Lost Creek Hollow a lonesome star in a bitter sky

She emerged in his field of view fully, hovering low to the ground as she filled the scene. Gradually, he delved back to lying prone so she could better check over him, as he knew that would be the first thing she would do. In a matter of moments, he felt the warm press of her tongue gently cleaning his wounds, and felt it sting all the same as she deftly cleared those wounds of debris.

"Cougar must be gone," he surmised, voice low and quiet. It felt as though it had its own disuse too, but he attributed that to the time he had lost. His mouth felt dry. "Guess I was more trouble than I was worth." And those words sounded smug even to him, but it was for her sake... and his own. Mordecai knew it had been a close call and as it were in the expanse of the wilderness they lived in, nothing was guaranteed.

"How bad is it?"