Neverwinter Forest pulse

Tag for ref. :P

Mal stretched. He was out tracking already, trying to find something to bring back to @Caerus. Whatever he caught, he'd be bringing the best parts back to the boy -- and the rest, too, but if he could tempt him at least into eating the richest meats, maybe that would help. That was at least his current tactic until he could forcibly shove Simmik and Aibreann into talking to him, hoping it would help. So far that opportunity hadn't happened yet. Either way, his son's current condition scared the hell out of him.

Patrols were going to be later in the day, or so was the plan. A plan very quickly destroyed by a panicked howl from Aibreann. Mal was running towards her call before he knew what was going on. What could be happening? The trees were some sort of warp-speed blur around him, but distance meant by the time he would get there, it would all be over. Aibreann! was his repeated call as he got near to where hers had been from. 

He smelled the blood first, slowing from his sprint so he could look for her familiar figure in the trees. He veered towards her, another slightly relieved shout of, Aibreann! since she was on her feet and moving at least. Mal was quick to come up close, looking her over but the amount of blood made him wary to touch her in case there was some wound he didn't see -- was it hers? At least some smelled as if no, and there were the scents of one or two unfamiliar men on her fur. Words poured out of his mouth in a jumble, What happened? Are you ok? I can get you some of the herbs! Where are they? He couldn't see the corpses, they were just out of sight by now. But he continued, What about the kids? He hadn't been here to protect her -- how were dangerous people even in the territory? Or was it just outside? What happened? What could he do? His brain was doing a pretty good job at emulating a keyboard smash, but could you blame him? He was mentally being pulled in about six directions at once, and would snap and pick one if she didn't direct him. When it came to situations of someone being hurt, she was definitely the doctor, he was more of an assistant and he wasn't sure what she wanted him to do.