Blood trailed behind her as she attempted to make it back. She wasn’t sure which way was back. Everything felt… woozy. Dizzy. Swirling around until she didn’t know which way was up or down. Pain ebbed from her tail. No matter how many times she attempted to wag it, it no longer would wag. Even her cheek was still feeling puffy and bruised from being smacked. Unknowingly to her, she had barely escaped. If she had been any slower, the strange and evil wolf would have taken her life. In a sense, she was terrified but it also stoked the anger within her. How could she trust anyone again? Would she have to do everything herself? Could she rely on anyone at this point? Of course, it was her fault. She had wandered off on her own when she wasn’t supposed to. The rule was to take at least someone, even a companion would suffice, and that she had not done. Delphi hadn’t thought anything of it. Normally one of the birds would tail her without her noticing, but this time around, they had all been busy. Even mama’s cat hadn’t trailed along. With puffy red eyes that refused to shed any more tears, Delphi finds a place to collapse. Exhaustion overwhelms her. Her body insists she rests. She needs her tail bandaged. She needs her Da, her mums, her gramps. Anyone. A gurgled moan struggles to leave her mouth as she plops down beneath a tree. Curled up as little as can be, it honestly would be difficult for anyone to notice her here. Yet, as her eyes flutter close, she hopes someone does.

Children were terribly good at getting into things, Víðarr knew that. It was for the best that they be allowed to learn, explore, make their own mistakes. That was how they grew. Still, the mountain presented its own perils. The steep cliffs, the sheer drops. The world that lay below was also perhaps less than kind, less than friendly. They would learn, in time. Víðarr could only hope that they also learned that he was here to protect them, he was here to love them. All of them. Part of protecting them was going to look when they'd been gone a bit too long.

His pace was relaxed at first. The shadow just figured she'd gotten turned around coming back home. It's only when he picks up the scent of blood on the breeze does Víðarr's pace pick up. His pulse quickened. His breath grew short. The shadow pauses, trying to scent the air. "Delphi?" Víðarr called out, heading west and into the flatlands. Gaze burning, searching. Had she fallen? Been attacked by a predator? What happened? "Nej, nej, nej," he growls, moving down the mountain.

Månsken saw her first, the owl calling down. At a dead run, the viking king took off in her direction. By the time he arrived to find the crumpled form of the small girl beneath the tree, Víðarr was out of breath. Panting. "Jävla helvete," he cursed. The girl was bloody, something was wrong. Something had happened, her tail-- what was left of it drew his attention. "Wake, little lamb. Just until we get home." The words are soft, and the viking king shook her shoulder. Nosed her face. She was alive, but whatever had attacked his granddaughter had done a number on her.

"Hitta Tenshi eller Ulmaria, och hennes föräldrar, nu." Víðarr turned to the two dogs, the orders coming across far more harshly than usual. As he had so many times before, the viking king moved to lift the little girl. "I am going to put pressure on your tail until a healer comes, it will hurt but the bleeding..." he needed to stop the bleeding. As his companions took off to gather more help, the viking king began to apply pressure to the wound, hoping to slow the bleeding.

Ulmaria was focused in on her herb gathering, trying to accomplish as much as she could before winter finally fell upon them. She frequented her old haunts often. She'd grown up in this area as it had been the home of Fireside and after they'd left the pack they continued to linger at the Rio Grande til they'd finally all split up. With time running short she opted to stick to hunting in familiar terrain.

Her companions kept pace with her, separating a short ways away here and there to double check some potential plants. All seemed well until she caught the scent of Víðarr's dogs. They seemed stressed and she swiftly realized there was someone in need. She barked a sharp alert to her own companions and then raced with the dogs to see Víðarr with a bloodied Delphi. Ulmaria gasped. "What the fuck happened? Valeria gather some yarrow! Piper, help me with some bandages."

The fishing cat took off like a dart through the grass as Ulmaria shrugged off her pack. The lemur hopped up next to her and began moving aside items to get to the hide bandages.

She drifts in and out of consciousness. The ground begins to rumble beneath her but it is not quite enough to wake her. Not until the Viking is upon her. His booming tones cause her ears to tilt backward and her face to crinkle. Delphi stirs momentarily as she tries to register what happened. Her cheek is bruised and her tail is hurting. So much pain. Until there is pressure. Pressure on her tail and gramps is saying something about putting his paw there. Her head lifts slightly as she turns her chin to check.

Wait. Why was his paw so close to her leg? Was he not putting his paw on her tail? Her brow furrows as she tries to sort out what happened but everything is a blur. A heavy breath inhales and exhales before she turns her face back toward Vidarr. “Gramps,” her tones are hoarse as she turns to look up at him. Confusion, so much confusion. Especially when Ulmaria shows up. Why was she here?

“It hurts,” Delphi whines as she scoots to rest her head against Vidarr’s paw that isn’t on her tail. “Why does it hurt?” The whine turns into a whisper as her eyes begin to water again. Why wouldn’t the pain go away?

Stress reads clearly on the viking king's face. How long would it take for someone to arrive? Though he clutched what was left of the girl's tail, he wasn't sure if he could will the bleeding to stop. Was he better off scooping her up and sprinting up the mountain? Jostling her, moving her, felt like a risk he shouldn't take. "I have you, little lamb." The words are gentle, still trying to hold to the stump of her tail. Ulmaria is quick to join them, bringing Víðarr at least some relief.

"I found her a few minutes ago," he looked to the healer. Ulmaria's guess was as good as his, for the time being. He lifts the paw beside Delphi's head to gently pat her. Comfort. An attempt at comfort. "Her tail..." Víðarr half whispers, half mouths the words to the healer, not wanting to panic his granddaughter further. There is worry, there is concern, and there is something else inside the viking king that grapples with the child's injuries. Delphi is his first priority, revenge is his second.

"Can you tell us what happened?" The words are gentle. She wasn't in trouble. No, whoever had done this... they were in trouble. Dire trouble, frankly. No one would raise a hand against his family and get away with it.

Piper pulled out the hide bandages while Ulmaria rolled a couple tins out of her knapsack. It didn't take long for Valeria to return with a mouthful of yarrow. Thankfully the medicinal plant was considered by many a weed. Hardy, and prolific it could grow where many herbs could not. Ulmaria swiftly mashed the yarrow with a salve she'd made from bistort root and elderberry leaves. Together they would slow the bleeding as well as prevent infection.

Ulmaria used her dexterous paws to spread the mixture onto the hide bandages. She refrained from answering Delphi's question about why it hurt. If the girl was in shock she didn't want to add to it by letting her know part of her tail was missing. "This will sting a bit at first, be strong for me." She nodded to her lemur and used her paw to press the middle of the hide strip to Delphi's tail stump. Swiftly the lemur began to wrap the bandage, deftly looping it around the girls upper thighs and tying on strips as needed to secure it.

"Valeria, grab some willow bark for the pain." Ulmaria focused on her job, seeking to get Delphi stabilized and reasonably comfortable all things considered.

A whimper left her but she didn't move. Instead, she kept her eyes closed as Vidarr comforted her and Ulmaria tended to her wound. Pain seeped up from her tail and spread through her body. The bruise on her cheek pulsed across her face, but that wasn't as noticeable as her missing tail. He'd even kept the portion he'd ripped off. Delphi's face scrunches up and she whines again as she tries to not remember the terrifying encounter. She had only been playing... How could he have been so mean to her? Was everyone like that? "Thank you, Ulmy," Delphi says weakly, an attempt at a smile at the girl before she finally looks up at Vidarr. As much as she doesn't want to remember the incident, she has to tell him something. Anything to help catch that asshole. "He was all black with a red mohawk and red eyes and horns and really scary paws," her eyes squeeze shut as she fights back the tears. Shaking her head lightly, she reaches out to try and scoot closer to Vidarr. "He was scary," she whispered.

Right, sending her into a full on state of shock probably wasn't the best thing. Víðarr wouldn't pretend that he knew any more than rudimentary things about healing, but it seemed like Ulmaria had the whole thing under control. Delphi wasn't going to die right here in his arms, so that was already better than things were several minutes ago. She was stable. Uncomfortable, but stable. Víðarr continued to softly comfort the pup, though his paws were often clumsy.

"It will be okay, little lamb. You are safe now," the words are gentle, though there's an undercurrent in his voice. Víðarr craved vengeance. It's the only thing that will make him feel better. He would exact revenge on whatever, on whoever had done this. The details of the creature committed to his memory, Víðarr would provide the description to the scouts, in hopes they could track down such an individual. "Where were you when it happened?" Another important detail, as the viking king tried to piece together the details. As Delphi scooted closer, Víðarr pulled the girl closer, ever-protective. No one was going to hurt her and get away with it.

Between her paws and Piper's deft hands they had the bandage secured. A moment later Valeria was back with a piece of willow bark. Ulmaria set to work preparing it as she listened to Delph describe her attack. His features didn't sound familiar but a red mohawk and horns were pretty distinct features. With that they should be able to keep an eye out for the bastard if he showed back up again… or if Vidarr intended to hunt the man down. She wouldn't put it past him and she wouldn't blame him for it. Even though she hadn't had a chance to grow very close to her father, she knew her own would retaliate if some one had ever done that to her.

Sizing out the willow bark she scooted a piece toward Delphi's front paws. "Delphi, chew on this as needed, it will help with the pain." She knew Vidarr was still gathering information but she wanted Delphi to get in a few good bites for the girl's own comfort. "What should we do about this man? If you want I can help the warriors with patrol tonight. Healing is my calling, but I was brought up to battle."

Forever thankful that she was a part of such a kind and loving family, Delphi smiles for the first time since the incident. With watery eyes, she looks up at Vidarr and then over at Ulmaria. What would she have done with them? When Ulmaria offers the willow bark, Delphi takes it and chews it slowly as she tries to remember what the place is called. Where it had happened, it had been green, so very green, and full of rolling hills. Why had she even been out there again? Oh, right, to look for some flowers! After a few moments, she remembers what she had overheard from some animals earlier that day.

"I think I heard someone call it Emerald Valley. It's north of granny Venom's home," Delphi says with a firm nod of her head. Yes, hopefully, this was enough information to help them figure out who did it. But of course, the guy could be from anywhere. Boreas and Auster both were massive.