The darkness began to fade as I came to. My eyelids slowly opened. Though my vision was blurry, I could make out the rugged walls of a cave. Fur brushed against my skin, drawing my attention to a pile of animal skins on top of me. Heat circulated around me like a cocoon, though I still felt vaguely cold. I made a feeble effort to shift my position, but pain shot through every inch of my body. I groaned in pain. Better not try that again. Abandoning that idea, my eyes aimlessly began to trace the textured patterns of the rocky walls.

"Celisae?"

It took a few moments for me to process the words that had just been spoken. The voice was familiar, but the fog in my head forbade me from placing it. I mechanically turned my head to face the direction of the voice, though my neck screamed with pain from the effort. I squinted at the figure of a girl standing in the doorway. Recognition flashed through me. Oh, it's Leu!

"Celisae! You're awake!" Leu exclaimed.

I mustered enough strength to speak, though it was barely audible. 

"Hey."

"You need to stay in bed right now. You're very ill right now," Leu informed me. She bent down, tucking in the stack of animal skins to make sure there were no drafts.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"You fainted," Leu told me. "You've been passed out for the last three days."

"Three days?" I repeated. How could I have been passed out for three days?

"Yes, we were worried about you," Leu laughed humorlessly. "I'd better get Kletasuah. She'll want to know that you're awake."

My first instinct was to nod, but I could no longer move. Instead, I gave a tiny smile to Leu. She leaned down and gave me a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're still alive. I.... I thought you were.... it's just so awful I can't even say it."

"Dead?" I helped. Leu nodded somberly. My gaze dropped. I felt so guilty having scared everyone like that. What on earth happened to me?

A thought suddenly popped into my head. Panic rose in my chest. "What about the dresses?" I said.

"You finished them, remember?" Leu reminded me. "Nal m'se took them with her to the seasonal meeting. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

I sighed with relief, the weight lifting from my chest. I looked at Leu. "I wish I could've been there to see their reactions to the dresses. I hope they like them."

"They will love them," Leu assured me. She gave my hand a squeeze before leaving to get Kletasuah.

It wasn't long before the young medicine woman entered the room, carrying a cotton sack. Gea trailed behind, unable to contain her relief.

"You're alive!" she exclaimed as she entered the cave. I smiled weakly.

"Yup," I whispered. 

Kletasuah sat next to me, pulling out a small urn.

"Drink this," she instructed, lifting the container to my lips. Cold, crisp liquid poured into my mouth, making me realize how parched I was. I finished every last drop in the container.

"Good," Kletasuah said. "Now, do you hurt anywhere?"

"Everywhere," I told her. Kletasuah's eyes widened at the news.

"How badly?" she asked.

"I can barely move." 

Kletasuah frowned in concentration. I watched as she fumbled through her bag.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked. She continued rummaging through her bag as if she hadn't heard me. My gaze shifted to Leu and then to Gea, who chewed at her lip nervously.

Finally Kletasuah stopped, looking me dead in the eye.

"The symptoms that you have are highly unusual given your age since they are typically associated with the elderly in our tribe. However, your symptoms have progressed remarkably fast, not like the elderly in our tribe, who may experience these sorts of symptoms over the course of many years, even decades before they pass away. There are two conclusions that I have reached. Most likely, the stress that you were put under in trying to create these dresses was so great that your body's health rapidly regressed, until you physically collapsed from the strain."

"And the other?" Gea prompted.

The medicine woman took a deep breath. "The only other thing that came to my mind is, well, poison." The word seemed to echo off the cave walls.

"Poison?" Gea gasped.

"It's rather odd, but yes, it could be poison," Kletasuah confirmed.

"But who would want to poison Celisae?" Gea wondered aloud. She wrapped her arms around me protectively.

"I only diagnose patients," Kletasuah stated. "You'll probably have to wait until Nal m'se returns in order to answer that question. What I can do, however, is try to reverse her symptoms." She pulled a tiny pouch out of her bag. "This is activated charcoal. I added it to her water. It shouldn't do her any harm if she hasn't been poisoned. But if she has been poisoned, it may help to absorb some of the toxic material in her body." She smiled sympathetically at me. "It will be a long, slow recovery, but I'm sure you'll make it. The fact that you are conscious is a huge success."

I wasn't sure how much of her reassurance was true, and how much was her trying to make me feel better, but there was no need to press her for more answers.

"Celisae should be left in silence. She needs to get lots of rest in order to recover," Kletasuah told the others. "I'll check on her later and bring her more water." Kletasuah ushered Gea and Leu from the room.

Though I enjoyed my friends' company, I was glad to be alone. That short encounter had rendered me exhausted. I felt myself fade quickly into a deep sleep.