Sunspire Mountains san lespri

she is somewhere in between firefly ravine and raven's watch

mireille gasped awake.
the river had been unforgiving.
the sea-child vomited water, too weak to stand and avoid the scent of her own acrid stomach.
sun and darkness and endless buffeting waves.
her body again jerked, rebelling against the amount of the river that she had swallowed.
the girl drew a shuddering breath. the sun was falling once more.
the moon felt like a raven's eye.
she lay half in and half out of the icy water, fearing that her mother had been right, fearing that even now the loa came for her soul.

A small red figure lay at the water's edge. Taliesin moved closer cautiously to investigate, deducing immediately that the river had spit this one out. The form was visibly soaked and battered, even from a distance. A fox, perhaps? No... it wasn't the right red.
When he got close enough to identify the figure as a young wolf, he froze. A million thoughts ran through his head, and he stood still for several moments while he tried to find one to focus on. Taliesin wasn't the greatest under pressure, and finding a random half-drowned kid was kind of a lot of pressure.

there was someone close. mireille stirred in the water, but was again too weak to rise. her limbs tightened in the shallow pool and she flipped her tail once, twice, attempting to gain the attention of whoever was nearby.
she tried to speak but the words eked out in a creaky hiss and so mireille did not try again. her eyes pulsed with tears too trapped to fall 
she breathed. she waited.

The pathetic little bundle stirred while Taliesin thought frantically through his options. She needed help. Someone knowledgeable, not like him. Immediately he thought of the dark woman and her offer. The druids. They could save her. Druids had magic, power beyond imagination. Maybe this could be that "something good", too — his ticket into their fold. There were plenty of things a druid could do with a young impressionable wolf, he imagined.
Hey, don't worry, I have a plan, He told the red girl as he moved closer to her, inspecting the damage and deciding whether he could carry her. I know someone who can help. Powerful wolves — wolves with magic. Druids. I'll take you to them. Just hold still, alright? Taliesin watched for some kind of sign of acceptance for a few moments, but he wouldn't wait too long. She looked pretty fucked up from where he was standing, so he would try to pick her up in short order and see where that got them.

mireille was just realizing how much the other looked like a skull. suppose she had died, suppose she was already dead. who was he? and what were druids?
"i already be knowin' a druid," mireille whispered hoarsely. "she be from rivenwood." the girl licked her dry lips and looked apprehensively at the stranger. magick. she closed her eyes, focusing upon her breath for a moment.

Ha. That was funny. He chuckled a little and moved to pick her up, assuming there would be little resistance. You don't know any druids, girl, or you wouldn't be this fucked up and all alone, Taliesin told her, knowing it was cruel and finding that he didn't really feel bad. It wasn't like she was going to die. Try not to make any noise while I carry you, alright? Plenty of things roam at night that might like to make a snack out of a mangled little wolf, and I'm not risking my hide for you. He'd sooner find himself a new "something good."
With that, he reached for her scruff, dreading the long trip to the coast. He'd probably have to carry her the whole damn way. That would suck.

the sensation of being carried was foreign to mireille, and yet somehow familiar. she tucked her legs higher and grimaced at the feeling of his teeth. 
she was fucked up. she was alone.
"sapphique," the girl mumbled, clutching to a vestige of her pride.
in the next moment, however, perhaps due to the vertigo of a changed position, the girl fainted. she would be dead weight for the next hours, as silent as necessary given her complete lack of consciousness.
mireille dreamt.

Fading and making a new one for us! <3

She fell silent, except for one word. Sapphique. Taliesin almost tried to question her about it through a mouthful of fur, but two things happened right then. He realized it wouldn't work — and the girl went completely limp, where before her legs had been tucked. He sighed a little into her fur, and tried to tighten his grip in the least offensive way possible. Taliesin wasn't a very nice wolf, or even particularly good, but he wasn't exactly evil, either; he wouldn't make the girl suffer needlessly. She was to serve a purpose, but she didn't have to hate it.