Another two weeks passed since the confrontation with the blue and white Tark'ee, and life in L'hatzif had returned to it's usual pace. Roam, Fawn, Wait, and Alter had continued their foraging missions, making an excellent team with their newfound confidence. One cold morning, the group had set out for the fields of Mireh again. They had stayed away a bit, buying their fruits from other colonies instead, just to make sure they would not stir the pot even more. The light was mostly blocked by the L'hatzif mushrooms above, but occasionally the colonists would walk into a patch of soft, warm light as the sun began to climb the skies. The group chatted softly as they walked, all still slow and relaxed from a long night's rest. As they neared the border, Wait suddenly halted, his nose twitching as he raise it in the sky. "Do you smell that?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. He turned around a bit, trying to find the way the scent came from. The others paused, sniffing the air. Fawn frowned. "Blood," she said softly, her eyes scanning the area. "Something's hurt nearby." Roam exchanged a worried glance with her. "Let's check

it out. It might be someone in need." The rest nodded, all filled with concern as they followed Wait. They moved quickly, but cautiously. Alter had pointed out that whatever had caused the scent might still be nearby, so both Alter and Wait were on high alert while Roam and Fawn focused on following the trail. The scent quickly grew stronger, and soon the colonists stumbled upon a rather disturbing sight. The grasses here were longer and more reed-like, the land morphing as L'hatzif crossed over into Mireh. A few trees were dotted around, mingled with the fungal giants from the other region, and under one of the leafy treed laid a long, serpentine form. Bright red eyes narrowed as the form on the ground watched them approach, Lying in a small, sun-dappled clearing was the Tark'ee, his blue and white body marred with blood and dirt. He was breathing heavily, his body coiled in pain. Fawn's eyes widened in shock. "It's him," she whispered. Roam grimaced. The Tark'ee was in no shape to attack. That left another question, though. What were they supposed to do with an enemy, severely injured, but within reach of their healers. Bringing the Tark'ee

home would reveal their location, but looking at the beast's injuries, leaving him there might be a death sentence. He looked around at his companions, equally conflicted looks in their eyes. Leaving him to suffer didn't seem to sit right with any of them. "He's hurt badly," Wait observed, his voice softening. Alter nodded. "We should help him. It's the right thing to do." Roam took a deep breath, stepping forward cautiously. "We need to get him back to L'hatzif. We have healers there who can help. He doesn't seem to be a threat right now, and we can figure out what to do when we get back. If we all work together, we should be able to carry him." The Tark'ee's eyes flickered open as Roam approached, narrowing with suspicion and pain, yet still unfocused. "What do you want?" he rasped, the weakness in his voice filling Roam with even more worry. "We want to help," Roam replied gently. "You're injured badly. Let us take you to our healers." The Tark'ee blinked weakly, but clearly taken aback by the offer. "Why would you help me? After what I did " Fawn stepped up beside Roam, her expression filled with

annoyance. "Because it's the right thing to do. We don't abandon those in need, even if they've wronged us. You're gonna have to work with us here. You look rather heavy- no offense." For a moment, the Tark'ee seemed to struggle with his pride, but eventually, he nodded weakly. "Fine I can't move much. You'll have to carry me." Roam nodded. "Wait, can I have the med kit from your bag? I'm going to have to stitch him up best I can. When the biggest wounds are closed up, we're gonna have to secure his head and part of his body on your guys' backs. Roam and I can carry the tail." Their Tark'ee's form was heavy and unwieldy, but their combined efforts somehow made the task manageable. The way back to L'hatzif was usually not long, but with them carrying the heavy Tark'ee, the journey back took easily three times as long. As they got closer to the colony near the end of the day, they spotted a familiar face- Scorpius was walking around the fungal forest, probably on a break from his regular work. "Scorpius!" wait called out, happy too see another set of hands to help. The

belemoid was the youngest of the group, and by extend the one least used to doing hard manual labour. The poor reef Belemoid was exhausted from carrying a weight that was far heavier than the bags of fruit he usually carried. Scorpius startles after being called, eyes widening almost comically as he noticed the situation. He stood still a few seconds, but as reality set in, he hurried over to the group. "What- happened? How can I help?" "take over from Wait." Roam called out, watching as the group jostled the weight of the Tark'ee around. The tark'ee groaned slightly, but seemed pretty out of it. "Right- Wait, can you run back home, and call over Matter and Scale? We need to get him assessed as soon as we can. We're playing a risky game moving him at all." Wait nodded quickly dashing off. "Ah- should we keep going?" Scorpius asked, hesitant. "Yea," Fawn nodded, "We've already had to move him a fair bit. It's a few more hours to take him all the way back, but hopefully Scale and Matter can meet us halfway." They eventually did meet up halfway, Scale and Matter appearing but without Wait in tow.

The belemoid was probably told to stay back and rest up, especially after sprinting all the way back home. Matter was carrying all sorts of bags, and quickly started to look the other Tark'ee over as soon she arrived. Scale quickly helped free Alter from the ropes they had used to secure the tark'ee's head to her back. Alter had a few small scrapes on her- from the ropes rubbing against his body, and from the Tark'ee's horns scratching up the back of her neck, and Scale quickly disinfected the wounds. Roam, Fawn and Alter were all exhausted, and sat down together while waiting for Matter and Scale to cast judgement. Once the healers had cleared him, they'd pick him back up and carry him the rest of the way home. Scorpius sat with them, looking a little bewildered "Is this the fella that-" "Yes." Alter answered, not even waiting for him to finish the sentence. "Found him like this near Mireh." Scorpius grumbled "Should've left him there." the rest glared at him, and the conversation halted there as they rested. "Right." Scale exclaimed eventually, as she and Matter started packing their stuff up. "he should be alright, from what

I can tell but-" The Tsabhua hesitated for a bit. "We should probably take him back with us. There's no telling how deep some of these cuts go." Roam sighed, standing up. "Scorpius- you head back home. People might worry, since they didn't know you were held up here." Scorpius squinted- to which Roam gave him a look. While the help *was* needed, with the Tsabhua's previous comment it might be better for him to stay out of this. Scorpius rolled his eyes, but started walking back home with a simple dismissal. "Scale- if you can help carry him, that'd be great." Scale nodded, not seeming entirely pleased. "And Matter, I was hoping you can keep an eye out on his vitals." The pale Tark'ee nodded. Roam smiled "We should be home pretty soon, with all of us helping." The colonists arrived home a couple evenings later, and were promptly shoo'd away my Matter and Scale. Back in their room Roam leaned against Fawn, his eyes thoughtful. "Do you think he'll be alright?" he asked softly. Fawn nodded, squeezing his hand gently. "He's in good hands. Scale and Matter are trying their best, and said that he didn't look critical

" Roam sighed, his expression contemplative. "I hope this changes things. Maybe he'll see that we're not his enemies. It could be the start of something nice." Fawn sighed, looking outside at the stars beginning to twinkle in the night sky. "It's hard to say. But at least we did our part. We showed him that we can be better than what he expected." Days passed, and the Tark'ee slowly began to recover. Scale and Matter worked tirelessly, and Roam, Fawn, Wait, and Alter visited frequently, bringing food and water and checking on his progress. Gradually, the Tark'ee's initial hostility softened, replaced by a cautious gratitude. One evening, as the group visited, the Tark'ee spoke up, his voice still weak but steadier. "Why did you really help me?" he asked, his red eyes searching their faces. Roam met his gaze evenly. "Because we believe in doing what's right. You needed help, and we couldn't just leave you there." The Tark'ee nodded slowly. "I misjudged you. I thought you were just weak. But in a way you're strong- just in ways I didn't understand Perhaps I still don't." Fawn smiled gently. "Strength isn't just about power. It's about compassion, too." Wait

and Alter nodded in agreement, their expressions sincere. The Tark'ee seemed to ponder their words, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Thank you," he said simply, his tone sincere. "You've shown me a different way to be strong. I'll remember that."