The trip from the Grapevine Cathedral to the borders of The Hallows was thankfully an uneventful one. She had been fairly on guard for most of the trip, still not entirely convinced that her attacker or attackers wouldn't try to come after her again. She was going to feel far more at ease once they were within the safety of The Hallows, both because of the threat of further danger and because of wanting to get Ash properly treated for her wounds. Kane did the best he could with what little they had available at the time, but she knew Gwyn kept The Hallows' infirmary well stocked so there would be plenty of supplies to get whatever she needed. As they reached the borders she didn't stop, leading Kane and Ash across with a howl to alert Art and call him down to the infirmary to meet them. She knew that she was still considered a member of the pack despite her absence to live out in the wilds with Kane and their children so she didn't necessarily need to announce her presence, but she did still need Art to come be with her and his sister.

A bit to her surprise Gwyn wasn't in the infirmary when they arrived. It felt like her studious daughter was always here whenever she had been in the castle before and it made her curious about what Gwynevere was up to these days, but given how rarely she ever saw Gwyn out of the infirmary she didn't want to go looking for her and interrupt her day. It was a good thing that Kane was here and could finish the job he started while he was here so she wouldn't have to. Once Ash was settled on one of the cots she settled on her haunches at the head of the cot, giving Asheila a reassuring smile as she lifted her paw to smooth down a bit of fur that had gotten ruffled on the top of her daughters' head. "Welcome home, darling," she said quietly while Kane began to move around the room, gathering up herbs and supplies that he would need. "Artorias should be here soon. In the meantime just relax and let Kane finish bandaging you up, alright?"

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Her ride over to the castle was entirely relieving. At heart she felt safe now in the paws of her mother, even if she didn't really know the man that was carrying her. She was too exhausted now to be so worried about her captors even while she had been so alert before. She slept the whole way back to The Hallows and only woke up once they were moving her onto a cot in the infirmary.

Her eyes fluttered open while her legs felt like anchors as she found her footing off Kane and carefully plopped down in her place, laying her chin down on the beds wishing she could just go back to sleep. She mustered maybe the smallest smile she could as her mother rubbed over her head and spoke to her again, but she would have nothing to say. Her eyes moved to Kane as he started preparing a better treatment for her but she wasn't on edge about him anymore. She'd help maneuver herself however he needed but it was clearly obvious how badly she was fighting to stay awake. There was a part of her that was a little nervous to see any of her siblings again, and another part of her that was excited to be reunited. So much had changed since she had last been in The Hallows, more than she would even know. But she was worried about what her siblings, and even her mother would think of her. And she was already considering what her transition back into a normal life would carry.

"Asheila"

The three wolves had made the trek from the Grapevine Cathedral to the Hallows' castle without incident. Kane considered them all fortunate that no one had shown up looking for the wounded girl on his back; Asheila's attackers appeared to have disappeared. It did give him concern for who else they may have been a danger to, but right now, his only concern was of the injured wolf in his care. They crossed the Hallows borders without stopping, Tamsyn announcing their presence on the go while Kane hurried through the castle gates and through the gardens to the infirmary. Practiced paws followed familiar paths down stone corridors until he burst into the medical ward, noting an absence of anyone around. It was a bit of a surprise to find Gwynevere wasn't attending to the room, but he didn't have time to dwell on that. They needed to get Ash patched up.

The massive dire wolf carefully deposited his stepdaughter down onto the nearest cot and then made for the cabinet of supplies on the far wall. He rifled through the supplies, glad to see that it was still being meticulously stocked and inventoried, no doubt thanks to Gwyn's almost obsessive compulsive mannerisms. While Tam set to soothing the shaken up Ash, Kane gathered up the materials he knew he'd need. Stronger salves of trillium, yarrow, and willow bark, horsetail reed strands affixed to iron needles, and a tonic of meadowsweet and lavender for the pain. He also grabbed a swath of linen bandages from the cabinet and carried the items dutifully over to the end table beside the cot to begin his work. Asheila was thankfully a very cooperative patient, despite not knowing him at all. It made the work he had to do much easier.

"Okay, Ash, I'm going to start closing up these wounds," he explained to her while he uncorked the small bottle of tonic with careful teeth, then placed the open bottle within reach for her to consume. "Drink that. You'll start to feel a little groggy, but the pain should start to ease. Let me know when it isn't bothering you anymore." Once Ash had become anesthetized to the pain, he would be free to start stitching up some of her more severe wounds and getting the bandages in place. Kane prepared the bandages by smearing a layer of the salve on one side of each, then keeping them at the ready. He picked up the needle and gut with experienced paws, then waited for Ash to give him the go ahead to proceed.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
____________________

Tamsyn had always been impressed with the strength and resilience of her children as they faced hardships and challenges that she had hoped none of them would ever need to concern themselves with. Ash was certainly no exception as she made herself as comfortable as she could manage on the infirmary cot while Kane assembled the materials he would need to finish treating her. The longer she sat here with Ash the more things she thought of that Ash had missed—good and bad—and tried to keep track of them so that when when this was all done and her daughter had time to rest she would be able to fill her in on it all. Even though everything had happened around her for the most part, aside from taking Kane as her new mate and the children they had together, she somehow still felt responsible for breaking some of the harder news to her daughter. Perhaps it was some bit of guilt that she hadn't been able to keep her children safe that made her feel like the least she could do was be the one to tell her of the tragedies they had been though and comfort her through that grief, but regardless she would do it.

When Kane passed over the vial with the instruction for Ash to drink it, Tamsyn helped and made sure she was able to hold it or would help tip it into her mouth if she needed her to. With that done, she took the vial and placed it on the table with the rest of her mate's supplies before resuming her position beside Ash. "If you need my help just let me know," she told Kane quietly as she glanced over at him before taking Asheila's paw again, giving her another comforting smile while they waited for the pain medicines she had been given to take effect. She just wanted to get through this for her so she could finally rest. She could see how exhausted Ash was in her tired eyes and all she wanted was for her daughter to be able to sleep knowing she was somewhere safe.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Heavy eyes flashed over to Kane as he handed her a bottle and asked her to drink it. She wouldn't hinder long before pulling it towards herself and drinking it with a not so needed help from her mother but not denying her either, pushing the bottle back forward and then laying her head back down on it's side. She wouldn't be able to tell immediately, but as the moments went by she could feel the effects of the tonic when she swallowed and felt a numbing tingle across her neck where she had been grabbed. With her head back down on the cot, she'd seemingly forget everything Kane had asked of her, or the steps he would be taking to bandage her up. Under long and deep breaths her half lidded gaze looked at him, at least indication that the drugs were working if anything. She looked backed up towards her mother with the same tired glance, and once Kane would start working on her it would seem he knew what he was doing since at least the pain aspect of her patching up was little to none. Her muzzle laid down next to her mother's paw that was around her own, only subtle tension through her body out of reflex feeling the pull of her skin and pressure when Kane applied.

"Asheila"

"Just keep her conscious for now, love," Kane replied to Tamsyn while he gave Ash all the time she needed to get settled in and for the effects of the anesthetic tonic to kick in. Once he saw her settle down and her eyelids droop, he knew she was feeling the numbing effects of the medicine, and he got straight to work. Despite his size, Kane had performed quite a number of surgeries and stitches in his lifetime. He worked with large yet nimble paws, feeing the sharp needle through her skin and muscle tissue to begin feeding the thread through to help bind the larger wounds shut. He sealed one, then moved on to the next, doing his rounds of Ash's body until all the more severe wounds had been properly sealed. Then he covered each of them as well as her smaller injuries with the salve-dampened bandages, making sure to apply them securely so they wouldn't come loose from her general movements. The last thing they needed was for Ash to give a reflexive kick or twitch and snap her stitches.

Once Kane had finished applying the bandages to cover his patient's wounds, he breathed a sigh and sat back to admire his work. Asheila would survive. More than that, she would likely make a full recovery. He thanked the Moon and Stars that they had happened upon her when they did. Had she not been found, Kane feared they may have only her corpse after some time. "She's going to be okay," he said with hazel eyes turning up to Tam and a reassuring smile. He knew how protective and worried over her children his mate could get, so he wanted to make sure she knew that her daughter would pull through.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
____________________

Tamsyn nodded to her mate’s only instruction for her to keep Ash conscious. That much she could do. She kept an eye on her daughter while Kane continued his work, occasionally glancing up to see how he was progressing but mostly keeping her attention on Ash’s face—both to make sure her tired eyes stayed open and to keep from having to watch Kane stitch the wounds closed. She wasn’t exactly squeamish generally, but something about the needle feeding through skin and flesh felt strange to her. It was just another example of why she never would have made it as a healer.

She smiled gently as Ashelia settled in with her nose near their connected paws, letting her other paw gently pet over the top of her daughter’s head. ”You’re doing great, sweetheart. Just a little more and Kane will be all finished.” A few minutes later she saw Kane step back after he finished bandaging up her wounds and she looked up to him hopefully. Seeing his smile and hearing that she was going to be okay made her breathe a slow sigh, the tension that had been sitting on her shoulders beginning to subside. Her children were her world and every time something happened to them she couldn’t rest until she knew they were okay. She returned his smile and dipped her head down to kiss Ash’s cheek, visibly relived for the prognosis.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

She was starting to notice more how her mother interacted with the man who was helping treat her wounds, but she didn't have enough mind or energy to think real hard about it and have an opinion of her own. There would be time for that once she got some good rest and probably the talk that would come after. Of course she didn't know of Resin's death, and everything after these moments would be the hardest for all of them.

She couldn't feel the stiches Kane sewed other than a strange pull and pressure on her skin. Instinctively she made a few sharp breaths as if a reaction to pain, but it wasn't there. She would have proved to be a tough girl had she not even had the sedative, and maybe she did seem that way now. She wouldn't think so, but maybe from her mother and the man healing her. There was a part of her that went back into the young days of her childhood as Tamsyn held her paw and pet over her head, but she could tell herself that she wasn't a child anymore. It was a comfort that she had missed in their time apart, but so much had happened since she was taken from Auster that she nearly forced herself to seclude herself from being even family anymore. It was a really strange feeling, and not one that would last. Because once she was truly safe here, stitched up and locked behind the castle doors could she finally pull together her return back into The Hallows and with what family she had left. When Kane was done with his work and Tamsyn gave her a relieved kiss on her cheek, Ash didn't fall straight into sleep but closed her eyes with a barely audible "Thank you." that her mother could have heard.

"Asheila"

Kane watched the sweet exchange between mother and daughter for a time. Tamsyn loved her children with all her heart, and it touched the dire wolf to see her interacting with all her babies. A gentle smile touched his sabered lips as he gathered up the used instruments and bloodied supplies, setting them off to the side for disposal while he cleaned up after himself. Kane was beyond grateful that he and Tam had just so happened to be headed the same way Asheila was. Or perhaps it wasn’t luck at all, and fate had spared the girl from Death this day. Either way, he felt Ash was meant to be back in the Hallows—back with her family. Seeing the Carpathians together again, it somehow felt right, even to this old grizzled outsider who’d just married into the family. Scooping up the refuse, Kane quietly slipped out to give Ash some peace and to rest.

- exit Kane -

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
____________________

Heavy paws thundered down the echoing balls of the castle, carrying the mighty dire wolf with haste toward the infirmary. Artorias had heard his mother’s urgent call for him from across Hallowed lands. He had been up in the Wildberry Grove, assisting with the harvest before winter settled in when the fall went out. The alpha had wasted no time, abandoning his work and sprinting across the plains as fast as his legs could carry him. Now he marched down the halls with purpose, hellbent on seeing for himself what his mother’s dire call had communicated.

As he rounded the corner towards the infirmary, he stepped past Kane, seeing his mother’s mate leaving carrying a swath of bloodstained bandages and cloths. Art’s heart sank in his chest. Oh gods, what had happened…? Dread flooded his soul, yet still he had to see for himself. Artorias moved on, pushing through the double doors into the medical ward and making a beeline over to the dark form of his mother. She was leaned over a young woman—exactly who he expected to see and yet never expected to see again. Asheila. His sister was home.

"Where is she? Let me see." Artorias’ words were brusque and concerned, worried amber eyes moving to Ash’s bandaged body as he came up beside his mother. As soon as he saw her face, his heart was filled with relief and remorse. "Ash! It’s really you! You came back!" A million questions flooded the Carpathian patriarch’s head. Where had she gone? What had she been doing all this time? Why had she left them? What happened to her? But in the end, only one question truly mattered, and he asked it of Tamsyn with an anxious glance. "Is she going to be all right?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

Tamsyn looked to her mate with another grateful, thankful glance as he gathered up the remnants of his work and began to slip out of the infirmary with them. She could never thank him enough for everything he did for his step children and she knew she owed him so much for this. It wasn't but a moment later when she heard the hurried sound of pounding steps coming down the hall toward the infirmary and before Artorias even pushed open the door of she already knew who it was. She looked over her shoulder toward her son as he hurried across the room to the cot to stand beside her at Ash's side. She couldn't help but smile at Artorias' excited reaction to seeing his sister again, her tail wagging gently just from having even a couple of her children with her. They really were her entire world and she was so grateful to have them regardless of where life decided to pull and toss them.

"Yes, she is," Tamsyn promised when her son questioned if Ash was going to be alright, giving him a reassuring smile and resting her paw on his shoulder. "She needs to rest," she added, giving Ash's paw one more squeeze before reluctantly letting it go and dipping her head to give Ash one more kiss on the top of her head. "I just wanted to make sure you knew she was here," she said to Artorias, keeping her voice quiet just in case Ash started to drift to sleep. After everything her and her body had been through the rest was going to be very sorely needed. "I'm going to stay here for at least a couple of days to be with her. Kane got her patched up, but I obviously know Gwyn can handle anything else she needs."

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Kane would take his leave but everything was turning into a blur. She'd know when Artorias had arrived but she wasn't very reactive to the thought. The pain, the drugs, the exhaustion. It would all get the best of her right in this moment. Still, she perked up just a little, her head carefully picking up off the cot before she laid back down and closed her eyes. "Art?" The most peaceful of smiles drew at her lips because it made her believe that everyone was here. Rudy, Bowen, Gwyn, and in the moment Resin too. It did give her a peace of mind knowing that she was here with family and not just safe behind the castle walls. It had felt like an eternity, a whole other lifetime from when she was here last. It may have been in some ways but she could truly feel happy now. Her paw tugged a little at her mother's again, and she'd get just what she needed as Tamsyn gave her yet another gentle and reassuring kiss on her head. All she needed was rest, and it would come soon.

"Asheila Carpathius"