Sirius, Naiche and Basilisk had presented Iolaire with the unconscious body of her niece, Aslatiel. The girl had snapped her leg clean. Or rather a boar had. The pair of young wolves were lucky that a broken leg was the only result. Io knew all too well what an angry boar was capable of.

The dainty healer had performed surgery on her niece, setting the bone perfectly in place, securing it with sinew, then suturing the wound shut. An immobilizing cast had been constructed to keep everything where it should be while it healed. All that was left was for Asla to sleep. Io had dosed the girl heavily with valerian. That plus the shock of the situation kept her in a deep, deep sleep.

Iolaire had sent the boys away from her cottage. There was nothing that they could do other than get in the way. Asla needed rest and honestly, so did she. With her injured niece asleep on a pile of furs, Io lay down as well. The stress of the procedure had taken a lot out of the frail woman. She would rest but her green-gold eyes would stay open lest Aslatiel wake up and need her.

When Indy scented Aslatiel at the entrance of th cottage he wasn’t sure that he wanted to enter. She just made his heart hurt right now, but the scent of blood caused his heart to stop and his body grow cold. That was the scent of her blood. She wasn’t here asking advice or getting a lesson, she was getting healed. Quietly, with careful movements as he pulled back the skin to enter, he looked inside. Both Iolaire and Aslatiel were laying down. Asla was obviously out. Out out. Io had her eyes open, keeping her attention on her patient. Obviously they were both in need of rest.

”Do you need anything?” Indy whispered softly as he hesitated forward, eyes glued to Aslatiel though he spoke to Io. Tears welled in his eyes, though he did his best to hide them from his aunt as he was again overwhelmed with his emotion. He couldn’t help the feelings as the filled his heart and showed themselves in the wetness of his eyes. ”She looks so..” beautiful, peaceful, torn up… ”frail.” He ended softly, with uncertainty. His eyes never left her as he realized in that moment how close he’d come to losing her forever. Indigo hurt now, but he didn’t know how he’d face that kind of devastation.

Soft, rustling movement from outside made the small woman raise her head from her paws. Two-toned eyes rested on the familiar face of Indigo as he quietly entered the cottage. Dark ears flicked forward and she observed his face, watching the pain cross his young features as he looked upon his prone, unconscious sister. A girl that he loved. Iolaire rose from the furs and moved forward, nuzzling into the boys cheek. She kept her voice quiet just as he did when he asked if she needed anything. "You can help me give her some water if you'd like. She needs to stay hydrated."

The boy's observation of his sister brought a small, sad smile to the tiny healers face. "She's stronger than you know." Reaching into a dish, Iolaire removed a sponge with her dexterous little digits. "Help me lift her head, but be gentle and slow." She knew that he would, but the teacher in her had to say it aloud anyway. As Indigo raised Asla's head slightly off of the ground, Io parted the girls jaws and dabbed her tongue with the wet sponge. "Aslatiel threw herself into the path of a boar to save a packmate. Her leg was broken and the bone pushed through her skin." Indigo was a budding healer as well, so she didn't hold back details of the injury. "Had she not done so, Naiche surely would have died. So you see, she's really pretty strong." With the water soaking into Asla's tongue, the girl reflexively swallowed. Putting the sponge back in the dish, Io patted Indigo's foreleg lightly. "No need to worry. She'll get through this."

Iolaire as he entered the den, but his eyes were on Asla. She stood up, though Indy wished she would have rested instead of moving on his account. Still, Indigo was appreciative of her affection and he returned her nuzzle, not realizing how much he craved her support. ”Of course,” he replied softly, barely even speaking, as she suggested how she could use his help. Io was supportive and Indy moved to surround his sister as Io went to her bucket.

With a special gentleness that wasn’t often shown by the massive boy Indigo cradled Aslatiel’s head. He was careful not to jostle her broken body as he tilted her features upwards. He almost missed the bright purple feather that was attached to her ear. A soft sound of sobbing left his lips before he could catch himself as tears pricked at his eyes. The color matched his pelt perfectly, and there was no other explanation for it beyond her returned love for him. The vast emotions that overtook him warred inside, and he was reminded that even though she was in his arms right now this moment was fleeting.

Maybe it was easier with her unconscious, he didn’t have to hold himself back to keep from hurting her, or feeling the pain himself. Her words were brought back to him and he was reminded that it would be better for both of them to find someone else to patch the hole he felt. He knew now that Asla felt the same.

Iolaire explained what happened fully, she didn’t sugar coat anything and Indy appreciated that. She’d saved Naiche, and sacrificed her leg for him. Aslatiel really was so strong, and it hurt even more that she was forbidden from him. Asla was everything he wanted, his other half. ”I know she will,” he whispered through hoarse lips as he reached down tentatively. Io had pulled away with the water, and with just as gentle a motion Indy kissed her cheek lovingly. She might not have been awake but he had no doubt she could feel how much he loved her from her drug induced sleep.

She hadn't reacted to the sob that escaped the boys lips. The woman only tucked her ears against her skull. She was so sorry that he had to feel this way. Once the sponge was back in the water, Iolaire made excuses to do other things, giving Indigo a moment alone with Aslatiel. The small woman went about the room, quietly tidying the already tidy space. Perhaps Indy needed this time while his sister was unable to respond or even know that he was there. Io would give him that.

Eventually there wasn't much else that she could do, so Io settled on her furs once more, leaving space for Indy and Asla on the other set of furs. The older woman placed her head on her paws once more and sadly watched the pair. "Have you spoken to your parents about going to The Hallows?" Her voice was soft, but she wanted to know whether or not he'd taken her advice.