Ever since his acceptance into Arthendal, he had been slowly adjusting to the new environment and he found that this place was, well, to put it simply, pretty awesome. It wasn't to say that Golden Glade hadn't been great, because it had been great, really, and a part of him felt extremely guilty for leaving without warning. It had been for their own good though, at least somewhat, but the thought still didn't soothe him and he'd soon decided that he would wait a while, then maybe, maybe if he found the courage, he would go and apologise.
For now though, he was going to enjoy the peace and quiet of his new home. Stretching, Nicolas's jaws opened into a large yawn and he blinked, trying to adjust to the dim light of the dawn before emerging from his sleeping area and making his way to the borders. It had become his sort-of routine everyday - to wake up and go for a quick morning patrol before breakfast. It helped to stretch his weary limbs and wake him up for the day to come.
Today, as he made his usual rounds, he couldn't help but wonder how Aeronwyn was doing. He hadn't seen her that often lately, and he decided that after this patrol, he would go pay her a visit, if she was around, that is.
"shit"
the rancid curse rang out in the otherwise serene morning silence, as the pale woman wrenched upward her muzzle in a sharp movement, as burning pain particularly mangled forelimb. Not all injuries had been inflicted by Nemesis, and this one, a long gash traveling up her limb, had occurred when he weakened limb had faltered suddenly as she traversed the mountains.
it did not seem to be healing, and the pale woman could not find anywhere the healer, nor had her brief, brief lesson ever turned up anything that could be used in this situation. Now the hideous cab had cracked, and fresh blood mixed with pus as the wound seeped whatever it was, leading to the woman carefully hobbling toward the river, and quick suddenly immersing her entire forelimb, hissing at the sudden cold but grateful for it's numbing purpose.
her eyes slid shut at the equal feelings of pain and relief, single ear twitching as a shock of pain travelled up her rapidly numbing forelimb. she truly ought to do something about it, for she knew that the wound was very, very close to becoming dangerously infected, if it weren't already. With a sigh, she rested her head on her forelimbs stretched out before her in the river, and though the cold was wretched, she was willing to sacrifice warmth for relief.
His patrol had taken him to the river edge and as he walked, the sickening smell of blood met his nostrils mixed with something else that he couldn't identify, but the scent alone was enough to set alarms off in his head. Nico quickened his pace and as he rounded around a bush of sorts, his eyes landed on a familiar figure, perhaps too familiar for his liking. It didn't take long for him to realise that it was her, she was the one injured. "Shit," he swore loudly, unknowingly mirroring the word she'd spoken just a few seconds ago. "Shit - Aero, what happened? Fuck-are you alright? No, why did I ask that? No shit, you're not. Oh, fuck-" the words tumbled from his maw ungracefully as he rushed to her side.
His eyes travelled down the length of her body until he saw the forelimb that she'd dipped into the cool river waters and once again, he swore, although this time he swore in his native tongue. His countenance was creased with worry and he bit his lip, trying his best to recall his first-aid lessons. Nico knew what to do, well, to a certain extent. "Aero," he whispered gently, nudging her with a paw. "You can't keep your paw in the water for too long - I'm not a medic, but I have knowledge on wounds and infections."
Nico paused, eyeing her worriedly. "I can help you - I'm going to help you," he said while his eyes scanned his surroundings with sudden intensity. "But you have to work with me, yeah?"
An echo of the word she had spoken moments ago, and she twisted to see Nico. She had been meaning to seal him out since her return, but she would rather have been looking a little...better, when she did. He reacted violently, and as she caught a glimpse of her scabbed side, broken and bleeding in spots, she winced as she realized just how bad she must look. Though her ear was fine, the gash across her side and the mangled limb were most certainly not. "Nico." She said simply, rising yet not quite getting her forelimb touch the ground. "I met an old enemy."
she he told him quite simply, feeling oddly guilty and not knowing why until a brief moment. She should have told him, she realized. To find her in such a state, to find any friend in such a state, after not seeing them for so long would surely not look well, in the least. His surprising caring and nervousness had her bump her muzzle against his shoulder rather awkwardly. "Nico, it's not that bad. It just looks- okay, perhaps it isn't great." She admitted, looking almost guilty. "I'm sorry, I should have told you. I simply-" she broke of once more, not quite knowing what to say.
he offered help, and she was no longer as stubborn to reject it. So she merely nodded, silent agreement seeming better than trying to rectify the situation with words, and would follow any instructions he set.
She offered a simple explanation for her predicament to which Nico accepted with a nod and nostrils flaring. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he examined her injuries silently, a soft sigh escaping his maw as he saw the extent of wounds. She bumped her muzzle against his shoulder and he lifted his crown to meet her gaze as she attempted to tell him tat she was fine, before contradicting herself and then apologising. He had been set on being annoyed at her, but at that, he simply smiled and shook his head. "It's fine," he told her, "don't worry about it. Just worry about your wounds. And don't apologise. You don't need to apologise."
"Marigold, comfrey root, horsetail, burdock root, chervil leaf juice," he muttered under his breath. "We need to find at least one of those. You are not going to die on me."