Whitewater Gorge only one remained to haunt me.

@Evergreen (forward dated to 5/23ish, if that works for you)

Several days passed. 

She turned west from where she'd wakened within the mountains, empty gaze turned ever forward. Surely, at some point things would change. 

In some ways they did - the rocky footpaths gave way to a vast swath of steppes - but she remained lost within, unable to pinpoint a location of familiarity or a purpose to her wandering. She was a woman of no name, no home, no family - without even fond memories to keep her company. 

The Gorge loomed upon her suddenly. Where once grass had obscured her vision, suddenly there was a split in the earth - a vast canyon where rushing waters waited to swallow what had once been Liri. 

Sluggishly, her speckled crown tilted forwards - chin bumping dully against her chest. Pain lanced through her skull as punishment for the careless motion, the wound at her temple leaking once more to streak her blood-rusted features with fresh crimson. 

The fae bared her teeth at the void - both for its tempting call to lose herself in the waters below and for causing her pain, however indirectly. 

She stumbled to the side, falling ungracefully upon the earth to lick the blood from her pale coat. 

It seemed her head injury had muddled her thoughts - even as she lapped the ruby droplets from her paws, more dribbled along the length of her features, dripping from her chin to her forelegs which she continued to dutifully groom with jerky movements. 

Survive some part of her screamed, as it always had.

Date works for me!

Rushing water is louder than Evergreen imagined. Certainly, the bear had witnessed rapids before, but not like this. Their numbers and the strength undoubtedly greater than his homeland, where rapids were survivalable. Salmon often traversed through them, right into the waiting jaws of wolf and bear alike. Evergreen peers over the Gorge’s dauntless edge, shuddering against the spray of water as it hits his blind side.

His round ears twitch, barely sensing the approach of another. Evergreen is far enough that the water deafens any hints of her footfalls, but the metallic scent is hard to ignore. His head lifts, turning from the edge and to the left. There he spies a woman, staring off the Gorge just has he had been, moments ago. And yet, it seems her stare is not of curiosity like his. He cannot help approaching, worry churning his stomach as it had for Alarian.

Yet with his hesitant approach, he notices that her condition is not the same as his had been.

Her injuries noticeable; white fur stained an eerie crimson, in various shades. Some blood long dry, while others were freshly dripping. Eyebrows furrow, a pout deepening across his dark muzzle as concern settles further in. It is none of his business, but alas, the bear loves to play hero. After @Sindri helped him, who is he to turn a blind eye to someone else in need?

He is careful, watching as she descents, his heart leaping in his chest—concerned for a moment that her weak body will tumble off the edge. A breath of relief escapes his lips instead, when she simply falls to the earth and begins nursing her wounds.

“Miss?” Evergreen says in lieu of a greeting, halting a far enough distance away in hopes of not startling her. His voice is, hopefully, louder than the rushing rapids below them. “... May I help?”

The roar of the rushing rapids below well matched the roar of blood in her ears, an overload of auditory information that left her head hollowed and numb. 

His words were swept away by the echoing ferocity of the Gorge but he was hard to miss - a bear was her first thought. Blearily, her gaze stuttered to focus upon him - her lips twitching back to reveal a lackluster snarl that seemed more scared than defensive if the whites of her eyes were to be believed. 

A heartbeat passed and the conformation of his gargantuan build clicked some thought process into place: wolf, not bear. 

She who would have been Liri rolled onto her back with a grunt, scarred belly displayed in submission - the language of bodies the only she could dreg up to answer a question she had not heard. 

One ear keeps pointed towards the injured wolf, while the other pulls back in certainty. Nervous, for he does not expect bared teeth, even if they are less aggressive and moreso defensive. A low whine vibrates in his throat, tail wagging between his legs to show further that despite his massive size, he is a friend, not a foe.

She rolls to her side, scarred belly displayed towards him in submission. Never before has someone exposed their stomach to him, and Evergreen himself never sought to be a dominant force. With his tail still swaying, the bearish wolf, however, takes this as an opportunity to approach. Perhaps she will not find the need to attack if he keeps his movements slow.

I won't hurt you, he says, trying again to communicate through words as well as body language. If she warns him, his approach will cease, but if she allows him, he'll attempt to inspect her injuries.

The words mean something, this she knows but it's beyond her grasp for now - it's his tone more than anything that reaches her. Her head jerks slightly, an attempt at a nod. 

Still, she watches as he draws near - some buried instinct wondering vaguely if it's a trick. 

She remains silent, held carefully in place as if to say, I shall not hurt you either. 

A flurry of fur and teeth is what he expects, and yet, a jerky gesture is all the injured woman gives him. Held in place, she bares herself to him. Evergreen remains slow in his approach, yet grows less hesitant with each steady step towards her. His posture low—although not crouched—to keep from towering over. Domineering is something the bear has never been.

He reaches her side, his good eye roams concerned over her every injury, mostly that of her head. And while questions linger on the tip of his tongue, the bear reaches forward, placing gentle kisses upon the injury to clean it—hopeful that it would not grow infected. Perhaps he ought to call for Sindri, for his medical knowledge is limited. He only knows the basic patch job, and what she has murmured to him.

For now, he focuses on gaining her trust.

A pink flash, her tongue darting out to lick her lips nervously as her small form is cast in shadow by the gentle giant. His ministrations are met with a soft gasp of pain, snowy eyelids aflutter as she clings to conciousness. 

The tension leaves her, beaten body gone pliant and limp, she's little choice but to accept his kindness though she's not without gratitude. An expression of thanks escapes her lips, unintelligible and garbled - a mix of northern and common. 

Her gaze finds him without intention; though instincts demand she look away and avoid his eyes directly, she searches his summer orbs reblliously in confusion: now what? 

The language she speaks is unknown to him, and causes the bear to freeze in his gentle movements. His own eyes flicker to her in question, wondering if the soft touches were causing more pain than good. Of course, he does not care for the metallic taste, but it is better to keep the injuries clean… and impossible for her to reach on her own.

His round ears flicker, a breath held as his gaze meets hers.

“Home?” He asks, and then grows flustered. Heat rising to his cheeks underneath the thick of his brown coat. “Uhm, I mean… do you have a home? I can… take you there. I’m… Evergreen, by the way.”

His attempts inspire her, guide her onto her belly where she hefts shakily to three legs - a movement that creaks her bones and blackens her vision momentarily. Pale ears flicker, straining to catch his words over the crash of water and ringing that presses against her eardums mutely. 

Owlish woodland optics find him as the spots clear from her peripherals, swallowing heavily as she struggles to string the words together mentally. 

"No...no where," the fae stutters weakly in the common tongue - pain pounding against her temples as she tries to conjure an image of the home he spoke of.

A wall was thrown up within her mind, blocking the past from her sight despite her attempts to burrow through it and unravel the mystery of herself. 

He reaches forward, there immediately to shoulder her weight should she tumble. The last thing he wants is for her strength to be zapped, and her injuries aggravated even further. A soft noise vibrates in his throat, trying as he might to bite down concern and instead, soothe the hurt she must be feeling.

It would be best to move away from the cliff’s edge, and to a location where she not only could heal in peace, but he could find the herbs Sindri has taught him about. For now, however, he knows to take it slow. Just her standing seems shaky at best.

“Oh,” he breathes out, his heart sinking—sympathizing with her, no doubt. For despite having allegiance to Easthollow, it is no… home. “Well, you're not alone anymore.” He vows. Him, too, with her here, he feels purpose swell in his chest; determined to protect. “Can you walk? Lean on me, if… if you need?”

His promise draws her flighty eyes once more - for some reason she can't quite explain, his words tear at her heart. 

The void of nothing within, the sensation of being lost even unto herself - it is not something she wants to face alone. 

A lump swells in her throat and she nods, unable to speak as she mouths a silent, "Thank you."

It is that moment of companionship, of ready acceptance that would seal her connection to the bear - even after her wounds had healed and the confusion faded to make way for fear. He was protector, caretaker, and someday - leader.

The northron accepts his assistance readily, feeling none too steady on her feet, and leans her weight against his broad side without fear. 

She does not question the destination. Anywhere is fine - so long as she is near Evergreen. 

A deep exhale, he gathers his emotions—the press of her weight settles across his side, and somehow, he finds stability within that touch. It is welcomed to be this close to someone again, taking him back to the meeting of Alarian all over; for while the man had not been as injured as she, it is clear that hearts were damaged all the same.

His steps stay slow, taking them one at a time to keep the woman from overworking herself too soon. Whenever it got too much, a break would be taken. Together, they leave loneliness and the Gorge behind.

Fade/archive? :) I would not mind continuing with a time lapse and Evergreen finding herbs, etc, to help heal Liri if you'd like, too <3

The tempered gait is appreciated, surely he moves faster than she normally but she's in no shape to hasten anywhere. Her gaze falls wearily to the earth, focused only on putting one foot in front of the other. She does not look back for what does she have to turn back to? 

She who had once been Liri was silently relieved to leave the Gorge behind - the water still beckons, a forgotten curse she had spited thus far. 

She presses imperceptibly closer, stifling a shiver at the thought of giving herself over to the oblivion - relieved to be tucked against the bear's side and guided safely away though what follows is just as unknown as what came before. 

I can archive here but if you'd like to do a time lapse and have Evergreen doctor her up, feel free to continue it. :)