Hoshor Plains One Day Life Will Be Kind

Backdated to last week or so so they aren't actually dead from starvation lMAO didn't have time to post. Tagging @Evergreen @Winterbourne for reference slight PP since we discussed things in discord let me know if you guys want any changes! Also tagging reference @Greyback @Valette @Leta for the small family blurb. @Speedy should you wanna do medical stuff in this thread tagging you too, but maybe it should be saved for a private thread! She has various gashes/scrapes along her back and legs from where she was trapped in the cave and her left leg is broken along with some starvation.

The past days had felt like a blur. To be completely honest, she never thought she would see the light again, doomed to die as she slowly bled out, trapped with a man she longed for, yet still would not face that hurdle. No...that was something she would take to her grave. At least she had seen her family one last time...at least she had made amends with her father. To witness the life of her new siblings and see them grow. Part of her wondered how they would all find out about her passing. How she had been a fool to end up here...And yet, perhaps it was luck? Luck that the heavy rocks also served as a force to temporarily stop her bleeding. Lucky that after however much time passed the sound of scrabbling echoed off the walls? Lucky when that first ray of sunlight filtered in giving her the first glimpse of hope she longed for long after she accepted she would die here.

By the time Tobias and Winterbourne had found them, she felt weak, accustomed to the pain in her side from the rocks and hunger along with the dryness of her throat. Her first breaths of fresh air were ragged, and she almost did not believe her eyes as she took in the mass of destruction that was left of their home. It was in ruins...yet, it still stood. Had the same happened to Easthollow? Perhaps not all was lost? Maybe they could rebuild. Something told the Constable it would be a while before that was even possible though, and with her leg and winter approaching even longer before she could see her family again.

The trip to the nearby plains was long, her paws felt foreign to her as she struggled to find her footing, and as much as she hated admitting it, would end up needing the support of one of the three men to make any real distance. Her hind legs ached and she could feel with each step the gashes pull open if she was not careful. Again she found her mind wandering to luck. Was it luck her hind left leg had taken most of the damage leaving her with three legs to stand on? Surely the rocks could have fatally crippled her, but she would save the medical assessments for Speedy.

After many rest breaks, the small group finally reunited with the pack although even that as a whole had been wiped away by the flooding and quakes. Vercingetorix and his kids...Firefly. Before she and Evergreen had been discovered, they were halved and the rest of their member's status remained unknown. She was thankful Speedy had made it, along with her kids. It seemed even an old face had managed to find her way back to them. How lucky of them to still have a chance.

Whatever blessed their survival did not matter. For now, she was tired...and the normally dutiful wolf searched for seclusion once more near the river. Tobias had brought her a rabbit which she took no time to finish off. The color of their river remained murky, but she had been far too thirsty to care, now lazily resting on her side thankful for the freedom to move, for the most part, as she pleased.

One of Valette's children had gone missing as of late. Hieronymous had caught wind of it in passing conversations and thought it best to try and track the kid down as best as he could. One, to try and make up for his misdeed of trespassing still (he would feel as if he could never do enough in order to repay them for not killing him), as well, well, to watch a family being broken up and not certain of their child's whereabouts or status was heart-breaking. 

And so he set out. With the shitty nose of his, Hieronymous didn't think he would get too far but figured it was worth a shot. He wandered around asking individuals of a boy of his description, the smell on his coat if they caught a whiff of anything similar and followed any pointers they gave. It was long and arduous work for someone who just simply couldn't put their face into the ground and track the individual themselves - but at least a good way to talk to strangers and maybe get more of an insight. 

At least the boy was alive and well from the last individuals he had spoken too.

The ground continued to shake, and prey was few and far in between. Hieronymous couldn't feel the pain in his stomach, the knot it was created but he did his best to eat what he could in order to try and keep his body from falling. It was hard. Every now and then his body was just too heavy to move, to tell if one was hungry was such an important thing and yet here he was, chewing on scraps and whatever he came across in order to keep the energy going. 

Even the river he followed was muddied and lifeless. The fish were absent and the painted male wished for nothing more than the chance to practice his fishing abilities once more. But as his dull eyes followed the river bed - they lit up as they rose from the edge. 

For a moment his breath was caught in his lungs. Eyes in wonder as they saw something that he could simply not understand. She was beautiful. It caused his tail to flick happily from one side to the other, his heart to lift into his throat and pitter-patter. Clearing his throat he slowly approached, his feet in a trot as he approached with the friendliest smile he has ever adorned. The smell of blood was thick and it caused his smile to fade ever so slightly, only to be replaced with concern. Greetings, my name is Hieronymous - is everything alright? The closer he got, the more clear this feeling was.

It was love at first sight.

The constable rested her head atop her paws, her broken leg sprawled out at an angle to which it hurt just a tad less. At the first sound of approaching footsteps, Ira assumed they belonged to a packmate, although as the male grew closer the scent of Easthollow washed over her. Had it been her father? Had he really come all this way to check on her?

Golden eyes flicked open as he hopefully raised her head, gaze landing on the painted man, and in an instant, her spark died away Settling to rest her head once more.

"Greetings, my name is Hieronymous - is everything alright?"

He was a stranger, but the scent was too clear to deny. Perhaps he was sent to check on them, it would make more sense that one of their leaders leaving after all. You hail from Easthollow. The roan woman's eyes shut once more with a short sigh. Her head dipped to the side as if gesturing to the scattered wolves in the plains around them. Around you is the remains of Kaistleoki, an ally pack. We suffered greatly from the quakes. I go by Ira...I am one of the leaders here.

Only after the matter did he realize her leg, the injuries, the fatigue that painted her face. It was all redundant, he could only imagine how beautiful she could truly be when at the top of her game when the famine and falling ground didn't afflict her in such a way that it tattered her angelic features.

Ears perked as his own face flashed in a smile when their eyes met for a moment, she quickly faded, but his had remained. He was a disappointment, but he chalked that up to simply being a stranger rather than someone she knew and felt comfortable around. I do. he was happy to respond. 

But as she gestured around her to what would have been an ally's home, his smile faded finally. A sense of dread took that happiness away as he sat just a wolf length away from the lovely woman. A single brow rose as she introduced herself. Ira, the patriarch's daughter? he heard from around the pack but didn't know any details. Someone came asking for you at the border. A young woman named Ibis?

The Patriarch's daughter...yes, she supposed that was what most wolves in Easthollow likely knew her as now. She'd only give a grunt in confirmation, her voice still recovering from everything. Her ears would perk at the mentioning of a visitor. She wasn't too familiar with wolves outside of Easthollow, who would look for her?

Oh, Ibis. Maybe she never did tell her that she had moved on. The constable could only hope someone pointed her in the right direction, not that she would get the warmest welcome with the way things were currently. She croaked a response, Was she well? Ira prayed those she knew had not been affected by the quakes, and if they had that the damage was minimal. Is Easthollow?

There was a moment of pleasure seeing the roan woman perk up just a little at the idea that she had a visitor not too long ago. It tugged at his lips in an upward motion, even the mildest of her mood cheering up had given him just a little more joy. 

She looked well. He admitted. I was there only briefly, some spitfire decided that I wasn't welcome to join her in greeting Ibis. I'm sorry, I don't have much to say about her state. Seafoam eyes wandered away for a moment while he thought about the second part of her question. 

About Easthollow. 

He was only there for a short while, and even if he was considered "family" now, there wasn't much for him to say whether they were thriving of shriveling recently in comparison to the time Ira may have spent there previously. They are doing well in these times. They are strong wolves. Although I think we should be more focused on your state and Kaistleoki. These are trying times. Even Hiero himself was having a hard time keeping himself fed - even if he didn't feel it, or show it much due to his rather bright disposition.

She was doing well...that's good, even if he had little news on the state of her or her old pack. Had she finally gone back to Lost Creek? The constable remembered her setting off to see the world, but perhaps her return to Easthollow was a part of her way back home.

Ira fell silent as Hieronymous continued, answering her fears about the plains she once called home. It should almost come to no surprise that they stood as strong as the stones that marked their lands. You never know though. Ira quirked a brow as the conversation quickly shifted to Kaistleoki. Oh? Do you have a suggestion?

Of course. He said with a playful wink. You'd be surprised what smiling does to uplift a heart, and bring good fortune. We all survive better with a clown to lift the mood. Lowers stress y'know? Though he couldn't show the proof of it with the internet, Hieronymous couldn't help but know this as a fact. There was always something magical about bringing good cheer, how well those individuals did when stress didn't cloud their judgments or wind up their muscles.

This could be my last post if you wanna wrap up!

The constable did a once over glance at the painted man as he winked suggesting the solution to their problems was...a clown. He truly was a clown if he believed it was that simple, but...perhaps there would be some good to it. Ira rolled her head back to look into the plains, the forms of other Kaistleoki members dotting the landscape. They had taken a large toll, their leaders excluded. Halved in numbers with pups to feed and forced from the comfort of their lands they had prepared so for winter. You can help them? Perhaps she would have laughed if they had met under different circumstances...but now even she could not help. Prove to me you aren't just another mouth to feed.

I know I can. He said with full certainty. The boy had lived a strange and abnormal life, a little famine would have to do more than what it had already thrown at him to make Hiero think otherwise. Squaring off his shoulders, he would accept this burden and show that he was capable of much more than what she thought. He was more than just a clown, but why boast and set the bar too high? I'll do you proud.

And just like that, Hiero had found himself a new home.