Hours. It had taken hours for Abby to stumble out of the thick marshland and towards the scent of home.The sun had risen and given light to a crisp morning, golden light spilling from the sky and making the dew that clung to the grass sparkle. Not that Abby could tell anyways.

Her back right leg was properly swollen, and she had too many bruises to count from fumbling through the dense marsh, but at least her ear had stopped bleeding. Or not, as she felt yet another warm dropped drip down her eyelid. Maybe it was a blessing she couldn’t see herself, the left side of her face almost completely bloodied, chunks of fur missing on various spots on her flank, tears still flowing from her blind brown eyes. She looked as terrifying as the witch that cursed her.

She had collapsed in the orchard, desperate to return to some shred of familiarity, but alas it gave her little relief. She could smell the flowers, the sheep and the perfect apple trees all in a row, but she couldn’t see them. She couldn’t see anything. Not a shred of green orange or red. Just the pitch black of the abyss she couldn’t escape from. She nestled next to a tree once again, curled up and sobbing uncontrollably. This was supposed to be home, but it didn’t feel the same. No matter how far she walked she wouldn’t be able to escape the reality of her injuries or affliction or that goddamn swamp. The only thing she could do was weep, and so she did.

Lately Ásvor had been keeping to herself more than anything, though not for lack of desire to socialize. Not that she was a terribly social wolf to begin with, but even more than that Ásvor had been distracted, both by the wedding that had recently taken place and, more importantly, by her son and wife. Her focus had long ago shifted to revolve nearly completely on her and Valdis's life, and now Ulfr had been thrown into the mix and she was still adjusting to it. Getting to know more of Fireside wolves was something she recognized as important, even if less so than her immediate family.

Getting out and socializing wasn't really her goal for the day, but she wasn't opposed to it either. Taking a little walk to the orchard while she had some time this morning and seeing if any late summer herbs had cropped up recently sounded like a promising idea, though almost immediately as she headed that way she sensed something was amiss. A light breeze brought the scent of fresh blood to her nose, and she grew suddenly more attentive as she continued forward. After a bit of searching she heard Abilene before she saw her. It was initially impossible to tell just what was wrong with her, but she decided she likely wouldn't be able tell until she examined her more closely.

The healer in her instantly jumped to action. The more rational part of her wanted to urge her to stop crying (because crying never solved anything), but she knew empathy was an important part of tending to the sick and injured, so she'd push those thoughts aside for now. "Abilene, isn't it?" They'd never spoken directly but Ásvor was observant enough that she tried to pay attention to who shared Fireside with her, when she could, even its newest members. Abi was no exception. As she drew closer, the blood on her face was obvious, but her coat was coated in muck and made it difficult to immediately see what else was wrong. "Tell me, what happened?" Ásvor's voice was hardly unkind, though she clearly expected an answer nonetheless. This would be the first step to figuring out what she needed to do next.

She didn’t notice Asvor’s approach until the old healer was upon her, and maybe she should’ve jumped out of her skin, but the surprise drew no feeling from the sobbing muddy mess. She didn’t recognise her voice, but she found she wasn’t scared. But she didn’t feel brave either. Just... an apathy that encouraged her to return to the fetal position and wait for something other to take her away. A pit the apathy didn’t wipe the tears from her face as well.

She tried to calm her breath but it was no use, it seemed she’d have to explain that she’d drunken a witch’s bath soap, had her ear torn of by a carnivorous plant, leg broken by an angry frog and eyesight taken by the same with as vengeance. “ The swamp took everything,” she managed to say hoarsely, “ she took my ear, m’ leg and my eyes!” She cried, strange words making it clear that the experience had taken its toll on her already fragile mind “my back leg’s broken, I’m missing half an ear and I can’t see. The bitch took my eyes!” She spat the last statement bitterly, such language strange on her tongue. But it wasn’t the strangest thing she could taste on her tongue unfortunately.

Ásvor was hardly known for being a kind wolf, though when it came to her family and pack she had grown to be considerably softer and more apt to show kindness as she aged. Her version of compassion was a bit less soft and more straight-to-the-point - but it was still present and obvious, especially now as she studied Abilene and tried to decide how to best help her. She was bleeding, crying, and her breathing was labored - only ceasing her crying would calm her down enough for Ásvor to properly examine her, but telling her to do so wasn't the right approach, she knew that much. Some of her injuries seemed superficial, but some more serious. If she'd managed to walk this far, her leg was likely not permanently crippled, but judging the state of her eyes was much more difficult at the moment.

"We'll fix you right up," Ásvor lied gently. It was possible that some of her injuries could never be permanently repaired but the first step to healing was calming her down. Panicking wouldn't do either of them any good. "And punish whoever did this to you, if need be." Her words were deadly serious. Ásvor was a fiercely loyal wolf, and if Abilene was part of Fireisde along with her wife and son,  she was included in the circle of those she would protect.. and avenge, if need be. Whatever had happened made little sense to her right now, but she supposed in time the full story would be unveiled. "How well can you walk?" She asked her gently. Getting her to somewhere more secluded, like Ásvor's den, was likely the best option as she tried to clean her wounds and figure out what was wrong. There she would be able to access her herbs as well and decide what was best for treating her. Maybe something to calm her down was the best option. "Lean against me, if you're able. We'll walk together. I'll tell you which direction to turn," she added, aware that her vision was currently incapacitated. She hoped it wouldn't be forever, for Abilene's sake, but if that was the case she'd just have to learn to adapt. Wolves had survived worse.

The tears never left her face but her breathing began to slow as she finally became too exhausted to panic. She hadn't properly met Asvor before, but she was there and she was kind and that was all Abby needed right now. Even though she couldn't see her surroundings, she could smell the fruit of the orchard and it grounded her. She was far away from the swamp. She was far away from the witch.

She moved to stand and pain flared from her leg again making her yelp, but she stood relatively steadily. "I think I can walk." She replied, breathing heavily as her leg throbbed. She took up her offer and leaned against the her flank, taking off some weight from her broken leg. She waited for the healer to tell her to move, not wanting to accidentally wander off into the pitch-black that filled her eyes.

She seemed at least somewhat calmed by her presence, which Ásvor was grateful for. Perhaps there was a better wolf within Fireside, someone she was more familiar with, someone who could calm her down more easily - but Ásvor was who had found her, and she had no doubt it was better than lying there alone. She said she thought she could walk, and Ásvor hummed in acknowledgement. Abilene was able to stand, and she moved to angle herself directly against her side - the one opposite her injured leg - so that she could hopefully lean on her and mostly relieve the weight from it. Once she did as instructed, Ásvor began the slow but steady trek back to her den. She had no clue where Valdis or Ulfr were, but she had no doubt they'd understand if she took over and let Abilene rest there awhile.

By the time they reached her den, she directed Abilene inside. There were furs that lined part of their den would prove far more comfortable than lying on the floor, Ásvor knew for sure. Moving swiftly once she was settled in, Ásvor found her herb bundles and tried to assess what would be best used. Nothing she had could cure blindness, nor fix a torn ear, unfortunately. She had pain relievers that might help her leg, but calming her down still seemed most important. One plant in particular could easily work on both of those issues, temporarily but hopefully it'd let her relax long enough to let her rest. Grabbing a few small cannabis leaves, she brought them to Abilene and laid them on her paws - quite literally, since she knew she might have difficulty finding them otherwise. "Eat a few of these," she encouraged her gently.  "They will help with the pain and relax your body. Maybe even enough to sleep." In a better state of mind they might even make her feel good but in Abilene's fragile state, the most she could ask for was to help relax her and ease some of the pain for now while she rebuilt her strength. The rest would be tended to after. Her injuries seemed mostly superficial, and though her face was bloody the source seemed to be her ear rather than her eyes. Ásvor couldn't begin to imagine what had happened to render her sightless.

Ásvor didn’t hurry her, and Abby was grateful for that. The first flare of pain faded back to a steady rhythm as the broken girl leaned heavily on the healer. She was quite light for her size, and for once she was grateful.

The trek felt painfully long and surprisingly short at the same time. The darkness had a habit of distorting Abby’s perception of time, her brain unable to recognise landmarks or the slow shifting of light. Hell, she didn’t even know what time it was. The only thing she felt was the grass under her paws, the burning in her ear and leg and the old healer that practically carried her through the plains. Was she even in the plains still?

The only indication that they had reached their destination was the downward slope and the soft furs that Ásvor directed her to. She tried to control her collapse onto the floor, but with her energy sapped dry it was difficult to say the least. Her ears flicked towards the rustling of the other wolf rummaging through supplies as she let her bloodied head rest upon her muck-covered paws. If she pretended it was fine it would be, right? She sniffed at the herbs at her paws, before beginning to absentmindedly munch on the leaves. “Sorry for the mess.” She apologised, aware of the fact that her coat was probably filthy and she’d probably had left quite a few muddy footprints on the way in. Her breathing was ragged but calm, and the flow of tears had slowed further. “What did you feed me?”

At least she was putting her knowledge to use. Maybe Fireside was just full of wolves too stubborn to really ask around for a hand when they injured themselves - must be that, because Ásvor knew damn well it wasn't for lack of trying to get injured. She knew a good pawful of wolves here who would gladly laugh in the face of danger. Regardless, she was just happy to have something to do, and truthfully she didn't mind helping a packmate in need. A stranger, though? Maybe if payment was offered she'd help, otherwise she wasn't the type to stick her head out for anyone, even if the favor was a small one.

She watched as Abilene collapsed down, her exhaustion quite obvious. But at least she could rest safely now. Ásvor was happy to keep an eye on the den while she slept, giving her some privacy and making sure that nothing was stalking her back her. It still wasn't immediately obvious what the source of the threat had really been, but she supposed they could talk about that later, or even tomorrow. "Ah, don't worry. I have a son, I see far more mess than this regularly," she admitted gently. Having a son, albeit an adopted son, was teaching her a lot about patience than she'd ever cared to know. A little blood and dirt didn't bother her. "I gave you cannabis. It will help you rest. Most of your injuries look like they need time to heal." Her leg seemed swollen and injured - perhaps a poultice of sorts would help relieve the swelling? Her sight was another story entirely, and Asvor couldn't say for sure what could be done about that it anything. "Rest. I'll clean up your leg and apply something to it. I'll be outside once I'm done, just yell if you need me," she informed her, hoping she approved of the plan. And if not? Wasn't like she had many other choices right now.

She relaxed further, the exhaustion and cannabis getting the better of her. Sleep sounded nice right now. Maybe she’d be able to see in her dreams?

She listened to Asvor speak, making an effort to control her breathing. The healer was right, rest would be best right now. “Ulfr, isn’t it?” She commented idly. She had seen the boy a couple of times, but he was another one of the people that Abby was aware of but hadn’t been formally introduced to. “Yeah, he seems like he could be a handful.” She didn’t mean it in a negative way, it was just an observation. Distracting herself from her injuries seemed to be the most effective route as she felt her eyes begin to close.

“Alright.” She responded, half asleep. She let her eyes slide closed as she drifted off to sleep, finally able to calm down completely.

The cannabis was working nicely, allowing Abilene to relax and get some rest. That was likely the best thing for her right now. There was no immediate treatment for blindness, and her other wounds look like they'd heal just find. "Yes, Ulfr. And he is," she grinned slightly at her unfiltered opinion, not that she could see. Asvor wasn't the type to beat around the bush anyway. Ulfr was a handful at times but that didn't mean he wasn't turning out to be a fine child, one she was quite proud of.

While she slept she'd try to get together a salve for the superficial wounds on her legs and get to work brainstorming what might help her eyesight. If infection was plaguing her eyes, perhaps she could find a way to stave it off.. but maybe it was too late? "I'll be here," she reminded her gently as Abilene drifted off. Slowly she moved from her side, gathering a bundle of herbs as she slipped past, moving to work outside the den's entrance. She doubted whatever had hurt Abilene posed any thread to her pack but she'd guard her while she slept anyway and try to figure out how she could help her

-end?-