Qeya River Last light

She couldn't think past the pain. It took every bit of fiber and grit just to limp north, every step agonizing. Several times Wildfire couldn't continue until she took a break to breathe through the physical torment. Somehow, she made it to the river's edge. She was practically crawling by now, sliding, boneless, into the dark water.

The Bandrona could have easily drowned, yet the frigid water dulled the pain while simultaneously shocking her system. She made it to the opposite shore and dragged herself onto the bank, teeth chattering. Wildfire sat with a groan, dripping wet and freezing cold, unable to shake herself dry lest she burst apart from sheer agony. Instead, she rose onto all fours to walk the home stretch, only to fall flat on her face.

Note: she's dunked twice since being mauled, so it's doubtful Saena's scent is still on her. :)

In light of the hunt against a traitor she had never met before, the former Trigeda wolf was more than ever distant towards the native teekon wolves, even those who inhabited sleeping dragon. Never had nor would Rebekka dare judge the Commander's choice of council, however, it was for the very fact that it had been a teekon wolf to assault Freyja (whom the woman quite admired) that Rebekka felt less inclined to concern herself with those of the other race of wolves. Little allegiance did she feel devout, to any other than Heda herself, nor would she ever. Perhaps judgement had taken her too blindly, perhaps not. The changes the Commander had implemented almost as soon as calling Wildifre as her mate, had seemed all too suspicious at the time. However, Rebekka knew Wildfire to be a dependable companion, no matter her origins. The confliction weighed great on her mind, and in turn, drove her to become silent -- more absent -- than she already had been.

However, it was upon the flicker of red staggering through the wood that called her attention away from the hunt that day; optics followed as the figure soon turned out to be Wildfire herself, and the stench of blood that followed in her steps. Confusion clouded the woman's emotions before action took to her mind, racing towards the fire kissed girl just as she began to fall. Rebekka was not fast enough as the other woman landed in her dirt, nearing only to see the multiple slashes and cuts upon the Commander's wife inflicted by an unknown source. A snarl rippled through her maw. Touching nose with the other woman's forehead, damp warmth signaled that the female was still alive, to her relief. "Wildfire?" Rebekka spoke, an inquiry. Shock gripped her as she could not find the correct translations to speak but did so anyways in her patch-work vocabulary. "Is okay?" 

When something warm touched her, Wildfire flinched away with a muffled groan. She hadn't lost consciousness after the fall, though her entire face was throbbing so horribly that she certainly would have welcomed it. Rolling onto her side, the Bandrona squinted her one good eye up at whomever had touched her even as a shiver wracked her body. It was partly due to the cold, though her adrenaline had officially run out too.

"Reb-Rebekka?" she said, voice low and thready. "Call... call for Thur. And Por-Por-Portia," Wildfire begged through chattering teeth as violent (and painful) tremors began to wrack her abused body. Within seconds, she would officially go into shock.

All cool was lost as Wildfire shuddered, flinching away from her touch with a groan. Rebekka was by no means a healer, and the least qualified to assess and assist a clearly ailed person. However, the marks upon the woman's body displayed that this was no mere accident but an intentioned attack. Her body tensed at the idea of this, a purposeful crime against the Bandrona, Drageda, Heda. Sucked back into the moment after milliseconds of a blank stare by Wildfire's tremored voice, the woman gathered her nerves. "Rebekka calls," She echoed, nodding vigorously before realizing the action call was not within her vocabulary. Fuck. "CALL?! Wildfire???" Rebekka cried out, prodding the convulsing woman once more; panic flooding her head as the idea of even alerting others did not even pass her mind, never mind the proper breathing techniques to stay calm in a dire situation. Why had she not learnt the language before? Why could she not be so arrogant? The idea that the Commander's wife might die for her lack of communication ability would be the end of her life as she knew it. Thuringwethil would gut her alive, she would be shunned and worse, exiled. Her own heartbeats pounded in her ears. And what the hell was a Portia?? Nevermind that she had actually met the healer before; in the moment of sheer frenzy at merely the sight of Wildfire upon the ground before her twitching, Rebekka was utterly useless.

She winced, hissing through her teeth, when Rebekka prodded her again. "Don't—" she begged, too faintly to be heard as the shock settled into her system. Wildfire's body flushed cold, then hot, then cold again. Her pupils blew, the black overtaking the warm amber of her irises, and she began sucking in rapid, shallow pants. Her tongue dangled from the side of her mouth as her head lolled, cheek pressed to the cold dirt. Suddenly everything felt so heavy, as if gravity had doubled or even tripled.

Strangely, the Bandrona managed to hang onto consciousness through this bout. Her ears rang with her pack mate's distressed cries. She could not move or speak at the moment, though her overblown eyes rolled toward the dark sky, searching for the reassurance of Rebekka's face.

Wildfire did not speak again after that. Frantically, Rebekka searched her packmate's face, her sinking eyes, any indication to what she could do; what was she supposed to do? And then, almost comically, it clicked. It felt like her world came crashing down as in just a split second, she cursed herself more than she had to any other soul. She threw her head back and howled, long and true; the utmost, dire urgency prominent within her cry (@Portia). How could she have forgotten, out of all the things to forget in that moment, to do the one thing she could ever do? A whine of both disbelief and frustration escaped her, before her eyes returned to the beaten red coat of the formerly joyous woman. "Wildfire, live," She stood above the woman who seemed to barely hold conscious, begging that she not do what she looked like she was going to do. However, here was little she could do, or say to revive the woman from her slipping state, but simply express the unpleasant situation Wildfire had put her in."Taim yu die right nau, ai'm na be really, really mad," Rebekka's nose wrinkled in faux antagonism that just barely masked the dread that lay underneath; fear for both the woman and herself. She would never be forgiven if Wildfire was to perish on the riverside, nor would she ever forgive herself. 

Breaking away from the gaze of the red woman, Rebekka refused to do nothing though her use had run out. Feverish eyes scanned the surrounding land for any indication that there was anyone else out there to do what she could not. "Help!" The hoarse cry settled on the wind as every bit of her willed that the aid would hurry up and arrive. Eyes flickered back to the woman. "Help?" 

Rebekka's call had little explanation, but there was urgency and fear written into it. Positive it was her skills in healing that were needed, Portia let out a loud and anxiety noise as she shuffled quickly through her stash for the most important emergency herbs she could think of before she tore off in a full sprint towards the borders. Her jaws were packed full with leaves and bitter remedies and cobwebs, horror written across her face as she prepared herself for the worse. The closer she got the more clear it was who needed such urgent attention.

Wildfire.

She silent prayed to her Lord that it was not true, but when she reached the border she saw the red woman lying down, Rebekka in front of her. She let out an exasperated noise, then calling for @Thuringwethil, who she noticed had not been explicitly notified. 

"You didn't alert her wife?? The commander? Are you fucking kidding me?" she exclaimed with frustration, the expletive being out of character, but fitting to the situation. The Skayona shook with terror, not handling high-stress situations very often, but worked regardless. Most of the bleeding had stopped, but Wildfire did not look well at all-- she was sopping wet and was freezing to the touch. She was a small wolf, but did her best to sit over her, trying to keep her as warm as possible. "Are none of you trained in the most common healing remedies? Or common sense?!" she yelled, snarling in Rebekka's direction as she began to press cobwebs to open wounds, "She's going to die of hypothermia, and you couldn't even try to keep her warm!" She pressed herself closer to the bandrona, beginning to lick the fur on her neck backwards, trying to keep blood circulating and the trapper warm. "Ridiculous, standing over her like a lost puppy," she muttered bitterly between licks.

For reference, she has small but deep contusions over most of her body (including her face [her right eye is swollen shut]) and a larger bite wound on her left thigh.

Her pack mate's face floated above her, twisted with worry. Wildfire felt icy cold fear slithering through her veins. If Rebekka looked that concerned, perhaps the situation was more dire than she knew. Am I gonna die? she thought, a little moan bursting from her lips at the terrifying thought. She knew she was in bad shape but she hadn't considered her wounds fatal. Perhaps she had lost more blood than she'd realized. Maybe the journey home had sapped all of her strength. Maybe dunking into cold water—twice—had finished her.

Suddenly there was a lot of yelling and screaming above her, a second voice joining the mix. She recognized it immediately, even if the tone was all wrong: anger and panic. "Portia?" she tried to mutter through cold lips, grunting slightly when the Skayona draped over her small body. Wildfire felt a strange pressure on her neck and it took her a moment to realize that Portia was licking the moisture from her fur. It scared her badly that she was that numb, though fortunately the other woman's ministrations quickly took effect.

The Bandrona began to shiver and shake, teeth chattering again. "Th-th—" she tried to say. It wasn't the clicking of her teeth that made her fumble but rather a sudden and wrenching pain as sensation began to return. Wildfire twisted partially upright with a very loud whine, trying to nudge Portia's weight away from the gaping wound on her left thigh.

In her defense, Rebekka was dumb as a post. However, was it really her fault that she had not been taught how to keep someone alive in a dire situation, how to assess wounds and treat them while simultaneously remaining calm? It had never been her job nor her specialty, she would admit.  However, perhaps she would have attempted to share body heat with Wildfire, had the Bandrona not yelped every time she touched her.

The medic began the work as soon as she arrived, however, it seemed the woman was wasting more time yelling at Rebekka than treating the Commander's wife. Harsh words were fired one after the other in Rebekka's direction, and while the language barrier blocked most of what the healer was saying, the tone was very clear. Hackles raised slowly as her ears lowered against her skull. What did this woman know of what had happened, but instead, seemed to concern herself with what Rebekka was doing rather than focusing full attention to the convulsing woman on the ground. Her blood boiled at her inability to to anything useful and the fact that the one person who could do something was instead worsening the situation further."Shof op na du yur hana!"The woman yelled back, thoroughly angry but entirely scared; furious that this woman had the time to scream and shout while Rebekka could do nothing but watch as Wildfire suffered by wounds she was not able to treat. It irked her to no end, and yet, she stood defeated to the fact that Portia had been right, she was useless.

Seconds passed by before the woman caught the sound of the red woman's cry, a sound that ran a chill down her spine. Eyes wandered the woman's body, realizing that the medic seemed to be doing what Rebekka had tried to avoid. "NO!" A snarl rippled through her maw as the spotted healer yelled; Portia, oblivious to the pain she was causing to the woman on the ground. Hackles raised, she deciphered what she could from the present situation; Portia was hurting Heda's wife. "Stop! Yu idi, yu laik laksen em!"Furious words screamed at the spotted woman, fully prepared to wrestle the "healer" away if it meant relieving the Bandrona from the pain the other was causing; Rebekka's body language fully displayed the preparation to lunge. Perhaps it was not the smartest idea, but the woman would not again stand by as the Commander's wife further suffered, for this time, she could do something about it. This was no healer, at least, not by Rebekka's belief. 

Portia struggled to understand the words, but she heard 'your job,' and was well aware that Rebekka thought she was wasting time. She was an expert at multitasking, and was fully capable of sending a bitch to hell and back as she treated her patients-- but she didn't argue back, instead she just let out a loud snarl. She was doing her job, if Wildfire did not warm up than dressing the wounds would be utterly useless. She had seen the gash, and she was already pressing cobwebs where she could see they were needed when Wildfire began to stir. She had pressed cobwebs to the gash already, but was still working to warm her, licking forcefully even as the Heda's wife began to speak. 

It worked, thankfully, but numbness soon began to leave the redhead and caused pain to wrack through her. Portia heard Wildfire cry before she realized she was hurting her, still focused on not letting the woman freeze to death. When she twisted, Portia raised herself as quickly as she could in realization. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cooed softly, ears pinning back as she heard the unmistakable insult in Rebekka's sentence, as well the word hurt. She didn't pay her any attention, unaware she was ready to attack her, for the Skayona was-- just as before-- focused on fixing Wildfire before it got worse. "Shush!" she snarled, green eyes darting to her herbs as she search it for the black poppyseeds, carefully holding over the girl without pressing against her gash as she bent down to pick up the leaf, placing it before Wildfire. "Eat those," she commanded before grabbing another mouthful of cobwebs, still ignoring Rebekka. 

When the first panicked call comes, Thuringwethil gives @Tanja one questioning glance before her feet storm the ground. The call is meant for Portia but it does not stop her from leaving her companion in her wake without even checking to see if he is following. Something is happening to warrant such a troubled cry for their healer. She tries to find Portia’s scent as she makes for the borders but she isn’t able to follow. It is when the second call comes—this time the familiar voice of Portia—but with a new urgency she’s never felt before. There isn’t much information that’s able to be conveyed but Thuringwethil knows she needs to get there as fast as possible.

By the time she reaches the borders, she’s able to locate it by then but it only puts the woman into view with another silhouetted in the distance. She’s able to put a face to the first call in the first few seconds but everything washes away the second she sees Wildfire twisting into an unnatural position. The heat drains from her face in that instant and everything feels like it’s going to spill from her stomach. With everything she has left, she speeds up the remaining distance to the trio as she tries to piece together new information as she receives it.

Rebekka’s defensive position ignites something that makes her charge direct for the healer but a second later, as the smell of blood finally captures her attention, Wildfire’s defeated form pulls her away. She skids to a stop, circling around the masked woman to put herself between them. Portia isn’t paying much mind to Rebekka as she sets something down in front of her mate. Every part of her body wills to surge forward and snatch whatever it is away but she resists, ears falling upon her head. She stares at it for a brief moment before she manages to stammer out: “What is—”

She pauses. There are a thousand questions that start with those two words and she struggles to convey them all at once.

“Someone speak. Now.

While not a call meant for his ears, he couldn't, and wouldn't, shake the concern it inspired. Soon enough, he's off towards it too and on the way, the second call rises up. Scents eventually began to tell him a few minor details, mainly that he was far from the first to respond. Portia was well ahead of him already, which was good -- he hoped, not knowing what had happened exactly but worried for the worst when a healer was called first and foremost.

As he closed in, it took several strides for him to fully grasp the scene ahead. Portia, the wounded Wildfire, Rebekka poised for what looked like something ugly then with the commander moving between them just as he arrived. A mess. His furs were bristled and a low growl rumbled in his throat. Wildfire's wounds weren't brand new, despite the tension of the situation making him suspicious at first glance, and she was damp... freezing, even. Now that he was even closer, he saw the extent of Portia's intentions better and just wanted to get them all back to the Dragon as soon as possible.

With the commander separating the Skayona from Branwoda and having already demanded her explanation, he felt marginally better (because he trusted them to mind her, if nothing else). Dio still found himself looming defensively near the healer with his sights on Thuringwethil and Rebekka, anxious to see this tension diffuse or culminate in the next few seconds. With a worried half-second glance to Portia, then Wildfire, he was trying to convey his balance of how the hell can I help? without being in the way, and all while making sure no new wounds were going to come from this -- for whatever reason that would be between them or from a danger still lurking yet unseen. His lips were pulled back into a silent snarl. What was this?

awk post but getting in here too

The stinging and aching of the open gash made Wildfire's head swim and she swooned for a solid five minutes. By the time she regained her senses, there were suddenly several more wolves present. Wildfire's ears flicked weakly as loud, heated words were exchanged over her head. The instant she recognized the commander's voice in the darkness, she whimpered lowly, only to bite back the sound into silence.

The entire way home, there had only been one thing on her mind, aside from the pain: what she would tell Thuringwethil, knowing how the commander might react and, more importantly, fearing the Heda might rethink their entire relationship over this. Her mate's words of yore echoed in her head even now. "We are taught that a mate and children are weapons for an enemy. That it puts everyone in danger. You, the children, the pack, me." She didn't want a war or even a fight any more than she wanted to risk her mate's love.

For some reason, Magpie's face popped into her woozy head as Wildfire recollected the day a bear had mauled her aunt. "Was a bear," she whispered, trying to be heard over the others' voices. "Caught m-me by surprise in the maple wood." That was all she could manage for now. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain, she let her chin sink back to the ground. Saena's scent had washed away, so hopefully her companions would take her story at face value, chalking it up to Wildfire's clumsiness and misfortune.

She knew she'd essentially let Saena off the hook and, deep down, that rankled. But keeping Thuringwethil and the other members of Drageda out of it was more important. The whole thing would be just one isolated fluke. Wildfire closed her eyes in defeat, a sigh escaping through her nose as she braced for more of Portia's ministrations.

*throws this in here* feel free to skip me!

It came as a surprise when the desperate calls filled the air around him and before he even had a chance to make out who they were for, Thuringwethil was already gone. He caught her sprinting silhouette in the distance and immediately dashed after her, but his larger frame was simply not meant for running and he quickly fell behind. He had never been a greater tracker and even now he struggled to pick up on his commander's scent. But he eventually found her trail and without a second thought followed it passed the borders and into unknown territory.

The scene he came upon was not a pretty sight and one by one he went through each of the bodies and tried to tell what the hell was going on here. He heard something about a bear but a part of him doubted that those beasts would have done damage like this and then simply let the meal walk away. It didn't make sense yet Tanja was no healer and therefore didn't voice his concern, besides now was not the time to bring up whether or not the little red pipsqueak was telling the truth. 

Instead he turned his attention to a visibly upset Rebekka and did his best to motion her away from all the commotion. "Miya" he commanded to the pale female before moving a few feet back to give room to those who knew what they were actually doing. Tanja assumed he would only be getting in the way if he tried to help, so instead he remained in the background, keeping his eyes and ears open in case he was needed.

i feel like this is a decently important thread, skipping rebekka to speed up it's closure. let me know if that's not okay.

Portia's fur stood on end when Thuringwethil arrived, her voice booming, and it wasn't until Dio came to her side that it went back down. It was weird to feel comforted by the presence of another, and even weirder that Dio seemed to be standing there to protect her... but she didn't have time to process that right now.

Wildfire quickly explained what happened, and though Portia had thought it was a wolf by the wounds she was bearing (no pun intended), she didn't question the woman at all. She trusted her, and really it didn't matter at this point-- all she cared about was making sure she survived. 

"Rebekka called for me, I found her like this, I am warming her and patching her wounds. I need to take her to my den-- these herbs will do for now but it's not a proper dressing," she said afterwards, letting out a heavy breath before continuing to press cobwebs to the redhead. It was only now she realized the position she was in-- seeing Tanja out of the corner of her eye as well as the realization that everyone was calming down Rebekka-- would the other really have attacked her? She couldn't tell, now was not the time to worry.

I've been very sick for the last few days and in and out of the hospital, my apologies for keeping this waiting.

Perhaps the woman would gave attacked the healer, had Heda not arrived when she did. It was Rebekka's full belief that Portia was no healer at all by the pained expression of the woman on the ground, it was so. However, it  was Heda's judgement of the circumstance that would either stop her or urge her on, but as soon as the Commander spoke, the woman slowed her stance of attack. "I.. I just found her like this, I think -- I thought --  she was hurting her," The woman spoke in unsteady tones to anyone that would be willing to listen, eyes flickering from the Commander to Portia to Wildfire. The moments upon watching the red woman fall to the ground had been horrific none the less; only the fact that she had not the abilities to help cure had felt worse. However, the story Wildfire told of a bear, did not satisfy her. Rebekka had smelt nothing of a bear, and even though the woman had been dunked enough times to wash away any lingering scent, wouldn't bear claws be much bigger, and would Wildfire's injuries be so much worse? She shuddered, the mere thought halted any further ideas of what possibly had occurred, opting to rather believe the red woman than to spark conspiracy that was none of her business; perhaps later.

It was only when Tanja seemed to move her away from the group that brought her trembling back to reality. "I didn't do this -- I didn't know what to do," She had to make her statement known; frantic optics ran from Tanja to anyone that would meet her eye before stumbling over her own heels in attempt to back away with the man, departing the scene of her unwanted and uneeded presence. She felt as if the eyes of the pack bore down on her, unbelieving of her words as if her placement, her form of attack on the healer, was just too suspicious. Heda would believe her, that her intentions had been true and good, that she had only sought to help although she did not have the natural capabilities to do so. "I tried," The woman spoke with a sudded steady tone, determined to the fact that she had done all that she could, and she would not be blamed for it. 

It is only when Wildfire begins speaking that everything begins to slow down. She’s aware of Dio’s approach and Tanja shortly after, and blinks a few times when she realizes she hasn’t really heard what her mate has said. The word bear rolls around and she turns to Portia when she speaks, breaking the short spell that overcame her. She isn’t offered a moment to inspect Wildfire’s wounds now that they’ve been tended to, surprised by the amount she’d managed to bring with her.

Thuringwethil takes a step back, swinging her head upon Rebekka taking a defensive stance, even once she’s stepped back as well. It is instant once everything returns to normal time, inhaling a sharp breath as her head turns away from Rebekka. Something is wrong but the information doesn’t feel complete and now isn’t the time to sort through it all. Instead, she turns her head to address both Tanja and Dio.

“Go, scan the area. Make sure it didn’t follow any further. Call if you encounter,” she says and nods once, be careful. She turns back, taking a step closer to Portia and her mate as the healer works. She catches Rebekka out of the corner of her and her lip curls. “Ban au nau, branwoda,” she growls.

Dio stays tense as a heated moment teeters on a very careful edge, and explanations follow alongside realizing him taking a beat to realize who all was here right now. But, Wildfire's words clarified what was to blame: a bear, then. While listening to her, and then Portia's details -- and how she needed to get her to her den (something he agreed with majorly), his sights stayed with Rebekka. Although it's swiftly clear that things are diffusing somewhat with the commander's presence, so when she's edged away from the immediate situation, he too increases the space between them and softens his hackles.

Still, he can't help the worried look he skims over Portia and Wildfire just before Heda's voice pulls his focus that way, and to where they need to go from here. He nods soon after and licks his lips as he mulls this through. A bear. The maplewood. He's discomforted by the very notion alone -- be it any sort of beast willing to attack one of their own. On the cusp of winter, it's the last thing he wants to know haunts their wilds freely, unchecked. Dio dips his muzzle in the commander's direction and began to pivot away.

His tail swings up and he nods towards Tanja next in silent affirmation before striding off to cover ground.

I won't be posting again, so feel free to PP her as much as you need. :)

The agony was so great that the words snapping back and forth over her head went largely unnoticed. Wildfire just concentrated on breathing through the pain and staying conscious. Portia moved slowly and gently as she tended the wounds, though the Bandrona still winced minutely at every touch against her ravaged skin and also let out an occasional low whine.

She was dimly aware of it when the commander instructed her wolves to go check the area. She felt a stab of guilt and fear: guilt for wasting their time and fear that they might encounter Saena and discover the truth. Wildfire had no control over the situation, however, and even less control over herself. Despite clinging tenaciously to wakefulness, the distress became too much and Wildfire's mind and body entered an insensate state.

last post from me unless he is needed again.

Truthfully, Tanja was more concerned about Rebekka than the fiery Bandrona, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bit worried about Heda's mate. She was after all apart of Drageda, so as long as she remained here Tanja would always see her as someone to protect, just like the rest of his packmates. They were after all the only family and friends he had here.

"Chil au" he whispered to the pale female before him, trying to offer her some soothing words in hopes that she might relax. But before he had a chance to speak anything else he received a command and was quick to give a nod to signal he understood. He gave one last comforting look to Rebekka before turning and nodding at Dio. Whatever had done this, a bear or something else, Tanja would make them pay the price for messing with Drageda.

"please, let's get her to my den," Portia said with a dip of her head, "she's fine-- she'll be fine, but i'd feel better if she was where the rest of my supplies are." she was smaller, not very strong, but Heda was much larger and stronger and could easily hoist Wildfire up and carry her to her den. the Skayona would help, of course, but Thuringwethil's help would make the process safer and quicker.

last post from me? PP for portia is totally fine.