"Talk" "walk" Mount Volkan was practically next door to her territory, and she had not known about the pack living on its slopes. She would have retained her ignorance as the pack dispersed, if it wasn't for the wolves who had come to her door. Ace and his pups had joined Abaven, and told her about Ruina, the pack that almost shared a border with her. Her ignorance was shocking, and if there was something she hated, it wasn’t having all the facts. She ensured Rhyme had the day free to spend in Abaven - they had been having a lot of border calls, lately - and prepared for her journey. She brought her little tree swallow with her, and plotted scouting out the territory. She left early in the day, and made the trek across to the mountain. She was impressed at the towering sight of it, and wondered again at her lapse in investigating it before this. She had always seen it from a distance, but it had been just another feature of the land. She shook her head at herself, and began the climb upwards. It was a barren, rocky territory. Not the sort you might look at and see as ideal for a pack. Unless perhaps the reasons had been strategic.. If you knew the land, it would be hard to get an invading force up here. Feather flew ahead, and helped Shaye to find the easiest course upwards. It was a lot of climbing, and scrambling across rocks. It didn’t help that Feather didn’t have the best sense on what the easiest path was. After all, she could fly. After a while of walking, she began to realize that the course Feather had taken her on was a tricky one, her path got narrower as she ascended, and she reached a point where the only way up was to clamber over and jump from rocky point to rocky point. A little pensive, the Alpha climbed the closest rock, and eyed up the jump. Yeah, she could make it. She coiled her back paws, and pushed off. She completely misjudged the slipperiness of the rock she stood on. Her paws caught on moss, and her jump flopped. She fell downwards, for a moment she felt nothing but the wind brushing through her coat, and her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She hit, but she didn’t really remember the landing. Her vision went blurry, and things seemed dark, she took a breath, and lost consciousness. She couldn’t hear the sudden, frantic cries of her bird. Feather swooped downwards, then fluttered back upwards, crying out in fear. Sometimes she landed, pecking the nose of the unconscious wolf, at other times she flew upwards, crying out at the top of her lungs, a high pitched, peeping cry for help.

After many, many years Odysseus found himself in Boreas once again. He'd aged quite a bit since those days and while he was as lively and determined as ever, the years had changed him. Like a fine wine he'd matured and come into his own. The countless scars on his body and the strength of his gaze hinted at a life spent fighting for the things that were dear to his heart. On his back was Olafur, a companion who had been faithful to him since youth. They had remained close through the years and now were nearly inseparable.

The persistent and curious;y out of place cry of a bird caught first Odysseus' then Olafur's attention. A look exchanged between the two was enough to convey mutual curiosity, and together the pair set off to investigate.

The sight of the bird diving frantically at a gaping crack in the ground only served to heighten Odysseus' curiosity. Originally he'd hoped for an easy meal of some stripe, but the bird's behavior suggested something far less mundane was afoot.

The dark knight waited until the bird was flying upwards as if readying for another dive and then he approached the ravine and looked down while Olafur kept his eyes on the bird in case it dove at them. Odysseus squinted into the dusty haze - clearly something had stirred up the dirt at the bottom - and spied what he thought was a wolf paw. "I think there's someone down there," he rumbled to Olafur.

"Want me to check it out?"

"Please. The climb will be easier for you."

Without another word Olafur climbed off Odysseus' back and clambered into the earth. After a bit his voice echoed up through the gap. "There is a wolf down here. Looks like she hit her head. Not conscious."

After carefully looking over the series of ledges and crevices that pocked the walls of the ravine, Odysseus tentatively made his way down. It was no small feat; his bulk made the climb difficult and many a time he had to step blindly because he couldn't see his paws, but eventually he made it. At last he stood on the ravine's floor.

After padding over to the woman and noting the visible white of her eyes and the stillness of her form, he bent down and gently touched her forehead. "Miss?" he rumbled in a voice too gravelly to ever be considered gentle. "Can you hear me?" He briefly glanced upwards for the bird. Perhaps it had a similar relationship to the woman as Odysseus had to Olafur.

"Talk" "walk" Feather cried out as the two creatures neared her companion. She didn’t fly down, but fluttered awkwardly in the air some distance above, watching them. She had wanted help, and help had arrived - or so she hoped. She watched their actions cautiously, weary that they meant her friend harm. Shaye, on the other hand, heard a voice reach out to her over the darkness. A gentle Miss? on a gravelly voice, as through the owner had been gargling stones. She had never heard that voice before, and only wished for it to leave her alone. Some part of her understood that the darkness smothered something she didn’t want to think about right now. can you hear me? she groaned softly at that insistent voice, knowing it would not leave until she answered it . “‘m’fi’n” she rasped back at him, but the motions required to speak had been enough. She came-to properly with a gasp of pain, the cloud of unconsciousness drifting away. She instantly felt the aches and pains of her body. Her head was beating in the waves of a headache, and she had to wonder how hard she had hit her head. She twitched, feeling out her limbs, and rasped again. Pain. If she was to guess, she had a deep cut on her right foreleg, she could feel the skin pulling as she moved it. Aside from that? She wasn't certain yet. Did she really want to know? Pragmatism won out in the end and she opened her eyes, looking up at the dark wolf that stood over her. The reds of his eyes were readily visible, even in the dim lighting, and they were looking at her with something akin to concern. For a moment, she forgot herself, looking into this strangers fathomless gaze. Why did he look so concerned. She blinked, remembering her head wound and groaned for a third time. Right, she fell. She tensed, as, finally, the realisation came over her. She was injured - she didn’t know how badly - and a stranger was looming over her. “Who - what.” dammit, which questions did she need to ask first? “Who are you?”

Odysseus' eyes narrowed as he watched the woman rouse. The expression, while easily mistaken for annoyance on his stern features, was born of thoughtful concentration as he began to mentally put together a diagnosis. Her first slurred and sleepy response was barely intelligible, but she quickly recovered enough to get her meaning across. To Odysseus this was promising.

In the hopes of making his hulking figure less intimidating, Odysseus crouched down beside Shaye.

"My name is Odysseus. My companion and I heard that bird up there and came to investigate." He motioned upwards towards the bird before diving back into assessing the woman's condition. "Do you know what happened or where you are?" Her answers to these simple questions determined what he would do next.

"Talk" "walk" The gaze of the man lessened as his lids drew downwards. She almost wilted under the expression, but she had not been a child for a long time. He crouched down beside her, and it took her a moment to decide that the gesture had been symbolic, making himself appear less menacing. that was a good sign, she decided. If the opinion of a wounded wolf mattered to him, then he probably wasn’t planning on eating her. She was still lying down, knowing that the moment she rose her body would finishing inventory on her wounds, and she wasn’t quite ready for that bill yet. He would introduce himself, Odysseus, and indicate a companion that she had not noticed yet. She blinked at him, knowing there should be more going on between her ears then there was, right now. He then motioned towards Feather, and seeing that she was awake, the bird came closer, landing on a boulder not far from the pair of wolves. The sight of her companion comforted her, and she was able to draw her attention back to the man. “I’m Shaye.” but that wasn’t the question. “Ruina… or what use to be Ruina, now just a volcano. I was jumping… guess that didn’t go well for me.” she admitted. She moved her legs a little, huffing at the pain. “Bruising… definitely, laceration on my right foreleg…” it had been a long time since she had been a healer. “Do I have a wound on my head?” that was definitely one she couldn’t examine for herself, and her woozy thoughts were starting to worry her. What worry could get through the haze, that was.

With use the woman's speech became clearer and it was easy to tell by looking into her eyes that her awareness was on a similar upward path. Absently Odysseus noted, as Shaye looked up towards her companion, that her eyes responded well to the light. These were all good signs. But he wasn't ready to jump to a conclusion just yet.

Odysseus listened intently as she took stock of her injuries. He gave a slight affirmative nod as she asked about her head and then his gaze trailed upwards towards the spot in question. The avenger studied it a moment, then said, "But it's not too bad. It's above your left eye and bleeding moderately, but that's to be expected with a head wound. It doesn't appear to be all that deep but I really can't tell without a closer examination."

His expression as he prepared to deliver an offer of aid was earnest, genuine and a touch out of place on a visage that so clearly should have belonged to scowling brawler. "I'm a healer and I would be happy to take a look at it if you'll let me."

"Talk" "walk" She was doing her best to catalogue her wounds. How far had she fallen? Glancing upwards, she wasn’t actually sure. She needed to get to her feet and assess the damage as best she could. Instead, she looked up again at the dark wolf, his gaze seemed calculating as he looked back at her, and she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on behind his eyes, despite the situation she had landed herself in. He was nodding at her, and spoke a moment later. That gravelly voice was practical and straightforward, and she appreciated his words. He spoke about the cut, indicating it lay above her left eye but was not serious. That had been her main concern, after all, she had blacked out. The grogginess was almost gone by this point, through her head still throbbed something terrible. His expression was so earnest, it seemed at odds with the gruff exterior she had seen from him so far. “Oh, of course” Shaye agreed, still surprised to realise that he was a healer. What where the chances? She plummets like the moron she was, and a healer happened to find her. It was good news, and meant she might actually make it out of this with only her pride damaged. “I would appreciate the assistance.” she managed to insert some manners between her internal ramblings.

With consent given Odysseus leaned in to get a better look at the gash on Shaye' forehead. He frowned at it, his expression thoughtful, and then turned to look at Ollie. "It's a moderate gash. Get what you can for it. And water if you can find any." The macaque nodded and was off in flash. With a nimble bound he disappeared out of sight.

After Ollie was gone Odysseus turned back to Shaye. He could smell the pack scent on her; smell the unmistakable tang of an alpha. This intrigued him. The vast majority of the alphas he'd met had been male. Their typically larger size and aggression gave them an edge when it came to claiming - and maintaining - a pack. He had to wonder just what kind of female it took to succeed in her position.

"It might take Olafur some time to gather supplies." Odysseus chuckled, then said, "You picked a hell of a spot to take a tumble. One of these days I'm going to get a bag to carry supplies in. It seems I only need things when the odds of finding them are not in my favor."

Out of the corner of his eye Odysseus saw a splash of green. He turned and saw the hint of color belonged to a patch of moss. The avenger was quick to retrieve it and offer the plush, green side of the carpet plant to Shaye. "Press this against the wound over your eye. It'll slow the bleeding until Olafur gets back." Hopefully he would have something better.

"Talk" "walk" She finally saw the companion he had named to her earlier, as Odysseus’s eyes had moved to the monkey, so did Shaye’s she regarded the creature with some curiosity, having only seen monkeys at a distance. He took the orders well, rushing off out of her sight again without a word. Interesting companion, she couldn’t help but think. Nimble paws like that would be useful… Ody’s eyes turned back to her again, and she looked up at that red gaze he didn’t say anything for a moment, simply looked at her, and seemed to be sniffing the air. All she could smell was her blood, and monkey, now that she thought about it. Her own companion still perched not far away, watching what was going on. “Sorry, i’ll plan a better spot next time…” Shaye said dryly, before giving up and letting out a soft laugh of her own, wincing as it ached her ribs. They were likely bruised, as well. “I’m not far from my pack, it’ll be the climb down that - well, I suppose now its climb up.” she sighed softly, she hadn’t gotten the chance to explore the volcano and wouldn’t for some time, perhaps. Ody handed her a scrap of moss, and she did as she was instructed, moving into a better position, well trying not to complain. She hadn’t gone and gotten herself really beaten up in a long time. Her body did not seem accustomed to the abuse, even with the fight training she had been putting herself through. “What brought you here, where you could aid me today?” she wondered, mostly to distract herself, but all because she was becoming curious about her sudden and unexpected savior.

Ah, the climb. He hadn't even thought that far ahead yet. Odysseus' concern had been centered around making sure the woman was alright. Hopefully she was well enough to make the climb out, otherwise they were going to have to get very creative. And they weren't exactly in the best climate for MacGyver-ing so to pull off a successful rescue they'd have to be pretty clever.

"We lived here in the east once upon a time. Olafur and I. Coming back to where we started just seemed..." Odysseus trailed off as he tried to think of the word that best suited their situation. They were starting over; basically starting again as if the last five years hadn't happened. "Appropriate."

A clatter of rocks announced the return of Olafur. "There isn't much up there," the greyscale macaque admitted as he dumped the first armload of items at Odysseus' paws. "I did find water and a few other things." The monkey was quick to scrabble back up out of sight and could be heard clattering around as Odysseus picked through the items at his paws. There was lamb's ear, calendula, rosemary and cattail. The titan, satisfied with the haul, nodded to himself. He could work with that.

In no time at all Olafur was back with two hastily crafted leaf bowls stacked on one another and clutched to his breast. He set them down in front of Odysseus and then squatted beside him. The two had been working together for years - their movements were synchronized and effortless, and they worked in silence.

After helping Odysseus crush some of the leaves, Olafur picked up one of the water bowls and brought it to Shaye. "I'm going to rinse out the gash on your head and leg. This might sting a bit." Olafur washed the wounds carefully and quickly, and once he was done he turned his attention back to Odysseus. While his companion had been working, Odysseus had combined the crushed herbs with the water in the second bowl. All that remained uncrushed was a leaf of lamb's ear and the cattails.

Olafur took the bowl from Odysseus and carefully applied the poultice to Shaye's wounds. To her leg he then applied the leaf of lamb's ear and tied it on with the cattails. The poultice over her ear would have to stay uncovered for the time being. There simply wasn't a good way to cover it with the items on hand.

"There," Odysseus said finally. "I think you're fit to travel. Think you can climb up on your own?" If not he could probably push and either solo or with Olafur's help pulling, get her to the top.

"I understand the sentiment" shaye admitted, thinking back to how, when her and Vail had the chance to return they had gone to the last place they had lived before. They had been searching for answers about their parents and family, but it was still pretty similar. She had returned to Boreas and started off in the same place she had departed from. Of course, things had gotten wildly different from there.

She heard the clatter of stones, and startled. The abrupt movement reminded her about her headache as her vision swum and darkened. It cleared in moments, and she would see the monkey returned. She blinked, trying to brush away any remaining grogginess. She didnt like feeling inadequate like injuries tended to make one.

She must have lost a few moments, because next thing she know the small creature was leaning over her, indicating that he was going to wash out her wounds. She gave a short nod and let him go at it, even turning slightly now and then to make things easier for him to reach. The water tingled against her wounds but she knew it was an essential process.

He then began to apply salves and shaye sniffed curiously, recognizing the scents of the herbs. They reminded her of rhythm, and she felt herself relaxing a little more. Once they where done she scrambled to her feet. She was right about the bruised ribs, and her paw hobbled a little as she walked. Regardless, she wasnt going to lie around her. She gave her savor a confident grin "I've got this." Famous last words.

Odysseus stepped back as Shaye got to her paws. His scarlet gaze was a bit hawkish as he watched her movements for signs of trouble. Had she been unsteady he might have insisted she sit back down, but she seemed to be doing well for someone who'd just used her head to cushion her fall.

Her answer to his question caused his brows to rise, but he said nothing and simply motioned her forward. They'd see, now wouldn't they?

Shaye had mentioned a pack and of course he'd already figured out she was an alpha, and together the two things had got him to think about his and Olafur's future. About where they'd gone wrong in the last few years. Maybe going it alone was what had led to their struggles. Perhaps it was time for a change. Odysseus made a mental note to ask Shaye about her pack when the opportunity presented itself.

"Talk" "walk" She noticed the way he watched her, the expression reminding her of all the healer members in her family. She hid a smile, and took a testing step forward. The leg held, and well it pulled a little, his bandage held well too. He was good at his craft, and she was thrice lucky for his appearance. Her vision swam with the movement, but holding herself still gave it a moment to clear. She knew the headache would be lasting, and so long as the screwy vision didn’t happen at a really bad time, she had a feeling she could do this. Odysseus said nothing as she got herself to her feet and prepared for the climb. She glanced over at him now, and he was still impassively watching her, he offered him her most confident smile before wondering her gaze through their surroundings again. “Alright.. The best way up..” she mused out loud, glancing at Feather. She would ask the bird, but it had become clear the creature didn’t understand the safest path. “Where did you come down?” she would ask the red eyed male.

Odysseus' eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Shaye gather her resolve. Something about her eyes made him think she was putting on a more stoic face than she would have had she been alone. It was a common thing when faced with a healer (and a stranger). He could have kicked himself for not asking about her head sooner.

He motioned to a narrow stone that jutted out of the side of the ravine. "That was my last step down. Unfortunately..." Odysseus trailed off as he padded towards the chest high stone. The next step -a long but narrow sloping ledge - was up higher still. "It looks like it's going to be harder to climb up than down." Gravity had helped his descent, but that same force was going to make it harder to jump up onto those same ledges.

Odysseus frowned up at the nearly sheer wall. He wasn't sure how he would be able to reach the top and he was in good physical condition. Shaye would be battling gravity and her injuries. "Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way." He glanced back at Shaye. "It wouldn't hurt to walk down there," he motioned down the ravine, "And see if there's an easier way out." Where they were currently was a dead end, but in the opposite direction it looked like the stone fissure turned a corner and went on for a ways.

Okay, he had to ask. There was no putting it off any longer. "How's your head, by the way? Any dizziness or changes in vision?"

"Talk" "walk" Ody caught on to her spoken thoughts and indicated the way he had climbed down. She looked at it, ad clicked her teeth in thought. Yeah, that was going to be a tough one. she walked closer to the step, to given it a thorough inspection. If she could lean on something and wiggle her weight upwards perhaps she could -- he pulled her from her planning as he spoke, and indicated behind them, further into the ravine she had fallen. She paused, and tried not to blush. Hey, she did have a head wound after all, but she had forgotten that there might be more than one way out of this. She glanced into the shadows beyond, and tried to remember if she had seen much of the ravine on her climb up. Honestly, she hadn’t been looking down much, and didn’t have any useful information for what might lie around the bend. “Yes, good plan.” she agreed, relieved that she didn’t have to try the climb just yet. Through she loathed to admit it, even to herself. She took a step in that direction, when Ody asked about her head. She sighed softly, she thought she had kept it under wraps pretty good. But then, he was a healer. “A touch of vertigo, swimming vision when I move too fast. Its fading the longer i’m up.” she promised him.

Just as he suspected, Shaye wasn't quite as well as she let on. Given how long it took her to admit to this compared to her other injuries Odysseus was a bit skeptical of her promise that it was getting better. His skepticism was written plainly on his face and honestly, he felt no need to hide it. She needed to know both he and her health were serious. "If your pack has a healer I would - if I were you - see him or her when you get home and tell them what happened so they can keep an eye on you," he said sternly.

"And I'd also consider using feverfew for the next few days. As many leaves as you can fit in your paw. It'll help with dizziness and with headaches, should they appear. And if you can, take it easy. Rest often - head injuries can be very serious. What starts as mild can quickly blossom into something worse if you're not careful." It was only a hunch but Odysseus had the sneaking suspicion that Shaye was the sort to go non stop. Hopefully she took his advice to heart.

He chuckled dryly, then said, "I'm already being bossy so I may as well continue. For both your leg and your head mix rosemary, calendula and lamb's ear in equal parts and apply the mixture to the wounds until they begin to close. Then just keep them clean; they should heal completely in no time."

Odysseus moved to walk beside Shaye. There was just enough room for them to walk abreast through the stone fissure. "But that, I think, is enough of that. I'm curious about this pack of yours," he offered as as a change of topic. "Would you mind telling me about it?"

"Talk" "walk" She almost grinned at the doubt she could see when she looked at him. He was watching her with judging eyes, and she realised she had made one of the mistakes that all healers hate - never hide your hurts. If it had been Vail instead of Ody, she would likely have gotten a more vivid telling of, but as it was, she could only nod her head in agreement at his words, to make up for her mistake. “I’ll do exactly that.” she promised him, knowing Vail would fuss over her. “Feverfew, i’ll see what Vail has in her stores and make sure I do.” she would add, all compliance. She knew better then to argue with a healer. He prescribed her some more herbs, laughing at his own bossiness, and she grinned back at him. “Of course, Abaven is a pack where its members can have the chance to form close knit relationships. It’s the sort of pack that stands up for justice, promotes self sufficiency, and looks out for its allies and friends.” she really liked how Rhyme had put it, and still stuck to his quote about Abaven’s nature. “You know, you can always come with me, and chat with my healer, and see Abaven for yourself.” she offered him. Raising an eyebrow - not the injured one - as she turned to look at him with a half smile. He had after all been very clear that she couldn’t skimp on her healing, so perhaps the idea would appeal to him.

Odysseus resisted the urge to harrumph as Shaye promised to do as he instructed. In his experience those that weren't upfront with their injuries tended to be equally uncooperative when it came to the aftercare. But he would keep his misgivings to himself and hope that Vail, the healer Shaye had mentioned, would watch his (soon to be) former patient closely.

Unless...

The stoic male was quiet for several moments as he mulled over Shaye's description of her pack. He vaguely remembered Abaven from his first foray into Boreas, although his memory of it was all hearsay as what he'd learned he'd gotten from other rogues.

Finally he raised his gaze to Shaye's. "I'd like that." He'd been looking for a place to settle down in most of his life. Many attempts had been made, but none had fit him. Despite his best efforts Odysseus wasn't one to always follow orders. If he had a better plan, he went with his plan and this, paired with other headstrong tendencies (and vices), had cost him many a home.

"Ah, look," he boomed, his crimson gaze lighting up as he spied a pile of boulders that nearly reached the top of the crevice. Many were massive, easily several times his weight and girth, and while jagged, offered a solid path to the world above.