Otter Creek Bat your eyes girl, be otherworldly

@Nirali

The creek was high and rushing by under his feet as he peered into the cool water. He wanted to swim, hoping it would help take his mind off things. He was a cautious wolf, though, and he walked along the stream searching for a calmer place to enter. He followed the creek as it curved and started to fork, finding an area that seemed a little more conducive to safe swimming. Eager to feel the water on his coat, he jumped in and splashed around, pausing to drink for a few moments before he waded towards the other side.

He swam back and forth, his old exercise habits guiding his muscles in the familiar activity. When he started to grow tired, he began to swim back towards the shore. A loud crack made him pause, head whipping in the direction of the noise just as the large, broken tree began to surge through the water towards him. He jumped into action quickly, turning and swimming towards the bank as fast as his muscles would allow.

But, his fast wasn't fast enough; the tree reached him as he neared the shore, one if it's larger branches slamming into his head and disorienting him long enough to lose his momentum and get caught beneath the tree. As he struggled to get back above the water, his right rear leg became tangled in the branches, rendering him helpless against the pull of the water and the weight of the tree. It pulled him through the stream until it drifted too close to the edge of the water and became lodged in the sandy bank, slamming East into the ground and trapping him underneath the tree. He felt nauseous, and everything seemed to be spinning, still he tried to fight through it and pull himself free. But, every time he urged his body forward, pain shot up his leg, and fresh blood mixed with the sand and water. Blood dripped down his face, as well, but he barely noticed it as he continued his struggle. 

Nothing he tried freed him from the trap, and his energy was falling dangerously low. He stopped and tried to assess the situation to find another way out,  but the world began to grow fuzzy, and then with a grunt he fell to the ground and then into darkness.

The crack draws her attention even from a distance, and she follows its echo along the creek without hesitation. She is urged forward by the sound of splashing, loud and rapid-fire as if something is struggling within the water, ears pulled forward to catch more details as she hurries forward. She spots the scene before long anyway, though.
The sight of the man struggling in the water brings her pause for a moment, if only to take in the ridiculousness of the scene. She can't imagine how he's gotten himself into such a predicament, and part of her is tempted to leave him to his fate. The gene pool is likely better off without such foolishness — but, she can't help pitying him a little. She sucks in a breath and starts forward, wondering if the thrashing wolf has noticed her already. But his movements seem to be slowing, and —
Oh, hell, She murmurs as the wolf goes limp, pace picking up until she's near enough to push the tree from him. It's heavy, but the angle is convenient, and a small push ensures that gravity takes care of the rest; an easy rescue, though she'll never tell this poor fool as much if he ever wakes. She studies him for a moment, then leans down to take his scruff between her teeth and drag him further up away from the water. He'll need herbs, she decides, and food — and a babysitter, which is a role she is entirely unprepared for. Not that it seems to matter at all.

Taste was first. Blood and dirt and tree bark; they all mixed in his mouth and made him nauseous. And when did his head start pounding? And, wow, his leg was throbbing. And, there was a strange scraping motion against his face, and it traveled down his shoulder and then all the way down to his throbbing appendage; every scraping movement sent a jolt of pain up from whatever wound was on his leg, and--his eyes shot open. The world was still fuzzy, but he realized now that someone was dragging him. East panicked at first, his mind still a little scrambled, and he started to struggle and attempt to get out of the stranger's hold. What's going on? he slurred, unkowingly slipping into the language he hadn't spoken since leaving Drageda. Let me go, he demanded next. He tried to wriggle free from the hold, but he was weak and his head was pounding. Suddenly, he was hit by an even stronger wave of nausea, causing him to abort his struggle and empty his stomach contents on the ground. This day really couldn't get any worse.