Sylvanthe eased herself off the horse slowly. Her foot was healing. Slowly. Slowly stunk. Did anyone realize how expensive healers are? So of course she couldn't walk from... whatever that tiny town's name was to here. Wherever here was. And she couldn't shapeshift, because then she would be a marten (a sort of weasel) with a broken foot and still wouldn't be able to walk. So she stole a horse.

Okay okay stealing was wrong, she knew that. But she was an outlaw. Outlaws stole things.
Maybe you should consider a career change.
SHUT UP. Sylvanthe told the voice inside her head. But she knew it was right. So once she got her bum off the horse she wrapped the reins around it's neck and slapped it's bum to get it moving back to wherever she had gotten it from. She had heard somewhere that horses went back to their home if you let them. "So go home horse," she called after it as it trotted away.

She looked around this town. It seemed pretty still. Was it everybody's nap time or something? Well that was okay because then no one would stare at her and ask her 'are you okay what's wrong with you' sorts of questions. Since this was probably a crown country and people did those sorts of things because they were nice like that. But right now Sylvanthe didn't think she could deal with those questions now. Hey look, shade. It was by a shop with a girl in the front who looked deathly bored. Sylvanthe limped over. Shade was shade, even if there were people nearby. And this sun was hot.

Sylvanthe
This life we lead is never boring
new things come with every morning

Keena backpedalled frantically. Whoa, there were way too many hyper people around here. "Hey! do you know what to do with a....hurtish foot?" Keena cast a longing glance at the birds eating peacefully. But helping people was the right thing to do right? She flipped her braid over her should and and kept walking toward them. "What's up?" She asked both girls, looking between them. "What's wrong with your foot?" She asked the one girl. She had liked taking those healing courses in Wizard college; Keena could maybe help, depending on what it was. She stunk at diseases, though. Another class she had stunk at was the weather. Clouds were obstinate little beasts when they wanted to be. Keena frowned, just remembering. She used to get rained on or struck by a mini lightning bolt every other class period.
But she was brought back to the present. Keena leaned on her staff and said, "I might be able to help. I'm a wizard, though I mostly work with light and gems and things like that." The lute on her back bounced. "And music." Playing it, actually. Singing wasn't the best idea for Keena. Hey you don't like my vocal chords, take it up with God, he gave them to me.

Sylvanthe scowled at her foot. "It's broken. It's been like three weeks so I thought it would be better..." She trailed off, annoyed. Feet are strange things.
But is it wrong for me to want to be better now?!
Don't ask me, I'm just your conscience.
Some help you are.
Sylvanthe smiled at the new girl. Her hair was in a honey-colored braid, and she carried herself with confidence. Unlike herself. Outlaw, remember?
I don't know how to relate to people because of being an outlaw.
Maybe you should work on that.

Keena half-grinned at the eager girl. "I dunno, like, sapphires and opals and diamonds and stuff. Precious stones, crystal. I just like 'em." Opals were really fun to work with because they contained so many colors. The only drawback was that they were mostly opaque. Keena stared at her foot. "Broken? How? Cracked, fractured...? Are the bones in the right spot, or do you know?" That was pretty important. If the bones weren't in the right spot, your foot would heal weird and it would hurt forever after. Which would totally stink, in Keena's opinion. Pain of any kind stunk. Especially toothaches.
Why does my brain come up with the most random info at the strangest times? Keena asked herself as something in the shop banged.

"This shapeshifter stepped on it. I don't think the bones are in the wrong spot. I mean, they look okay." Sylvanthe sat in the chair the girl brought and eased her boot off slowly. "Thanks," she told the girl. Oh, I'm Sylvanthe," she told everyone in general, tucking a strand of her dark hair back behind her ear. She smiled gratefully at the two other girls. Thank you God for sending me people when I needed them. You have divine planning like that.

Keena frowned in concentration. Maybe she'd have to do a scrying of the inside of her foot. That could work, she had a small mirror in her pouch. Keena pulled it out and whispered. The surface changed from silver to milky white, then began to form the red and blue vessels, muscles, and bones inside of the shapeshifter's foot. Keena peered at it for a second, then sighed in relief. No muscles were torn, and the bone was only cracked, not snapped or out of place. "I think the ice will be fine for now. I just need to heal the bone." Keena knelt down and took hold of Sylvanthe's stocking foot. Lord, please help me remember those courses I took in school and let me use the gifts you gave me to heal her foot. She felt her hands heat up, and the heat was transferred to Sylvanthe's foot. And just like that, the bone was whole. All done," she said, standing and dusting her hands off. Now she was REALLY HUNGRY. "I'm Keena. What's your name?" she asked the third girl. If they were doing introductions she'd like to know everyone's name.

Stupid wizard! Sylvanthe thought as she stood up and shifted into her marten form. She ran in a circle, trying to figure out if everything was fine. Yep. Everything worked. And she didn't itch anymore. She morphed back into a human and stretched in relief. That would have been awful if she had itched for a long time. "Why would they be sleeping?" she asked Keena. It was the middle of the day. How dumb would that be. She shook her dark hair out and unwrapped the scarf at her neck, tucking it in her pocket. Don't be afraid to be who you are.
Keena gave the girl who had just turned into some kind of rodent!! an annoyed look. "Some people take naps in the middle of the day, okay?" She told Lyllae, "Yeah, that makes more sense." Her head told her not to impose on this girl's hospitality any more, but her stomach said YES YES YES! "If it won't be a bother to feed...us," she said, glancing at the shapeshifter girl.
Sylvanthe looked up. What? Food? "I like food," she said to no one in particular.
Keena blinked. "Okay then."