Stone Circle and folks like me on the job from 9 to 5

the hunt with west had done something to blondine. it'd made her realize that being partially blind was a hell-of-a-lot different from seeing nothing at all. she'd stopped laughing, instead trading in her smile for a frustrated lour. 

when they were finished, she excused herself to the border. the huntress trotted to the territory's edge, stopping a few steps beyond to lurch over. the movement made her wound throb, a few of the healing wounds on her face opening to bleed.

the unfamiliar scent of a packmate she has yet to meet is what draws her, but her pace is hastened when the scent of fresh blood becomes apparent. she moves quickly to close the distance between them, adopting as unthreatening a stance as possible should the stranger become defensive. "are you alright?" she asks, pausing a short distance away and peering into the woman's face, realizing quickly that she is, in fact, not.

the stranger's voice put blondine on edge, but only for a moment. this was a packmate, someone who she could trust. she used the girl's words to try to track her movement but was unsuccessful in her attempt. i..., she began, unsure of what to say next, no, i reckon i'm not. 

blondine's face was soft, contorted into something between grief and confusion. she allowed a moment for herself to think and for the stranger to respond. i don't even know where to begin, i'm afraid.

"that's alright,"  she offered, voice low. "not knowing where to start." gaze traces the bloodied mess that is the woman's face, empathy tightening her chest. she remembers of when all had been stolen from her and she had been suddenly unmoored.

stiffening slightly, regretting slightly her words, she turns to practicality and asks, "who did this to you? have you seen a healer?" a threat must be dealt with, had it not been already, and while the wounds do not look very fresh and it's all too likely the woman had already had someone more informed than she examine the wounds, Dawn knew well the dangers of infection.

the woman's tone brought a familiar comfort to blondine. they weren't as firey as her indra's had been, but the delivery was just as smooth. her heart slowed to a steady beat, almost stopping altogether; she sat back on her haunches to keep herself from falling.

i am a healer, she whined, her voice cracking with desperation. the consequences of the incident hadn't yet registered; what if blondine couldn't do what she loved to do anymore? what if, after today, she became useless, no better than a lone beggar?

the lord's love was undying, but a wolf's was not. what if she were removed from the ranks on account of her sight? she hung her head between her forelegs, whispering, no, no, as the thoughts continued. i don't know who did it, blondine continued, she was a child. i didn't think...

the woman's reply was cracked, strained. "good. I can help, if you tell me what to do." she knew how to take care of herself, then, though the huntress doubted she was physically capable of doing so (at least well) in the moment. the offer was made easily; they may not have met before this, but they were packmates. 

her brow arches in surprise as blondine reveals the attacker was a child. she is glad a moment she is unable to see her obvious reply, but quickly regrets it. she senses the woman's fear, and promptly misidentifies its source. "you're safe now. if she shows up again, we'll deal with her." sharp disgust, then—what kind of sick child would blind a stranger. a pause, as she remembers she's never actually given the woman anything to identify her by. "I'm dawn." with a name attached to her voice, now, she hopes the woman will feel more secure.

the main priority would be cleaning the surface wounds and treating any early signs of infection. the eye was gone; it'd been a clean break, something that blondine would have been grateful for in any other situation. she took a deep breath to try and gather her thoughts, exhaling sharply through tight lips. 

i've got to get cleaned up, she said. there were several streaks of dried blood that'd matted her fur down into knots. creating a clean canvas would allow the pair to properly assess the situation. 

dawn continued to speak as blondine stood and turned. she listened intently, not moving until her partner took the lead. it ain't the girl's fault, she sighed, shaking her head as they went, we've all been angry before, cain't blame her for it. i should'n'a been out there, anyhow. 

the huntress had never hurt anyone out of spite, but that was because she'd been taught better. the girl's parents were more to blame for such an outburst than she was. blondine. i wish we'd have met under different circumstances. she held close to dawn, trying not to lose direction.

the first instructions seemed obvious enough; Dawn nodded before remembering the woman could not see her. "alright. there's a creek that runs near here. we'll head there." she sets off confidently before abruptly pausing, situating herself nearer to the woman as she silently reprimanded herself. least she could do was remember to be accommodating.

and then the woman says something that has her pause entirely, brow arched. not her fault? the woman's capacity to forgive after such a horrible loss is awe-inducing, even if some small part of the huntress thinks her stupid for it. she would hardly be doing any forgiving should someone take her eye. "you're not at fault in the slightest." she reassures the woman in regards to the latter part of her reply, deigning not to comment on her forgiveness just yet.

the woman chuffed in half-agreement, glancing back at the woman as the sound of water become audible. leading her nearer the bank, dawn paused when the ground appeared to become somewhat precarious. stretching out towards the river, taking the role of guard rail, she said, "it's just in front of us now. there's some snow, ice—lean against me, it might be easier." 

blondine wasn't keen on dipping her head into the near-frozen pond. there's snow? she asked, would you help me get it on? while waiting for dawn to answer, she pawed at the ground to try and build up a pile. 

i just gotta get this blood off. it would take a little more work, using snow instead of water, but it would save her the risk of developing hypothermia. blondine bent down and rubbed her face into the pile she'd kicked up, then lifting and hoping that dawn would know to help with a little scrubbing.

the woman elects to use snow instead of the water, and as she pivots to better help her, a back paw slips into the creek and the swiftly understand why. she helps build the pile, watching as the woman presses her face to it before moving to assist her further. there's a good amount of wet snow clinging to her face, and in better circumstances, the hunter might have made light of the situation. the red-tinged snow does not call for it, however, and so she moves forward to carefully scrub at the snow, and then work to clean the area around her face carefully and efficiently. she'd not expected to be grooming a packmate she'd just met, but then again, horrific injuries and the loss of a main sense often made for a short-cut to intimacy. "it should be good, now." she offers, stepping back to survey their work.

woah, blondine laughed, i'd like to get to know you better, too! it was a tease made with good intent. though her voice still held a twinge of emotion, a smile had found its way to her maw, wrapping almost from ear-to-ear. no need to pity myself, she thought, i'm still living, ain't i?

after the first round of cleaning, she bent down to gather another bunch of snow. i do appreciate this, blondine whispered, then defaulting back to a more serious tone, it's mighty kind of you to help me this way.

she laughs, openly, for the first time in what might be months. it's an all-around terrible situation, and yet Blondine still manages to find the humour in it. smile wraps around her muzzle, too, as she surveys the wounds. blondine prepares more snow, and she helps to parse out the bloodied bits and add some clearer snow from a short distance away. 

"you're family," she answers, as if that explains everything. of course she isn't exactly, yet, but she's a packmate, and those are one and the same. "and I haven't lost my sight, but I know what it's like to lose something." soft, almost under her breath. she straightens, straightening the snow pile so blondine can better scrub her face. "this seems to be working. do we need anything else?" 

the pain of loss was universally understood. blondine didn't feel the need to press any further, finding dawn's admission to be enough on its own. she used her paw to get at the wounds, itching some of the paws against her own know-better. 

the socket would be the last thing that needed cleaning. she turned her head downward to part her lids, not wanting to offend dawn with the emptiness they hid. blondine dipped back down and used a claw to really dig in. that should be good, she replied while trying to remove the dirty snow can you help me back to my den?

she nodded, remembering, once again that the woman could not see her. chuffing an affirmative, she moved to blondine's side. "of course. where is it, about?" once she received instruction, however vague, she'd set to getting the woman there—a process that would likely require a bit of adjusting on her part, as she adapted to however fast the woman traveled and explained any obstacles that might lie in their way.

i'm gonna fade this.

uh, blondine huffed, toward the rest of 'em, i suppose. she silently cursed herself for not paying more attention. got a bison skin hanging out the front. the description wasn't going to get much better than that. she followed dutifully behind dawn, hoping that scent would be enough to guide them back.