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Before the Freeze
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Rising Waters
beyond_judgment.txt
Keywords male 1257966, female 1144352, fox 260393, otter 37779, squirrel 32591, dragoness 13700, furred dragon 1859, thief 1564, civet 509, healing 292, market 248, gheval 48
Beyond Judgment


The Riverside Market Winter Festival was the social event of the season, and this year, Jukrit and Noraxia had been invited to participate with a demonstration booth showcasing their healing practice and their unusual household.

"Are you sure about this?" Jukrit asked nervously as they loaded the cart. "Bringing the ghevals to a crowded festival?"

"It'll be good for them. And good for people to see that different doesn't mean dangerous." Noraxia secured the last of their supplies. "Besides, Chenar loves attention."

As if to confirm this, the tiny male gheval popped his head out of Jukrit's medicine bag and chittered happily. Kalina, hitched to the cart, rumbled her approval.

Kex and Khari had agreed to come along, both curious about the festival and eager to support their friends. Kex was walking much better now, though he still used a cane on icy ground.

"I haven't been to the Winter Festival in years," Kex said as they set off. "My family used to have a stall. I wonder if they're still there."

The festival was everything Jukrit had heard about and more. The main square was transformed with decorations, stalls selling food and crafts, musicians playing cheerful tunes. Snow had been cleared into artistic piles, and cubs threw snowballs while adults browsed the wares.

Their demonstration booth was well-positioned near the center. Jukrit set up displays of common herbs and healing supplies, while Noraxia arranged seating. Kalina was secured nearby with plenty of space, and Chenar immediately began his favorite activity: charming everyone who passed.

The tiny gheval's antics drew constant attention. He would climb up visitors' legs, perch on their shoulders, and generally be adorable. Cubs especially loved him, begging their parents to pet the "tiny horse with claws."

"He's quite the ambassador," Mira commented, stopping by their booth. "Everyone's talking about the healer with the unusual pets."

"They're family, not pets," Jukrit corrected gently, "but I appreciate the attention. It's good for business."

The morning went well. Jukrit answered questions about common ailments, demonstrated simple remedies, and scheduled several appointments. Noraxia fielded curious questions about being a dragon, and both she and Kalina proved surprisingly patient with the cubs staring at them.

Around midday, they noticed a commotion near the festival entrance. A figure stumbled into the square, clearly exhausted and injured. As they got closer, Jukrit could see it was a fox—a red vixen, her fur matted with snow and what looked like blood.

She made it about ten steps into the square before collapsing.

Jukrit was moving before anyone else reacted, his healer's kit in hand. Noraxia and Kex followed close behind. By the time they reached her, a crowd had gathered.

"Give her space!" Jukrit ordered, kneeling beside the unconscious fox. "Noraxia, I need warm blankets. Kex, hot water if you can find it."

"Wait," someone in the crowd said. "That's Vera Swiftpaw. She's wanted."

Jukrit looked up sharply. "Wanted for what?"

"Theft. She worked for the Merchant's Guild in Millbrook. Disappeared two weeks ago with their winter fund." A badger stepped forward, holding up a paper. "There's a bounty."

"I don't care if there's a bounty. She's injured and hypothermic. I'm treating her." Jukrit returned his attention to his patient, checking her vital signs. "Someone get the town guards if you must, but after I've stabilized her."

Vera's eyes fluttered open. "Please," she whispered. "Not... not what they think..."

"Don't talk. Save your strength." Jukrit examined her injuries—frostbite on her extremities, a deep cut on her side that had been bleeding, signs of exhaustion and starvation. "How long have you been traveling?"

"Five days. Through the mountains. Had to... had to get here... needed to find..."

She passed out again.

With Noraxia's help, they moved Vera to their booth, which offered some privacy. Jukrit worked quickly, cleaning wounds, treating the frostbite, wrapping her in warm blankets. Khari arrived with hot broth.

"The guards are coming," he warned. "And people are talking. Some want her arrested immediately."

"She's in no condition to be arrested," Jukrit said firmly. "She needs at least a day of rest and treatment."

The town guards arrived—two imposing wolves who looked skeptical of the small-framed squirrel standing between them and their suspect.

"Healer Jukrit," the senior guard said respectfully. "We understand you're treating the suspect, but we have orders to take her into custody."

"And I have a duty to my patient. She has severe frostbite, blood loss, and hypothermia. Moving her now could kill her." Jukrit met their gaze steadily. "I'm not asking you to let her go. I'm asking you to let her live long enough to face whatever charges exist."

The guards exchanged glances. Finally, the senior one nodded. "Twenty-four hours. But we're posting a guard, and she doesn't leave your sight."

"Agreed."

As the guards stepped back, Jukrit noticed Chenar had climbed onto Vera's makeshift bed and curled up against her neck, purring softly. The tiny gheval seemed to sense she needed comfort.

Over the next several hours, Vera drifted in and out of consciousness. When she was awake, she was too weak to explain anything. Jukrit focused on treatment while Noraxia, Kex, and Khari took turns managing the demonstration booth and fielding increasingly hostile questions from festival-goers.

"Why are you helping a thief?"

"She stole from honest merchants!"

"You shouldn't be protecting criminals!"

Noraxia handled these with remarkable patience. "We're not protecting anyone. We're providing medical care. There's a difference."

As evening fell, the festival began to wind down. Most vendors were packing up when Vera finally regained enough strength to speak coherently.

"I didn't steal the money," she said weakly, Chenar still curled against her. "I was the bookkeeper. I found discrepancies. Someone was embezzling—skimming from multiple accounts. When I tried to report it, they framed me."

"Who?" Jukrit asked.

"The guildmaster's nephew. He had access to everything. He made it look like I took the winter fund, then disappeared." She coughed, and Jukrit quickly offered water. "I ran because I didn't think anyone would believe me over him. His family has influence. I'm just a bookkeeper."

"So you ran through the mountains in early winter?" Khari asked. "That's incredibly dangerous."

"I was trying to reach Millstone City. There's a magistrate there who's known for being fair. I thought if I could just get to him with my evidence..." She trailed off. "But I got lost in the snow. Ran out of supplies. I thought I was going to die out there."

"Evidence?" Jukrit asked. "You have evidence?"

Vera reached into her jacket with shaking hands and pulled out a waterproof pouch. "The real account books. Showing every transaction he altered. Every fund he diverted. It's all here."

The senior guard, who'd been listening, stepped forward. "May I see those?"

Vera hesitated, then handed them over. The guard examined the documents carefully, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"These are... detailed," he said. "If authentic, they show systematic embezzlement over three years." He looked at Vera. "Why didn't you bring these to the Millbrook guards?"

"Because the captain is the guildmaster's brother-in-law. I didn't know who I could trust." Her voice broke. "I just wanted someone to listen. Someone who'd look at the evidence before deciding I was guilty."

The guard was quiet for a long moment. Then: "I need to send a message to Millstone City. Get a magistrate involved. This is beyond Millbrook's jurisdiction now." He looked at Jukrit. "She still needs to remain in custody."

"She needs medical care," Jukrit countered. "My home is closer than the guard station, and I can monitor her recovery properly. Post guards if you must, but she stays under my care until she's healthy enough to travel safely."

After some discussion, they reached a compromise. Vera would recover at Jukrit and Noraxia's homestead with a guard posted outside. Once she was well enough, she'd be transported to Millstone City to give testimony before an impartial magistrate.

The journey home was slow and careful, Vera bundled in blankets in the cart. Chenar refused to leave her side, purring his small comfort. When they arrived, they settled her in the healing room while one of the guards took up position on the porch.

"Thank you," Vera whispered that night, as Jukrit checked her bandages. "I know you don't know me. You had no reason to believe me."

"I had reason to treat you humanely," Jukrit corrected. "That's different from belief. But..." He gestured to Chenar, still curled up beside her. "He's a good judge of character. And he seems to think you're trustworthy."

Vera managed a weak smile, gently stroking the tiny gheval. "He's wonderful. So small but so brave."

"That's Chenar. He helped save another patient once—a cub who was locked inside herself from trauma. He knew what she needed better than I did." Jukrit finished with the bandages. "Animals can sense things we miss. If he trusts you, that's worth considering."

Over the next three days, Vera recovered her strength while the investigation unfolded. The magistrate from Millstone City examined her evidence and found it compelling. Investigators were dispatched to Millbrook. The guildmaster's nephew was arrested trying to flee with additional stolen funds.

"They found his private accounts," the guard informed them on the fourth day. "Hidden funds matching exactly what was missing, plus more. Your evidence was accurate, Miss Swiftpaw. The charges against you are being dropped."

Vera cried with relief. Khari, who'd been visiting daily, offered her his handkerchief.

"What will you do now?" Noraxia asked.

"I don't know. I can't go back to Millbrook. Too many people still think I'm guilty." Vera looked around at the homestead. "Is there work here? I'm a skilled bookkeeper, but I can learn other trades."

"Actually," Kex spoke up, "I've been thinking about expanding my fishing operation. I need someone to handle accounts, manage sales, track inventory. The work isn't glamorous, but it's honest."

"I'll take it," Vera said immediately. "Honest work sounds perfect right now."

On the fifth day, they held a small celebration with berry wine. Vera was healthy enough to walk around, the charges were fully dismissed, and she had a new job and a fresh start. The gathering included their small community—Jukrit and Noraxia, Kex and Khari, Cornelius, Mira, and a few others who'd become friends.

"To new beginnings," Kex raised his cup.

"To people who help strangers," Vera added, her voice thick with emotion.

"To communities that choose justice over easy answers," Khari said.

They drank together, celebrating not just Vera's vindication but the bonds that had formed. Another person had found refuge in their small corner of the world.

Later, as they prepared for bed, Jukrit reflected on the week's events. "We missed most of the festival," he said to Noraxia. "Our demonstration booth barely got used."

"We did something better," she replied. "We showed everyone what we really stand for. Not just healing bodies, but seeing people. Giving them a chance."

"Some people at the festival were angry. Thought we were protecting a criminal."

"Some people will always choose easy judgments over complicated truth. But others saw. They saw us treat someone humanely before we knew if she was guilty or innocent. They saw Chenar comfort a stranger. They saw our community come together to help." She pulled him close. "That's worth more than any demonstration."

In the healing room, Vera slept peacefully for the first time in weeks, Chenar still curled up beside her. The tiny gheval had appointed himself her guardian through recovery, rarely leaving her side.

"He's protective of the vulnerable ones," Jukrit observed. "First little Lily, now Vera."

"He knows what it's like to need protection," Noraxia said. "That's why he's so good at providing it."

The winter night was cold and clear, stars brilliant against the dark sky. Inside, their home held warmth and healing. Outside, the world continued its turn toward spring, toward change, toward possibilities.

Sometimes the greatest festivals weren't about celebration. Sometimes they were about choosing compassion over judgment, truth over convenience, and humanity over easy answers.

And sometimes the smallest among them, the tiny gheval who changed with the seasons, reminded everyone what really mattered: caring for those who needed it most.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Summary:

At the Riverside Market Winter Festival, Jukrit and Noraxia showcase their healing practice with their unusual household, where tiny Chenar delights visitors with his charm. When an injured vixen who is wanted for theft collapses in the square, Jukrit faces a choice between public opinion and his healer's oath. Can the truth be found before the guards take her away, and will anyone believe the word of an accused thief?
Keywords
male 1,257,966, female 1,144,352, fox 260,393, otter 37,779, squirrel 32,591, dragoness 13,700, furred dragon 1,859, thief 1,564, civet 509, healing 292, market 248, gheval 48
Details
Type: Writing - Document
Published: 6 days, 13 hrs ago
Rating: General
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