Let Bramble reply come in first and then either a healer or her parents or smth <3
Continued from this thread

The bear had done a number on both of them, but Tate had Bramble to worry about. Blood oozed slowly from his face, a rivulet that runs down his cheek. That's not his concern, though. Bramble crumpled before him, and it takes everything for the boy to not panic. "Hey, hey, 's okay. Yer okay, you did good." The words are soft, and he rushes to meet her. Rushes to grab her, try and pick her up. Though she's big, Bramble was deceptively light. "I'm right here, I'm going to get you home." Tate knows that it's going to be a painful walk to the castle, but it seemed like the best option.

"Hey, stay awake, okay?" The boy poked lightly at her cheek, then moved to shoulder the bulk of her weight. Mostly carrying the girl, while trying to keep her head from banging into anything. It was slow going, but she was more awkward than heavy. Tate was doing his best not to let it show that he was tired, that he was aching. Keeping it together for her, and looking brave. He wouldn't admit that he was worried, he wouldn't admit that he was scared. Of course he's worried about her, but he has to look as confident as possible.

At the border Tate lets go a call, but he doesn't stop. It seemed like the closer they could get to the castle, the faster, the better. The brown and white boy continued forward, hoping someone would come to meet them sooner rather than later.

"Potato"

She ached. Pain radiated through her entire being. Light blinked in front of her eyes are her lids fought to stay open. Beside her, the bear lay in a pool of its own blood. With its dying breath, she felt proud. Pleased to have helped Tate even if it meant she got hurt in the process. Too hurt if she were being honest. Though it hadn’t been her first or second encounter with a bear, this one had been enraged. Something was wrong with the animals. She could see it in the beast’s eyes as she and Tate fought it off.

As she drifted in and out, she heard his voice. That accented tone that begged her to stay awake. “Wur’ya’takin’me,” Bramble’s voice is garbled as she feels herself lifted onto his back and the journey begin back to the castle. Thankfully for Tate, it is not a very far walk, but it is far enough that her injuries ooze out onto his chocolate pelt. Though she is tall, she is light, and as she lifts her head, she wants to reach over and kiss him.

He is saving her. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? While she often dreamed of her being the valiant knight that saves the day, there is often a dream where someone equally as strong and capable as her saves her too. Was this her moment? “How can I thank ya?” Bramble’s words are slurred as she tries not to flop too much on his back. It is then that she smells the scent of home. He was taking her to the castle?

“We at the castle?” She questions as she lets her head fall against his side. Her paw reaches up to pat him on the shoulder. “You saved me,” her words are still mush as her eyelids continue to flutter. The bear had done a number on her and if someone didn’t answer sooner than later, she would begin to worry.

Artorias thrust the length of his sword deeper into the dying bear's chest as it let out a death rattle, its final wails of life warbling through the mild spring air. With a twist and a pull that sent an arc of liquid crimson spilling across the ground, the Aegis withdrew his blade and brought the pointed end down one more time into the side of the bear's head, piercing its skull in a grim double-tap to ensure it was finished. He breathed a heavy sigh in his moment of victory, not relishing the need to kill the creature, but more and more recently as of late the animals seemed to be getting hyper aggressive and anxious. Three of his children had already had a near-deadly run-in with a bear up in the grove and now another had lumbered its way right into the plains without any regard for the pack's boundaries. It was unusual and unfortunately warranted a violent response from the alpha in order to keep his wolves safe.

Speaking of keeping the pack safe, an urgent call from a stranger to the south caught the dire wolf's attention, brows furrowing as eyes narrowed. Calls from strangers was nothing new in the Hallows, doubly so recently with the influx of guests and patients, but something about this one felt wrong. He couldn't put his paw on it. Sliding Embershard back into its scabbard, Artorias glanced down at himself and the ursine blood staining his chest and paws. Ordinarily he would have preferred to clean up before greeting guests, but this call was urgent. Without wasting any time, the Aegis hurried south, following the border around past Hearthstone until he spotted them. When he approached, he was greeted with every parent's worst nightmare. A wolf he didn't recognize was carrying the barely conscious form of his daughter. Bramble was slumped over the male's back, bleeding profusely from a wound on her side. The boy looked worse for wear too, but he was at least ambulatory and responsive.

Artorias' heart leapt up into his throat as he rushed to close the distance to meet them. "Bramble!" he shouted, hurrying to take her from the stranger. Art moved closer and sidled up to press underneath and scoop her off of the younger male's back. "Pass her to me and come inside quickly." There was no room for debate or discussion in his voice, and it was clear he wasn't going to let the stranger object. Once he had her, he picked up the pace, carrying Bramble at an urgent lope towards the castle. They had to get her inside and in Gwynevere's care. "Bramble, can you hear me? I've got you, sweetie, I've got you. You're gonna be okay." Artorias didn't know if he was saying this to reassure his daughter or himself. Cold panic gripped his heart and turned his stomach. None of his children had ever been so badly hurt before and he refused to be made a parent who buried their child.

His attention turned to the boy as they made their way toward the castle. "What the hell happened?!" he asked the stranger who bore a scent from a familiar pack. Although upset, Artorias strongly doubted the lad was the culprit. It would have been very strange for him to bring Bramble back if he had done this, so for now he regarded the young wolf as his guest.

"Artorias Carpathius"

She was losing more blood than Tate was comfortable with. While not a healer, his mother was, and he'd seen more than his fair share of injuries. The boy picked up his pace, moving as quickly as he could without jostling her too much. "The castle, yeh. Don't think 's much farther," he spoke softly, trying to keep her awake and talking. Trying, and hoping that it would be enough. "Don't thank me yet," he chuckled ever so quietly. Trying to make a joke but... well, even Tate feels like it's a bit flat.

"We're here, I let 'em know." He affirms to the girl, continuing to walk. From somewhere far off, he can hear footsteps. Someone was coming to meet them, someone was coming to see to her. Relief washed over Tate, and he hurried to meet the man half way. Whimpering a bit as the black and blue man took Bramble from his shoulders, feeling the shift of pressure on his own aching body. Though he considered turning tail and heading back to have his own mother fix up his wounds, Tate knows it's unwise for a laundry list of reasons. There was also a tug in his chest, and the koi boy finds himself unwilling to leave Bramble in such a state.

He picked up his pace, following the man towards the castle with a slightly slower lope of his own. Panting by the time they made it to the doors, the adrenaline beginning to fade from his system. The pain in his head became more intense, throbbing, and he found himself wiping the blood from his eyes. The wound on his shoulder had just about crusted over, but the searing, stinking pain was beginning to come to life in his system. "Bear, big one. Wasn't acting right... 's dead now." Tate's gaze came to rest on the stranger before him. Bramble's dad, if the way he acted was any indication. At least the bear was dead now, but it was still something to be concerned about. The predators hadn't been acting right, and Tate didn't know what to make of it. He's still trying to catch his breath.

"Potato"

As she fought to stay awake, she heard the thunder of her father's paws. Her teal eyes look up from Tate's side to Artorias with a wavering smile. "Daddy," she whispers before her eyes close once more. In those next moments, she feels herself shift from Tate to Art's back, and the pace quickens. They cover the ground until the castle is closer than ever. Bramble is doing her best to stay afloat as she hears the frantic words of her father and the accented words from Tate. "I jus-," she inhales deeply, wincing at the pain. "Bear, yeah," there is a sigh as she tries to lift her head. "Can Aunt Gwyn help?" Bramble's voice is a rasp as she starts to become restless. Panic is setting in as the adrenaline dissipates and pain ebbs from her side wound. "Why'sitalwaysabear," her words are a jumbled mess as she tries to see where they were. The castle, right? A moan escapes her as she lifts her chin once more. "Hey, dad, this is," Bramble pauses, a quite delirious look on her face as she smiles, " This is Tate. He's kinda my boyfriend. Did you know he, he saved me?" The princess laughs before resting her head back on Art's shoulder and closing her eyes. Bramble Carpathius

The stranger who had brought Bramble home told him in terse sentences of the bear that had attacked them. Artorias outwardly groaned with frustration and shook his head. These damned bears... What was it about Bramble that had the girl always chasing down bears?! She'd gotten lucky all the times before, but this time she hadn't won her coin toss with fate. Panic and dread gripped the father's heart as he hurried to get his injured child inside and to Gwynevere. He didn't give a damn about the details of the what, where, or why. Those could all be sorted out once he was sure Bramble wasn't going to die. As if reading his mind, Bramble's weak voice called out to him, the usual life and strength sapped from her words in a way that broke his heart. She asked if Gwyn could help her and Artorias' response was swift and certain, "Yes she can. You just need to hang on a little bit longer for me, Brammie, okay?" There was a bit of desperation behind the facade of certainty that the Aegis spoke with, the dire fear of a father watching his child dying.

Artorias led the boy past the gates of Hearthstone and across the garden courtyards, Were this any other circumstance, he would have leisurely led their guest around and given him a grand tour, but the urgent situation called for a certain lack of manners. The dire wolf gave a short howl to alert Gwyn to be prepared to receive them as he sprinted up the terrace stairs and into the castle. Bramble mumbled something incoherent about bears, then lifted her head with a smile as she introduced her savior as Tate—and as her boyfriend. Art cast a dubious look back at Bramble, then to the wolf named Tate, but ultimately just shook his head. His daughter was delirious, he didn't take her words to heart. "We can talk about that once you're feeling better, sweetheart. Right now I just need you to stay awake for me, okay?" Fire opal eyes turned to Tate next, glancing over the lad's head wound. "You too. Keep moving and stick close. We'll get you sorted."

Large paws thundered down the corridors of the castle as the Aegis led the way to the infirmary, not even pausing to open the door and instead throwing his shoulder into the doors to bash them inward. "Gwynevere! We've got an emergency!" he shouted out for his sister while not stopping his march to the closest cot to settle Bramble down into. Once he had his daughter nestled into the bed, he rushed over to the cabinets of supplies and began pulling out swaths of gauze and cloth, bringing them over to press to the wounds on Bramble's side in a frantic hurry to stem the blood loss. "Bear attack. She's lost a lot of blood. He's got a head wound." Art motioned to Tate. "Tate, come over here. Gwyn is my lead healer, let her take a look at you too."

"Artorias Carpathius"