Dragoncrest Cliffs I keep throwing it down two-hundred at a time

Continued from here

With some difficulty, the pair managed to support Heda until she was able to walk on her own while they made the trek from the cliff. The familiar spires of the redwoods come as a comfort and a relief to Tirgatao, though immediately afterward the pang of anxiety erupts from her heart again. She'd failed in keeping Thuringwethil safe, and though it was likely pass from the minds of Drageda without much consequence, Tirgatao still felt horrible. If she'd been by her side, she could have warned her away from the cliff. Or, maybe, it could have been her to fall instead. She was less important. Drageda couldn't afford to lose their Commander; they could afford to lose their Shouna.

Tirgatao is keenly aware of Heda's pained breathing and Hush's own footsteps on her other side. They both keep her grounded from her anxiety as they pass beneath the towering boughs of the massive trees into the sanctuary of the pack, and away from the dangers poised by the Wilds. She doesn't attempt to offer Thuringwethil any sort of comfort through touch, knowing it likely wouldn't be well recieved, but she spares her a concerned glance as she speaks. "I'll call @Portia." She stated while her ears twisted further back, "@Dio and @Wildfire too?" She suggests after a beat.

It takes a little while before Thuringwethil is able to walk on her own but she still has Tirgatao on one side and Hush on the other. Even if she didn’t need to lean on either of them the rest of the way back, she liked having them there in case something was to go wrong. All she wants to do at that point is to simply get home and find somewhere to rest. She doubts it’ll be an easy transition, of course; she’ll have to go through a series of pokes and prods with Portia and anyone else that saw fit to see what is wrong.

Her head hangs uncharacteristically low and her tail droops. Each step she takes sends a mallet through her skull and she isn’t sure she’ll ever get any relief from the pain behind her eyes.

Soon, they are approaching the redwood barrier of Drageda and she feels a short wave of relief. Her legs even begin to take wider steps so she can get home faster and she only slows when they are safely on the other side. Tirgatao offers to call for Portia and then the rest of the Hedonakru. As much as she’d like to quietly move on from this, she knows she can’t—especially with the summit in a matter of days—and she needs to find a way to repair the problems in such a short amount of time.

He is opposite to Tirgatao, his smaller frame, he felt, not enough to support Heda's weight, but he tries his best, walking with the two women back to Drageda, back towards the shore, to the redwood trees. He wonders if, instead of simply howling for the others, if he could run and find them, but dismisses the notion. He has no idea where they are, Portia, Dio, and Wildfire. He stays with the pair, supporting the concussed woman, unable to howl as strongly as Tirgatao can. He can only make sure that Heda stands up, stays awake.

Short to keep this moving! <3

Tirgatao's gaze lingers on Heda for a moment until, ultimately, they collectively come to the silent conclusion that it would be for the best. Thuringwethil offered no arguement against it, and Hush remains by the Heda's side just in case she required his assistance. She is, again, quietly grateful for this presence and feels just a bit selfish for managing to feel comforted by it.  

To discourage these intrusive thoughts, and get back to the matter at hand, she throws her voice to the skies to summon @Portia, @Wildfire, and @Dio.

She was squatting to urinate for the umpteenth time when the howl came, an urgent summons for not only Wildfire herself but Dio and Portia as well. Knowing that Tirgatao had gone with Thuringwethil, the Bandrona immediately shot upward, ignoring the trickle of warmth on her inner leg as she rushed to answer the call. Her heart thudded in her chest as she raced toward the borders, wondering what might have happened to the commander to prompt the Shouna's distress call.

She paid absolutely no attention to anyone else when she arrived, rushing right up to Thuringwethil, chestnut eyes sweeping over her mate's form and taking in the pained, weary expression and the obvious contusions. "What happened? Are you okay?" she breathed, gently pushing her snout against the patch of fur beneath her mate's eye. "Did someone attack you?" she demanded, finally acknowledging Tirgatao with a glance that was mildly accusatory.

shit. as soon as portia heard such an urgent call she fell to panic. she'd been much more antsy these days, for numerous reasons. she had stayed mostly put, afraid that she'd do something wrong and permanently harm her unborn babies. she exercised an appropriate amount and gathered herbs when she saw fit, but otherwise did her best to stay out of harms way. tirgatao's call meant she needed to both leave the safety of the whelping den, but also travel to the commander who was-- for God's sake-- injured.

according to tirgatao, thuringwethil had had a fall and there was pain in her chest-- portia suspected rips-- and she had a bloodshot eye. she took a moment to gather herself to her feet with dio's help, steadying herself before beginning off in an awkward waddle towards the cavern to grab herbs.

"no pain relievers," she said out loud when they had reached her cache. dio wouldn't necessarily know what was a pain reliever and what wasn't, she was mostly saying it to remind herself that the commander wouldn't accept anything to help with pain. portia disagreed with it wholeheartedly and had tried to talk some sense into her, but she really couldn't change tradition-- she supposed. she grabbed witch hazel for the eye thing though, having gathered some from the plants that melchoir had showed her a while ago. she had fallen, and though portia couldn't be sure she was worried about head injuries. she couldn't ask if thuringwethil had been speaking so she grabbed some extra stuff such as yarrow (though a pain reliever, would help in case there was any internal bleeding) and skullcap. on the way there she grabbed a large, fallen palm leaf, giving it to dio to carry.

portia waddled up and paused, addressing the situation in order to calm her nerves before she began. her eyes scanned the wolves already there, eyeing tirgatao with a brief nod and then looking to hush. he looked like he was giving the heda comfort, so he could stay, but he'd have to stay out of the way. "heda," she said softly to the dark commander, eyeing her chest first. "you're not gonna let me give you anything for pain... so this is gonna hurt, hun." without waiting for a proper response-- she didn't feel she had much time to waste here-- she moved to the ribs, massaging gently with her paws and nose, feeling for swelling and unusual bumps, also checking for thuringwethil's reaction each time.

Such an urgent summons jarred his thoughts and soon after he could hear it out, he was on his feet and ready to go. In knowing his mate was among those called for, he already felt his stomach twist up with an anxious knot -- but for her, for Drageda and all else, he'd help in any way he was able. If there were to be wounds, he hoped they were trivial, or those that Portia could mend with the right know-how. Although also knowing that it was winter and that stocks were only as good as conditions allowed threatened him with a new worry, he still hugged protectively close to Portia's side with an anxious rumble in his throat.

When they arrived, he focused on Thuringwethil first, then reeled back to Tirgatao and Hush with a worried furrow to his face as the situation sank in. Dio knew Heda had set out for a while but this was far from the welcome back he anticipated; traveling was nothing extraordinary for her, she had left in good company.. but something, surely, had gone awry out there and he had to know what exactly as soon as the priority of her health and safety was handled -- which was on its way, now that she was home and their Fisa was here.

Wildfire, too, seemed just on the end of wanting to know more and he would do anything except crowd this situation right now. While Portia made her assessments and worked, he waited tensely to hear more.

Sorry for the short wait! Nereides is nearing completion so I've been getting all my ducks in a row for that, haha. Posting a little out of order so they can have an explaination.

A stab of something resembling fear rocketed like a tracer round from her mind right down to her heart, exploding painfully when Wildfire arrived on the scene in a rush and lobbed an accusatory gaze her way after inspecting Heda. She felt herself nearly break under the weight of the gaze but was immediately swept up in Portia's arrival moments afterward, which saved her the embarassment of losing control. The Shouna shuffled out of the way and flattened her ears as the dappled woman went to work, prodding and poking Heda to ascertain the extent of the damage. Dio came in after looking just as concerned as the rest of the Hedonakru. 

Ultimately, two pairs of eyes (three including Hush) rested on her, waiting for an explaination for their injured Commander and the mess she drug back from their supposedly peaceful journey. Tirgatao lashed her tongue across her lips, finding them dry and cracked, much like her throat from which a small voice finally found a foothold, "She fell, from a cliff southwest of here," Tirgatao began, struggling to find the oxygen to supply her explaination. She inhaled sharply and continued in as measured a pace as she could manage, but her voice still trembled, "We were a little ways apart scouting the area and when I looked back to check on her she was gone. I found her at the base. It was a large drop. By some miracle Hush found us and we supported her until she was able to walk on her own..." Tirgatao glanced to Heda, and swallowed thickly. "She had trouble focusing at first. I think she hit her head, too, but she seems ok now..." 

Between the anxiety and Wildfire's knee-jerk reaction (understandable, given the circumstances), Tirgatao was starting to lose her grip. Her mouth opened but it closed again while she blinked back the prickle of tears and looked down, feeling utterly at fault and entirely defeated.

what's a post order

It takes the rest of her energy to keep her standing, hovering between the two wolves. Occasionally she sways and brushes against one of them, to which the support is noticed and she stiffens her limbs to keep her upright. The call makes her close her eyes and tries to shut it out, grimacing in response, and the next time she opens her eyes, Wildfire is running in their direction. Thuringwethil’s mouth parts to speak, but Portia and Dio are soon behind her with a mouthful of herbs she doesn’t recognize, aside from the palm leaf, and steps up to get to work. She tries to shy away at first, but eventually gives in and slowly lowers to the ground to let the healer work.

Tirgatao finally explains the situation and she feels no need to add anything else but when Portia puts too much pressure on one particular spot of her chest, she growls and snaps her head to attention, but a second later resists the urge and lowers back to the ground. Her tail lashes like a cat, grinding her teeth to continue and control the desire to fight back.

The moment Tirgatao explained, the tension left Wildfire's eyes. She even had the foresight to throw the woman a mildly apologetic glance. But her attention quickly returned to the commander, even as the others crowded around and began to fuss over her. She knew she should get out of the way but the Bandrona stubbornly remained close to the Heda. Thuringwethil was her mate and she was hurt. Wildfire refused to leave her side.

"I'm supposed to be the clumsy one," Wildfire breathed into her lady love's ear, offering a smile that was more grimace than anything. She lapsed into silence then, watching Portia at work, though she glanced upward and sought out Hush's face. The two of them were as awkward as a pair of overturned turtles but she injected as much gratitude into her gaze as she possibly could as she tried to catch his eye.

hush is going to sneak out now

Wildfire is the first to come, and he shakes his head, trying to relieve the expectant mother's tension from the thought of a wanton attack. He moves aside as Heda's mate takes over her bedside, wondering what else he could do for now. Portia brought all the herbs that she can bring, and her mate Dio follows suit. Tirgatao explains what happened...Hush felt now that he did not have to be here any longer. He did not simply leave, however. He noses Heda gently, licking her with a low groan of contentment before rising, looking towards Portia, quietly asking if she needed anything more. But if she rejected his offer, he would snort, and slink away, leaving the group be.

i think it's my turn lol

to tirgatao, she nodded. "concussion," she muttered, "probably, anyway. that'll heal with time." her paws pressured a rib that stuck out just a bit, and portia was already braced to be snapped at. sure enough, thuringwethil growled, but she forces herself to rest. the fisa is thankful that the commander understands, because this was an important injury to fix. it happened again in a second rib, though it wasn't as clear externally that it was broken. portia tested the rest, but it seemed those two were the only ones. "dio, hun," she said to her mate to grab his attention, eyeing him, "tirgato. grab the palm leaves. she has two broken ribs and they need to be wrapped tightly." she felt her instructions were clear, but she would talk them through the whole process. she nosed wildfire's shoulder softly, a quiet request she stepped back. it wasn't truly necessary, but portia didn't want her to accidentally get in the way.

By no means pleased to hear out the full extent of what had happened to the Heda, with his ears splayed and expression furrowed, there was  small relief in knowing it was just a cliff at fault, not.. even worse somehow in all the many ways it could be. This didn't diminish his worried frown by any, as Tirgatao's evident fatigue made it hard not to right now. Wildfire stayed close, Portia made her assessment, and Dio kept his eyes on the commander. She worried him right now, seeming just barely with them and growling her complaints.. and frankly, so did Tirgatao, who seemed so burdened by this already that he hoped she was as unscathed as she appeared.

Potential head injuries were insidious things, true, and knowing this kept a small voice in the very back of his thoughts. Heda was wise to be careful with this in mind and he hoped she'd let Portia do what she could. Anything to get her on the right path to mending, so reasonably, with his mate attempting to do what she could, and the Heda's patience for it all bound to be very short, he can't help but feel the tension still.

Hush got a quick, grateful glance from him but this was cut short by his mate summoning his attention back to her fully. He nodded and focused, shifting over closer to the leaf in question and eyeballing Portia for his next instructions before he made any further motions. She'd know how out of his element he'd be, so he was at her disposal to do what was necessary, and he would do as told -- all with a careful watch on their commander's condition (and patience).

Tirgatao stole another glance at Wildfire when she felt the Bandrona's eyes leave her, and it offered some reassurance; she seemed to accept her explaination, for the fires of rage had been extinguished, and the others didn't offer up their comments in the space between. The pale woman felt no better for it, but she did know her place among them was still assured despite everything. She watched in silence when Hush padded over to give Heda his regards before turninga away towards the brush, his job here done. But as he disappeared into the shadows and the ferns, Tirgatao could not help but follow him with her own gaze until he was out of sight, wondering just how she would thank him for his timely appearance and support throughout this ordeal. 

Her name was spoken pointedly and she snapped back to attention, head whipping around to direct her gaze and twist her ears towards Portia as she gave her, and Dio, a command. Tirgatao stood and promptly trotted over to retreve the palm leaf, waiting until Dio grabbed one, before gently taking the stalk of the second one and lifting it carefully as if fearful of breaking it. Gingerly she made her way to stand just off Dio's flank, palm frond in her mouth, and soft brown eyes cast towards Portia.

Thuringwethil opens her mouth to as the words pour from Tirgatao’s mouth. They don’t register right away and Lucani formers on her lips when Portia takes control. It isn’t the voice she thought she was going to hear and the injuries don’t match what she has. Her head hurts, but as the leaf is wrapped around, she feels the pain in her chest again. It hadn’t been a cougar that had done this, this time, as the memory quickly fades to the back of her mind. In an attempt to refocus, she moves in with the manipulation and guidance of the others to do what is needed.

Hush slunk away and Wildfire returned her attention to Thuringwethil. When Portia bumped her, she misinterpreted it as a comforting gesture rather than a hint that she should step aside. She resolutely remained by her mate's side, unwilling to budge. She did fold herself down beside the commander's head, making herself as small as possible to avoid being an obstacle or a nuisance. She gently licked the shell of the Heda's ear, an offer of comfort.

with the help of dio and tirgatao, portia pulled the palm leaves tightly around thuringwethil's chest. it acted as a cast of sorts, keeping everything together. wildfire didn't move, but portia didn't force her to-- as long as she wasn't in the way. when she was all wrapped up, portia double-checked any of her scrapes for infection and nodded for the others to help her back. "no rough activity for a while-- you need lots of rest and i don't want you to agitate your ribs, you could cause some serious damage," she informed her before they all went back.

there wasn't much she could do for her concussion or her eye. they'd both go away in time, she just needed some serious rest.