Into the Ocean

Lydia listened intently as the boy weakly spoke, his voice raspy. She made note of dehydration and wondered what would be the best way to get him some fresh water. Right now it was too cold to have him eat snow or really even drink from any cold pools. Warm blood would be idea and he likely needed a good meal anyway.

His mother made him eat a plant? She could easily guess it was some kind of sedative and a pang of sorrow struck her heart on the boy's behalf as anger started to burn in her gut. She couldn't imagine anyone drugging and just abandoning their child in such a way. What had his mother been thinking? Lydia doubted she had the whole story but she also doubted she'd ever receive it. The fact of the matter was that the boy's mother was out of the picture and likely his father was to. Someone needed to care for him. She sighed. Ideally she wanted to get him home to Kesali but it would be too far to go in his condition.

She had an old storage den at the border of the stone steppe that might be good if it was still useable. It had been abandoned awhile ago when she'd officially joined Kesali and had no need for such bunkers. At least there he'd be out of the wind and she could get him tended to and fed. Surely she could find something to eat on the steppe or the surrounding territories. Much as she hated to leave him alone she didn't see much option. But that was for another time.

Lydia took mental notes as she watched the boy getting shakily to his feet. There could be a number of factors, general weakness, dehydration and lingering effects of the sedative were possible as well as over all hunger and exhaustion. As soon as the boy was on his feet she swiftly moved the buffalo hide down. "Ok, lay down on the buffalo skin. I'm going to try and drag you to a storage den I used to have at the Stone steppe. You'll be able to rest there and I can get you something to eat. I'm from a pack called Kesali and I'm sure you'd be welcome to stay there but it's a few days journey." Thankfully the route between the Rock Garden and the Stone Steppe would be relatively flat. She'd still probably ruin the underside of the buffalo skin but she didn't have much choice. Making a travois would take too much time and she doubted she had the technical ability to manage it.

"Talk"