She moved closer to the wound and immediately regretted it. The smell hit her first, sharp and wrong. Decay. Infection turning flesh rotten. The edges of the gash were swollen and hot to the touch, oozing yellowish fluid mixed with fresh blood. Something had torn deep, exposing muscle and possibly bone. "gods," Winter breathed. "This is bad. This is really bad." She had no supplies. No medicine, no bandages, no clean water.. Nothing except her bare hands and absolutely no idea what she was doing. But she couldn't just walk away. Winter pulled off the outer layer of her borrowed tunic, leaving her in just the thin undershirt. The tunic was relatively clean. It would have to do. She crawled to the edge of the black pool and dipped the fabric in, soaking it thoroughly. The water was freezing, clear despite its dark appearance. She crawled back to the beast with the dripping tunic clutched in her hands. "This is going to hurt," she warned, though the beast probably already knew. "
Read more