Shy Deer Steppes Shake your cake.

The kids were too goddamn unruly today. Caracal in particular was getting on her nerves. What with the heat on top of everything else, Towhee couldn't deal. As loath as she was to leave them lately, she knew she would strangle one of them if she didn't go elsewhere, making her at best a hypocrite and at worst a truly horrible mother. She summoned someone else to watch them, made like a banana and split.

She found herself on the far shore of Lake Rodney, a melancholy look on her face as she peered in the direction of Broken Antler Fen. She didn't make an approach; there was no reason, with Wraen gone. Biting back a sigh, Towhee closed her eyes and turned sharply, facing the caldera across the lake.

Right then, her former mate's voice rose into the air. Towhee didn't hear it, of course. She dropped her gaze as she moved closer to the water to drink, lapping greedily. It wasn't enough. She waded into the shallows, even sprawling there for a few minutes. When she felt a little cooler, she lifted up and moved back to dry land. She didn't bother shaking, letting her pelt drip everywhere.

The shady forest off to her right tempted her, so she moseyed slowly toward it. It did feel a bit cooler under the trees, though the air was still stiflingly hot. When she emerged on Haunted Woods' eastern edge and found herself peering at the neighboring steppes, she snorted. There were shimmering waves of heat rising from the arid ground.

But there was also the smell of a rabbit wafting toward her. Still damp from her dip, Towhee moved out onto the steppes. Maybe she could take some food back to Caracal and the twins, make up for bailing on them. Nostrils flaring in the hot, dusty air, she tracked the scent, weaving in between patches of dry grass, even some sagebrush, and stones scorching hot to the touch.

She took the brown coil to be just another misshapen rock as she brushed past it. Towhee never heard the rattle, of course, but she certainly felt it when the Pacific rattlesnake struck her.

lesseee here

Bridget was loathe to wander too far with all of the shit going down in the Fen lately, but sometimes she needed these. Just as Teya had broken away a time or two, Bridget had peaced out that day, intending to hit up a few of the surrounding territories for supplies before the heat had the flowers wilting away. It was miserable out and she sensed it was only going to get worse.

She'd managed to stash a nice collection to take and would snag them on the way back, as it was a pain to cart them around while she loped between places scouting more. Her muzzle was full of marigolds she'd pulled from a meadow a few kilometers away when she brushed past the spot where Towhee was.

The medic wasn't in any huge hurry, but she wasn't exactly looking for anyone either. It was possible she'd pass straight by without noticing... unless something clued her in on trouble brewing nearby.

It all happened so fast, it wasn't entirely possible to parse out the individual sensations, but she felt something (the snake's snout) hit her ankle at speed and then something sharp sank into her toe. Towhee let out an entirely involuntarily cry of, "Shit!" and made a jerky leap sideways, shaking the struck paw rapidly as she took in the sight of the Crotalus oreganus curled in the dust, rattle wildly shaking.

Feeling a swell of panic, she backpedaled several more steps and unthinkingly stuck her pricked toe in her mouth to suck at the tiny but painful wound. She tasted blood and something sweeter, tangier. Towhee withdrew it to examine it, noting a single puncture wound. It was very small but bled freely.

She stared at that tiny thread of blood, then blinked at the snake still poised threateningly. Towhee gulped and turned to go... she wasn't sure where, just someplace far away from the rattlesnake. By rote, she hustled back toward the cover of the forest even as she found herself suddenly drooling madly despite the parching heat. She remained entirely oblivious to her witness.

Hey!

Bridget had heard the yelp and come to investigate, but the wolf in front of her hadn't responded yet to her calls. There were a few reasons for that but deafness wasn't one the medic considered. Instead she wondered, alarmed, if something else was wrong with her. Her fur prickled with unease, but she picked up speed so that she could round and attempt to cut the woman off.

Stepping in front, Bridget tried to present an obstacle and eyed her, worried. Hey! Something wrong? There was nothing obviously visible, but to yell and then ignore someone shouting three feet behind you was pretty damn odd.

When a pale figure materialized in front of her, Towhee let out another shout, this time going with, "Fuck!" Spit sprayed from her mouth as she reared slightly in surprise, then settled back on all threes. She held her bitten foot slightly off the ground, trying not to panic because she could feel it going numb.

She hadn't actually caught the question, though she could see the concern on the stranger's face, which resembled her older daughters'. Fear seared through her as she wondered if she could call for Fennec. Would she hear? Would she come? Was there time? Towhee began to pant, drooling everywhere, as it dawned on her that her life might depend on this random she-wolf.

"I've been bitten by a snake," she moaned, thrusting out her numbing paw, only to pull it back toward herself to look at it again. It was swelling noticeably. "It's just one hole and it's pretty shallow. Maybe...?" Maybe this wasn't a death sentence, though the fear was beginning to roll through her in waves now, growing stronger by the second.

"I need a medic. Are you a medic? Can you call for a medic? I—oh, fuck..." Her chest felt tight. Was it just the panic or was this a reaction to the bite? Same difference? Towhee thought wildly.

Oh, shit. The instant 'snake' left Towhee's mouth, Bridget began only to half-listen as her brain ran immediately over what she knew of snake bites. The venom was in the blood, judging by the swelling, which meant she needed to keep her calm and upright best she could. There wasn't really a plant for that outside of infection, the least of the dangers. Just waiting and hoping that the body could fight it off.

I'm a medic, she answered immediately, stepping forward and turning so that the woman's side pressed up against her own. Don't worry. Just sit down and keep your paw on the ground. Lean on me if you need to.

Confidence was the most important part right now because her panic was only going to make the poison travel faster. Meanwhile Bridget flicked through her mental notes, trying to remember if there was absolutely anything else that might help here.

"Oh, thank fuck," Towhee replied to those three miraculous words. She squeezed her eyes shut and missed the rest, though they flew open again when she felt the stranger pressing close. She could feel how fast she was breathing as her flank vibrated against the other woman's.

"What do we do?" she asked, voice thready with terror. "Am I going to die?" came out next, unbidden, a shaky whisper. Towhee immediately thought of her three youngest. Were they about to become orphans?

Her whole leg began to tingle and Towhee moaned, sinking down to the hot, sandy earth. She panted and drooled like a rabid animal, her leg stretched out before her. Her foot was entirely numb now, with the sensation (or lack thereof) creeping upward. Her eyelids fluttered as she stared at the swelling flesh around the single puncture, still leaking blood into the dust.

She felt lightheaded and worried about losing consciousness. What if she never woke up again? Should she tell this stranger to pass word back to her kids? Her heart rate spiked as she thought of her last words to them. She'd been so short with them. Was that really going to be their last memory of her?

It was like she hadn't even spoken as the woman slid down. Bridget growled, but the sound was more concerned annoyance than real anger. She assumed the poison was addling her senses and making it hard for her to understand he instructions.

It was too bad that she was so big, that wouldn't make things easier. She wondered if she should try to get her home, but she shouldn't be moving like this either. You're going to be fine. She said, still unaware that Towhee couldn't hear her.

As she moaned, Bridget cursed. Fine. She stood, looking around, then steeled herself and grabbed the other woman by the scruff. If she chose to fight back that might be a problem, but in her current condition, Bridget didn't think those odds were high. It was more important to get her elevated.

If she had to prop her up herself, she'd do it. Too many had died recently for her to just let nature run its course right now.

The pinching sensation at her scruff startled her, prompting a full body flinch. Towhee obeyed the unspoken command and shakily raised upright, trying her damnedest to focus on the stranger's face even as she fought down the feelings of panic. She needed to keep her eyes on this lady's lips, if she wanted a fighting chance at seeing her children again.

"My leg is tingling," she reported faintly, "but my foot is numb. I—" Her voice cut off in a sharp gasp as the most excruciating pain she'd ever experienced shot through her afflicted leg. A scream wrenched from her, orange eyes bulging as she slumped forward into the medic.

Openly sobbing at the agony of it, Towhee cried, "I don't want to die," into the other woman's furry shoulder. "Please help me." She could feel herself getting lightheaded from the fear and pain both, though she clung fiercely to consciousness. Her kids didn't have a dad anymore, dying wasn't an option.

She was heavy and it was hot out, but lucky for Towhee, Bridget was no small wolf herself. Happily the other woman helped some, and Bridget managed to position herself just before Towhee collapsed onto her. Bridget exhaled as she caught her weight, but stood firm, shifting so that she would hopefully stay upright and supported even if she lost consciousness. Lucky she had a clinical focus, but even with that, it didn't entirely escape Bridget's notice that she had a relatively attractive woman collapsed on her.

C'mon. I'm not going to let you die. We need to get to water, though. She moved again, then stood carefully. If she needed to, she'd do so with Towhee draped over her back... but if the other woman tried to avoid it to walk herself, she'd allow it. We need to clean it, and I can't bring it to you. There's a stream nearby. It was back nearer the woods, but she had to hope they'd make it. If she had to, she'd drag her, but shit that would suck.

She could feel the vibrations as the medic said something. Crying and drooling, Towhee drew back enough to look her in the face. "I'm not going to let you die." She let out a little cry in response to that, which was due in part to another ripcord of pain shooting through her leg.

Towhee caught something about water, though the rest was a little lost as the stranger slipped away from her grasp and prepared to begin walking. The scared and shaking Sovereign pushed up onto all fours too, leaning heavily against her daughters' lookalike. Towhee's life depended on her, plus her own ability to ascertain some chill and do what she was told.

Grimacing in pain, her good three legs trembling, Towhee nodded for the medic to lead the way. She would do her best to stay close and follow all directions.

She seemed to pull herself together a bit, happily, and Bridget glanced at the sun beating down before setting off at a slow pace towards where she knew the river to be. She wouldn't be making it back to Brecheliant tonight - or for a while, most likely. Hopefully they wouldn't worry, but she couldn't leave whoever this was to suffer on her own out here.

When they arrived at their destination, she'd take her to the bank and have her drop the affected leg in the running water. Hopefully the current would carry away some of the infection and sooth the swelling, but aside from that, it was a waiting game for the moment.

It was a rule of hers not to get invested in the outcome beyond what she could do, but she dreaded if this woman died. She could still feel the dirt from the graves she'd dug recently beneath her claws. Many more and she might never get rid of it.

The next few minutes passed in an agonizing blur, with Towhee really losing track of everything until the medic coaxed her to dip her wounded foot in some running water. The cool shock of it roused her and she blinked to attention, chasing relief as she slid forward into the stream. The pain still burned ferociously in her leg, though the water closing over her streaked shoulders still soothed.

She just stayed like that a while, just trying to breathe through the pain, though when she felt herself growing exhausted, Towhee crawled back onto shore to avoid the risk of accidentally drowning. She dragged her sorry ass toward her helper, mustering up the strength to speak for the first time in long moments.

"I'm—I'm Towhee Redhawk, from Redhawk Caldera. If I don't make it, please tell my children I love them," she ground out between clenched teeth, her words honestly barely decipherable. "Figment. Fennec. Meerkat. Alyx. Quetzal. Caracal. Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus." That was all she had in her. Towhee slumped to the ground, sensing that she was only just beginning the fight of her life.

---

Out on the steppes, the juvenile rattlesnake finally calmed down and uncoiled, shifting its jaw to realign it before slithering slowly toward cover. It had hunted and fed on a rat less than an hour before. Between that and its age, there hadn't been much venom in its sack when the wolf had surprised it from its drowsy basking, nor was it quite as potent. It also hadn't managed a true bite, more of a glancing blow. In its surprise, it had envenmonated reflexively, probably not enough to be lethal. But that wolf was in for a very bad time.

While Towhee soaked, Bridget lay patiently nearby. In her mind she ran over the logistics here. At some point she'd need to go hunt, though the river would offer the chance of fish or crawdads without needing to leave her new charge for too long.

She blinked as Towhee spoke, surprised by the name. So this was one of the wolves from the pack she'd not yet explored or introduced herself to, the one nearby. Fortunately she knew where that was and could give news, though she hoped it would be less dire than that.

I'll tell them. But no one's dying here. She said, more to herself than to Towhee, who had already slumped down. She settled in to wait, though. It was going to be a long few days for the medic, ensuring she got water, treating the bite, and attempting to stave off whatever this infection wrought.