Chapter 5: Touch of Care

The world was crisp and sharp under a pale sun. Korr watched Lura struggle with her crutches, each step a small triumph—and yet, each attempt carried a shadow he could not ignore.

That evening, they stopped in a sheltered hollow, where the wind could not bite, and the snow softened beneath a thin layer of pine needles. Korr spread furs for her to rest. Lura sank onto them, her leg stiff and sore, the splints pressing against it.

He knelt beside her. “Your muscles are tight,” he said, brushing snow from her furs. “We must ease them, or you will walk with pain forever.”

She glanced at him, half-smile playing at her lips. “I trust you,” she said.

He placed his hands lightly on her thigh, feeling the heat of her skin through the furs. Slowly, carefully, he began to knead the muscles around the splint, easing the stiffness, coaxing them back to life. She tensed at first, then relaxed, letting the pressure ground her.