Slate colored paws would carry the woman eastward, she had explored much of the western region to no avail. The Black family held no trace there and so she would continue on her treck, searching for those she needed the most. Her travels would brig her into an old human orchard. The trees were quite overgrown, but as the blossoms began to bloom and the trees would bear their fruit it was beautiful. Violet gaze would take in the sun stained petals as she moved slowly under the canopy. The heady scent of pollen and flowers filled the air with a thick scent, and Twig could not smell anything else. This would alarm her slightly as she continued through the wood, she would have a more difficult time being aware of those around her. It seemed sound would be her greatest ally in these woods. She would sigh as her feet continued on, her gaze watching the gentle sway of the fruit trees branches in the soft breeze. It was a gorgeous spring day the bright rays of sun would wiggle through the leaves to rest upon the lady's back. A yawn would encompass her as fatigue brought itself upon her. She would pad just a little further to a particularly large tree, under its roots a soft bed of grass would call out to the she wolf as her tired body told her to rest. The pull of sleep would distract her from the other senses of her body and before she knew it the earth had swallowed her up. A loud wail would leave her lips as she fell into a shallow hole, a growl following up as she realized her folly. It was not so deep she would have trouble ejecting herself but as she pushed up on her libs a sharp pain would hit her right ankle. Gasping from the pain she would fall back into the dirt, royal purple gaze would find the erring foot. It did not look broken, but she could feel the pain begin to intensify. She would need to get herself out of the hole before it got much worse. Speech,

Alacritis, a new land of opportunity. Shilah took a deep breath of the perfumed orchard air and strode right in. He'd heard that other nomads had made journey's here to continue their training or to put it into further practice and so he'd chosen to follow their footsteps in his own journey for the enlightenment he so sought. The goal to become fully-trained. But now for his studying? did apple blossoms hold any significant medical properties? An more importantly, how did he get to them?

Shilah paced around the tree before stepping back and eyeing his target. He started to run and just as he was about to leap a wail startled him and caused him to flop on his face?. ow. Well, at least he didn't accidentally bite his tongue. Getting up the young male shook out his coat and headed right into the direction of the wailing yell.

It wasn't long before he came upon a female about his age and somehow she'd managed to find a pit. One of his ears flicked back as he noticed she was favoring right front leg. An injury? "Easy there miss, I'm Shilah of the Nomads, a healer by trade and training." He stepped forward, testing the edge of the pit before readying himself to slip in to help her.

She had not been clever about hiding her mishap, the painful yowl she had let loose was bound to draw attention. And yet, she had not found a way out of the hole. Her ears would fall back as she tried to regain her footing, but the pain was intense and it was a difficult incline. Her iron will would not let her give up however, and she would try to bring herself out of the pit once more, but as she looked up to the precipice she was confronted by another wolf. She would visually become taken aback at his sudden presence, her orchid gaze would take him in as he offered his name. "Easy there miss, I'm Shilah of the Nomads, a healer by trade and training." The brute was of interesting heritage, and his pelt was to match. She would look over his silky black fur and white marked legs. He was almost as odd as her own coloration, but still no match for the Black family patterns. His bright blue gaze would look down upon her with concern, and would sedate her need to growl at him. She was hurt, and was more than a little stuck where she was. He seemed to want to help her, but she hated accepting help from others more than almost anything else. It was unfortunate she had little knowledge of plants healing powers and more about how well they could hide her. She would sigh as she prepared to concede defeat, she didn't wish his help but it seemed she had no other choice, with her hurt paw there was little she could do stuck in a hole. Her pride was not so large that she was willing to die for it. She would sigh before she let the lyrics fall from her marked jaws, "You may call me Twig, I'd rather not accept your help to be truthful. It seems however I am left with no other option." She was quite down trodden as she watched him descend. Speech,

Shilah waited for the femme to give him some sort of signal that she was alright with his help, he could see she was hesitant and he knew fully well why. There were cruel wolves in this world that would take advantage of a fae in such a state. Violet eyes met his and as she shifted he noticed the unusual cross mark on her left shoulder but he quickly pushed it from his mind. It was unlikely the mark had anything to do with her injury. "You may call me Twig, I'd rather not accept your help to be truthful. It seems however I am left with no other option." Twig, curious name. It occurred to him she might be concealing her true identity but he would not judge. "I understand, Miss Twig. I promise to help as swiftly as I'm able." Testing the sides of the pit, Shilah slid down to the bottom where the femme lay. He moved in a gentle yet confident manner to examine the ankle, brow furrowing as he delicately moved to limb with his own. There didn't appear to be any muscles spasms which was good. It meant the injury was most likely a sprained ankle rather than a strained one but the difficult in movement was a bad sign. The injury was moderate, not a crippling blow and it would carry her weight walking but it would be difficult to tolerate. "It's sprained pretty badly. I'll gather some St. Johns Wort and some Arnica to make a tincture. That should help with the pain and the swelling then we can get you out of here and back home. One moment." Scooting to the back of the pit he flexed before taking a run and a leap to clear himself out of the pit then he took off at a run to find the necessary ingredients. It wouldn't do to keep Twig waiting long especially if someone else had heard her call. Hopefully, she had a pack or family nearby or it would be a long and uncomfortable healing period. Shilah would have to stay near her side and hunt for her until she was fully healed. She probably wouldn't take to that all. Speech

She wondered if he believed her when she told him her name, he would have been right in assuming it was not her 'real' name. Though it was certainly the name everyone called her, she never gave out her full title. Twig was perfectly suitable to her needs and she rather enjoyed the calling. "I understand, Miss Twig. I promise to help as swiftly as I'm able." She would sigh disdainfully as he lowered his body down into the depths carefully. She should have been more careful or at least watched where it was she was going. The dark colored man would confidently approach her, inadvertently she would visibly flinch as he came next to her. She would hold herself together, pushing down desperately the urges to growl or snap or drive him away. She was not so accustomed to accepting the favors and help other wolves had to offer. Twig liked to figure it out for herself she didn't like handouts and she didn't like being indebted to others. It wouldn't take much longer before her diagnosis was complete, "It's sprained pretty badly. I'll gather some St. Johns Wort and some Arnica to make a tincture. That should help with the pain and the swelling then we can get you out of here and back home. One moment."He would tell her what she already knew, it was a pretty bad injury. She was unable to get out of this tiny pit for goodness sake! He would spout off plants that she didn't know the name of and the results he expected. She really hoped he wouldn't be pulling her leg on what plants he decided to use, and then he would speak of her home. As his form left that of her own she would be overcome by a dark look. She had no home anymore, it had been destroyed by one she called brother. Her gaze would move to her hurt paw as she inadvertently thought back to that day, the scream.. She'd gasp as her conscious was brought back to the present. The pain would continue to throb as she wondered how he planned on getting her out of her predicament. She would sigh, knowing her little injury would slow down her progress immensely. At least she had... help to get herself out of the hole. The cross marked girl didn't know what she would do after she got out. Hopefully she would find one of her siblings soon. She could feel the weight of the lost sleep upon her, that was the reason she was even in the hole. Had she not spied such a comfortable place to nap she would have never hurt her paw in the first place. So as she began to wait her eyelids would grown heavy and her head would nod slowly. She was in bigger trouble than she thought, and the longer she waited for Shilah the more likely it was she would be asleep by the time he returned. I can talk!

Shilah's mind set right to the task at hand with an clear and direct focus that other wolves often found unnerving. His breath was slow, deep and steady. Scents slipped through his nostrils and out through his mouth as he shifted the air and earth for the herbs that would bring health and healing to Twig's injury. It was through scent that Shilah relied most heavily on his herblore. The eyes were always so easy to trick but that said they were also quite critical. Splashes of color were always difficult to miss. Arnica. The yellow, daisy-like flower, shifted teasingly in the wind. It was an unusual plant for certain, it wasn't typical held in the nomadic arsenal but it was easier to find than rarer plants like wolfsbane or wintergreen. It was a potent plant with anti-inflammatory properties as well as pain relief. Of course, like all strong painkillers it was also dangerous. Large amounts could cause internal bleeding. Gently maneuvering his jaws around the downy leaves he gave a sharp tug, collecting a couple of the plants before moving onto his next target. St. Johns Wort. He had no idea what the name meant but it was a useful herb for taming inflammation and could also ease her pain. Again the signature yellow flowers confirmed Shilah's nose and the brute quickly went about pulling the plants, root and all as he debated about whether he should try and splint Twig's sprain. It wasn't particularly vital to this injury but it would help her with locomotion and Shilah had a feeling she was anxious to get going as soon as possible. Pausing near a white willow tree that grew around a small former farm pond, he laid down the plants and began stripping off a few pieces of bark, careful to take only what was necessary and not all in one place so as not to harm the tree. A few cattails and he felt sufficiently prepared. It was already getting late and he didn't want to leave her alone too long. One never knew who might be creeping about. ___________ Shilah slipped into the pit, ears flicking forward as he realized Twig was asleep. She seemed so much gentler resting and he was almost loathe to wake her and raise her back into pain. However, Shilah new better than to touch another without their awareness unless the situation was dire. He set down his herbs. "Miss Twig? Miss Twig I've returned." Speech

She didn't know when she fell into sleep, but her rest was dreamless and restorative. Had she not been so completely exhausted it was a greater probability that she would have never slipped into unconsciousness in such a situation. Her body needed sleep, and though her mind would fight it in the end she would drift into oblivion. It wasn't until she heard Shilah's voice once again that she realized she was not awake. Her body would visibly jump as she was brought back into the land of the living, and groggily she would blink into wakefulness. "Miss Twig? Miss Twig I've returned." She would try and scramble away for just a moment as she realized she had been so deep in slumber that she had not even noticed him slip back into the pit. She would sigh, and try to relax again, the pain in her ankle becoming increasingly distracting. "I"m sorry, I'm just not used to being around other wolves right now." Her orchid gaze would fall upon the pieces of plant matter he had gathered as she situated herself for him to better get to her leg. She just hoped she could trust him. It was either that or rot in this pit of despair. "Talk" Think "You"

Shilah waited patiently for Twig to stir, not wishing to cause her any undue distress. If she jerked about to much on her injured leg she could potentially cause more damage. Twig woke with a start but that wasn't terribly surprising. There was just no great way to gently rouse a stranger from slumber. Especially when they were in such a vulnerable position. "It's alright, we don't know each other that well, yet. Now let's get you fixed up and on your way." Shilah set to chewing the St. Johns Wort into a paste, laying it out on a strip of the willow bark before he delicately started mashing the arnica with his paws. It was mostly dangerous if ingested but it worked well as a topical analgesic. Sometimes a little too much. The thickness of his pads protected him from the effects but he could already feel his toes going a bit numb. Mixing the arnica with the paste he snipped carefully at the wood, getting it as close to the shape and size of he injured limb as he could. As gently as possible he slipped the stems of cat tails under her ankle and then one section of poultice-filled bark under ankle before covering it with another. Once in place he took his teeth and paw and tightly tied the two peaces of wood together. He couldn't be sure how long it would hold but he hoped long enough to get her somewhere safer. "There, it should start to go a bit numb. Try to stand and lean on me. When you feel stable let me know and we'll try and leap this thing together. Ready?" Speech

He seemed so patient with her, she was almost sad that her anxiety would not let her relax and trust. He was so kind as to fix her leg and she just wanted to be as far away as she could. Really he was saving her life, and she couldn't find a way to be more pleasant company. She was certainly a defensive creature, but how deep did it go, would she still feel the same about this stranger who saved her life.

"It's alright, we don't know each other that well, yet. Now let's get you fixed up and on your way."

At least he was being light hearted and not trying to make fun of her for being in such a predicament. He would patiently go to work leaving her to leaving her to watch him and his swiftly moving paws. Gently he would wrap the pained paws in a salve and temporary splint. She was amazed at how well he fashioned it.
"There, it should start to go a bit numb. Try to stand and lean on me. When you feel stable let me know and we'll try and leap this thing together. Ready?"

She would stifle a quick whimper at the thought, but she was eager to be back on the safer side of the hole. Actually now that she thought about it she wasn't even sure about what she would do once there. Would she continue her originally intentions and just fall to sleep in that oh so perfect place to nap? She couldn't be sure, but first things first she needed to be out of the pit. Twig was certainly not keen on being touched more than she already had, especially leaning on Shilah for support. It seemed it could not be helped however, she would wince as she pushed herself into a standing position. Although she was weary she would take up the healer's offer of a shoulder to lean on. Her weight, at least from her front portion, would be placed upon him.

"I'm ready."

She would take a deep inhale of breath as she steadied herself and prepared for the laborious move out of the deathtrap.


""

ooc: sorry for wait and shortness ><

Twig stood and Shilah widened his stance to help balance both him and his patient. Twig spoke the words that she was ready and Shilah nodded, confidence showing clearly on his face. The would make it it. "Alright on the count of three? one? twoo? three!" Shilah charged forward, his shoulder slightly behind hers to give her a slight push and to help keep her stable. Splayed toes and claws scrambled at dirt as Shilah hauled himself out of the hole, hopefully along with his patient. Whew? there. They made it. He looked to the horizon at the building storm clouds but he could tell now from the direction of the wind and the whisps of cloud themselves that the storm was moving away from them so that was good at least. Turning to Twig he asked, "Where would you like to go?" Speech

He would nod to her as she realized how ready she was to be out of the pit. She had certainly occupied it for far too long, and he would be her gateway forth. She would feel him tense beside her as his words would cause the next chain of events to occur. "Alright on the count of three? one? twoo? three!" She would feel his shoulder push into her own and she would lean on him to support her weight instead of her hurt ankle. Using her other three limbs they would struggle out of the gaping pit, she would make it only with the Help of Shilah. She would heave an alleviated sigh as her paws once again touched the sweet grass. When Shilah didn't say anything immediately her attention would be drawn to the building storm clouds as well. It seemed she would not be napping under those perfect trees today. Her ears would fall back in a disappointed manner before she realized they were in fact not going to come between her and that glorious nap. "Where would you like to go?" His body had turned to her once again, the question slightly starting her. All she needed was out of the pit, was he offering to take even somewhere further? Her face would become slightly curios, but she was not quite as needy anymore. Gingerly her wrapped foot would touch the ground as she replied, "Underneath that tree is fine," her tiara would motion towards the green grass under the cool shade. "That's where I was headed before the earth swallowed me up, thank you by the way... for saving me." The latter of her statement was rather muted, she was rather embarrassed by being so needy. "Speech"

ooc: Sorry again for the wait! *hugs* I think it's about ready to wrap up.

The air was calming, the breeze slowly dying as the sound of thunder all but vanished. The storm was too far away now to hear though the occasional flash of lightning would strike across the sky as a cautious reminder of the tempestuous temperament of mother nature. Shilah felt an odd strength in it though. While night would fall soon at least the environment was making peace with itself. He turned to Twig and nodded as he helped steer her under the nearby tree. It occurred to him as he laid her down that she might not really have anywhere else to go. A loner? like himself. Shilah stood again and hesitated, debating if he should stick around and try and care for her further but her leg would heal quickly if she allowed herself to rest and few creatures hunted in the Orchards. There was also the fact that her last statement seemed like a goodbye. Shilah knew his further company might only make her uncomfortable and that was not good for healing. He offered her a smile and a nod. "You are most welcome Twig. I wish you fair weather and fortune and I hope soon you find what you seek. Farewell." Turning he took off towards the horizon, the lightning still danced in the distance and he would follow. -End- Speech