Kalyna pressed a cold cloth to Talia's burning forehead, her brow furrowed in concentration. Darian stood anxiously nearby while his mother Mara wrung her hands.

"This fever is persistent," Kalyna muttered. "But I believe I can bring it down for now."

She rummaged in her medicine bag and withdrew several small jars. Selecting a dried herb from each, she dropped them into a mortar and began grinding them into a fine powder.

Darian watched her work intently, trying to remember each step. His heart pounded, afraid to hope the concoction would help his sister.

At last Kalyna stirred the powder into a cup of water. "Here, let's have her drink this."

Together, they propped up Talia's limp body. She whimpered, head lolling to the side. Darian's chest clenched at how frail she looked.

"Come now, little one," Kalyna coaxed. "This will help you feel better."

With difficulty they managed to get Talia to swallow most of the bitter liquid. She cried out hoarsely as they laid her back down.

"There now, the medicine will take effect soon," Kalyna said. She felt Talia's forehead and nodded. "The fever is already lessening somewhat."

Darian's mother gasped in relief, pressing a trembling hand over her mouth. His own shoulders sagged, tension escaping his body.

"She's not fully recovered, mind you," Kalyna cautioned. "But this should buy us some time."

She instructed Mara on how often to re-administer the powdered herbs mixed in water. Darian listened closely as well, vowing to himself that he would take over caring for Talia as much as he could. His mother was utterly exhausted.

After giving further instructions on keeping Talia cool and hydrated, Kalyna took her leave. Darian walked her to the door.

"I can't thank you enough," he said earnestly. "We would have lost her..."

"All part of my duties, boy,” Kalyna gave his shoulder a grandmotherly pat. “Though I admit this illness vexes me. Still, now we can at least make Talia comfortable while her body fights it off."

Darian managed a weak smile as Kalyna left. His little sister wasn't out of danger yet, but at least she would live to see another dawn.

Returning inside, he found his mother sitting at Talia's bedside, gently stroking her hair as she slept. Mara's eyes shone with unshed tears of exhaustion and relief.

"Go back to sleep, mother. I'll watch over her."

Too weary to argue, Mara nodded and laid back down. Soon her worried features relaxed into a deep sleep.

Darian’s gaze settled on his little sister’s sleeping form. The medicine is definitely helping, he decided. Some colour had returned to her chubby cheeks. Her sleep seemed peaceful for the moment, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Darian found himself matching his breaths to hers, keeping time like a drumbeat.

In and out. In and out.

As long as they could keep her breathing, Darian knew his fierce little sister would keep fighting. Talia had always been a scrapper, even as a toddler. She never gave up trying to keep up with her big brother.

"You can beat this," he whispered to her sleeping form. "I know you can."

The day passed slowly. Mara slept deeply, only rousing herself now and then to check on Talia. For his part, Darian stayed vigilant. He bathed Talia's hot skin with cool cloths and coaxed sips of water into her parched mouth. When she grew restless, he soothed her with lullabies their father had once sung to him.

Like a miracle, Talia's fever stayed down. Hope flickered in Darian’s chest. His sister was going to recover.

When evening came, Mara took over the bedside watch. She assured Darian get some rest himself, but he slept with one eye open. Just in case.

Talia needed him. He would not fail her.

Over the next few days, they fell into an uneasy but manageable rhythm. Talia’s fever stayed down, neither spiking again nor vanishing completely. She drifted in and out of sleep, taking broth and medicine when they could rouse her.

Meanwhile, Darian did his best to keep up with providing for the family while also studying for his upcoming Exam of Candidacy. Each morning before dawn, he lit a candle and tried to cram in some reviewing of historical laws and court customs. But he often fell asleep over the books, exhausted from his frequent checks on Talia throughout the night.

After a few fitful hours of studying, Darian would slip away to check his snares and forage in the forest. His hunting luck was poor, but he managed to scrape together rabbits, roots, and herbs to feed them all.

Talia remained too weak and ill to leave her bed. Mara cared for her while he was out. But she too was run ragged, and often slept when Darian returned.

So, he took over tending Talia, keeping her company. He tricked her into drinking the bitter herbal preparations Kalyna left. Sometimes, in her fever stupor, Talia thought Darian was their father.

“Da, tell me a story,” she would murmur.

“Once upon a time there was a brave knight named Talia...” Darian would make up silly tales until she fell back asleep. All the while, he tried to keep reviewing his notes and texts aloud to study, knowing how little time he had before the exam.

Truthfully, her lack of improvement worried him. Shouldn’t the fever have gone entirely by now? What if she took a turn for the worse again when Kalyna’s herbs ran out?

Darian slept poorly, dreams haunted by memories of his sister’s burning skin and agonized whimpers. He jerked awake several times each night to check on her.

During the day, worry gnawed at his mind like a starved wolf. He needed to be hunting, yet felt anxious leaving Talia for long. She was his responsibility - he should be here caring for her.

But they still needed food and coin...Darian felt pulled in too many directions. He only hoped his scattered studying would be enough.

One morning, Darian ventured deeper than usual into the forest, following a game trail. He reset the snares.

Squirrels and a scrawny raccoon struggled against the first few traps. Darian put them out of their misery quickly with a rock - he took no pleasure in causing them pain. But his family needed the meat.

At the next snare, a whimpering cry gave him pause. That sounded too big for a squirrel...Darian crept forward and froze.

A wolf pup was tangled in the crude snare, one front paw bloody from its attempts to escape. It whined and snapped its jaws fiercely when it saw Darian.

He hesitated, fingers touching his dagger. A wolf pelt would be valuable, fetch a handful of silvers in the village easily. Meat and money, everything they desperately needed...

The pup’s dark eyes met Darian's for an instant. In them, Darian saw his own fear reflected. An animal struggling to live another day, to protect its family and not leave them alone.

Slowly, Darian slid his dagger back into his belt. He moved closer, hands up soothingly.

"Shhhh, I'm going to help you," he murmured.

The pup backed away, snarling, but could not break free of the snare. Its eyes never left Darian.

In one smooth motion, Darian reached down and cut the rope. The pup wrenched its injured paw loose and darted several feet away. There it paused and looked back at Darian, who stood motionless.

"Go on then," Darian told it quietly. "Go back to your family."

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw something like wary understanding pass between them. Then the wolf pup vanished into the underbrush, leaving Darian alone with his jumbled thoughts.

He knew he should reset the snare. The coin made from a wolf pup could have kept them all fed for a long time. But in its eyes, Darian had seen his sister's struggle reflected. Just a frightened young creature trying to survive.

With a shake of his head, Darian moved on. The other snares had provided enough small game today - hopefully enough to satisfy his mother.

His steps felt lighter as he retraced the now familiar path out of the forest. Darian relished these quiet moments alone among the trees. The fresh air and dappled sunlight never failed to lift his spirits.

He paused by a stream to drink cold water and splash some on his face. The icy shock helped dispel the perpetual weariness of the past few days. For a moment, he could almost pretend life was back to normal.

But a nagging thought in the back of his mind whispered things would only take a turn for the worse…