Time had been a thing that the old male had forgotten about, but as the weeks passed and the seasons changed again, he had begun to feel its effects. Crimson gaze watched as Quake carefully picked her way up the trail, the male following behind. She had wanted to come here to find some rare herbs that were hard to find elsewhere, and despite the dangers he knew she was smart enough to navigate her way through. She was the only family he had left, and likewise he was all she had. Everyone he knew had passed on, and here he was clinging to life just for her. He had no children of his own, but ever since he found his niece, he had always thought of her as his daughter.

He coughed, which in turn made Quake turn and look at him with concern. Sighing, he glanced at the sky and noted that evening was falling upon them and they'd need to find a place to sleep...but he knew that once they did, he'd be made to take some medicine. He shuddered, god how he hated the taste of bitter herbs. "Quake, we should find a place to rest before it gets too dark. The maw is dangerous, we shouldn't be traveling in the dark."

She looked back, making sure her uncle was following without difficulty. He seemed to always be doing well, but she couldn't help but to worry and fret over him nonetheless. Especially now that he was old. He was the oldest wolf she knew, and she also knew that at some point he would grow too old to stay with her. When that day came, she didn't know what she'd do. She had been with him for years now, he was the only family she had. The only one she trusted. He had helped her immensely with her confidence, taught her how to fight and everything in between. Crimson gaze mirrored his, and if she didn't know better she would have thought he was her true father. But in a way, he was. Ever since her real father had abandoned her, Kakashi had been there. And she couldn't be more grateful to have him in her life.

Evening was approaching, and soon the night sky would blanket them. Her uncle's warning about finding a place to settle down sounded appealing to her, but she wanted to find a few things before the light was completely gone. Maybe they could find a place to rest and the herbs at the same time? "Alright, but...I still need to find those herbs! You need to take your medicine tonight!" She chided, laughing as she watched him cringe.

His ears splayed to the sides in defeat when she said he needed to take his medicine. He wasn't at all fond of having to take them. He knew the herbs wouldn't save him, but he did it for her. Herbology seemed to be the only thing she found pride in, so despite his knowing they would do nothing but barely slow down his ailing body, he let her do her work. He nodded, trailing after her as he kept an eye out for any potential den or place they could rest for the night. Even though his bones ached, he didn't show it. He never complained about anything, much less about himself. "So, what are we trying to find?" He asked curiously, the male leaning down to sniff at an old trail before pressing on.

She slowed her pace as she sniffed around the rocks, the air thick with the scent of various herbs. Some she recognized, others she didn't. She turned to address her uncle, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Well, I'm not sure yet. I heard of a rare herb that grows here, so I thought it would be a good idea to find it." She smiled sweetly at him, noting the way his pace was slower and more...stiff. She knew he was old. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to let him go. She gave him medicine every day to keep up his strength, but even she didn't know how long that would last.

He stopped to stare at her. So they came to find some herb that she wasn't even sure what it was? He supposed he had to give her an A for effort, but he couldn't help but sigh. They continued along the path, his muscles feeling stiff as the air grew colder, but he didn't complain. He eventually spotted a cluster of yellow dandelions, and although that probably wasn't she was here to get, it probably wouldn't hurt to grab a few so they could go find a den. "Grab some of these for now, and lets go find a place to rest. We can continue our search tomorrow when there's more light." Slowly, he made his way to the patch of dandelions and began to pull them, though he was soon gently scolded by his daughter. Apparently he was harvesting them wrong, so he shrugged and stepped back to let her do it while he moved away to look for a place to rest.

Well so much for looking for the herbs she wanted to find. When her uncle proposed they look for shelter and continued in the morning, she gave in. He was probably getting tired, and pushing him up this mountain wouldn't do any good for him. So when he diverted her attention from the task at hand to the dandelions, she obliged. But of course, she needed to take over harvesting them. She gently pushed him aside, a light laugh bubbling from her chest. "Not like that, you'll ruin them! Honestly, with all the herb collecting we do, I would think you knew how to harvest everything!" She smiled at him as she set to digging, carefully digging around the roots so that she could pull those up with the dandelion. "Did you know that if you eat these, it'll help your appetite and digestive problems?" Might as well teach him something while she worked, right? He was always teaching her after all.

He chuckled at her comment. Of course he knew how to harvest near every damn plant in the world thanks to her, but every now and then he liked to pretend he didn't know what he was doing. And this was one such thing. "No, I didn't know that. I'm feeling kinda hungry, maybe we should find some shelter, and then find some food. Unless you plan on us eating a dandelion salad?" the thought of eating a salad made him shudder. He would rather eat fish, and he hated fish. He watched her dig away at the dandelions, and watched as she carefully pulled them from the ground, roots and all.

And as he watched her, movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked, but didn't see anything. Maybe it was just a trick of the night...but suddenly he was feeling a little uneasy. "Quake, let's go."

She was almost done harvesting the dandelion. Feeling pleased that she had been able to teach him something about this incredibly common plant. "It can also be used topically for joint pain, bruises, and inflammation," She peered at him, almost as if she were silently questioning him to see if he felt any joint pain. Part of her knew he was. He was old after all. She carefully began to pull up the plant, careful not to break the roots and stems. Once she felt she had enough, she picked them up in her jaws and looked at him when he started to sound a little more urgent. Was something wrong? She looked around for a moment, but didn't notice or smell anything. Maybe it was the freshly turned earth and the plants she held, or maybe she just wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. Whatever the case, she supposed she was ready to go now.

Brushing past him, she led the way up the slope, crimson gaze flashing in the night as she kept her eyes peeled for any other useful plants.

The longer they stood here, the more he felt like something was off. He was about to say something again, or even just tear her away from her task and herd her along, but finally she appeared to be finished! He relaxed slightly, scenting the air and keeping alert just in case. He didn't know this area very well, and now that he thought about it, there very well could be danger lurking nearby.

He followed her further up the slope, and he knew she was looking for more plants while he was looking for shelter. And soon enough, he spotted a small cave in the rock face. "We'll go there." He stated, nosing her along until they got in. It was pretty roomy, probably big enough for a bear judging by its size. "We'll rest here tonight. Are you hungry?"

Her uncle nosed her along the path. While she still wanted to look for herbs here, she knew that he was probably getting tired so she let him herd her into a cave he had found. She moved to set her bundle of dandelions on the ground. Afterwards, she pulled the roughly made rabbit hide she had been using to carry the medicines that she gave him everyday off of her back and set that down beside the dandelion. At his question, she nodded. "First you gotta take your medicine," She stared at him and waited until he sat down beside her. Once he did, she sifted through the herbs and pulled out a couple of things. Before she would give them to him though, she got up to see if there was any water anywhere. The cave was large enough, so the dark coated femme moved further into the cave and soon enough, found a puddle that was fed by a small leak in the rock wall. Maybe there was a pond or something above them? Whatever the case, this puddle would do.

Returning to her curatives, she nosed out the small bit of alfalfa that she had. "Take this, there's a puddle over there that you can drink with it." While he went to do that, she chewed up a couple of pieces of dandelion root into a paste. This she knew, would help with any joint pain he might have in his old age.

He was glad that she had listened, and as she rummaged through and began to prepare his daily medicine, he couldn't help but sight. He hated taking the medicine, knowing it wouldn't do much for him anymore. But he let her do it anyway. He obeyed her instructions as usual, and reluctantly he took the alfalfa in his mouth and went over to the puddle. He chewed and swallowed the bitter herb, then quickly drank his fill until the bitter taste was almost faded. Returning to her side, he noted that she had more to give him. He always had to take a few things, but tonight hopefully she would just give him one or two so he could go and get some food. When he saw her chewing the dandelion, it made his bones ache. He knew what dandelion was good for, and for once he wouldn't complain about her applying it to his aging joints.

She finished chewing up the dandelion root, and just in time. Her uncle returned to her side, lying down and making her job easier. With a mouthful of chewed up roots, she carefully dropped it onto the rabbit skin and with a delicate paw, scooped some up to apply it to his body. She put it on all of his joints, carefully rubbing it in. She didn't know how effective it would be anymore, but she always did her best to make sure he wasn't in pain. Next, she pulled out some elderberries, nosing them towards him. "This is the last thing for now, then you can go and get some food." She sat back and watched him take the last of his medicine. She figured she ought to clean up, but she wanted to check and see what she needed to stock up on. If anything, she would have to do it tomorrow.

He sighed quietly with contentment as she applied the dandelion to his joints. It was soothing, though how much they would work for him he didn't know. If anything, at least he could give her that sense of accomplishment. After all that had happened when she was young, she needed it. She never stuttered around him anymore, but when it came to being around strangers? Sometimes she fell back into those old habits. He watched as she nosed the elderberries towards him, telling him it was the last thing he would be taking for now. He ate them up, chewing them and swallowing them like he had done with the first set of meds. He didn't mind the elderberries, they tasted better then the other stuff.

Once he finished that, he got up and rolled his shoulders. "Alright, you stay here. I'm going to see if I can find a rabbit or two, I'll be back soon." Turning away, he headed out of the cave and into the night. Surely there would be some prey nearby, an easy hunt he hoped.

As she watched him leave the cave, she sighed. She was tired, sure. But she was also worried. Her uncle was old, she knew that. She was having trouble acknowledging it though. She stared at her little bundle of herbs, frowning as she wondered if any of this was even working for him. Lavender, marigold, horsetail, lambs ear...she had a few other things tucked away, but they were for more severe things, and he didn't need them. She also had some nightshade, but she never told her uncle about it. She didn't think she ever needed it, but she had collected it to test if it had any other uses besides...well, poisoning. She had been careful when she collected it, careful not to ingest anything. She had seen another creature eat it by mistake, and it had died. She would not make that mistake.

As she sat there thinking about the herbs she had and what she might need soon, she heard the soft thud of paw steps outside. Was he uncle back already? She stood, turning to face the caves entrance, but she didn't see anyone there. "Uncle?" She waited, but no response. Maybe it was just her imagination.

He hadn't gone far. Tracking the scent of a few rabbits, he stalked in the darkness after their trail. He was glad his coat blended in with his surroundings, be he had to admit...trying to hunt in this area was tough. He felt himself getting tired faster then usual, joints aching as if the medicine Quake had given him no longer had any effect. He guessed it wouldn't, but coming to the realization and accepting it was harder then he thought.

It wasn't long before he had caught his first rabbit. The body still warm as he debated stashing it away to find another one. One rabbit wouldn't be enough to fill them both up, but if he could just find one more...

Then he heard it. A sound that was half howl, half yelp of terror. Quake!? He whipped around, dropping the rabbit from his jaws as he dashed back the way he came. His heart pounded in his chest, blood roaring in his ears. She was in trouble, he knew it! But from what? Had he missed something lurking nearby? Was it a band of rogues? Had something been sleeping in the cave? His sense of smell still worked pretty well even with his old age.

As he got closer and the cave opening came into sight, he smelled it. Cougar! He put on another burst of speed, alarm bells going off in his head. "Quake!" He shouted, the old male skidding to a half several feet from the opening. The smell of the mountain lion was thick in the air, its trail coming from outside. So, it had set up an ambush? Hoping to get at the smaller wolf, maybe? Had it already gotten her...? "Quake!" He shouted again, and through his pounding heart, he heard her. Thank the gods she was still alive!

A peaceful night would soon turn into one of terror for the girl. The sound she had heard was real. But she had failed to notice the scent and the incoming danger due to the herbs she had chewed up. Her sense of smell wasn't totally there yet, and by the time she realized what was coming after her, it was almost too late. Through the darkness, she heard a growl. The dark woman quickly stood, facing the opening of the cave. When she saw the shadow form stalking towards her, the click of its claws on stone, and the familiar sound it made...her heart dropped.

The beast lunged at her, but Quake had scrambled away in the nick of time. The cougar landed square where she had been just a second before, but it wasted no time in trying again. Quake tried to race past it, to escape the cave and run. But the feline was much too fast. It lashed out with a heavy paw, scoring her shoulder with a powerful swipe of its claws. A sound that was half yelp, half howl escaped her, and she was terrified! The adrenaline that rushed through her prevented her from feeling the new pain, but she could feel the blood trickling down her shoulder. She scurried back out of range, heart pounding with nothing but fear. She could fight, somewhat. Her uncle had taught her. But she had never fought anyone or anything but him. Her mind was racing too much, just trying to keep herself alive. Where was her uncle? Was he too far away to hear her?

The beast began to back her into the cave, ultimately trapping her and cutting off any chance of escape she might have had. That was when he heard him calling her name. "Uncle! Help!" She cried out, yelping again as she barely managed to avoid another attack.

His mind raced, heart pounding. Everything else was drowned out. He needed to get to her. He needed to distract the feline. He doubted he'd be able to take it on, but it was all he could think to do. Lunging forward, he closed the distance between him and the cougar. Its back was too him, so the large male lunged for the beasts tail, jaws clamping down on it as hard as he possibly could. With a shriek of pain, the cougar turned around, one large paw swiping towards him and catching him square in the face. He felt the sting of claws across his muzzle, forcing him to let go of his grip. Kakashi backed away, shaking his head to try and clear away the daze that threatened to set in. At least he had the cougars attention, that was good. Sort of.

Growling and snarling, the pair squared off. They circled each other, tails lashing as both tried to find an opening. Gods be damned if he let it get near Quake again! As the cougar lashed out, Kakashi charged forward to slam into its chest, knocking it backwards. But mere seconds after he bowled it over, it got right back up angrier then ever. Kakashi stood his ground, teeth bared as he faced off with it.

Again, the cougar leaped at him. And again, Kakashi sought to slam into it, except this time he landed a bite on the cougar's left foreleg. The cougar meanwhile, gripped him on both sides, claws digging deep into his own body. The pair thrashed around, rolling on the ground and on their feet they fought. It was determined, but so was the old man. They went at it for several minutes, biting and clawing and bashing.

Eventually, Kakashi managed to push the beast outside, getting a good bite in on the side of its neck. He tasted blood, but he wasn't quite in the position to bite into its windpipe. The cougar slashed his shoulders open, slicing everywhere it could until finally, Kakashi managed to land a bite on its face. A pained screech left the cat as Kakashi's fangs pierced its eye, and at last the cat broke away. Breathing hard, Kakashi watched as it ran off into the darkness.

He turned around, feeling the adrenaline rapidly wearing off. He quickly started to feel the pain of all the open wounds. The blood flowing freely and warm over his skin. As much as he wanted to just collapse, he forced himself to the cave until Quake was beside him. He barely heard her voice as she rushed to him, the larger males body collapsing against hers before slowly finding the cold ground. "Q-quake...are...are you...alright?"

She watched in horror as her uncle tried to get the cougars attention. And once he did, she cowered against the wall as the two fought. All she could hear was the hideous growling and snarling from both wolf and cougar. The air began to smell thick with blood, fur flew everywhere. Crimson gaze could only watch for so long as he uncle got torn up, so she closed them. She hated feeling so useless. But if she had tried to fight the beast, she was sure she would have gotten killed.

It felt like their fight was going on forever, and when she finally heard the cougars screech followed by silence, she opened her eyes.

Her uncle stood outside, bloodied and torn. She could smell the heavy scent of blood, and her heart sank. Immediately she rushed to meet him just as he started to collapse, and carefully she helped him to the ground. Panic rose in her chest as she looked at him. Listened to him trying to speak. It seemed he wouldn't be dying of old age..."Shh, d-don't speak!" She uttered, voice cracking as she tried to figure out what to do. Quickly looking over his wounds, her heart broke when she saw how bad they were. "D-don't fall asleep! I n-need to get you m-medicine!" She got up and rushed towards her herbs, grabbing the whole little pile she had and placing them at her side.

Pulling out everything she had, she attempted to cover his wounds with lambs ear and cobwebs, but no matter what she did, the wounds kept bleeding. They were too deep. But her mind wouldn't allow her to acknowledge that.

Abandoning the makeshift bandages, she pulled out the pitifully small collection of wintergreen that she had. But before she could do anything with it, she felt a paw touch her own. "U-uncle?"

Oh the poor child...he knew herbs wouldn't help. His wounds were too deep. Too severe. Even if he did pull through, he wouldn't have been able to walk. The moment the adrenaline had worn off, he couldn't feel his hind legs. Somewhere in that fight, the cougar had severed something in his spine. He could feel it. He remained quiet as Quake frantically tried to help him. The male not wanting to hurt her. But...when she tried to use some of her best herbs, he placed a paw on hers. Through labored breathing, he had to tell her. "Quake...stop. No herb can...save me..." He tried to look at her, but he couldn't move his neck without pain flaring up. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, painful breath. "It's my time...you tried...your best...you are a great healer, Quake...don't stop...just because I couldn't be...saved."

He whined, a ripple of pain came over him. It was...strange. Being in a position so vulnerable. Knowing that he was going to die. He had hoped to go out in his sleep, but he supposed life had other plans. He had gone out fighting a damn cat...but protecting his loved one. It hurt. Everything hurt like Hell. He couldn't hide that fact. The pain was real. Her pain was real too. "Promise...that you'll keep...helping others..."

She couldn't help the tears that pricked at her eyes. Her heart was breaking. And the more she watched her uncle, listened to him speak, she couldn't help the flow of tears that fell to the ground. She hook her head, unwilling to accept the fact that was dying tonight. How had everything been so good, and then destroyed in such a short time? "N-no! I can save you! Just let me t-" "No, Quake...I'm beyond saving...I can't even...feel my legs...don't waste your herbs...I wouldn't be able to...walk out of here...anyway..." Lip quivering, her gaze slowly found his hind legs. Further up, she noticed that he had a nasty gash over his spine...the cougar had severed his back, rendering his legs completely useless. And as much as she wanted to, she knew there was absolutely nothing she could do to save his legs. The wounds he had taken were beyond her experience...and she hated herself for it.

"Uncle p-please...you can't leave m-me..." She whined, gently placing her head near his own. She could hear his labored breathing. The sound of liquid in his lungs. The strange sound of bone grinding together. He was right...he was beyond her help..."I-I'm s-sorry..." She whispered, burying her face into his bloodied fur.