As the afternoon began to fade into evening, Gabrielle managed
to find enough wild greens and berries to make a small meal for
herself.  She took the last of the fish and cooked it down to
make a fishy broth for Asa, taking care to remove all the small
bones.

He awoke just before sunset and Gabrielle was able to get him to
drink most of it. As he lay there awake, he was watching Gabrielle
as she tended to Milkspot. After she had gathered more firewood and
added some to the fire, he asked, "Where are my
parents?"

"Xena went after them, those men who attacked you took them
away. But don't worry, she'll find them." She
didn't have to heart to tell him they were dead.  She
continued, "My name is Gabrielle. I guess I wasn't very
good company last night."

"I thought you were just asleep or something."

"Do you know who those men were that attacked you and your
parents?"

Asa looked down to the fire for a moment, then lay back on the
furs and blankets he was laying on. "I'm very tired, and
my side hurts, I think I'll go to sleep now."

Gabrielle nodded, saying nothing. It was obvious he was afraid
to talk about them. She made sure he was as comfortable as
possible, then banked the fire to wait for Xena.

 
The next morning Xena still hadn't returned. Gabrielle was able
to trap a couple of small rabbits and was cooking them for
breakfast when she heard Asa moaning in his sleep. And after
checking on him she realized infection, and fever, were setting
in. 

On the opposite side of the lake was a small stand of willow
trees. She swam across the lake, peeled the inner bark from two of
them and returned to boil the strips in water, making a fever
reducing potion.  After  it had cooled she managed to get
him to drink some of the bitter liquid, saving the rest for
later.  She then washed him down with cool water and
changed the bandage. The wound didn't look as bad as the
previous day, but she could tell he was still bleeding internally,
losing his precious life blood.

As the morning turned to afternoon and then into evening,
Gabrielle was  beginning to worry about Xena. But still she
tended to Asa, giving him water or broth or the medicine whenever
he woke up.  There were times he stayed awake but was too weak
to do anything but lay in Gabrielle's arms as she talked to
him, telling him of the adventures she and Xena had
experienced.