//------------------------------//
// The Mysterious Man 
// Story: My New Life 
// by Ark125 
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My New Life

Chapter 34 - The Mysterious Man


Luna's POV

I woke up with a start. I looked around and found myself in a cave sitting next to a fire with some kind of cloth covering me.

"So you're awake finally." Came a voice from behind me. "I was starting to get worried."

I turned and found a bearded man sitting behind me. I started to scoot away in fear, as he held what appeared to be a club.

"Whoa now. Don't be afraid. I ain't gonna hurt ya." He said. He reached out a hand and scratched my head. I let him do it, because it actually felt pretty good.

"Now then, let's check those wounds." He lifted off the cloth and I gasped at what I saw. I was covered with wraps of leaves and splints of branches. He put his arms through the sleeves of what I now found to be his cloak that was covering me.

He pulled on my right wing. "Please, try to spread this for me."

I came out of my shock and complied with him. As I spread out my wing, I could feel the bones in it pop and crackle. It was quite a horrid feeling.

"Good, now sit still." He took his hand and firmly grasped onto the bones in my wing. I gasped and quickly retracted it.

"I know they are sensitive, but I have to make sure the bones are set in the right place. Please, you have to trust me." He said in a gentle voice.

I whimpered, but once again complied, letting him finish his examination. He then went on to my wounds that were covered by leaves. As he applied new ones, he spoke again.

"Man, you sure have come a long way since I found you. You were busted up and bruised everywhere." He finished putting on the last leaves and then went on to the splints. "Tell me when it hurts." He took hold of my right front leg and began to slowly massage his way down. I shrieked when he got to the knee-joint.

"Right there, huh? Well then, I will just have to splint it a bit better." He took the branches and tied them on with pieces of cloth. "Alright, now that we have most of your body covered, let's get a look at that pretty face of yours."

He pulled up a piece of wood and sat down so we were eye level. He held up his hand pointed a finger. "Follow my finger with your eyes only." He started to move his hand in different directions, to which I followed with my eyes. "Good, now look at the base of the fire." I did so and he look at my eyes. "Okay, you can stop now. Your pupils dilated just fine."

He took my head into his calloused hands and started to feel it. "Right now, I am just checking for any bumps I may have missed." He finished and stood up. "Well Miss Luna, you are fine. Just have to let yourself heal and you will be as fit as a fiddle."

"How do you know my name?"

He took off his cloak and laid it back on top of me as he chuckled. "Seriously? You're the princess of the night. How wouldn't I know that?"

"Oh right." I said, blushing.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" He asked.

I thought for a second, but before I could say anything, my stomach began to growl. I blushed again.

"Ah, hungry I see. Or I guess, I hear." He turned. "Bubbles, could you go get some food for the lady?"

I heard a little sound that was like a mixture of a croak and a growl. Little foot steps started to emanate from behind him. They went far away and then came back quite fast.

"Good boy." He said. He picked up a few leaves and dandelions and offered them to me.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank Bubbles here." He reached down behind the log he was sitting on and something crawled up onto his arm. It poked its head up over his shoulder and stuck its tongue out. "This is Bubbles the iguana. Isn't he adorable?" He scratched the reptile under the chin, to which it closed its eyes and seemed to enjoy.

"Thank you Bubbles." I said. I took a bite of the food that was given to me. I eyed the man who seemed to know much about first aid and survival.

He was pretty tall, maybe two meters. He wore black pants with no shirt, showing off his developed abs. His arms were quite strong looking, but he was indeed no body builder. His face was covered in a brown beard and he had long brown hair that went all the way to his shoulders to match. Finally, on his arms were silver bracers of some kind that covered his entire forearm.

"Well, you know my name, and now I know your companion's name, but I have yet to learn your name."

"My name? Of course, how rude of me. My name is Terra." He said, reaching out his hand.

I took it and shook. "Nice to finally know the name of the one who saved me."

"Saved you? From what?"

"From the changelings, of course."

"Oh, I did not save you from them. You fell on top of me."

"Fell? From where?"

"The top of the Pit I am guessing."

"The Pit?! Why am I in the Pit?!"

"Those wretched changelings probably dropped you in here, like me."

"I don't understand."

"Not much to understand. All you need to know is that they didn't want us around, so they threw us in here, never to get out."

"But I can get us out of here." I began to cast a spell, but was stopped from exhaustion.

"Hey now, take a chill pill. There is no doubt that you could get us out, just not right now. You need to rest some more. Maybe in a few weeks, you can try again."

"But I need to get home now!" I tried to fire up my magic again, but to no avail. After my second failed attempt, I began to sob.

"Hey, please don't cry." He said, walking over to me. He took me by the chin and stared into my eyes. "Shh. Everything is going to be okay. You'll see." He tried to wipe away the tears, but they continued to flow.

"B-but, I h-have to get home. I n-need to tell m-my children I l-love them." I said in between sobs.

"They know you do. And they love you back." He said in a calm voice. He gently laid my head in his lap and began to stroke my mane. "And you know who else loves you?"

I sniffled. "Who?"

"Your sister."

I snorted. "Please, if she loves me, she would have told me about my husband being a wendigo."

Terra stopped smoothing out my hair for a second but immediately continued. "Really? Prince Pure Heart was a wendigo?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. I just don't-" I was cut off by him putting a finger to my lips.

"Shh. You don't have to explain it right now. Just get some more rest." He said.

He slowly began to rock my head back and forth. He soon began to hum and then sang. "Hush, lay down your troubled mind. The day has vanished and left us behind. And the wind, whispering soft lullabies... Will soothe, so close your weary eyes."

I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep. The last thing that crossed my mind was what a familiar voice he had.