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it was a slow, limping pace that the pair of them set upon their trek to the plateau. lasher quite lost track of the hours spent supporting finley toward their destination, pausing to cleanse her wounds and gauge her bloodloss. when they at last arrived, finley could no longer support her injured body and collapsed into unconsciousness.
a bear,
he gritted grimly to his companion, eyes filled with worry as he regarded finley's prone form. she rushed at it! as if she had lost all her senses!
moreso concerned for her mortal mind than for the wounds along her spine and her injured leg, taltos was nevertheless upset by it all, and as soon as blue willow gave her diagnosis, he would help her to settle the girl and visit the caldera to give peregrine the news.
In the days to come, Fin would try to remember the journey from the forest back to the Plateau. She would know only that she owed her life to Lasher. There would be no doubt in her mind that she would never have made it without the steadfast wolf to carry her. The cuts upon her shoulder and back were deep and each movement stung with a pain she'd never before felt. Finley was a stubborn, determined wolf, but even she had her limits. And likely, she would have succumbed to them that day without the ochre gamma at her side, urging her on.
As soon as she hit the ground, she was out like a light. She moaned as her head spun and consciousness left her, the words of frustration and worry that left her faviour's mouth completely lost.
It was with agitation the healer waited. She was both furious and worried about Finley. The determination that set in her friend's face was both calming and a little worrisome. Lasher would need to be tended to as well. But for now Finley was her biggest concern. I will need to check her head then if she comes too. Though wounds of the mind are much worse than wounds of the body. She growled softly in frustration as she took in the paw swipes and the bites. Gods. She cleaned the wounds gently, though Lasher had already done a good job. She then applied a thick paste of Aloe and marigold. Keeping it nice and thick, she then sat and studied her work. I can't do much else at the moment and you kept them clean well Lasher. I used Aloe for the sting and burn, and marigold to keep the pain at bay. I would like to get some feverfew or poppy in her, but she will have to wait until she is awake.
he nodded at the words of her healing, but he could not settle himself, and so paced as she spoke. i simply do not understand, willow — it was suicidal of her to do such.
a pause as he grimly regarded the unconscious finley. it has been my experience that extreme sorrow drives one to such actions, but i cannot think what it would be that affected her in such a way.
at length, he lay down, muzzle across one forepaw, and blew breath through his nostrils, suddenly besot with a heavy feeling of sadness and worry.
Blue looked him over what hurts on you Lasher? I can heal you too. She did not wish him to be in pain of any kind, for any number of time.
he did not answer her earlier questions, thinking she spoke to herself, for neither she nor he knew of what truly transpired there, but to her direct inquiry he gathered his thoughts. the bear hardly touched me,
he muttered, though he tipped his head to show her the torn tip of his left ear. i received only that, while finley —
as they both knew the extent of her injuries, he need not reiterate them, and so he began to pace again, pausing only to press his lips against her sable shoulder. you are a saint, my dear.
Blue chuckled at his words I am not saint, merely a healer. She shook her head in mirth and watched him with bemused expression as he paced again.
i will be all right,
he rejoined, wanting the willow to save her stores for finley and whatever else might arise. he knew little of herbs, but he did understand that they would be more difficult to procure in the coming months. a saintly woman, who has devoted her life to the healing of others!
at last he settled himself, and lay down some ways from her, prepared to watch her work.
Blue chuckled at his compliment, Thank you Lasher it is not many that appreciate my craft. She settled herself to the ground and sifted through the herbs, trying to find what she would need separating what she would need for Finley from those that she had stirred up for winter months and also separating what she may need for herself should she wake up with nausea.
While Blue and Lasher hovered over her, tending to her wounds and discussing what a complete dumb ass she was, Fin was far away in her subconscious. The dreams were beginning, though subtle and relatively normal at first. In her mind, she saw a snake, a moose, and a bear. All were coming towards her, and she was running from them.
She ran and ran until coming across a wide chasm. The drop was enormous; so deep that she could see only darkness at the bottom. From out of it came the cries and howls of wolves. They were calling to her, asking her to join them. To break free, and let go.
The Blackthorn turned to hear the roars of her enemies behind her, and darted off along the edge of the chasm, frantic. Suddenly, there was another edge cutting across her path, and another, and another, until she was alone on an island with the creatures she had tormented. Fin whirled around to face the chasm, this time spotting a thin, ragged old tree limb that stretched across it to a beautiful green mountain across the way.
With hardly a thought, Fin took off across it, only to slip and fall. She caught the branch behind her elbows and clung to it, panicked. The howls were louder now, the calls even more desperately begging her to let go and fall. And suddenly, that little bitch of a fox was sitting on the limb right in front of her, smiling wickedly. Fin made to snap at him, only to miss as he leaped gracefully into the air and landed right where he'd been before with a force that broke the branch in two, and Fin was falling...
Back in reality, Fin began to shake and moan feverishly upon the ground.
the girl began to move, to moan, and lasher went to her side with a frightened look passing over his features. yet he said nothing, merely lay his muzzle upon her shoulder briefly as he awaited the actions of the healer.
he blinked rapidly as blue willow flew into action, eyes straining with exhaustion and surprise. he gave the worn fur a long look as she spoke of his options, attempting to understand its use; when he had correctly roused himself, the darkfurred wolf grasped hold of the pelt and lengthened his stride into a run that took him to the plateau's resident brook.
he returned with the dripping fur in tow shortly, and laid it against finley, eyes lifting to blue willow expectantly; she would guide his next action.
Blue grasped elderberry and yarrow from her stores, debating which one to use and finally choosing elderberry. Simply because it tasted better at the moment. She leaned forward and dropped some of it into Finley's mouth as it opened and kept a close eye on. Placing her paw across her throat and gently moving it down causing Finley to swallow. She will begin to pant now, that is good though.
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he watched closely as blue willow worked with her herbs; their sharp smell flared his nostrils and caused his eyes to burn. yet his gaze fell once more to finley; he waited for her to say as the healer had said, trepidation mounting in his heart.
Fin had no idea what was happening to her, nor what it was that she was doing. And yet, her body was luckily far more obedient than she ever was when she was conscious. She swallowed the herbs that were pushed into her mouth at Blue's urging, and a few minutes later she began to pant just as the doctor had said she would.
And just like the good little patient she was, Fin would do just as Blue anticipated for the rest of the night. Eventually she'd settle down and slip into a restful sleep under the watchful eye of her caretakers.
likewise, he took a position near the willow, prepared to watch over the both of them that strained eve. yet he regretfully, and in time, gathered himself, and set off for the caldera, to inform peregrine of what had transpired.