Blackfoot Forest gossamer

She was the smallest, but not often the quietest. Yet she strolled silently, cautiously, alarmed and all at once elated to be alive. “Most Elderly?” Her voice light, but shaky, ever hopeful she’d get a reply. Though Littlest One didn’t call out too loud, frightened that she might shattered the peace of the forest—that something far beyond her vision would awaken in the dark and surge forth to seize her. It was troublesome to walk soft, though she attempted as she ambled across the scattered dry leaves at her feet, the crunching beneath inevitable with the way the pixie limped from her broken wing—a wound hindleg that she tucked close to her body.

Hi!

Sidewinder rarely stayed in one place for long, so it would have been no surprise for those who truly knew him that he was already on the other side of the map after visiting the coast. Packs scattered the land, and Winder knew that he would be fine this winter. There was plenty of wreckage to cause, plenty of secrets to pass along, and he had all the time in the world to do it. He strolled through the forest that smelled thickly of fox, and while he saw the creatures scatter this way and that, he did not provoke them.

"Most Elderly?" a tiny voice called out, and the large white snake snapped his head in the voice's direction. It was dark, but he surely stuck out like a sore thumb. There was no use in trying to hide, especially when he was seeking the voice. The soft crunching of leaves at an uneasy pattern made it easy to find the wounded girl. Perfect.

“You’re hurt,” he said, voice soft and silky.

Hey hey!

Her heart fluttered within the confines of her chest, and she did an uneasy turn to face the strange voice. It was not Most Elderly, and hopeful Littlest peered around him to see if he was escorting her grandfather along. But the white figure stood stark and alone in the dark imprisonment of the forest, and disappointed bowed her head. Skirting back a few light hobbled steps, sullen and apprehensive, so enraptured in his quick arrival that she did not look and see the log behind her—and stumbled, yelping as her tender appendage brushed against it’s bark. Fallen, she huddled close to the ground in a defensive curl, and stuck her tail in her mouth.

A young thing, she was. Pretty, too. Sidewinder thought she could be of use, in one way or another, as the smaller, feminine types often did better, depending on the situation. That was, of course, if she was willing to cooperate. She stumbled backward, tripping over a long and falling into a heap on the ground, her yelp piercing the night air as she did so.

Cautiously, gingerly, Sidewinder stepped over to her. “Is it broken?” he asked. If that were the case, it was possible he could help. Or at least provide some advice on the matter. While he had never broken a bone himself, he had nursed a few wolves back to health in exchange for a portion of their food.

Despite the way she shrunk from him, still he came closer and she watched him with widening eyes. After a moment’s pause, she believed his concern to be genuine, and she glanced down at her ripped flesh of the leg that was stretching out awkwardly from the side. Littlest nibbled at the hairs she could reach from her tail, falling back into old bad habits and almost wishing now that Most Elderly would appear to gently scold her. She attempted to murmur around her chewing, but it was unclear, and with hesitance she openly her maw fully, “No, I don’t think.” She began, and attempting to inch her leg up, to which it responded without too much pain, “I fell.” She explained, sheepishly folding her ears back.

Winder nodded, glad that it wasn't broken. The healing time would have been much, much longer if it had been. Still, he needed more details to assess the situation and get the proper care for her, whatever that may be. “How long ago?” he asked. It could not have been that long ago if she was still carrying it so close to herself. Perhaps a month, at the very most. He couldn't see well enough from here to tell if there was surface damage as well, especially considering how dark it was.

His question prompted her to think on the injury and the events had come to pass in the brief time she’d been in the Wilds. Moving her muzzle in a silent chattering, to bring the words up slowly, she shook her head, “Not long. I think.” How long was too long? Would there be something wrong with her leg permanently? She feared the worse now, but pressed herself to continue, “Just… tonight. Is it night?” Is was hard to tell, the forest was so very dark—certainly though she could barely make out the sky, the sun could not be so subdue, it was still only early autumn. She struggled to decipher how much time had passed, having no knowledge of counting minutes or hours. “Have you seen a silver wolf, with a black collar? He fell with me.” Desperate to hear some news of her grandfather.

Winder nodded when she asked if it was night. The forest was dark, but it made him question how long had she been beneath the boughs of the trees. If she had only just hurt her leg (assuming her gauge of time was at least somewhat accurate), she likely had nothing to worry about. As long as it was kept out of harm's way, it would heal well.

“Have you seen a silver wolf, with a black collar? He fell with me.” Sidewinder paused, as if to search his memories for such a wolf, but he found none. Again, he shook his head. “I have not,” he replied. He let the words settle before speaking again. “Can I get a better look at your leg?” he asked.

A small wrinkle of worry creased her brow at the disappointing news, only focusing on the pale stranger again when his question induce her to. “Are you a healer?” She asked curiously, her ears swinging forward; but nonetheless straightened herself, unfolding so that she could pull herself back up and wobble again onto three legs to give him a clear view of all sides. The fur and skin had been scrapped away some, typical for falling from the height she had, but otherwise had stopped bleeding and was in the process of scabbing. If she knew better than she might have suggested she’d twisted something on the way down, but she couldn’t imagine what had happened. “Do you think I’ll heal on my own?” She added, turning her muzzle away from him to peer down at her lifted leg, “Should I do something special?” Most Elderly would have known what to do, but sadly he was not here to guide her, so she stuck her questions on the stranger instead.

Sorry for dropping the ball on this! I'm going to fade it out in case you'd ever like to come back to Wolf. :)

“Something like that,” Winder replied. His knowledge only touched the surface of what many others knew, but he could get by when he needed to. This, it seemed, was one of those times. The girl asked if it would heal on its own, and the snake took a closer look at her injury. “It looks like it just needs time and rest,” he said, diagnosing with what little knowledge he had.

“Come, you can sleep here beside me, and nobody will harm you.” She obliged, without a word, and Sidewinder awoke to find her missing. Not even so much as a name had passed between them, and he wondered if it was better that way. Sidewinder did not bother himself with tracking her down, figuring that her guardian had come back for her.