Not quite a mountain goat

Some of the smaller cuts and nicks on Bellamy’s coat had already begun to clot, but the deeper incisions where thorns had clawed into her skin and been ripped out continued to bleed slowly but relentlessly. The worst came from a jagged line following down her right shoulder-blade, a trail of blood staining her fur and running down the rock. The pain seared along her skin like fire but Belle focused on trying to control her shallow breathing with eyes screwed shut, ears pinned back and jaw clenched. “Someone’s coming.” Belle’s eyes cracked open and she lifted her head up, hope crossing her strained features as her gaze shifted from the scenery to the lioness, to the pile of brilliant purple flowers that she was offered. “Thanks…”She mustered weakly, sniffing them tentatively. The herbs didn’t smell appetizing in the slightest, but since when was any medicine appetizing?

Suddenly, a flurry of movement appeared and a small black wolf with dazzling blue eyes jumped seemingly out of nowhere, as far as Belle could tell in her easily confused state. The stranger was clearly distressed, fur bristling and voice high and stuttering. Belle quickly rolled onto her stomach as the small wolf moved in between her and the lioness, Belle biting down on a sharp cry as she moved. Pain strained her features but she tried to ignore it; if something went down she didn’t want to be laying on her side, and she could at least see what was going on from her new position. Bellamy numbly processed the chain of events playing out in front of her, tightly pinned back ears and worried eyes betraying her concern as the small but feisty wolf came to her defense. A sick guilt overcame Belle when she thought of what may become of this wolf if the situation escalated, turning her already nauseous stomach even more.

Luckily, the lioness’s anger seemed to stem from frustration rather than plain aggression. Bellamy let out a shaky breath, shifting her focus back to regulating her breathing and calming herself down as the lioness started chastising the newcomer, cringing a little at their arguments over her condition. Feeling another wave of dizziness come on, Bellamy couldn’t help but roll back onto her left side and let her eyes drift shut, cheek feeling strangely at home on the cool rock.