By the time the last thorn was pulled she had eased, at least to allow her shoulders to relax. The anxiety remained as was portrayed by an awkwardly twitching tail- more twisting than swaying til it was tucked under a shuffling rump. She was still for the final rinse and felt only the release of cool water running over the unobstructed wounds. It was feeling better, that much was certain, yet the healing was not completely at its end.
By a thread, she maintained her patience, again slipping into a more comfortable state of mind as the healer applied her remedy. The aloe stung at first as it seeped into the flesh of the wound, then gradually numbed allowing some movement by a flutter of a heavy lid. She blinked a few careful times to adjust to the strange weight until the lid was partially opened. It was not fully revealed, but enough that she could see through her umber eye from around a faint haze. She hoped it would ease away with time.
“There is a fog,” she commented. “But I can see… thank you.” Sheepishly, she tipped her muzzle in gratitude. Already, the mountain wolf pushed herself to stand and would have started forward had it not been for the slight stumble in her step. Indeed she could see, but the fog of the remedy kept her eye from the clarity of the other. Grunting stubbornly to herself, the female looked anywhere but to Blue Willow, not wishing to endure yet another pitying glance. It was enough she sat through the healing with a stranger. But her offer to guide her was becoming more of an ideal option.
Xi’nuata grumbled softly in surrender, “If you’d like… you can walk me to the mountains. From there, I can call for my companion…” Her hunt for a small meal would have to wait for the next day. |