting for me to say something.

"It looks like my time has not been spent as excitingly as yours." I said with a grin. She winked at me and started tapping her foot.

"Alright!" I said and told her about Nethia and my parents, and how they spoiled her at times. My parents were strict but loving. They had raised me to be independent and a proper lady. They held the same high expectations for Nethia.

My life revolved around my daughter during most of the time Leanehsa had been gone, and I told her so.

"I can understand that, sweetie." She said, patting me on the shoulder. She still seemed impatient and I realized she wanted to tell me about her travels, which I was dying to hear.

"Now it is your turn. Tell me how you got all those scars. What kind of critter did that to you and let you live?"

She giggled and lifted her hands. I heard her take a deep breath, saw her make a gesture with her hands, and the scars were gone! I was so shocked I almost fell off the steps. She smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I waited to return home until I was experienced enough. I wanted to show you all the wondrous things I could do. And I am not the only one." She smiled softly then continued. "I ended up in a town called The Crossing. There I met some nice folks and they took me in. The lady of the house is what they call an Empath. She could take the wounds of others, then heal herself of those wounds. I tell you, the first time I saw her do it I was as surprised as you. I begged her to teach me how, and she took me to the guild where I learned to be an empath.

Leanehsa continued to tell me about her adventures in The Crossing, as I sat listening intently. It all sounded so exciting. She told me the reason she returned was to be the healer for our town.

After our talk I said goodbye to her, promising to visit her again the next day. Walking home, I thought about all she had told me. She had said being an empath was a hard life at times, and that the pain was something you learned to get used to. I loved helping people, and the thought of taking their wounds upon myself to alleviate their suffering made it all seem worth it. Leanehsa said she healed warriors as they hunted in the field. If I could learn to do that, I could save them from the kind of horrible death my Cornell must have suffered.

By the time I reached my home that evening, I knew I wanted to be an empath.