Breakaway

Being a parent had been every bit as amazing as he had hoped it would be. It was also every bit as exhausting as he'd been warned by his own parents it would be too! Kane adored his children, loved his family with all his heart and soul, but by the Moon and Stars, was he feeling it deep in his bones. It had been an age since he and Tamsyn had gotten any sort of alone time as a couple—not since before their children were born—but now as the pups were growing into their adolescent years and becoming more mature and independent, they could start to let them wander around the territories they camped in without being so strictly supervised. That gave him and his gorgeous mate plenty of time to wander off and have some private adult time together, a prescription they both needed badly.

This was one such day. The pups were exploring the nearby Cattail Creek and playing in the shallow streams while he and Tamsyn made their way over to the privacy of the Grapevine Cathedral, still close enough to respond to a call in a heartbeat, but just far enough away that he could be romantic with his mate without fear of an unexpected puppy interruption. Glancing down at his little blackbird by his side, Kane returned Tam's easy, loving smile, hazel eyes shining with the deep affection he felt in his heart for her. He leaned down to meet and return her kiss with one of his own, already looking forward to losing themselves in the thick canopy of the grapevines where they would be undisturbed. It seemed fate had a different plan for them this day, however, for as soon as they entered the cathedral, Tamsyn stopped dead in her tracks, her nose twitching while she questioned if he smelled something. Furrowing his brow, Kane sampled the air. Immediately the familiar stench of copper and iron hit his nares and his heart wrenched. "Mhmm. Blood."

But there was something off about Tamsyn's reaction. Kane knew his little blackbird had a golden heart and a gentle soul, but the way she seemed bloodcurdlingly frightened by the smell worried the nomad. He never got the chance to ask her what was up though, because Tamsyn was already heading off in the direction of the blood smell. "Tam, wait!" he called out, but she was off. Kane sighed and followed after her; so much for their date day... Tracking the smell of the blood was easy in the cathedral, so it only took them a short while to come across the crumpled body on the ground, bound in ropes and matted in her own blood. Kane's heart sank at the sight—but it lurched and sank further when he heard Tam call out a name and go rushing up to her. Ash? The name rang a bell in Kane's head. Tam had told him about her daughter named Ashelia that had gone missing some time back. Was this her? But how?!

Kane hurried to follow Tamsyn up to the unconscious wolf, already shifting into tribal medic mode as he drew closer. Focused eyes studied the girl's wounds, noting the myriad of bites across her body along with other assorted lacerations. No doubt she'd have bruises beneath her fur too, but hopefully no broken bones to contend with. Tam gave him that desperate, pleading look. Kane already knew he was going to be saving another of Tamsyn's daughters. Despite the amount of wounds she had, none of them looked very deep or severe, and none had landed anywhere vital. Ash had gotten extraordinarily lucky. "She's got a lot of injuries, but none of them look too serious," he informed Tamsyn, hoping to calm her down a bit while he gently parted her fur around each bleeding wound with practiced paws. "I don't have nearly enough materials to fix her, but I can stop the bleeding long enough to get her home." Home. It was clear where he meant. The Hallows had the facilities, the faculty, and the supplies she needed. He was a field medic at best right now.

After a quick triage assessment, Kane decided his best course of action would be getting Ash responsive if he could and then getting some yarrow on her wounds to stem the bleeding. "The bleeding isn't severe, but I need to find some yarrow to slow it down," he explained to his mate, looking to her with seriousness in his usually soft eyes. "Stay with her, Tam. Try to wake her up or at least get her responsive. I'll only be a few minutes, I promise." With his directions imparted on her, Kane stood back up and rushed around the cathedral, sharp eyes peeled for those distinctive white flowers amongst a sea of dark emerald green.

"Kaneonuskatew"