“How did this happen?”

“I was tracking a nice buck along the river bank when I stepped down through a tangle of roots. I lost my balance and when I grabbed a limb, it broke and I went down. I heard it when it snapped.”

“Doesn't it hurt?”

“It did at first, but I speared my thigh, which stopped the pain but paralyzed my leg, so it took me a while before I was able to get to where I had tethered my horse and then get back here.”

“Do you want me to fetch the Healer?”

“No, we can set it ourselves. I’ve done it before. All you have to do is pull on my foot until the bones align themselves, slowly release it, and then put a splint on my leg.”

“Now?”

“Now’s a good a time as any.”

Gabrielle grabbed Xena’s heel with her left hand and tried to use her right hand on the top of her foot, but the pain in her shoulder wouldn't let her pull hard enough to do any good.

“So now what?” Gabrielle asked.

Xena thought for a few moments, then said, “Let’s go outside. We’ll need some rope.”

Xena’s plan was to tie two ends of the rope around her ankle, with rope passing  inside and outside of her foot. She would brace herself with her other foot against a tree, and Gabrielle would loop the rope around the tree and then around her back, then pushing with her feet against the tree, would pull on the rope until Xena thought the bones were lined up correctly.

It took three tries before Xena was satisfied. Gabrielle put the splint on Xena’s leg and they went back into the hut so she could dress the wound. Gabrielle fixed Xena some of the smoked venison for lunch, then sat thinking, wondering what they were going to do.

“I had planned on us leaving here in a few days.” Xena said. “Looks like we’ll be here a little longer.”

“You think?” Gabrielle answered, now starting to really get worried. “How about a few more months? Xena, what are we going to do?  I can set some snares and catch some fish, but if we’re going to stay here much longer, we’re going to have to start thinking about stockpiling supplies for winter. And if you can’t hunt, what are we going to trade with?”