Brother Gus holds his hands over his eyes and takes a shuddering breath. "I..." Hovering just over the man's shoulder, Fluphy reaches out a thin tentacle to touch the man's cheek. His shoulders immediately slump as a memory, crystal clear, comes to him.
"Little Natalie is at the temple door, a bundle of cloth in her arms and tears on her face. Ferg and I let her in and ask what is wrong. She opens the cloth to reveal a small furry creature - a young rabbit. Its back leg is twisted at a terrible angle, and a tiny sliver of bone shows through the skin.
Natalie sniffles, the poor thing. 'I was trying to catch us some food,' she says. Thing have been hard for her since her mother passed away a few months ago. And her father... there is not much help we can give him now, except to ease his last days... She says, 'But I don't want to eat this rabbit. He's just too small, and he's so scared and hurt. Is there anything you can do for him?'
I look at Ferg, and everything we might say to one another is shared in a single glance. Ferg gently takes the bundle of cloth, and I lead the girl to a seat. 'Here now, dry your eyes. You don't have to eat him if you don't want to. We'll see what we can do.'
Ferg lays the bundle down on a table and takes a good look at the shivering creature. I open a cabinet and gather some cloths, a splint, then a needle and thread.
The girl dabs at her eyes as we start to work. 'I'm sorry to ask,' she says. 'I know there isn't much to go around...' It's true. With the illnesses running rampant through Kuldahar, we are all growing short on medicine, bandages and food. Not terribly so, but enough to cause some concern.
I wet a cloth and clean the wound while Ferg holds the tiny animal still. 'It is alright child,' he says to Natalie..." Brother Gus' voice cracks. "Ferg says, 'Never fear to be kind...'"
His face crinkles as fresh tears fall. It takes him a moment to recover, but the memories draw him on.
"We stayed up all night with that little rabbit, and with that little girl, teaching her about Ilmater and pain and love. Her father died the next day. She came often to the temple to visit that rabbit as it recovered, and the three of us were able to have many long talks as we fed and cared for the animal.
Ferg and I were never happier than when doing what we could to help others, serving the people of Kuldahar and any travelers who passed through."
Brother Gus smiles through his tears. "Ilmater guided us to ease the suffering of many."
Fluphy pulls away from the man, leaving him sighing quietly with his eyes closed.
