@Andr (set for the morning of 04/04/2023 if that works for your timeline!) this is a tad bit unorthodox method of traveling to Teekon butttt it was thought of while creating iaghe.
the night had borne the girl who'd been iaghe into this world. her mother's cries had been drowned beneath the scream of the sea and a winter gale tearing each other to ribbons.
it was some cruel cosmic jest then, that the shell of her half-life would be delivered by the dawn.
the storm-wisp regained consciousness in bits and pieces, crashing back to reality with the waves that lapped against her ribs -- each press of water needling its way into the raw sting of reopened wounds.
at first, there was only darkness and a fleeting sense of home. though the woman came up frighteningly blank of what such place it was or why the darkness felt like the embrace of a well missed friend.
the fire continued to rage along her side. the waves pounded a throbbing tempo within her skull.
until.
the sodden slip of shadow managed to crack her eyes open, wintry blue squinting and watering against the rising sun. the she-wolf forced herself to her feet, spindly legs quivering with the effort. a sharp hiss escaped the spectre, nearly buckling at the salt and sand that seared her raw -- wounds crackling sharply with the movement.
one. two. three.
the words came unbidden, foreign even as she metered the lopsided beats of her own heart. the moonbeam willed herself to stay firmly affixed to the earth as it swayed around, swirling like the seafoam against the sand.
numbly, she drug herself from the splintered alcove that had been a haven and away from the pool where she'd lain half submerged through the night. iaghe's ghost was too disoriented to even think to check for an easy morning meal.
instead, she staggered off through the sand blindly.
A wayward crab had been Andr's companion that morning. Creatures of the sea were not commonly found on his menu. Luckily for the crab Andr was not hungry this morning, but curious as always to observe the behaviors of wildlife to better understand. And gain an advantage should he turn hungry in the future.
The little beasty kept its eyes on Andr. At times taking a few steps forward to intimidate him with those little claws, but mostly backing away. Andr kept his distance, not wanting to be pinched. He took his paw and flicked some sand at the creature and watched as it maneuvered around the sand like second nature. It continued up one of the many sand slopes of the area.
As it reached its crest Andr still watched the crab, but something appeared in the background. Looking past like a refocusing camera the figure of a female came into view.
He could see the water dripping off her, leaving trails of blood from her wounds. She moved slowly, weak on her legs, and seemed to wander aimlessly, like a drug-induced haze.
Forgetting about the crab, Andr rushed down the slope and over the sand toward the female. "Miss... Miss" he called out to her. "Miss. Are you alright?" he asked, concern in his voice, now only a few paces away.
one.
two.
three.
heartbeats. breaths. steps. iaghe could not have said which was timed.
the world seemed to have slowed, becoming sluggish. or maybe it was her. the sand felt heavy as her paws scraped through it, shivering with effort and sudden chills.
it took longer than it should have for the he-wolf's presence to make itself known in her current condition. the sounds were warbling and dim, nearly lost beneath the muted roar in her head.
groggily, the wildling lifted her head -- squinting against the blur in her vision and the light alike to make out the fuzzy copper shape of him. her weight rocked back and forth between her feet, as if struggling to stay afoot now that she'd halted her ceaseless motion.
even so, something inside screamed to keep moving.
there was little fight left in her. the wisp simply didn't have the energy to be on edge as he rushed towards her.
iaghe remained transfixed, watchful and bleary as the man drew closer.
Hope this amount of pp is alright. Let me know if otherwise. Willing to change :)
She stopped her trek across the sands as he approached. As she turned to look at him, he saw her crystal blue eyes. Hazed over. As though she were looking through him.
"Miss...Can you hear me?" he asked now only feet away.
Her whole body was shivering and shaking, like the weight of her own tiny body would be enough to cause her legs to buckle. Andr scanned the area quickly, looking at the options around them. Sands and rocks were all that existed in their immediate vicinity. He could see grass and perhaps trees to the distance South and East. No one else either. This gave Andr mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was no medic and the presence of another could be helpful. But he was also relieved to think that if someone had done this to her, they were now gone.
With no intelligible response, he thought he must take matters into his own hands.
"Excuse me Miss... I mean only to help" he said before crouching to the ground, crawling between her front and back legs, and lifting her onto his back. He hated the idea of invading her personal space without consent, but what choice did he have? The water soaking her pelt was the only thing truly giving her weight, as he felt her ribcage against his back and spine.
Thin. She was so thin. With an upset huff, Andr looked around again and spotted a large flat rock and trotted in that direction. A speed at which he could keep control of her on his back. The rock was large enough to stand or lay on while providing a small amount of shade from the morning sun. He stopped in front of it and pondered.
Shade or Sun. She'd likely been out in the sun all morning. But she was drenched in water. The feeling of her shallow and slow breaths against his back felt like a ticking clock. No time to think. Just do.
He stepped onto the rock and crouched down again. Moving forward and allowing her to gently slide down his back. Turning to her
"You can rest safely here. Or I can move you to the shade should you prefer it." he said. Face close to hers to hear anything she might be able to say.
...can you hear me.
canyouhearmecanyouhearmecanyouhearme.
a litany. the swirling was replaced with the echo, an effect that she squeezed her eyes against as nausea rolled through her.
"are you even listening to me?!"
a small jerk of her frame, as if wounded by some invisible slap. and then it was gone, whatever had resurfaced lost to the waves.
the sounds should have meant something to her. the moonbeam should have jerked away at the sudden touch. as it was, she could barely stay on her paws.
a particularly violent quiver shook through her, a whisper of breath escaping her lungs as she was shouldered over him. she felt the huff that sighed through him and could manage no noise to apologize. only a soft gasp, wordless even as the ghost tried uselessly to shape the words of a language that shouldn't need remembering.
she might've lost consciousness for the next thing the she-wolf knew, she was deposited upon another rock -- flopping gently against it like a fish.
there was a second of clarity in her eyes as she struggled to find the line where Andr's jaw cut against the field of blue above.
iaghe stretched her neck the tiniest bit, reaching for him in an uncharacteristic move. her ivory-splotched nose touched the ruff of his neck in a deferential, grateful manner.
and then she sagged into the cold embrace of the stone and allowed the darkness to take her once more.
As she lifted her head towards him Andr leaned in expecting soft words. But all that was mustered was a touch on his neck followed by a faint from reality. This made him jump. Was she still with him?
Gentle breaths continued to fill and empty her chest. He hesitated a moment before placing his ear against her side. A consistent heartbeat. From the little he knew of medicine, she seemed stable, but far from out of the woods.
He stayed by her side, sitting and resting in the sand beside the rock, for hours. Attentive to the sounds of her breathing as he hoped she could wake up. He couldn't just leave her in this state. What if someone had done this to her and decided to come back? Or even if she just simply needed to survive. There was little she could do in her current state to catch food.
So he waited... and waited... and waited...
The sun on the rock began to heat up. A small current of water rolled off the stone from her. As her coat began to dry and his mind began to calm, he had a chance to see her unique coat. A mix of dark and light, but somehow lighter than any normal white. An inconsistent pattern seemingly a layer separated from her, laid atop of her, or taken from her, he was not sure. A dark night sky covered by passing white clouds.
He listed himself from the sand and shook off her coat. Hopping onto the rock and leaning his muzzle beside her ear. "I will return. Forgive me" he said softly.
Food and water. Those were the minimum requirements. While fish of the sea would be easy to obtain, bringing water to her wouldn't be so easy. His best shot was to find the nearest freshwater source and bring her to it. He didn't want to leave her vulnerable, but it was a risk he would have to take.
Trotting away he looked back over his shoulder, then galloped off.