Blackwater Islands The blood is rushing, but you're paralyzed

Bridget continued to rest, but she also continued to check in on @Harka, bringing the man water when she could along with company. She was stubborn, especially when she discovered a reluctance to get going some days. Walking hurt... it made it impossible to ignore that some things would never be easy again.

She'd live.

There was another girl here, @Mireille, who she was curious about. Apparently she was younger but that was all Bridget knew. The medic hadn't wanted to pry too much, and aside from that, she knew better than to push herself past her limit. If she wasn't careful, she would undo the good they'd done for her already.

Taking it slow was hard. There was a bit of a masochistic, challenging note in her that wanted to see how fast she could run, how hard she could fall and still get back up. She shoved it down but it simmered, causing her to swear every time she stumbled, but also to keep lurching forward. She was grateful that the beach was more stone than anything else.

Today she lingered briefly outside of where the younger girl was hidden away... perhaps, after she'd spent a bit of time with the man, she'd come back and introduce herself.

white teeth would snap for the woman as mireille emerged, wild-eyed, bedraggled. "dey told me dat i would be allowed to leave," the girl growled.
she stared at the sea; her shoulders stuttered with a sob. they had taken care of her. she had been grateful. but each day she thought she might die for lack of connection to the cliffs. what had happened to her mothers? where was sobo?
mireille rounded on the woman, noticing something different and terrifying about her legs. her eyes flicked to the red mask the woman wore, reminded somehow of her mother. and also of sobo. and rosalyn. everything reminded her of them.
she swallowed a sob and glared at the stranger. "how did dat happen?"

Oh, shit, this kid had teeth. And was way more of a spitfire than Bridget was expecting for a group like this. She started to grin, but then the girl's words sank in and she cocked a brow questioningly.

Hold on, why can't you leave? Bridget gave her a cursory look over, but it was hard with the way she moved (and her obvious need for space) to get a good read right now. If they have you here to recover, you should probably listen. They know the trade. She'd been nothing but impressed so far.

Ah, her leg was a distraction. Silver lining, maybe? Bridget glanced at it, but was pretty quick to look away. Perhaps a little too quick, though her tone was careless when she answered. Infection. The bite I remember, but the removing? Not so much.

She seemed more afraid and sad than anything else. I'm Bridget. Where was home for her, even? And how had she gotten here, if she didn't know the place?

the gentle suggestions stole the girl's fury for a moment. she only glowered toward the woman a second longer before relenting as she straightened into her small and elegant height. "i be mireille of sapphique. my mot'ers will come for me."
infection. a bite. "what bit you?" she knew from erzulie that large animals and even insects could cause infection. she looked at the place where the leg had been, then back at bridget. "i fell into a river, i t'ink. a man brought me to de shore. den dey brought me here."

She was cute, the way she drew herself up. There was something sad about it too though. She was still young, to be surrounded by strangers like this.

Mothers. Bridget noted that but didn't comment. I'm sure they will. If they were alive, she was sure they were looking, and there was no reason to say otherwise. No need to be afraid then, hm? She smiled, tilting her head.

Ah, shit, that was kind of a story. She'd give the abridged version. It was another wolf. He didn't want me to leave, but I told him to fuck off. She was at least old enough that the medic didn't check her language. She let out a snort of laughter. He didn't like that. But I sorted it out.

bridget's swearing was what finally relaxed mireille. she sat down at last, dropping to the sand, though she kept space between herself and the stranger. "so dey are not here to change us?" maybe that was what she truly feared, the words odd and disjointed in her mouth.
"are you leaving too?" she asked, staring at the other's leg. she couldn't help herself, she'd never seen such an injury before. it still frightened her, but not as much. perhaps more knowing that other wolves could do that to a body that wasn't their own.

Bridget scoffed a little at that, but still kept her smile. Imagine. They can try, she said with a fairly large helping of amusement. I doubt they will, though. It would be pretty pointless. She definitely read weird on these wolves, but she didn't read dangerous.

And I plan on it, someday. Not as soon as you, though. Where is home? She wasn't bothered by the girl's stares. It was natural, and when she wasn't moving, it didn't feel as awkward.

The truth was that she was stuck here, likely for a fair stretch of time. Bridget knew it and doubtless the Druids knew it too. She could barely walk, let alone swim or hunt, and even if she managed not to drown she'd likely starve within a week. She could consider leaving when she'd regained her mobility, something she was determined (and sure) she would accomplish.

mireille listened. bridget seemed at ease with her time here. "sapphique be on de coas'line." the girl did not say more, not wanting to admit that she didn't know where she was, and didn't know which direction she would have to leave from here.
mireille only knew that she was leaving.
"what is — de list'ner. i met her." mireille paused. "she be very young. my age. but she be different." she eyed bridget. "why are de like dis?"
rough edges, but the child's curiosity was coming out now, and she was looking toward the red-masked woman for answers.

You can drive yourself nuts, trying to figure out why another wolf is the way they are. Bridget replied with a small chuckle. She didn't understand it either. It seemed that some wolves were absolutely set on keeping others at a distance, creating a wall that others couldn't cross (and wouldn't want to). There's a lot of things that make us. Parents, friends, how and where we grew up. I'm not sure. To find out she'd have to ask questions that she was sure no one here would like. Especially not their mysterious leader.

Not every wolf has a home worth going back to. But some of us get lucky with that. She winked, though the statement made her think of Brecheliant with a pang of combined guilt and sadness. The Listener had said they'd get word out, but she hadn't asked if they'd done so or heard a response. She really should.

mireille was not sure that she liked bridget's answer. it was too motherly. too sisterly. perhaps it was the familiarity. whatever the reason, she bristled slightly and glared at the sea as if it might carry her back home with sheer force of will.
"you said us." mireille looked back to bridget. "does dat mean you have a home too?" she studied the older woman, wondering if it was worthwhile to form trust if she was going to be leaving, and if the red-mask was too.

Bridget didn't take her reaction personally. She was young, unfamiliar, and very clearly on the defensive at every turn. She didn't back off either, but sat down and relaxed with a quiet sigh. She'd take a quick break while she answered the question and then get out of the girl's fur when she was done.

I've had a few. Current one is a ways off, a place called Brecheliant. I disappeared without getting to let them know why, but I plan on correcting that soon as I can. If Mireille had family here, then she had hope of being found. Bridget didn't have any illusions as to that - if the wolves back home were going to get news, she or someone else was going to have to deliver it.

"what were you doing when de attack happened?" mireille asked bluntly. she was investing herself into this tale, for it kept her from anger, from annoyance, from thinking of her seacliff home and how her mothers must be sick with worry.
"i t'ink i fell into a lake or somet'ing. de water where i woke was no longer salty. an' dis ocean be different. fierce. darker." 
she huffed, lapsing into a silence during which her belly growled loudly and embarrassingly. mireille pinned her ears back and said nothing.

Bridget didn't remember leaving or returning to the wilds all that well - leaving at all, since she'd been unconscious the entire time. But she remembered her time away from them well. She wondered if the filthy bastard had succumbed to the wounds she'd given him. The idea gave her some satisfaction.

I was leaving the place I'd been staying. I guess they weren't used to hearing the word 'no'. So I had to make it clearer for them. She was a little young maybe to know the full details, and it wasn't like anything had happened. Bridget had made sure of that. I managed to put some distance between us, but I don't know who ended up worse off in that fight. She'd been too set on just dipping out of the place to pay attention.

If any wolf ever tells you that you owe them more than a day or two's payment, they're full of shit. Don't buy it. Bridget didn't even hold patients to that much, but at the most, it's what she'd pay. They hadn't saved her life just to own it - what was the point of that? She smiled when the gurgle hit her ears and got to her paws carefully, shifting her balance. C'mon. I'd love to hear more, but it sounds like neither of us will be able to hear anything if we don't get that bear something to eat.

that bear. she pinned her ears back harder but soon sighed in resignation. bridget had been nothing but kind and forthcoming, answering all of mireille's questions in stride and not commenting in the least on her attitude. "only if you be joinin' me," she murmured, the sound of her voice edged in a growl.
she did not want to eat from the caches. the girl rose and stretched her slim limbs before she slouched off down along the beach in search of the sand castings that marked the entrance to the tunnels burrowed by clams.
mireille started to dig in one such area, looking up quietly toward bridget.

She wasn't sure if she should expect an invitation or not. So far the girl had been (understandably) lukewarm, but most of the time, simply persisting did the trick. Even if a wolf appeared to want to be left alone, she'd learned from experience few honestly did. They just needed company that wasn't pushy or unpleasant.

Bridget was planning on hitting one of the places that food was normally left, but Mireille seemed to have other ideas. She started to feel apprehensive as the girl led her towards the beach, but she wasn't aiming for the water. Bridget had survived after her injury by fishing, but the ocean wasn't a river edge. Going out far enough to catch anything worth catching would mean compromising her footing somewhat. She hated how reluctant she was to do that.

Did you already have something stashed here? She asked, failing to recognize the signs that anything lived beneath the sand.

she eyed bridget for a moment and then shook her head. "clams. dey burrow down into de san' and spit it up into little mounds." her paws scooped wet soil; she concentrated on that for a moment and then flicked a medium-sized shell onto the beach. 
wolves could crack their teeth on the unrelenting ages. it was better not to try to bite a clam open. instead she dug a small depression and lay the animal there. she lifted a nearby small-sized stone into her jaws, staggering a bit under the unexpected weight. this was not easy but she refused to show ineptitude.
she dropped the stone.
the shell cracked.
mireille nosed it toward bridget. "try it."

Bridget watched her with a mix of amused fascination. She'd never seen anything like the process the girl went through to get the thing open, and she'd never have assumed something that looked exactly like a rock would contain anything like food.

She came over and eyed it to see how to go about eating it, then lipped at the bit that seemed to be what Mireille was talking about. It was surprisingly adhered to the shell; she had to use her teeth to scrape it off before she could swallow it.

Not bad. Looks like a lot of work for a mouthful, but I guess you don't have to chase them, huh? Bridget looked at the rock, then at the girl. Her mothers must have taught her that trick. She wondered now what other strange ways the coast held.

Maybe she'd try for a few more questions after they'd both gotten some food in them. For now she began to dig as well, unearthing a few for her companion to break open and eat herself.

we can wrap this here if you like! <3