Hideaway Strath To the bone.

Something had felt a bit better, knowing Towhee was there. It was not without a great deal of worry that she returned to her den, giving her friend a bit of peace to rest, but surprisingly, her son- who happened to pass by- seemed gentled by the knowledge that Towhee was there and that she was injured- and he offered a bit of empathy, for once. So he cared about Towhee, at least- and maybe he cared about her feelings a bit too. She did her best to put on a brave face and reassure him that Towhee was tough as nails and that she would be alright, and the two parted ways as Bronco headed back to his own den. Part of her hoped that he might stay with her, but part of her knew that if he did, eventually they would end up arguing, and she didn't want to spoil the little bit of peace that they had found in each other's company. She watched her son walk off and smiled slightly to herself. Maybe things weren't going to be too bad after all. Towhee would stay with them for a while while she healed, and perhaps her presence might lighten her son's mood. Maybe all three of them could do something together; she felt her worry lessen slightly, and she curled up for a short nap, deciding that she'd bring something for Towhee to eat once she awoke. 

But when she showed up where Towhee had been left to rest, with a partridge in her mouth, Towhee wasn't there. Maybe she'd gone for a drink, or perhaps Eljay had asked for her to go somewhere so he could treat her or check her out- so she followed her friend's scent, dismay creeping into her throat as a choking lump as she realized that Towhee's trail led instead toward the borders. And not to perform a patrol; no, Towhee had left. Niamh called out in concern, alerting the others to the fact that Towhee had slipped off, but that she was still injured. Niamh called out again as an afterthought, letting the rest of the pack know that she would track her friend down, and she asked for Bronco to resume her patrol along the borders, in case Towhee returned. She heard her son's wavering, concerned, but complying call in response, and she felt thankful that her son would listen to her, for once. 

She picked up a swift trot and set off after Towhee's trail, noticing quickly thereafter that at least Towhee wasn't alone- Sugar Glider, their young medic-in-training, had also gone out either with Towhee, or shortly after her. She was proud of the young girl- she was sweet, and of all the wolves in the pack it seemed that Bronco favoured her the most. Maybe she had gone to stop Towhee, and at least she had some medical training- more than Niamh, at least- and maybe she would be successful. Who, after all, could turn down any suggestion made by the sweet girl, especially with those endearingly dark and sparkling eyes? Still, her hope was clouded by confusion and worry. Towhee was returning to her home far too early. Maybe Niamh should have stayed with her- maybe she should have woken up earlier. Maybe, if she'd simply left the partridge hunting, she could have stopped Towhee before she'd left. Nothing could change what had happened now, but she could only hope she'd reach the Grove in time to stop Towhee from doing anything foolish. And that little part of her that always seemed to be right already began warning her that she was wrong in hoping for such a thing. 

She heard Sugar's desperate plea for aid, following a shaky call from Towhee, and hastily called out in reply so the girl would know she was on her way before she bolted, hastening her pace so that she could hopefully reach her friend in time. She was nearly breathless when she arrived at the rocky and steep incline which blocked the entrance to the Grove, where Sugar anxiously fretted. She raised her gaze to see the dark form of Towhee slumped against the rocky horizon, high above them. She hissed under her breath but took a fleeting moment to touch her chin to the top of Sugar's head, as though to smoothe the crease of concern over her eyes. "It's OK. Good job calling out," She said gratefully, though her voice was still laced with concern. Even if she did call out, Towhee wouldn't hear her- and she wasn't sure if Towhee was even conscious; she wasn't moving enough to give Niamh a strong indication either way. She wished that X could be there, so that he could at least stay with Towhee, keep her still, and let her know that help was there...The only thing was that Niamh had no idea how to help Towhee. 

Even if she made the climb- which she fully intended to do- she wasn't sure there was much she could do for Towhee. If the other side was as treacherous as this one, there was no way she would be able to guide her friend down the slope. If one of them stepped the wrong way, they could both tumble down the slope to their deaths. And Towhee was not only weak but injured as well. Still- they'd need more help than just Niamh being there- but at least if she was, she could relay any messages from below to Towhee. "I'm going up," She said to Sugar, with a tone that meant she would not be stopped. "Shout up to me if you see anything. She needs someone up there...If no one shows up again soon, call out again. We're going to need more help for this." She said, before she gave the girl one last look- thinking to herself that at least if something happened to her, Bronco would still have Sugar left as his friend. Wistfully the thought faded, and she turned her attention to the rough climb ahead. 

She knew it was pointless to shout out to Towhee to stay still, so she saved her breath and picked her way up, scrambling and sliding here and there, cursing loudly every time she lost a bit of ground. More than once she had to double back and try a different route, and a few times she narrowly avoided missing a slide of earth and rocks that she had caused by trying to grapple her way upwards. She did her best to amble over the loose rocks and stones that thumped against her hind knees as they let go, scraping the skin and flesh repeatedly, but she was still able and nimble-footed enough to make her way slowly up the incline. She simply assumed that Sugar would be watching, and would move out of the way when she sent rocks and dirt flying toward the ground. She had to keep her own eyes on the slope and couldn't look down to check on the girl every time some of the rocks came loose under her paws. She took breaks as she climbed, and only then would she check in on her neice, before she continued her ascent. 

She felt slightly dizzy from the effort by the time she reached the top, and slumped next to her friend, prepared to reach out and grab her if she shifted one way or another. She looked down to see the reddish form of Elfie below, but she didn't address him. She looked all along the rock pile for some easier way down, but felt discouraged to see that both sides of the rockpile blocking the entrance would be nearly impossible to navigate without risking further injury or death. And Towhee was in no shape to do much of anything. She gazed at her friend, and reached out to touch her nose to Towhee's cheek gently, hoping to see if she could merit a response. She didn't want to alarm Towhee and make her startle, so she made her movements slow and careful. "Damnit...I dunno how we're gonna get out of this one," She muttered softly to herself.