Lucky Catch

Walk | Talk | Think

Given the all clear, Tahlia glanced away from Bane and to the wound carefully pinched together between her paws. It did look much sturdier now, solid more or less and as she tested it, gently shifting her paws as if to release it entirely, it seemed to hold well enough to do. She truly didn't want it to open again so easily as she feared, but with her minimal test done there was really nothing left to do about it but simply let it go. And so she did, scooting her paw along his side and closer to his back as she ceased the pressure there, allowing the skin to shift back where it would naturally lay. To her great relief and pleasure, it held. Blood still leaked from the small gaps where it had yet to completely solidify over, but that was a small concern. With the majority of the wound closed, Bane's and Tahlia's fear of him losing more blood than he already had would be put to rest and there would be less to fear overall.

But her work was not quite done. Just because the wound had closed up did not necessarily mean that the injured Bane was clear of danger yet. Plenty of blood had been lost, some of it even covering Tahlia as she was bothered to realize, and there was still the matter of unconsciousness turning permanent. She shied from the thought, still displeased enough to have had one male die on her so soon after their meeting and unwilling to have another, differing circumstances aside. Still situated upon his side, the russet and black wolf listened to his request with a growing smile. That seemed reasonable enough. After all, she had taken it upon herself to help this male out when she had thought to answer his call and remain there once she had seen the extent of his injury. And besides, it was the first time she had felt as if she was doing anything important for a pack member since her joining; she liked that feeling too much to abandon it so quickly.

"Of course," she answered with an understanding nod of her head, readily complying. He shifted yet again - the movement causing less worry in her now about whether he might open up his wound again after seeing it hold so well on its own - and this time brought his muzzle to hers yet again. As before she smiled, accepting his thanks as she closed her eyes to receive his nose rub and nuzzle. When she thought he might draw away, he placed a lick against her muzzle, causing her eyes to blink with surprise. Improper, she thought, for someone he had only just met, her beliefs still heavily dictated by the strict conduct she had been raised with...but considering all he had been through she could forgive it. If she was being at all honest with herself, she would have admitted to feeling flattered, happy even, by the gesture, at last feeling as if she held a sense of specialty in someone's eyes.

One more request drifted tiredly from Bane's lips, and Tahlia's smiling expression sobered gently. It had been the same scenario she had been considering, fearing, but it was best to address the remote possibility despite the discomfort it brought to her. She gave no audible answer, only a nod of her head, but that seemed enough. The dark grey wolf promptly set his head upon the ground and swiftly fell into unconsciousness, leaving Tahlia alone and still resting half atop his side while he slept. In the stillness, she openly studied him, finding herself inexplicably drawn to him though she never would have expected to enjoy the look of scars on any individual. The whole thing was rather curious to her, but there was no point getting stuck on the matter just yet. There was still much to learn. Carefully setting one paw upon the ground at Bane's side, Tahlia shifted her weight onto it and slowly lowered herself to curl up there beside him in the curve of his stomach, glancing at him to watch his sleeping face with occasional assessments of his wound. Determining that he rested well enough, and more or less confident that she would wake if any changes came over him, she extended a still bloodied foreleg and set her chin upon it to close her and rest as he did.

-Exit Tahlia through a nap-