Otatso Wetlands the sweetness will not be concerned with me

damn kids. he really ought to worry less about them. but here he was again, following river's and kitten's trail out of the territory, past the herbalists' forest and into the wetlands. irritation prickled at him, and a furious scowl painted his muzzle as he stalked on, mulling what to say. he knew dawn and easy had been the same way, but these two seemed to have the knack for getting themselves into trouble, more trouble than what was necessary.

what was he supposed to do? yelling at them obviously didn't work. being their friend didn't work. being a surrogate father didn't work, either. there was an apparent lack of respect that only--

the smell of blood hit his nostrils like a slap across the face, and he reeled, a growl bubbling in his throat. fear gripping his body tight, he followed the scent, coming across the duo a few minutes later. kitten, and in her grasp. . .

"no," adi whispered hoarsely, dropping to a crouch beside river. no, no, no. he pressed his ear against the slender throat; there was a pulse there, but faint, and the barest rise and fall of his side to signify breathing. but he was bleeding, and badly, and not very conscious at all.

aditya glanced up at kitten, shaking his head. "don't move him," he said, remembering how pema had treated dawn, when she'd gotten a stick caught in her thigh. much less life-threatening, than this, but there had been bleeding involved. "you know moss? the green, soft stuff that grows around trees? grab a lot of that--dry. bring it back here, start applying it to his wounds."

he tipped his muzzle back, howling for @Sebastian. his voice was urgent--they needed a medic, now.