Porcupine Ridge the sooner you fools accept that,

maybe basilica wolves? <3

colt had kept going. he couldn't lead a gang if he was froze stiff on the side of some wretched mountain between a cliff and a holler.
so on he went, gradually realizing that starvation was licking its chops under the tedium of exposure, which had bitten his ears to more tatters now, and was in danger of taking one if not two toes.
colt briggs tripped and swore and skidded down a treacherous slope into a blockade of ice and snow. he lay there, dazed, too weak to move; he pulled each face of the gang into his mind and swallowed.
colt fixed indra in his head and started to drift, to answer the promise of warmth if he only slept. and he knew what that meant, a long and wakeless sleep.
but he'd lost everyone in that storm.

Ash Paw would not know if she was pregnant for a time. When she thought of the brief moments of memory, it infused her with warmth, and then when she thought of Ingrams rejection it filled her with shame. So she sought to quench the fires, by heading out of the pack lands.

She was not ashamed at her heat cycle or even what she did. What ashamed her was that he had made it seem as if she was the only one who was tempted, to save face with his wife and that felt so unfair.

A brown lump caught her attention and she moved closer and closer to it. It was a wolf and he looked pretty bad. He was half frozen and she could see clear markers of  exposure on his face, his paws, his ears and she rushed forward. In he rmaw was a rabbit skin to carry herbs. It wasn't much, but she poked at him with a petite paw and lay the rabbit skin across at least two of his paws. 

Hey big guy! Time to wake up. Don't you sleep now. It will kill you!

colt was having a fine dream, a fine dream about a glade and a den and redbird and —
the voice reached down and scooped him right out of it. he came searing back into agony and freezing-fever, the steady horrid tearing from the swiftcurrent wolves now only feeling half-healed instead of full.
"gawdammit, woman!" colt snarled, ignoring for a second that she smelled mighty good, the aftereffects of a season. "cain't yew leave a man t'die polite-like?"
colt struggled up to his shoulder anyway, squinting around them. he lifted a lip toward the stranger. "where am i? be quick about it." the rancour in his red eyes promised a good fight despite his ragged look.

Ash Paw reared back, her head lifted up in haughty arrogance. I beg your pardon. Speak to me like that again and I just might box your ears, no matter how large you are. You are dying, near my pack lands and i take offense to it.

She snorted. Why would i leave a heathen who is unmannerly to die politely? If you can't offer manners too.

She looked him over. Forgive me, but you look like death already paid you a visit and won. Only for you to scratch your way out of hell. And you smell like birch bark. she wrinkled her nose.

Exposure, probably gonna lose them toes and the tips of your ears. May get hypothermia. Come on. Can't take you home, but let's find you a right proper den, something to eat and something to keep you warm. Keep that rabbit fur on  your paws or your ears if you want to save them.

Then she turned away from him and began her trek towards anywhere, but here. Her aim was the forest line just a bit away.

she jawed so much colt had a headache in no time trying to parse her scoldings and medical directions. she reminded him vaguely of sadey, and something clenched his throat to think of her now.
the mention of food snapped his attention to the woman. fiery little thing, like a little discombobulated ol bird. fine. he'd let her feed him. colt griped down toward the furs she'd put over the worst affected foot, and decided he was not fool enough to let the wind eat more at it.
he hobbled after her with open reluctance.

Ash Paw would have laughed he mentioned his friend that he thought was like her. And then her offense would have been dire. She was not a mindless killer, or a mean wolf. At least she didn't like to think so. No she was devout in her religon and her healing.

She searched the nearby area finally finding a small cave. You go ahead and lay in there. I'll see if I can find you a bird or a rabbit. Don't remove the wrap from your paw. Please.

Then with a huff she turned away and headed towards a small framework of holes. There was bound to be some rabbits or a squirrel. He was lucky that there happened to be a groundhog and despite that it was running. Ash Paw managed to get it. Though she found herself a little more fatigued than usual.[size=small]She found some of the brown root that he seemed to smell like and she would drop that too. [/size]She brushed it off and dropped it at his feet. 

Eat. Ground hog and that foul root you smell of. Once that fur dries  you can use it for your other paw. Do you have any other ails I can help you with?

she was quick with hospitality.
colt tore the stomach out of the spikepig and ate quick, bristling with territoriality. he did not answer until it was only bones.
"nothin' needed, ma'am, 'cept yer name perhaps." his crimson eyes flicked over the woman now, with more care this time. he lay still now, rather comfortable, and his paw did not hurt so much.
briggs wasn't dumb enough to deny the comforts of womenfolk. just smart enough not to become a husband. "an' maybe where yer from," he added in a rumble. she smelt of enough wolves for him to know she wasn't alone.

She was just being a decent sort of wolf she felt. Anyone would stop and help, at least that is what she told herself, everytime she did it. She was careful not to offer herbs and plants from her stores. She didn't wish to have another disagreement with Ingram about offering to strangers.

Ash Paw is my name and I am from the pack Basilica. She motioned with her head the way she had come.

She looked him over again trying to figure it out. I'm a healer. I'm afraid though I can't do much for the ears and the paws, other than keep it warm and if it gets to infected give you herbs to manage your pain until you bite them off.

She winced at the thought. They didn't look that bad, but things like exposure could go all kinds of ways.

basil-what?
colt didn't question it. bastard like him'd traveled long enough and heard hundreds of names, a few of them fool ones but all of them meaning something.
his stomach clawed again; he thought he might be ill. "yer sayin' i'll lose my good looks, doc?" he teased in a rasping voice. it ended in a cough, and colt sighed next in true bone-weary tiredness.

It was clear that the higher breeding was lost on this one. Inward Ash Paw rolled her eyes. Though outward she was sweet as pie, well mostly.

Well. Ash Paw looked him over, her tone dry. If there ever was any to begin with, perhaps slightly. Honestly though if you do as i say and stay out of the cold for now. You should heal fairly easily. What were you doing out in a snow storm anyway. Foolish.

Ash paw haughtily moved her head and narrowed an eye at him.

You know some Chamomile water would help you sleep. You seem exhausted.

"gettin' the hell outta dodge," colt grunted, looking out toward the denmouth where the snow swirled.
where the gang had been lost.
pain and anger clenched his jaw. "don't need nothin' fer sleep, thank ye kindly, miz ash paw. reckon i need t'stay awake an' listen out."
for what, he did not elaborate.

Ash paw wasn't surprised. He seemed a bit of nad news. And his rough and tumble attitude made it clearer.

Alright keep it wrapped for a day. If you should need help removing if we didn't catch it quick enough please let me know. And I'll stop by again to check on you.

She wanted to add if i can because she as of yet was not sure if children were prodice from her liason with two wolves.

last for me! <3

were he a third himself he might have boldly and lewdly offered the good miz ash paw a roll in the hay for all her fine work, once he was healed up enough to perform.
but there wasn't a sight of that in him now. only a yawning ugly void. colt was turning cold, and it weren't from the snow.
he grunted a little by way of thanks and goodbye, lying muzzle over forelegs and facing away from her.
but briggs wasn't going to sleep, and his red eyes bored into the wall of the den.