So there I was. Faced with hiding or standing up and addressing this continued talk with Ash. I heard Him... outside.. speaking with Jax on the platform. Moving closer to the door.. I leaned and listened in. They were discussing Ash's injury and His eye. There was something in His tone of voice.. as He told Jax about the collar striking Him on the blind side that bothered me. I mean really bothered me and suddenly.. I just couldnt do it. I couldnt hide. I thought back to when I had been checking Ash over during the fever's. I made mental notes about His damaged eye. I knew that the optic nerves.. tissues and muscles were all intact... but the claw mark that left a scar from eyebrow, over the eye, and down His cheek... had turned the iris grey. It looked like a small pocket of mist had settled in a perfect circle. For all purposes.. it looked dead. But as I brought a lamp closer.. I could see subtle small changes.. like it was trying to work but something was preventing that. Suddenly.. I stood up.. It hit me like a wagon. I needed to go see Keys. Keys... who's real name is Enna.. was given the nickname because of Her very large ring of keys She carried that opened a zillion locked boxes. Keys.. was my mentor many years ago in healing. She taught me the basic's. I flung the door open.. surprising Jax and Ash. Pushing past them.. Ash grabbed my arm with a "Where you goin?" I quickly offered... " I need to go see Cana.. and then I need to see an old friend... I'll be back before dark. Promise." With that.. I wiggled free and hurried off. I did stop by Cana's wagon's. Rook informed me She was resting. She had a busy day of visitors. I nodded. "Please tell Her I was here. I look forward to seeing Her" And I took from my satchel a small jar of lavender oil. The scent was calming... the lotion had been mixed to soften the skin. It was a girlie gift.. but one that just pleased the senses and created a good feeling effect.. something I thought would help Cana. I handed it to Rook and made sure He would deliver it.
I was off again. Weaving the wagon rows towards the Outer Wagon's. Now Keys wasnt.. thankfully... on the very outer edge of wagon's.. but more at the outskirts of the very beginning. It had been sometime since I'd visited Her and I knew I would be blasted for my lack of appearances. My greeting came in the form of a small metal cup to the back of my head as I wandered around trying to remember if not find Her wagon. I spun around with a rubbing to my head to see the Old Woman glaring at me. "You forget where I live eh?" She said. I grinned.. no I smirked. She still had that edge to Her. "Tal Keys" I said.. and bent down to retrieve Her cup that had met my head. I walked to Her.. placing the cup in Her hand and leaned to kiss Her cheek. "Keys... I have a prob....." She cut me off. "You didnt even bother to bring your Man? Your new Mate? For me to meet?" She said snarling slightly. "Im sorry Keys. It all happened so fast... I will. I promise.. but right now...." I was backtracking like a small child. "Sit.. sit..." She said with a growling voice and a wave of Her hand. I lowered to the bench near Her fire... surprised as I watched Her move to sit and face me. She looked good. Damn good for Her age. Once She was sitting I started to talk... "Keys... my Mate...." She jumped right in. "Ashoak Ley... mhhhmmm" I lifted my brows.. "Yes Keys... how did you....." again.. I was cut off. "Im not deaf.. I heard the drums." She replied and then seemed to soften. She continued. "Tell me what the problem is Silken." I was thankful. I wanted to get my answers and hurry back to Ash with news. Good or bad. I began to tell Keys what I knew about Ash.. about His run in with the claws.. His eye.. His most recient injury and my subsequent exam of this so called dead eye. I told Her how I had little expierence in working with eyes but my gut told me.. the eye was not dead. I told Her how it seemed to try and respond to light... how all the occular functions seemed intact.. nerves, tissues, muscles and the like. Yet.. the iris was grey... milky... thick and blocked His vision. Keys sat a moment.. taking it all in. Then She slapped Her palms to Her knees and stood. Out came that key ring... and She fumbled through about a hundred before choosing one and heading off to a wagon. Keys returned ten Ehn later with several objects in hand. One was a jar.. inside a thick liquid floated a complete eye... strings of nerves and tissue attached. This eye was also grey... just like Ash's. Keys set a small block down and Her cutting tools... small razor like blades. She opened the jar and plucked the eye out.. setting it to the block. And thus began my lesson. She told me that in some untreated cases of occular trauma... a thick milky shell formed on the lens of the eye. This is what caused the hazing and discoloration and eventual loss of vision. I asked then... was this treatable. Keys smiled and nodded... and said "Of course.. and here's how you do it....." I listened and watched intently as She showed me how to work on the eye. How I needed to removed the lens.. and then She informed me.. I needed another good one to replace it... and it needed to be fresh. As She worked.. She said that restored vision might not be perfect... but would be much better than trying to look past a cloud... as She put it. I was worried.. not about finding or taking the replacement... but at making such small precise insisions and stitches. But... I would not leave Her wagon until I practiced.. got yelled at a few times... and finally had it down what needed to be done. We sat for an Ahn after lesson time... one of Her students had taken the instruments and was sterilizing them. Keys got up and located another key on Her ring and headed into a different wagon. When She returned.. She handed me a box. I opened it to find several bottles that held different liquids. Keys instructed me on each. One was a fluid that would deaden nerve response to the eye area so it could be worked on... one was to wash the eye with.. another for after that would keep the eye clean and treat for any infection that might occur. And then... I was handed the instruments... Her instruments... that I just used in my lesson. "Oh Keys... I cant take these...." I said. "You can and you will Silken. Take them with my love and strenght that you will aid your Warrior." She said. I could do nothing but jump over to embrace Her. "Thank you Keys. Thank you so much for having faith in me." I whispered to Her ear. "No thanks needed Silken. Just... bring Him by after the operation yes?" She smiled and spoke against my cheek. "Yes. I will Keys.. I promise" I said.. kissing Her cheek again. I gathered up all my new supplies and tools and placed them in my satchel. Slung now over my shoulder... I headed back towards the rows... about to extend my be well's when Keys piped up... "Oh and Silken?" I paused..... "Yes Keys?" looking to Her. She grinned.. that wily smile and shook a finger at me.... "You better be with child when you come back... the boys are... what? three? four?" I laughed hearing Her. "Yes Keys.. they are almost four... and we will see." I said.. shaking my head as I continued with my farewell. "No Silken... He will see. He will see you... and that'll knock His boots off. One eye is good.. two.. is much better." She said. I smiled a bold.. willfull grin.. flipping my braid over a shoulder. Keys added... "You always did know you were beautiful.. arrogant bitch" We both laughed and I nodded. "Be well Keys... and thank you!" I said as I headed back to the First Fires. "Your welcome Silken... may the Sky bless you and guide you" Keys said. "I hope so...." I whispered as I walked back to my wagons.
The entire way back.. I was redoing the procedure in my head. Setting everything to memory. It was funny... I kept noticing the eyes on the way back... I kept looking at each I passed. And as the Pink Nightmare came back into my view... I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Where the fuck am I going to get an eye?????"
I scratched my head... I mulled it over... and then I grinned.... "Where else would you go for an eye? Who would have one... or ... could get one ! " I grinned.
Tarra.
And I detoured my route to Her wagon.
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