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P** art Four: "The Human"**

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As it'd been said for her beforehand, from the north to the south to the east and to the west ends of the world, Nyrina had seen many wondrous things throughout Felldew during her twenty-one years alive. Many of those days had been quite fantastic to her. Many a time she'd filed an epic memory into her mind. Many a nighttime before going to bed, she'd heard numerous fables, legends, myths, stories and tales about the peoples, customs as well as traditions of her world's different kingdoms.

Out of all of the things she'd ever heard described to her in the past though, out of all of the civilizations of Felldew that she'd learned about, Nyrina knew for a fact that there was no other race alive that was more celebrated than the one which today lived in the isolated, northern, mountainous land of Norlinth; humans. Humans who were the first awakened peoples of Felldew, the oldest if not humblest students of goddess Gaia, the civilization that had been given the chance long ago to enslave all others but had instead conquered their dark desires and earned redemption in turn. The civilization whose daughters and sons of today were all mystical peace keepers, leaders, warriors of truth, wise minds along with so much more.

At one point in time before she'd been born, having been told the same story plenty in the past, Nyrina knew for sure that her parents had had the pleasure if not honor of befriending a human woman. In turn, that human female they'd befriended had proven to be a true example of what humanity stood for. She had been generous, kind, brave, wise, understanding, respectful along with plenty more fantastic things.

Overall, human female had proven to be a most loyal friend to Mistdrop and Hudder. Not only that, she'd been their proudest guest of honor at their wedding. A wedding that she'd ultimately helped them achieve over the course of several years.

Indeed, thanks to a human woman thirty years ago, Nyrina was aware that her mother, Mistdrop of the Barkray clan, had come to lovingly marry her father, Hudder of the Urchinhide tribe, upon the beaches looking out over Onyx Bay during a golden summer afternoon. And although the human maid's duties - her bond to her goddess and her loyalty to her people - had dragged her away from their sides to other lands, she had never left Mistdrop nor Hudder in spirit. Instead, her memory had been always honored by them. Repeatedly had they told their daughter of her and now, today, they told their son Clampter the same things.

And those things that Hudder as well as Mistdrop had forever said about their human friend to whoever would listen were simple yet true; although a bit alien to the world, humans were not to be feared but admired. They were as much brilliant warriors as they were intelligent scholars. They were strong in body, mind as well as soul. They were the first awakened race as well as chosen people of the goddess for a very good reason. They were, overall, to this day, valuable friends to those who were in need and lethal enemies to those who preyed upon the weak.

Yet, despite all of the stuff that she had been told about the gracious race of mankind, Nyrina hadn't dared to hope to ever meet an actual human. For where her parents may have been lucky enough to meet one outside of Norlinth, she couldn't be as lucky. She just couldn't be. For such a thing as meeting a human was too impossible a thing for her to believe in.

Still, despite the impossibility of it, no matter if she was willing to believe it or not at the moment, seeing as how plenty had happened to her so quickly already, here stunned Nyrina was... staring dumbfounded at a human of her age kneeling before her.

This wasn't just any human, mind. Oh no, this was the young man that had just saved her life from the bloodthirstiness of a shark. He was her hero that had - without hesitation or awkwardness after having pulled her up to him - hugged her close to him as well as told her that everything was okay as she'd cried into his shoulder over having nearly been killed. He was the quiet soul now respectfully wrapping her in his fashionable yet humble white-blue traveling cloak so that her, well, nudity was not so very out in the open for all of creation to see.

When finished donning her in his said cloak like a proper gentleman would, the silent, gentle human man next proved true the words of Nyrina's parent's about his race being friends to those in need. Wordlessly unclipping it from the belt on his waist, the young man purposefully opened a small satchel which provided him with several different looking medical vials, packets as well as bandages all of which he set out in the open on the grass nearby.

When he seemed finished in acquiring what he needed from his personal stash of meds, Nyrina's rescuer shook the liquids in the vials to mix them, poured bits of their contents onto woolen swaths, then hesitated a moment as he politely explained something to her. Of course, not knowing if she was dreaming about the moment or not with a human doting over her, it took the she-otter's hearing several moments to work. Finally, after having shaken her head along with rubbed her teary eyes, she heard her champion speak to her for the first time.

"If you would allow me to do so, she-otter, I'm going to apply several salves and tonics to your bruises." The human man said, sounding cool and collected as he smiled a small yet reassuring smile that seemed to shine like the summer sun in the east, "Mind, my medications here are going to sting you a little bit but it'll be for your own good until I can get you to a proper doctor. So... May I treat you?"

Could the human have permission to treat Nyrina's aching body? Most certainly! He'd saved her after all.

Not only that, thanks to the tales she'd heard about his kind from her mother and father every year up to this point, seeing as he'd done so much for her already after they'd met for the first time moments ago, the Urchinhide daughter knew for sure that her human champion wouldn't ever think of harming her. Somehow, for some unexplainable reason, even though he was still a stranger to her despite his heroics, she didn't fear him at all.

Perhaps her sense of security with him had to do with what he wore?

Judging by his current attire of a white cotton tunic, muddied black trousers, heavy leather traveling boots all of which were adorned in many exotic chains, beads along with holy pendants, he wore the same things like all of the peaceful, traveling human pilgrims of Felldew. Most reassuring of his apparel, though, was the silver necklace around his neck that bore the emblem of goddess Gaia herself; depicting a celestial, beautiful human woman looking heavenward with her hands held upwards over her head.

Honestly, in Nyrina's eyes, it had seemed like the young human man had been trying to win her trust by warning her beforehand that his applied meds would sting a wee bit. What he didn't realize was that after he'd rescued her from the jaws of a killer fish, after he'd behaved so nobly towards her all this while, he had mostly won her trust already. Not only that but her silent admiration too. Even now she could tell that he was s good Felldewan. His eyes never glinted maliciously. His confident smile never faltered.

Truly, he was there for Nyrina. Quite possibly... he had been sent to her by the goddess. And seeing how handsome he was, she couldn't at all complain about that. She could only try to steady the rapid pace of her beating heart.

"Alright, I'm going to begin treating your injuries, miss. Don't be afraid to tell me if you need me to stop at any time or if something begins to hurt too much." The human explained softly, slowly and respectfully opening his cloak covering Nyrina's naked body so that he could get a good view of where the bull shark had rammed into her bruised side during its first surprise attack against her, "Hm... You got knocked around a bit by that razor mouth, didn't you? Oh, it's alright, don't answer. Save your strength. Ignore my rambling."

The medications, the tonics, did burn a tiny bit as they were rubbed against the throbbing spots on Nyrina's body. Yet, like she knew her father would have, the Urchinhide daughter displayed a quiet show of strength by not gasping, flinching or displaying any kinds of discomfort as her savior helped heal her.

As her said savior continued his work of healing her, he was very frequent in asking if she felt alright with him seeing her so... lacking in clothes. Her answer every time he asked was that he was alright in looking at every inch of her revealed body and could go on treating her. It wasn't his fault that she was so very lacking in clothes at the moment. Earlier, she had been the one that'd decided to go skinny dipping into shark infest waters.

Of course, she hadn't known then at that moment that the Seidon River had been shark infested. Still, one way or the other, having already made her choice to strip down, here she was being examined by someone. Someone who was very gentleman like, at least, who didn't take advantage of the event at hand and stare at one part of her for too long before looking to another part.

To be perfectly frank, seeing as she'd been pursued by many males during her growing up, it was a tad bit odd to Nyrina that her human healer didn't get easily distracted when he got to examining her chest as well as lower body. Instead, almost insultingly, he treated them like everything else; expertly, wordlessly along with swiftly. Indeed, not once did his eyes stray from his objective. Not once did the bewildered she-otter notice him look back or stare at her breasts or private bits when having finished healing her hurts in those general areas.

No, rather than having him get lost staring at her too much, Nyrina instead got lost in her thoughts while staring at him.

Again, this was the first time that she had ever had the honor of being so close to a citizen of the first awakened race. And where she'd been told so much about them already by her parents and folks she'd met during her travels across Felldew, she knew now that it was one thing to hear about a being of humanity and it was a completely different case to meet one. Truly, it was far more exciting if not clarifying to actually be in the presence of a human rather than be told about one.

Like she'd learned about his kind many years back, Nyrina noticed that the human man healing her had a flat face like the rest of his kind. The only thing that stood out from his soft yet acute expression was his narrow yet charming nose. Apart for the dirty brown, shortly cut, swept back hair upon his head, his body underneath his clothing was more than likely bare of any kinds of fur. Speaking of the human's body, having given her his cloak, seeing as how easily he'd pulled her up the muddy slope with just one hand earlier, having heard of the hard training in warfare his civilization preferred in Norlinth, the Urchinhide daughter couldn't help but begin to wonder just what was hidden away from sight underneath her rescuer's clothing.

Like how the light of the day reflected in his blue eyes, judging by the show of muscles in his exposed arms alone, was this man strong? If so, was he splendidly chiseled to the core?

Wait, what was Nyrina doing? Why was she thinking this way so soon about someone she'd just met only several minutes ago? Sure, this human man had saved her but that didn't automatically make them a couple much less lovers. She had to get a grip on herself before he started figuring out what naughtiness she had rifling through her mind!

As for what was rifling through flustered Nyrina's mind, it came to a sudden stop when her eyes connected for a moment with the human's own.

For what felt like infinite but was only a mere second, the rescuer and rescued looked at each other without doing anything. Then, trying not to let him read the dirty thoughts in her brain, not wanting to come across as weird, the blushing she-otter quickly took to looking at her claws.

In turn, her hero returned to his mending work. Only this time, for his own reasons, he did so with a gentle smile on his face... like he knew something that she didn't.

Had he read her mind? Ooh, how awful. How embarrassing!

"Don't worry, she-otter. I won't bite you. I promise." The human explained gently, making Nyrina briefly look up at him in turn, "Not like your last customer wanted to anyway. I suppose sharks have never taken well to rejection. They just don't understand the meaning of "NO". Is that how it was with that razor mouth of yours back in the river? He didn't like you telling him NO?"

"I can't really say..." Nyrina admitted next, feeling a bit humored by the starting conversation despite her aching pains, "The shark didn't exactly have anything to say to me. He was more intent in taking a bite out of me rather than listening to whatever I had to say about the matter."

"And pray, what were you doing in that river?" The rescuer respectfully questioned of the rescued, "Would it be right of me to guess that you had no idea about that shark being there? Of course it would be right of me to guess that. Duh. For if you had known of the danger, you wouldn't have gone swimming at all, correct?"

"That's correct." The Urchinhide daughter admitted, Doing her best not to break out into new trembles of fear at the thought of the bull shark, "I... I had no idea what I was swimming into back there. Not until the moment I got attacked, anyhow."

"What a surprise that must have been, eh? I suppose you were minding your own business doing whatever when that bully of the sea began ruining your day for no good reason, eh?" The human sighed impatiently, applying some tonic to his patient's neck next, "Well, if it helps... I think I ruined your shark's day. I know my day would be ruined if I got several arrows shot into me like he did."

"Heh, well, before you went and made him a pin cushion, I gave him a few stabs of my knife to remember me by." Nyrina actually half snickered-half murmured, "That was before he knocked me for a loop with his tail and turned my world upside down. Ah, speaking of tails - Oh no!"

Suddenly, everything wasn't so grand for the she-otter. Not when, at having spoken of tails, she'd grabbed her own tail, looked over it... as well as realized that it was bloody from where the bull shark had managed to nip her on the slope. Of course, she should have been grateful. At least she had her whole tail to hold on to at the moment. Yet, at seeing her prize and joy in life had been bitten by the killer fish, at realizing her precious tail would forever be scarred after today's unpleasantness, well, the she-otter couldn't help but allow fresh tears of sadness to escape her emerald eyes.

"My tail... That stupid fish... That mindless..." Nyrina mumbled in between sobs, hugging her wounded tail close to her, "That blasted razor mouth... he ended up getting the better of me after all..."

The Otters of Felldew had many things on their person to be proud of. They had good eyesight above as well as below water. They had lungs capable of allowing them to hold their breath for long spans of time. They had bright minds capable of rivaling humans' own. Yet, out of all of their prized traits, it was common knowledge that otters valued their tails - their "rudders" - more than anything else. For it was their tails that allowed them to swim so easily, so swiftly, so graciously. Their tails were their everything in life.

And Nyrina... her gorgeous tail had been fouled. Her tail was ruined!

"Please, she-otter, do not shed any more tears. Enough of that has been done already on your part. If you keep on weeping, you'll dry up into a rock before you know it." The human softly said, bringing suffering Nyrina back to the present as he went about comforting her, "Here. Allow me to see your tail. May I?"

The Urchinhide daughter hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, she placed her grand tail in her healer's grasp who ever so delicately went about examining it with his attentive eyes. At once, just by the way he was so careful in handling her pride and joy in his hands, Nyrina could tell that he understood the reason for her sadness. He understood what an otter's tail meant. He knew that words of encouragement needed to be brought forth at this moment and he gladly brought them with a tone of apology as well as confidence.

"I'm sorry that your tail has been nipped, she-otter. However, forgive me for saying so but this wound could have been much worse. You could have lost your entire tail instead. That would have been a good reason for you to cry right now." The human man explained, doing his best not to sound like he was lecturing the hurt otter maiden, "And if you don't mind me saying so, even if it has been scarred, your tail is still beautiful. It may have to be bandaged for a while but... it'll be as grand as it was before the shark attack when the bandages are removed for good."

Next, producing more cotton swaths soaked in medical ointment, the human man began to apply attention to his hurt patient's tail. However, before he started, he formally asked, "May I bandage your tail, miss? Can I proceed?"

After having been so respectful of her needs all of this time, the human still had to ask for permission to do things? No, he was asking because he was gentleman. He was asking to treat her pride and joy in life, her most treasured body part. Either way, of course he could wrap her tail. He could help her understand that she at least still had her tail.

There was a pause of content silence between the sniffling she-otter as well as her tending rescuer as he went about mending her treasured rudder. After their brief if not good-hearted exchange of words, Nyrina honestly came to trust him even more. Then, taking hold of another roll of bandages, apologizing for invading her personal space again, her champion began to wrap her waist to help dull the pain of her bodily medicated aches.

"I apologize that I haven't done so up to this point, miss, but I haven't properly introduced myself." The young human said during his wrapping the Urchinhide daughter's waist, smiling his same bright smile in the meantime, "I am Ivan T'lore of Norlinth, son of humanity, student of Gaia, a warrior of what is right in this world. And you are?"

"Hm? Ah, I'm, uh, Nyrina. Just Nyrina." Nyrina rather meekly muttered back, seeing how her own title was a bit small compared to her companion's, "Oh, um, I should add that I'm of the Urchinhide family. Put better, I'm Nyrina Urchinhide. And I should also add that I'm... I'm eternally in your debt Ivan of Norlinth. Truly, thank you for saving my life. You're right. At least I still have my tail. I need to stop... blubbering like this, ugh."

"No thanks is needed for saving your life, Nyrina Urchinhide." The human, Ivan T'lore, said back kindly, looking sincerely into the Urchinhides eyes with his own, "I simply did what Gaia would have expected of anyone to do during such a dire occasion as yours. You called out for the goddess to make the shark go away. She answered your call through me and I was more than happy to be her instrument in saving your life this day."

After being told such a selfless thing, Nyrina truly knew now better than ever that her parents had forever told her the truth about humans being grand.

Having heard her calling out for help earlier, Ivan hadn't acted in saving her from the shark because he would get gratitude out of it. No, in the goddess's eyes, he'd saved the day without thoughts of reward because, put simply, it'd been the utmost right thing to do at the moment. When seeing her situation, it had become his soul bound duty to see the she-otter safely escorted from the jaws of death.

And what a splendid job he'd done of that. What a great job he was doing paying attention to her every need now. He really was a messenger of the goddess.

"Tell me, Nyrina, do you know of any doctors in the immediate area?" Ivan curiously asked next.

"I don't understand... What do you mean in the _immediate_area?" Nyrina replied without a clue.

"Alas, pardon me for my witty use of words. I meant, do you know if there are any nearby doctors in this area who could treat you better than me?"

"Oh, well, there's my mother. She's experienced in remedies." Nyrina explained, suddenly feeling her heart plummet into her stomach at catching back up with reality and realizing how much trouble she was going to be in when getting back to Dynamic, "Uh, um... but seeing as I... seeing as I shouldn't be out here alone... My mother will sooner rip me apart before healing me if you take me to her."

"Ah, so you do have friends and family in the immediate area?" Ivan wondered back, suddenly looking a bit confused over the dampened spirits of Nyrina, "Good, good, good. Ahem but.... Why ever would you say that your own mother otter would rip you apart if I were to bring you to her?"

"Because I... I'm not supposed to be out here by myself. I shouldn't have *hic* gone swimming in that river without someone *sob* knowing where I'd gone to." Nyrina began to explain, suddenly breaking into near tears which made her human companion squirm in discomfort, "But I didn't mean for any of this *Hic* to happen! I didn't go out on my own to get *hiccup* nearly eaten by a shark!"

"What? You're not old enough to be out on your own? Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay, okay, okay, stop crying, calm yourself down, miss!" Ivan quickly as well as soothingly said, "My oh my, you weep far too often. You're going to drown in your own tears if you don't stop soon. Look, if you weren't supposed to be alone this morning then why were you off on your own?"

"I had good intentions... that got ruined because of that stupid shark!" The Urchinhide daughter suddenly shouted, openly crying again about all that had happened to her, "It's that stupid shark's fault that I lost mother's birthday gift!"

"Birthday gift? I don't-"

"All I wanted to do was collect some freshwater pearls for a more than great purpose but could I do that in peace, goddess? Oh no!" The Urchinhide daughter wailed, putting her face in her hands, "I had to swim for my life from a freaking mouth full of hundreds of razor sharp teeth instead!"

"Look, look, look, Nyrina, I didn't mean to upset you or anything." Ivan exclaimed, having lost control of the whole situation now for reasons he was trying to comprehend, "Please, stop crying, stop shouting and let me try to understand what troubles you. Here. Take a look at this. Is this perhaps what you lost in the river-"

"NYRINA?!" A booming, gruff male voice abruptly called out through the tranquil morning air! It was a voice that made crying Nyrina both nearly jump out of her skin as well as look around with sudden apprehension.

Then, within a heartbeat, everything exploded into a mix of emotions for her again when her lean as well as bold father, Hudder - armed with his personally crafted, favorite javelin, dressed in his usual riverweed jerkin, pants, foot wrappings along with his favorite tan bandana wrapped around his head - came bounding forth into sight from the southern forests!

"Nyrina, me little tyke, there ye' are! Stay right there, missy. I'm comin' to ye'."