As Kirsi had just left the town behind, the muffled sound of hooves trotting through the snow reached her senses. Even though the path was broad enough, she nevertheless stepped aside. The chance of this being noblemen was quite likely and if they were in a hurry it was better to be out of their sight. No need to draw unnecessarily attention. Her eyes glanced upwards in surprise as the riders stopped in front of her. It was the landlord, Drystan Moonbroch, with one of his valets. Quickly she turned her gaze down to the ground and gave a modest curtsy. The lord greeted her with a polite nod and observed her before he spoke in a low voice. [i]“Good morning, a rather pleasant day in the harshness of winter, is it not?”[/i]
Not knowing where to look, Kirsi held her glance to the ground. [i]“Certainly, my lord. I hope the snow does not cause too much trouble for the horses, my lord?”[/i] Within her she scolded herself. ‘Am I seriously starting a conversation with this man? Say your goodbyes and be on your way!’
[i]“Not in the slightest. You are Kirsi of Eelin, if I am not mistaken.”
“I am, my lord.”[/i]
After an uncomfortable silence, in which even the horse started to show impatience, Kirsi decided to face the lord. If he was still standing there, there must be a reason for it. A stern look met hers. The man was not that old yet, but grey hairs stroke through his dark hair like lightning stroke through a thunderstorm. She heard he was a man of pride, which showed in how he carried himself. And there was this shrewd twinkle in his eyes, letting a brief chill go down her spine. ‘Be wary of this man.’ It echoed in her mind. 

Her voice rang clear within the silence of the whiteness surrounding them. [i]“Can I be of service to you, my lord?”
“I need you to make a piece for the upcoming festivities. A gift to my wife to be precise.”[/i]
Kirsi’s eyes turned wide for just the briefest of moments. An assignment from the lord was a grant honor to be sure and if done right would increase her clientele. Only she wished he had given notice earlier. She could forget about her own gown now.
[i]“Answer me. Or this order will be lost.”
“Yes, my lord. I was only surprised by your demand. I gladly take the order. Please send the details about the gift and what you are willing to pay to the shop when I return from the monastery.”[/i]
The servant looked shocked and a small smirk appeared on the face of Lord Moonbroch. [i]“Not ever did a subject give orders to me, let alone a maiden. You will receive what you inquire. But know that you will be rebuked for your directness if you do so again.”[/i] He paused for a moment to see she understood and was already moving his horse forward, only to hold it back one last time. “You mentioned the monastery. I advice you to stay on the path most traveled, for near the mountains there have been sights of beasts even a well-trained knight would not be pleased to encounter. I bid you good day, Kirsi.” And with that he urged his horse back to his castle. 
Kirsi gave a last curtsy and waited until the riders were on their way again. ‘A rather uncomfortable first meeting with Lord Moonbroch, but at least something that could be worth my while.’ 

She continued her walk and thought ahead of the newly taken order, what to make and what materials to use. As she was lost in thought, her feet took her away from the road, unto the paths she was used to follow. It was a cry that abruptly made her attentive to her surroundings again. She stayed very still and tried to orientate herself, recalling where the sound had come from and if she would hear it again. Or had it been only in her mind? Just when she decided to walk on, there was the unnerving sound of a squealing and howling wolf. Her body froze, not knowing what to do. Then she recalled the first cry she heard, a human cry. She made her body take a step forward, and another and before she knew she was running towards the direction the sounds had been coming from.
‘I’m a damn fool. I might as well be running right into the jaws of this creature.’ Yet the sight were no jaws welcoming her. Before her, snow had turned into a beautiful dark red, and a man laying in the midst of it. A flash of memory showed before her eyes. She slowed herself and quickly took in what was actually there. No armor, not anything that seemed like a proper weapon, simple clothing. And still breathing. 

Kirsi kneeled down beside the man and examined his wounds carefully. Blood was still seeping out of the wounds and even though they seemed deep, they were rather clean. Her mind acted fast, knowing with the amount of blood the man was loosing and the cold surrounding him, he would not last long. She grabbed for a habit out of her basket and tore it into usable strokes of fabric. It was not that she was familiar with the art of healing, but she had seen folk taking care of each others wounds plenty of times. A clear memory of her mother tending her father after an accident was mostly what made her hands know what to do. She cleared the wounds from any dirty cloth and covered it with the bandages. His leg she tried to tie up with her waistband, in order to stop the wound from bleeding somewhat. She did the same for the wound on his stomach, yet that was also the more worrisome one. 

She eyed the stranger, her hand touching his face, lightly tapping his cheek in order to wake him up. He had to wake up. They had to move. She was not strong enough to take him to the monastery by herself. Leaving him here left him prone to the cold and other luring creatures.
[i]“Please. Wake up!”[/I] Her voice was urgent and slightly fearful at the same time.
The bandages turned almost black as they slowly soaked up some of the blood. Tiny light blue drops appeared within the fabric, creating a spiderweb-like embroidery as they were connecting one by one. Seeing what was happening, she quickly grabbed two other habits and tried her best to wrap them around the man, hoping the energy would not only aid in healing the wounds, but also in giving the man enough warmth to not freeze to death.