oh the misery

On they went, then. Hal did her best to keep up with the man as they departed from the wood, aware he was likely shortening his strides to make it easier, so she in turn tried to lengthen hers, as much as her bum paw would allow.

Gradually the vast, towering redwoods of their surroundings gave way to smaller, more normal sized trees, yet abnormal in their gnarled, twisted appearance. In her travels, Hal had seen these trees from afar, but had never taken the time to stop and note their truly unique appearance; as if bramble vines had grown to the size of trees rather than being trees themselves.

Then, through the thicket loomed the mountains, majestic yet intimidating in their harsh silhouette against the sky, like an open maw of teeth seeking to devour the sun. She'd thought them impressive from a distance and thought them even more so up close. The unmistakable musk of wolf, strong and plentiful, confirmed this was the home of the Armada.

Seemingly expecting their arrival, a white wolf was quick to make his way onto the scene, carrying with him a bundle of some sort and a spring in his step. Hal eyed him warily, only relaxing a tiny bit when he introduced himself as a healer. He then also offered his name -- Ollie -- and it was in that moment she realized no other introductions had been made, not by her, not by the man she strode into camp with. A side effect of her silent disposition. If she was to be staying with them, surely she owed them that much, at least.

With a slightly awkward glance at the dark man beside her, to sort of include him in this statement as well, she quietly chuffed, "Halldóra."

She then swallowed a hard lump in her throat, having not used her name since... well, since there had been wolves who cared to know it. Now wasn't the time for reminiscing though.

As for what ailed her? She did indeed raise the bad paw, so Ollie could see it better, thinking he hadn't already. "It's... sprained?" They were pretty sure it was sprained, but in the face of someone who actually knew a thing or two about such things, she was less confident.


"Speech."