An Owl's Rise

When Evelyn returned home after her celebratory meal with Bylur and Rehni, she immediately went to her room and delved deep into thought.

She was stuck between her fear of experiencing more pain and the natural desire to have companions she could rely on.

Unfortunately, as much as she wished to simply suppress all of her emotions, it was easier said than done.

\'I have done so well not getting attached to many others, but – Damn it!\'

Slamming her head against the desk in her room, Evelyn tried to calm herself down.

For the most part she approached everyone with an extreme amount of cation and mistrust, but she could feel her barriers being broken down by Bylur and Rehni.

They had been kind to her and even when she was cold to them, they pushed through to get closer to her.

And while Evelyn normally accounted those trying to friendly with having vile intentions towards her, she was certain that was not what Bylur and Rehni were trying to do.

Neither of them was buttering up to her in order to take advantage of her, or stab her in the back as she had been before.

But this just made her feel even more distressed as she grew more and more worried that they might meet the same end as all those she had held dear to her before.

This made her want to reject any possible friendships and treat them as a means to an end as she did most but found it hard to do when they were so genuine.

\'Is it really okay for me to try and have friends again? I do not know if I could take getting close to anyone again and losing them.\'

Evelyn could tell that her heart was already filled with scars from those she had lost in the past.

First was her originally mother, next the loving father who she felt died along with her mother, then Mason when he was killed by the psychopath that had also killed her and when she found that he was already gone from the new world she found herself in.

After that her second owl family had been torn asunder and opened up the wounds that had been healing and left even more.

\'I just need some sleep. It has been a long day and my head is not in order. All I need is some rest to get back to normal.\' Evelyn thought pushing down all of her emotions and giving into fatigue instead.

While she did manage to sleep it was a restless one, and when she woke up, she found that for the first time since she became an owl that she had a fever.

She now felt far worse than when she went to sleep and had difficulty moving around.

Her body felt stiff and warm, and her head was pounding like crazy.

\'Did I catch some sort of disease from all the other owls I was around yesterday?\' Evelyn thought as she wabbled around, barely able to stay upright.

Quickly she took out one of the best healing potions and drank it down.

Yet instead of making her feel better, the added magical energy in the potion seemed to go wild inside her and she was unable to keep it down.

It was as if her body had simply rejected it, and not long after going down her throat the liquid came right back up.

This did not help her to feel any better, and in fact made it much worse.

She collapsed face first into her nest and felt her entire body shivering.

Thankfully the added distress from drinking the potion did not last too long, and eventually she was able to shakily pull her body back up.

Summoning up all her willpower, she took out another potion and hoped for better results.

\'Perhaps an antidote will help instead?\' She thought hopefully.

Unfortunately, she was only met with the same result as when she drank the healing potion and was once again shuddering while face down in the positions that her body had rejected.

Once she recovered a certain degree from her second failed attempt to cure whatever ailed her with a potion, she dragged herself to the edge of her nest and slumped against it.

\'I just need a bit of time. I am sure I will start to feel better if I just steady my breathing and wait.\'

For the next several hours she tried to get herself under control and see if she would feel any better with a bit of time.

She had been sick before when she was human and had gotten through the days on her own and felt she could do it again.

However, her condition did not seem to get better no matter how much she rested, and things were only getting worse.

The biggest worry though was that she was not really sure why she was feeling sick.

All she really had was a fever. No sore throat, stuffy nose, or difficulty breathing.

It was as if her body was simply giving her a fever for no reason.

\'More sleep. I am sure I will be fine after a little more res-.\'

Before she could finish her last thought Evelyn passed out feeling no better than she had before.

When she next woke up she felt someone shaking her shoulder, and in a panic her eyes shot open.

Standing in front of her was Katrina with a concerned expression on her face.

"Evelyn, what is wrong!? You are burning up and do not look all that well!"

"It is just a little fever, I am sure I will be fine after a bit of time." Evelyn said, not wanting to bother anyone with her problem and not wanting to receive any assistance.

"Did you already try taking a healing potion? Most illnesses would clear up after having one." Katrina said, the worry in her voice growing heavier.

"Yes, but it did not stay down. I do not feel that bad I am sure that it will pass in a little while."

Except, hearing that the healing position had not worked and seeing the wet spot on the other side of the nest, Katrina knew something was terribly wrong.

"Okay, that is enough of you trying to act strong. I am taking you to Melisandre."