Because Of You
08-02-2013, 07:34 AM
Cut me loose
My parachute won't let me fall Don't be afraid of a chance for a miracle
The male took his medicine promptly - good, it would take a little while to kick in, but then the pain would be reduced to a dull ache that was much easier to handle. Depending on the strength of the male's system, he might even end up falling asleep again in an hour or so. Not the black, pained unconscious of before, but a real, healthy, healing sleep. It looked like he was going to be just fine - he even managed another wag and a smile just for her. Orica felt her ears droop meekly sideways as he thanked her. What a kind-hearted male. "You're welcome," Orica said as sincere as ever. The wire-haired giant of a girl was moving around to curl up at Bob's back. Orica watched her curiously. Any other time she would've liked nothing better than to strike up a conversation and ask about what kind of creature she was and where she'd come from. Not today though. Not after all this. Neither of the other two canines seemed in a mood to speak. The girl wasn't asking what had happened, and the male wasn't saying a word on the subject. Maybe it didn't matter to them. Maybe they just wanted to focus on the moment. Something landed atop Orica's muzzle, interrupting her thoughts: A snowflake. Orica glanced around. How long had the flurries been falling? She hadn't noticed them before. The sky had been banked with clouds all day, and no one knew better than the healer how easily the mountain weather could go from fair to snowfall. In looking around her, she spied a line of giant-pawed wolf's tracks. Demyan's. She was getting another one of those stupid, dangerous urges. This one was different though. This one had a definite sense of purpose. Grim lines creased the little medic's forehead. Her job with the hurt male was far from done. She would need to keep an eye on his immediate recovery, and for her, it was a given that she would be willing to help with coaching him through therapy and re-learning to get around. - If he even wanted her help, that is. She wasn't leaving this case... but she had another matter pressing on her soul. There was something else she had to do. Bob was stabilized now, and he had friends looking after him. And meanwhile, Orica's window of opportunity was quickly closing. She looked to the odd trio gathered in the snow. "I'm sorry," she said again, "But I have to go do something. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." She looked to the sets of eyes, making sure they understood. She took a step, and then stopped. On a second thought, she lowered her head and snapped up another root from the leather sack. "If I'm gone too long, or the pain gets to bad, he can eat another one of these." She placed it before the grey girl's outstretched paws. But she also glanced over at the cat. "Maybe you could help with that?" The cat just seemed the more sedate and calm of the two. Better to have two minds to look after things than one. "If the snow picks up you can take shelter back in the trees." She pointed with her sooty nose in the direction she had come. "There's some fallen logs there that would act as a fine lean-to to snuggle down in - But don't try to move him unless absolutely necessary." Perhaps later Orica would stop and wonder at how naturally she had just sort of taken control of the situation. She'd always been the one to take after her mother - sweet, delicate, little - but maybe she really did have some of her father in her after all. She hoped she was making the right calls here; In the heat of the moment, she felt they were the only ones she could make. Waiting only long enough to see that her words had been understood, the girl turned and bounded off along the trail that had torn through the white wilderness. ~ The farther she went, the more the snow picked up. It was a heavy, straight-down fall, that seemed to be intent on blanketing the land, but it wasn't blizzard weather - not yet anyway. Not that she'd have turned back even if it was. Orica didn't stop to question herself further. She knew what she had to do. Long, milky-furred legs rolled forward, striding through the snow at a high lope. The level was getting deep enough to swallow her knees in places - and her medic's bag was just bouncing along on top of the drifts. Orica was lucky to be a smaller pawed, delicate animal or she would've sunk even further. At last the trail rounded a bend, and disappeared from sight into a chink in the mountainside. Orica came around cauiously, half expecting Demyan to be right there. But he wasn't. She stepped forward into the hollow of the peak. What at first had appeared nothing more than a craggy crack was something far, far bigger. It was a real honest to goodness cave! Just like the one back in Glaciem that she'd been raised in. There was a dirt tunnel, at first that she walked throughly slowly, stretching wide her blue eyes and letting them adjust to the darkness, til they seemed to glow. Then her paws clicked against stone, and she could see in the shadow swamped world that she had come to find a giant's chamber. Only now, with her nose begining to unfreeze did she smell the scent of wolf, and of cat... "Demyan?" she called into the darkness. |