Darkened Skies

The cynical young she-wolf had to force herself to lay still as Paladin continued working on her roughed up paws. It was so gentle in a way she wasn't used to, and felt especially out of place coming from him; the way it made her feel provoked a powerful desire to run far and fast. Not because she hated this - simply because she didn't know what to do with her own thoughts. She tensed as he placed a paw on her side and informed her that he would be searching for the broken rib. She nodded to him in understanding, feeling his paw run from her spine, down her ribcage toward her belly. She couldn't help the small but sharp breath she drew in, before she again forced herself to be still and breathe more calmly. It hadn't hurt, she just wasn't used to such a sensation. She wondered if she should just tell him which rib it was, for she was fairly certain where it was, but for some reason she couldn't make the words come out. Maybe... maybe she didn't want him to pull away just yet.

She focused on the movement of his paw as he explained about the lesser importance of the ankle injury in comparison with her cracked rib. When he said she'd have to be pulled out on a travois if she couldn't move due to her ribs, her eyes widened slightly. "P-pulled out?" she stammered, "To where?" Where was she supposed to go if she was expected to leave the ravine? She didn't have anywhere in particular that she stayed, no home to return to. Did he have somewhere in mind that he was going to bring her? Certainly he didn't intend to return her to Talis... he must have noticed the difference in her scent. Before she could ask anything more, he teased her slightly about falling down here, but she could sense the edge in his tone as well. At that moment, she knew he was still angry about what she'd done.

Her ears pulled back again and she glanced at him nervously. "I-I guess I must've been distracted," she said uneasily, still unsure about exactly what had occurred. As the minutes went by, things were becoming gradually more clear, but she didn't know how she'd allowed herself to be so careless. Just then, she felt a sharp pain as his paw pressed down gently, and she yelped in response. "That's it," she grunted, jaw tensing, "W-what should I do? Should I try to get up?" She wondered if she should try to walk, or if he needed to treat her first.