Kochi The Ice Healer

The sun shown blindly thru the large windows of a stone hut. Takeo upon waking up immediately shielded his eyes. He didn't remeber anything after seeing the campsite just within reach with Prince Jia . . . !?

He instinctively scaned the room with his crystal blue eyes in panic. In an old bedroll next to his own, tucked in and red with fever covered with sweat lay Prince Jia. His relief was met with bolts of pain shooting thru his shoulder and back.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wakeup." A warm familiar voice said. Takeo looked to the door; there stood Kochi with a pure white wolfhound at his feet. "I see you're still serving the Emperor and still babysitting men your own age."

"What happened? Where is the rest of my squad?" Asked Takeo. Kochi walked over and kneeled over Jia.

"I only know what happened after you two were bought here." Kochi answered. He checked the Prince's pulse before taking a cool damp cloth to his forehead. "You were exhausted and out cold. Your buddy, on the other hand, was just awake enough to tell me he'd been poisoned. Fortunately for him, I completed my herbal treatments and remedies with the healers of the Forest Clan."

"Judging by this shack and you're being here, you either left or were banished from the Ice Clan." Takeo was happy to see a friendly face, though his nature prevented him from being able to relax.

Kochi laughed and shook his head. "Our leader may have banished alot of our people out of Mount Shiva and drove another third out with her new laws, but I was not one of either group." Kochi laughed. "Bliz and I are just filling in while one of my former teachers is away visiting his daughter and her new born twins on the other side of the valley. Meiyu's temper has left our Clan in shambles, but she knows if she banished one of the few Healers that can diagnose, treat, and create antidotes to poisons and toxins, what's left will demand she be frozen in the Goddess's Glacier for all eternity. She's had to start forgiving former members."

"I see you still love to brag. Any chance she would consider allowing Dragoons to stay on Mount Shiva?" Asked Takeo. It could be the place to hide Princess Guinviere, Jia's family and his own while the Mijar's band of warmongers were at large. Kochi just looked at him dumbfounded.

"There are three problems with that. First, no known dragoon has EVER been blessed by the Ice Goddess. Second, most of the Clan would be up in arms if a dragoon set one foot on Mount Shiva. If Meiyu got it in her head to bring in any Dragoons to the clan, I don't even want to think of the backlash. She's just starting to redeem herself as a leader." Explained the healer. He paused to wipe the sweat from the Prince's forehead, neck and chest. "And there's the natural problem that dragoons generally hate snow and ice. With the year round blizzards and winds on Mount Shiva, their wings would be worse than useless. They would be a liability and I personally would hate to treat even a friendly Dragoon for frostbitten wings."

"What about Prince Jia?"

"If memory serves right, last time those two met you left and Meiyu cursed the Prince with a demon bride." Countered Kochi. He rinsed the cloth in a pale stone bowl. "Don't get me wrong. I don't think she would ever do anything actively against the Imperial family, but allowing the Prince who stole her bethrothed from her to stay in her house would be pushing the limits of her hospitality."

"She's still sore about that?" Takeo shouldn't have been surprised, but that was nearly a decade ago. "I guess that answers my last question."

"Sore? Takeo, she spent her entire life getting ready to be our Clan leader and YOUR wife." Bliz placed his paw on Kochi's arm, reminding him he had a very important patient who needed attention. Kochi took a green vital from Bliz. "Alright, boy, one spoon full of medicine for the Prince. I promise, it smells as bad as it tastes, but it works with body to expell the poison thru the skin and . . ."

"I'm going to take your word. I don't want to know how it works. Just say Prince Jia will probably request a bath when he wakes up." Takeo watched as Kochi poured the fowl smelling concouction down Jia throat. Kochi laughed. "Now, about my squad . . ."

"You need to get some rest. Healer's orders." Kochi lectured. The playful tone in his voice was gone.

"There's not much time. I need to at least send some messages out." Takeo protested. His mind was trying to think of a plan. "Dictating isn't too strenuous, if that's what you're worried about."

"You're almost as bad as Meiyu. She was barking orders and getting reports while in childbirth." Kochi shook his head. "She had banished the child's father three months before. I don't want to worry you, but she was particularly angery over the birth of your son."

"How did you know . . .? How did she . . .?!"

"Midway thru her contractions, she recieved a report that a boy had been born to you and your wife on the winter solstice during a full moon. She was upset that your son wasn't her son." Explained Kochi. "To make matters worse, her daughter was a stillborn. All of them have been."

"How many . . .?" Started Takeo, but Kochi shook his head. "I knew her mother had several children, but she was the only one to live beyond a year."

"Meiyu is very unhappy about your son. I'm guessing you were going to ask if she would allow your wife and child into the clan." Kochi had always had some intuition about his patients. Takeo stayed stone faced. "Your son would be welcomed with open arms; getting him back on the other hand would be much more difficult. Your wife . . . Not even if she divorced you and denounced all connections to you. You . . . Your guess is as good as mine. Meiyu carries her love for you still, yet you know what they about a woman scorned."

"My squad." Takeo reminded the healer of his request. Blitz was pawing the door opened and gave a powerful bark to order Takeo's team in. One by one, they entered and bowed before Takeo and Kochi. Takeo had taken this mission with every intention of disappearing back to Reisha's inn. He never bothered to talk to any of the team beyond giving orders. "I think some introductions are in order. Our mission is has changed and we'll be spending much more time together."