Mæva limped back to the Avian Estuary where they'd made their base camp and where her father would be if he wasn't traveling. She hurt so bad! Mæva learned her lesson when it came to lions. Those were animals that were best avoided at all cost and in hindsight she knew it was better to run if at all possible. All things said she was lucky to escape with only the one injury. In her effort to make space for an escape the lion had grabbed her scruff the fangs piercing through her flesh. She was bleeding more than she ever had, the blood forming a sticky, itchy patch on the back of her neck by the time she'd arrived home.

Tipping back her head she called for her father then settled down on her belly in the grasses, trying to do her best not to cry.

A small white rabbit swung from Meriadoc's jaws as he trotted across the estuary. The creature's stark coat had been a dead give away against the estuary's brown winter landscape. It hadn't stood a chance; a short chase down an inlet and he'd bagged supper. Absently he wondered if the rabbit's coat was an omen of things to come. Yes it had been snowing lately, but the powder rarely lasted until noon and it certainly wasn't enough to demand a change in camouflage in rabbits. And yet this one had done it.

Meriadoc's head jerked up at Maeva's howl. That did not bode well. When your bold, independent daughter howls for you out of the blue you run like your tail is on fire because you know it's important. So that's what he did. He ran flat out in the direction her voice had emanated from.

Upon reaching her and noting the tears she was fighting, Meriadoc flung his rabbit down and moved in for a hug. "Hey, it's okay. What's-" The blood on her nape brought him to a screeching halt. "Ohh, I see. Win another fight, did we?" He had no idea how many fights she'd won or lost, but implying he thought she'd pulled off yet another victory might lift her spirits. "Why don't you tell me about it while I clean this up?" It was tempting to panic at the sight of one of his kids bleeding all over the place, but he'd been here before many times and he knew handling it calmly was the best course of action.

The minute her father came into view Mæva raced for him. The tears she'd been struggling to hold back suddenly started leaking from the corner of her eyes. As he moved in towards her she tried to bury her face in his chest. The warmth and solidity of his form did wonders to help her feel better and her father always seemed to know what to say. She pulled back and swallowed sharply, nodding her head in answer to his questions while she found her voice.

"I was exploring and I tripped and I fell on a lion, and then this mean lady was yelling at me and we won but I got bit and it hurts so bad!"

He blinked and nodded once slowly to himself as he tried to digest her explanation for her wound. Tripped and fell on a lion. Right. Well he'd heard stranger stories so sure, why not. She'd tripped and fallen onto a lion, and then fought it off with the help of a mean lady. "It sounds like you had quite the day," he said as he gently picked at the wound on her neck. Meriadoc was trying to see how deep the marks were so he could decide how best to take care of them.

He glanced at her face before prompting, "Well go on, Mae, tell me more. How big was the lion? Why was the lady mean? Child, I need details!" That should keep her busy while he cleaned. The wounds weren't too bad. If he could convince her to keep them clean he didn't think there would be a need to wrap them. Winter had killed off most of the pests that would have preyed on such a thing which left only the whims of his daughter to pester them.

Gently Meriadoc began to clean the blood matted fur on Maeva's neck. He would make sure there was no debris in the wounds and then see what he could find to aid in healing and lessen her pain - maybe. If she could bear it he was tempted to let her feel the extent of her injuries as a reminder that she needed to take it easy. Otherwise he wasn't sure he could convince her to relax for a few days and take her healing seriously.

Her breath came in shaky stops and starts as she nodded it her head. It really had been a crazy day! She was ready to settle down and stay at home for a few days. The world was amazing but it was also really scary and she had had enough of it for now.

Her father prompted her with more questions and she took a deep breath. "My head came up to its shoulder and the lady was mad because… because I fell, and she told me to fight." Mæva swallowed again, a touch of pride finding its way into her chest. "I caught its leg, dad. Caught it right in my jaws when it tried to hit me."

The more he learned the more confusing Meriadoc found the story. That was just the way it was with kids. He was getting decent at reading between the lines and connected dots. He lit up visibly and stopped what he was doing to meet his daughter's eyes when she cheerfully informed him she'd caught the cat's leg in her mouth. In all honesty the thought of his kid, young as she was, doing something like that terrified him, but she was strong and capable, and just stubborn enough that if he visibly disapproved he was afraid she'd stop being this open with him. Rather than say it outright when she was clearly so proud, he'd have to find another way to encourage her to be more careful. "Did you really? Impressive! It sounds like it was quite the fight."

After cleaning the wounds Meriadoc glanced around the ground and was pleased when his gaze immediately landed on the familiar leaves of a plantain plant. He picked a few leaves and after bruising them, applied them to Maeva's wounds like self-sticking bandages. For now they were unbound so he cautioned, "You're going to have to be careful, now, otherwise you'll undo all of my hard work." Maybe that would slow her down for a bit. He didn't think that would have any effect on her trouble-making in general, of course, but perhaps she would take it easy for a day or two.