Darkened Skies

His response to her thanks was a mute nod, his attention on her next paw as he examined the ragged cuts and cleaned them with gentle licks before applying the poultice. He was glad he’d thought to bring some smaller rabbit hides along, because they would rip easily into strips and would encase her paws nicely to hold that poultice in place.

As she confirmed his suspicions, he pulled four rabbit hides over, then paused and straightened, settling a paw over her injured side and gently pressing, probing to find which rib had broken. Depending on location, she could be in worse trouble. She wasn’t coughing blood like she might have pierced a lung, though, so that was a boon.

“I’m looking for the broken rib, alright? Tell me when I find it.”

He began just behind her foreleg, running his paw from spine to belly with gentle pressure, and – barring her reaction telling him he’d already found it – continued on to the next, repeating the process and noting the location whenever she might tell him.

“The ankle is less of an issue, but if you can’t move with your ribs, you’ll need to be pulled out on a travois. Luckily I have the hides, and saplings aren’t hard to come by.” He spoke as he went down her rib case, thoughtful tone easy and lilting. His eyes swept the surroundings again, looking for such saplings.

"I'm surprised you were able to fall in here, though. You struck me as an observant girl." The tone was almost teasing, but there was a faint hint of edge that made it clear enough that he hadn't forgotten the past, even if he was verging on tenderness with his examination and ministrations.

The fact that she no longer ran with Talis eased some of the anger, of course. Whether it was because she couldn't stomach the morals of his cousin, or had perhaps spoken out against their actions after she'd returned and been forced out, he didn't know. But it made him hope that he had indeed had the right instincts about her character.