Well... fuck. Kaija was used to getting a little battered and bruised sometimes, thanks to both her status as a member of the Raiders and her general nature, but she'd kinda surprised herself with the damage she'd taken this time. Not that she'd really taken on a territory strong opponent, but she'd wrangled a couple coyotes again - pretty sure she'd even killed one of 'em - and coyotes were viscous, nasty little beasts. At least the ones she'd fought had been. Besides the general bruising she was feeling all over, especially where they'd really gone after her, one had left a wound that she could only classify as gaping. Nasty word for a nasty injury. Seemed fitting enough, didn't it?

Limping a bit further into the forest, Kaija finally paused to assess the wound. It was worse than she thought. A long open wound stretched from halfway up her left forelimb and nearly went to her pawpads. It was obvious even before she started to clean it, and she winced as she began to lap at it. It began to ooze fresh blood as she cleaned it, though the majority of it was caked into her fur. Maybe she should've waited until she got home to deal with it, but swimming with an open wound sounded like she was begging for an infection. Wincing through the pain she continued to clean her injury, hoping the faint scent of blood wouldn't alert anyone to her presence here.

melisande



⥼ she's nearly sensitive to it: wolf's blood. one of her kind somewhere in this forest that she traveled through. Melisande was on the hunt for some dandelion & cannabis, to which she found with easy succession from the looks of it: a mouthful of both inside her mouth as she galloped lightly over the forest's moss bed. she would then decide to change interest, her ears cupping and swiveling to the world around her as she pin pointed the faint scent of the other nearby.
moments pass and finally, she sees the wounded stranger, limping some ways away until pausing to lick their wound. the wolf is of a monstrous height, a Goliath to the tiny Melisande. and in that brief moment of study, she hesitates to assist them, intimated by their stature as her garnet eyes traced over what seemed like tusks. a new sight for Melisande.
the red fae pushes through anyway, her better nature taking hold as she strode out from the thickets to join near the other before pausing. her ears momentarily flattening as she dropped her mouthful of herbs before calling out, "Are you hurt? I am a healer.. please, allow me to assist you.." her voice is shaky but sincere, her small body coming to a stop within comfortable distance, awaiting permission to approach closer. "I mean you no harm. My name is Melisande." she sounded concerned for the other, with a face of genuine worry as her brows furrowed when witnessing the wound closer. with such a large gash in such a humid place.. "Oh dear.. are you in pain?" ⥽    

"talk" "think"

table by scarlet/art by alo

There wasn't really a good place to be injured, but this one was even more awful - it was humid and wet everywhere she looked, which were optimal conditions to get a gnarly infection. Even with the best of healers, sometimes those things could take a wolf out of the game, and she wasn't really wanting to risk it right now. She was careful where she stepped, trying to avoid splashing too much water around as she settled down and got to assessing her wound and cleaning it.

Apparently she didn't fly completely under everyone's radar; she found herself scowling at the little woman who appeared out of the mist and approached. Usually she wasn't in such a foul mood, but the way her wound now stung as she'd begun to clean it was hard to ignore. Now exposed to the cool forest air, the pain was amplified, and gingerly she set her paw back down on the semi-dry ground.

"Am I hurt?" She mimicked the woman's question, sneering slightly as she swung her tusked head in Mélisande's direction. "No shit I'm hurt." Normally Kaija wasn't quite so prickly, but she felt like shit and was happy making her mood be known. The giantess wasn't exactly known for being subtle about anything.

The stranger approached still and Kaija bristled slightly, though she showed no real signs of aggression, just wariness. Strangers could not really be trusted, especially right off the bat. "Don't mind the attitude. This just hurts like a bitch," she admitted, angling her forelimb slightly toward the smaller woman so she could see. Maybe letting her look at it wouldn't be such a bad idea. It wasn't like she had a huge journey back home but the depth of her wound made Kaija nervous to travel long without it being at least bandaged up somehow. "Name's Kaija. I promise I won't bite, at least not too hard," she said, her tone clearly jesting, and she let out a half-chuckle to prove she wasn't a threat to her.