Qeya River Lost

Calida had followed Lane's instructions - she'd backtracked through the valley, then swung south, but the water she stood before now surely wasn't the stream Lane had mentioned. Huge chunks of ice flowed past, and quite rapidly at that. Calida sighed heavily, her anxiety starting to make her pace. How was she supposed to cross this river? She didn't want to have to double back again.

Calida's jade gaze moved over the river again, and a thought occurred to her - what if she used the ice as stepping stones? Sure, they were moving a bit faster than she'd like, but what other choice did she have? The river would be too fast to safely swim across. Gritting her teeth, Calida made her choice; she leapt from the bank onto one particularly large chunk of ice, her front paws scrambling to find purchase. Breathing heavily, Calida shifted to a better position, then tried to jump once more.

After three jumps, Calida had made it about halfway across the river - her only problem now, was that there was no ice coming towards her. She waited, and soon enough, a smaller piece of ice came rushing her way. She jumped, but having misjudged the distance, she landed half in the water, front paws scrambling to find purchase as the rest of her flailed.

The smaller piece of ice was moving much faster than the piece she'd been on previously, and before she knew it, Calida had been slammed into the larger ice block. The back of her head hit the ice, hard, and a moment later, she'd slipped under the surface of the water. Before she could even register fear - or register the fact that death was a very real possibility, the red wolf had lost consciousness.

[ooc - Calida is unconscious - the next poster has permission to powerplay Calida in order to get her out of the water.]

The tatkret walked along the edge of the fast-moving river, eyes watching as each chunk of ice moved with the water. He liked to dip his injured arm in when he pushed himself too far and it started throbbing again. It had been his plan today after spending hours following the herd of caribou with no luck finding a sick one he could pick off on his own.

But then the sounds of panicked splashing had him trotting farther down the bank. He arrived in time to see the top of a cinnamon colored head disappear under the water. Who in their right mind would be getting in the water right now? It was a death sentence. But as logical as the northern was, he couldn't just stand idly by and let the stranger drown. 

He would need to be careful how he went about this, or they would both be dead. The cold wouldn't bother him much, at least not at first, but the current would be tricky to maneuver around. His gaze searched the water and found a flash of sandy fur. Tuulu quickly dipped his head and front legs in and felt around with his nose until the unconscious wolf smacked into his head. It was then that he tasted the blood in the water and wondered if maybe they had fallen in. There was no time for thinking, though, only acting. He snapped around with his teeth until they grabbed a good hold of fur and skin. Digging in with his hind legs, he pulled back with all his strength. But the water was heavy, and it worked against him so much that he only managed to pull the stranger's face from the water. He steadied his grip again and pulled. His hind paws dug grooves in the frozen ground as he pulled against the water and the large form of the other wolf, and he slipped forward just a little. He growled in frustration and threw his weight backwards, his anger and adrenaline making him stronger than he might normally be. 

This time he managed to get his front legs back on the bank, and he barely even gave himself time to regroup before tugging the wolf again. His wound throbbed in protest, but he ignored it. He was almost there. Just one more hard pull and he had managed to get the soaked woman on the shore. 

He released her from his grip and sat down next to her to catch his breath. His sides heaved with each breath and when he had recovered a little, he looked down to inspect the stranger. She had gash on her head where blood oozed down her face and into the snow. 

Tuulu stood then and nudged her with his nose. When that did nothing to rouse her, he liked and nudged her face. He might be able to half carry, half drag her back to the glacier, but things would be much easier if he could get her up and walking. He worried he wouldn't have much time, though.

When Calida awoke, she had no recollection of her brush with death - at first. Coughing and spluttering, she came to, a decent amount of frigid water spilling from her maw and nose. Head throbbing, she looked up to the face of her rescuer. As she stared, she realized what must have happened; she recalled the jump, of course, and remembered how she'd hit her head. After that, there was nothing, and Calida asked shakily, "I'd be dead by now if you hadn't helped me, wouldn't I?" Then, she said, "Nevermind - I don't want to know."

Calida took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly; her heart was racing and her head was pounding horribly. "I'm Calida... thanks for... well, thanks for helping me," she mumbled awkwardly. She got to her paws carefully; she felt a bit wobbly, and her legs shook just from holding up her weight. She shook out her pelt, water droplets flying every which way, but the motion made her head hurt even worse, so she desisted quickly.

She finally stirred, coughing up water and looking up at him with a disoriented look on her face.

She asked him a question, and he opened his mouth to answer, but then she stopped him. She didn't actually want to know. 

She thanked him unnecessarily and then tried to get up. Tuulu got to his feet and stood near, afraid she might fall over. You shouldn't try to walk just yet he told her. I am Tuuluuwaq, he added with a curt nod. 

I am with the pack that lives on the glacier just north of here. I should take you there to see the healer. He glanced at her head wound. That will need tending too.

The wolf introduced himself, then warned that she shouldn't try walking. "I'm fine," she mumbled hastily, though she swayed on the spot. She felt dazed, maybe a little dizzy, but overall she felt thoroughly embarrassed - and when the male suggested taking her up to Duskfire Glacier, she took a step back, shaking her head, which throbbed angrily. "Is it really that bad?" Calida asked, desperation seeping into her tone. All she'd wanted was to find a nice spot near the water to relax, and now it seemed she would be taken right back the way she'd come!

Feeling frustrated, she told the male honestly, "Groups make me nervous - I just ran into Lane earlier, and honestly all I want is to be alone." Realizing that her wound, which was still throbbing and actively bleeding, likely needed attention, she added, "I'm not against help, I just... don't want to be around a lot of wolves."

While he could understand her distrust of others, he knew he wouldn't be able to just send her on her way with a hope and prayer. Not only did the wound need a healer, he knew she should take it easy for the rest of the day in case there were any lingering symptoms. But he could tell she was adamant about her boundary. 

I am afraid I do not know much about healing, he told her. I could bring you to the glacier and call for Lane. Then maybe once she is done, I can find you somewhere outside the territory to rest. a compromise. And the only wolf she'd have see would be Lane, who she already knew.

Calida contemplated Tuuluuwaq's words - it sounded like a good idea. She could be in and out, and then... where? Where was she to go, with winter swiftly coming? She had no family, no friends, and quite frankly, no knowledge. She'd survived this long on hares and scavenged kills, and sheer luck. Her current injury proved that she wasn't able to care for herself properly. Finally, Calida sighed. "Alright, I'll see Lane. Thank you, Tuuluuwaq."

Calida was slightly dizzy and still dazed, and her vision went in and out of focus. "Somehow I doubt I'd get very far on my own anyways," she added quietly. She looked to him to lead the way, her next course of action clear in her mind; Lane had offered her a place at the glacier, and she was a fool to not have accepted it at the time.

exit Calida

She saw reason eventually, and he was relieved. He couldn't make her do anything she didn't want, but that didn't mean he would be okay just leaving her to figure shit out on her own. 

Good, he said with a curt nod. Let me know if you need to stop and rest on the way there.

He waited for her to be ready to move, and then began the journey back to the glacier.