The First Cultivator

Coralline had just finished preparing dinner when the knock came. She scowled at the door. As she went to open it, she prepared a barrage of insults for any pushy salesman who dared to bother her. It had been one of the worst days she could remember lately. The market had been a nightmare. The food prices had all doubled from yesterday! She had spent thirty minutes yelling at the merchant with several other kin as they all demanded reasonable prices. Seeing as the merchant was unlikely to be helpful, she went to another vendor only to find the same thing. Then another and another. After two hours of haggling, she had to face facts. Food had become ridiculously expensive. Then came the fear. What had happened? Was a significant farming center attacked? Was there a devastating fire or disease? She had money saved, but if prices stayed this high for long, there would be real trouble ahead.

Before she reached the door, it flung open. Coralline was ready to rage at the intruder. Perhaps she would claw their eyes out, but froze as she saw her daughter's limp body.

"AZURA!"

Coralline rushed to Gerald, who extended his arms. As she reached for her, Coralline paused, looking at the blood. She gently took her child. Her gaze was intense as she regarded the children around her. She knew them. How could she not? They had known her daughter for many years. She was good friends with all their parents.

"What happened?" Coralline demanded. She then immediately interrupted any reply. "No, tell me later. For now, do as I say. Hamal, get your mother. Tell her I need medical supplies. Toren, boil some water. There is a kettle on the stove and water in a bucket. The stove is already full of wood. Use a fire-starter to get it going." A fire starter was one of the few magic tools she owned. It would, as the name suggests, quickly start a fire. The problem was that it was expensive to have a mage recharge it. Money, however, was the last thing on her mind as she set Azura down on the floor.

Not having anything else to do till the water was heated or help arrived, Coralline looked at Gerald. "What happened?"

Gerald sniffed his eyes, moist. "We were fishing after lessons. We weren't causing any trouble, I swear it! But the mages came and started pushing folk around." His voice cracked, and indistinct muttering followed.

"They said we weren't allowed to fish anymore," Toren continued bitterly from the kitchen. "They were stopping anyone who caught fish and were using magic on them."

"They stopped the fishing?" Coralline asked, alarmed. She had been privately counting on that to help with the rising prices she encountered earlier.

"Yeah," Gerald said, wiping his running nose on his furry arms. "I didn't want to give up my fish. My family needs it. When I refused, they attacked me."

Coralline gasped. This was bad. This was horribly wrong. Had the mages gone insane?

"I think they were going to kill me when Azura hit them," Gerald hiccupped.

"Hit!" Toren barked a derisive laugh as he started a fire in the stove. "She kicked one mage right in the nuts! He won't be having any kids anytime soon!" He then sobered. "One of the mages then hit her with some kind of spell. The crowd panicked. We fled in the confusion. I thought Azura was fine, but when we caught up with her, she was…" He stopped and gestured down.

"Gerald, go get your parents," Coralline said. When the boy hesitated, she barked, "NOW!" He bolted as Toren returned to Azura's side, his face concerned.

"Toren," Coralline said.

"Yes, ma'am! The water is heating up now."

"Thank you. Go home. Get your mother. Tell her what happened and to come here."

He gave one last look at Azura.

"Be safe," Toren whispered just loud enough for Coralline to hear before he left at a dead run.

Toren hesitated a moment before fetching one of the fish the group caught earlier that day before leaving.

Everyone must eat, Coralline thought. Now only if we could get those damn mages to agree.

A whistle came from the kettle. Coralline left Azura's side, pouring the hot water into a basin before adding a clean rag and a pinch of salt. She set the bowl down near Azura. She started dabbing at wounds when a knock came.

"Come in," Coralline shouted. Hamal's mother, Fatania, entered carrying a small basket. The woman was a gray fur rat-kin with deep black eyes. She had long, half-gray, half-black hair and a lean, muscular frame. She had been Coralline's closest friend for years. Coralline quickly told her what the boys had confided in her as Fatania laid out her healing kit.

The pair began cleaning the abrasions on Azura's arms, which promptly woke her up. Coralline held her daughter as she cried, as Fatania cleaned the affected areas. The other kin arrived as Fantasia was removing foreign material from Azura's arms with a clean pair of tweezers.

Coralline's expression was grim as she told the others of the day's events at the river and market. It was hard not to break down as Azura cried in her arms.

Fatania finished wrapping up Azura's arms in bandages when Coralline scooped up her daughter, bringing her to bed. She tucked Azura under the blankets, kissing her forehead. Azura squeezed her eyes shut, trembling.

"Just rest, honey." Coralline brushed a stray lock from her daughter's face before she left, closing the door tightly behind her.

"How is she?" Coralline asked, returning to the others.

"She should be fine," Fatania said. "Her arms are a mess, but they're not broken. There… will be a lot of scarring. However, I don't think she will lose any functionality. Now she needs lots of rest and to change the bandages every day. Keep it clean. Otherwise, infection might set in."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Coralline grimaced. The scars would be noticeable since Azura had no fur to hide them, but at least she would recover.

"I'm glad to hear it," came the deep voice of Burton, Gerald's father. He was huge. The biggest bear-kin or any other kin type that Coralline had ever seen.

"The real trouble is that the mages are trying to starve us out," Burton continued. "There is no way this is a coincidence."

"Why would they?" Alenina, Toren's mother, asked. She was a rabbit-kin with light brown fur and a slender frame that was exaggerated by her ample bust.

"Soldier recruitment," Burton said. "They put up several posters all over town claiming food shortages due to mist attacks."

"Nonsense!" Coralline hissed, which was very effective from her cat-kin heritage. "If that was the case, why are they stopping us from fishing?"

"Forced recruitment," Burton updated his earlier comment.

"Or nearly so," Fatania said. "Things are going to get bad."

The discussion spiraled downward from there. The signs of grim comings were evident to those who knew what to look for. The kin left an hour later. Each took part of the spoils that the children worked so hard to get. They generously left four large trout for Coralline and Azura, as their family was the one who bled for them. Coralline was sure it wasn't going to be the last time, either.

***

Azura lay in bed, straining to hear the conversation. She tried to stop the tears but couldn't quite manage it. So, she used the pain to guide her mana toward the injuries. There wasn't much mana left that wasn't exhausted. After a few minutes, she gave up and restored her mana pool. Slowly, it began to trickle back in. Her eyes grew heavy. Azura could no longer fight off the fatigue. She was asleep seconds later.

When Azura woke up, it wasn't to the pleasant smell of breakfast but to the somewhat less pleasant sensation of a full bladder. She reached out, intending to pull back the blankets, when her arms flared with agony at the motion. A cry escaped her. She lay there, tears welling up. She wasn't loud, or at least she didn't think so, even though her mother was there a second later. She quickly knelt by Azura's bed.

"Azura, are you okay? You should stay in bed today."

Azura flushed. "I have to pee."

An awkward scene followed, with her mother doing most of the work. This was something that Azura had never heard of in the stories. She enjoyed stories where the hero barely survives a dangerous encounter and has to be cared for by his one true love. Those stories always left out the nasty bathroom stuff. Did the princesses in those stories have to clean up the hero's poo? Nope, best not to think about it, although she was afraid it was too late as another need made itself known.

***

Perhaps I should just die of embarrassment now… Azura mused silently as her mother took the chamber pot away. She came back a minute later, having thoroughly washed her hands. Aiming while someone else helped had not been easy. The wiping had been even worse. She guided Azura back to bed as she prepared some food.

This can't continue, Azura mentally swore as she checked her mana pool. It was better, but not nearly enough. The mana still felt as sluggish as she did. Azura debated on using the mana anyway. If she could heal enough to use the bathroom alone, that would make all the difference. Before she could decide, her mother returned with a massive plate bearing a fish fillet.

Azura forgot everything. Bathroom? Mages? Nothing else mattered except the delightful dish in front of her. The flesh was perfectly seared with chopped pieces of garlic pressed into it. Bits of green onion were sprinkled on top, offsetting the pinkish hue of the flesh. Best of all, a glistening layer of butter gleamed in the light. The attached fish head winked at her and said, "Dig in!" That last part was probably her imagination, but the advice was still sound.

Azura reached out to grasp the utensils but couldn't get a firm hold of them. Her fingers refused to work.

Azura stared at her mother.

Her mother stared back.

Azura's eyes widened, and the pupil expanded impossibly large, replacing the whites.

Her mother continued to stare

Azura's eyes filled with tears, an invisible dam holding them in place.

Her mother continued to stare.

Azura's lips became a roiling sea.

"You could just ask," Coralline said.

Azura's ears drooped, her unfathomable sadness pulling them down.

"Fine!" Coralline declared, raising her hands in surrender. "I'll feed you."

Instantly, Azura's expression changed to pure glee as her mouth was wide enough to swallow a sparrow.

Coralline giggled. "This reminds me of when you were a baby. At least I can ensure you take reasonable bite sizes for once." True to her words, she gave Azura a modest forkful before going back for more. Azura might have argued, but the flesh melted in her mouth. She groaned as the juices poured down her throat. More bites followed. Far too soon, the entire fillet was gone. Only the bones and skin were left. Well, not the skin; Azura was currently chewing on that.

"Goodness," Coralline said, surprised. "I hope you don't eat like this often. We won't be able to afford it." The comment was made in jest; Azura knew that, but it also made the situation and yesterday's events real.

"Mom, what's going to happen?"

"I… I don't know," Coralline said as she guided her daughter back into bed. "But that's for adults to figure out. Your job is to sleep and get better." She paused. "…and control your aim."

"MOM!" Azura cried, turning beet red. Once her mother had left, Azura felt a deep weariness and submitted to sleep's embrace.

***

When Azura awoke, it was midafternoon. Unlike the pressing needs that morning, nothing immediately made her uncomfortable. So, Azura lay there for several minutes, neither asleep nor genuinely awake. Finally, the fear of the following bathroom disaster forced Azura to inspect her mana. The condensed mana was fresh and far more energized than she was. Not waiting a second longer, Azura inverted her mana pool and concentrated the mana into her arms. She wasn't sure what to expect, but when the mana reached its destination, she felt a tingling sensation and tremendous relief. Directing the mana as best she could, she focused the next thirty minutes entirely on healing.

It wasn't as good as a traditional healing spell. Not even close, but it seemed to work. Soon enough, much of the function of Azura's arms was restored. Slowly, she undid the bandages around her arms. Instead of the exposed muscle and shredded epidermis, Azura found pink flesh like that after a bad sunburn. It still hurt and was tender to the touch. More importantly, she could move her hands and fingers. Such a simple thing, but she grinned widely. The fear of the next impending bathroom disaster was averted. She laid back down after restoring her mana pool and quickly drifted back to sleep.

Slight pressure on her arms woke her this time, and she found her mother holding her arms in disbelief. Her mother turned the appendage over as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hi, Mom," Azura yawned. "Got any food?"

"How…" Coralline asked as she stared at Azura's arms.

"Magic," Azura said simply.

"But the mage said…"

"I found a magic that works for me."

A rather scary grin crept onto her mother's face.

"YES!" Her mother cried and then began shadowboxing the air. "That'll show them stuck-up mages!"

"Ummm, okay…" Azura said, stupefied.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I just got so excited!" Coralline said as she pressed her face to Azura's.

"Mom!" Azura cried out, but she was too weak to push her away. As if realizing her daughter's frailty, she backpedaled, suddenly looking concerned.

"Can you heal yourself more?"

"Maybe," Azura said. "But I probably shouldn't. It takes a lot from my body to recharge my mana."

"I'm already hungry again," Azura admitted, feeling guilty.

Her mother looked surprised and then grinned. "If that's the cost to get my little girl all better, I'll gladly pay. I'll be back shortly."

Azura plopped back down onto her pillow, gently stretching her arms. Soon, the smell of baked fish reached her. She smiled. This wasn't so bad after all.