Broken Boulder from rags to recovery

Maybe @Sequoia if she's still around here?

Arcas slept for a while after his visit with Mahler, then when he rose in the silverlight of dawn he found himself alone again. The man's scent enshrined him. The paste the healer had layered across Arcas' wounded hock had dried and begun to flake. He woke cold, having slept in the shadow cast by one half of the boulder, and his body was stiff as if the muscles lining his body had frozen in the night.

He got up and stretched as best he could, being mindful of his wounded hind limb, and then tried to warm himself up by walking laps out front of the boulder and its hidden passageway; when he felt the stiffness ebb and the rest of his body loosen, Arcas pondered over what to do next.

He was hungry—and he had his half of the bargain to fulfill—so he began to prowl the area, searching for any sign of a meal.