Sunbeam Lair between atlas and earth

Several days had passed since she’d last seen Ukko, but she’d not been concerned by his absence. There were days where she’d awoken wondering if he still resided within the lair, and so she’d gotten used to the thought of him disappearing. Bothering not with sending out a search party—it’d only been a few days, so doing so would have been ridiculous even if she had felt worried—she’d busied herself around the lair just as usual. The cold had snuffed out much of the life within the cavern, taking away her beloved flora, but she’d had other means of keeping her mind occupied. Either by lingering at the entrance of her home or around the lake, and sometimes even by hiking across the external sections of the territory. She’d been around the lake when the howl had drawn in her attention, watching the water move—an effortless activity, which had been discontinued in favour of the howl.

Asterr had departed from the water’s edge and made her way through the lair, her paws having eventually carried her out into the open. Never had her pace been relaxed or slowed, the urgency heard in her sister’s voice having been enough to encourage her to maintain long strides. And as she’d arrived and slowed to a stop before the gathering of wolves, she’d realized almost immediately why her presence had been needed: Ukko had been hurt. Onward had the dragoness looked, gaze flickering from one face to the next, assessing the situation before she’d started to plan out her actions. The stranger had held her attention the longest but, after realizing that he wasn’t a threat, she’d placed her focus on the injured member of her tribe.

“Airi,” the name had slipped from her tongue with ease, though she’d not even glanced in the girl’s direction. “If you plan to assist then begin placing snow onto the wound. If not, step back and keep from being stepped on.” Moving closer, she’d looked at the wound on his thigh, its efforts to paint the snow having made it hard to miss. “Hisaya, keep our guest company,” had been her next order, followed by, “Avannon, retrieve whatever herbs you are able to find. Move quickly—we will have to relocate him.” As the words left her mouth, she’d looked towards Inari, curious of his being there, but knowing that it wasn’t an appropriate time to question him. “Do you think you might be able to support his weight? I can do more for him once he has been moved inside.” Inside and out of the snow, that way his body might not have to fight off a virus whilst also working to heal his injuries.