A dark shape hovered over her, dark, and twinkling like stars and were it not for the pain that consumed her whole left side, bringing bile to her throat and tears to her eyes, the scent of burnt flesh and lingering sulfur overpowering, she might have thought herself dead. What did he want from her? Seemingly trying to preserve the life that so willingly drained from the open gaping wounds aross her shoulder and ribs. It would be a trifle on a larger wolf, but for one as small as Whisper, it might just spell her doom.

Nobody even knew she was out here, and she couldn't muster the energy for more than a faint whimper. She was certain it wouldn't be long now, everything felt kinda cold, even her burning leg. It wouldn't be long...

“Speech”

The Wall. Taiga liked this place quite a bit. There was good hunting on either side of the stone barrier, and the wall itself served as a decent point of reference in a geographical sense. The lioness was familiar with the area, so it was natural for her to frequent it. She'd fought bears and other beasts here. She killed here on a regular basis. She'd aided the local wolf population in their battles a time or two. She hadn't expected to come upon an injured child, however.

Taiga didn't know that pups came in such small packages. The pale child looked so fragile. So breakable. Especially compared to the feline's gigantic form. Ruby eyes moved over the pup, inspecting her injuries. Rounded ears shifted as the barest whimper emanated from the tiny wolf. Gently, the hulking cat wrapped her white, grey and black body around the pup, lifting her carefully so that she was no longer touching the cold snow. For one so huge, the cat was capable of being incredibly tender.

"It will be okay, small one. You're safe." Ever so carefully, the lioness pulled her tongue over the wounds on the girl's ribs and shoulder. Once the wounds were clean, she would allow the child to defrost, as it were. Then hopefully the pup would have enough energy to speak and tell Taiga just where she belonged. It wouldn't be the first time that the lioness had escorted a wayward pup back home.

"Taiga"

Whisper was drifting in and out of consciousness when the warmth enveloped her. Even though she was just a baby, she still had the ability to wonder if this was what dying felt like? The warm rough tongue dragging over her wounds pulled some whimpers from the child, the pain connecting her with the present enough to start to shiver. She burrowed into the soft fur that was beneath her, and one day she might even realise how vital the actions of her savior were to her survival.

Without her realising it, the girl had begun to cry. “Want mumma,” she managed to choke out between her whimpers and sobs. “Wanna go home.”

“Speech”

The child began to wake as Taiga tried to clean the wounds as gently as possible. The feline's heart broke as the pup started to cry and plead for her mother. A low rumble reverberated through the cat and she nuzzled the soft spot between the pups ears. "We'll find your mother, sweet one. Do you belong to one of the packs?" Wolves all smelled the same to Taiga.

No matter where the pup was, they couldn't just stay here beside the wall. Taiga had run into too many bears along the stone divider. As though picking up a broken baby bird, one giant paw delicately lifted the child and placed her upon the lionesses back. Taiga was massive. Her back was wide enough to let the pup rest comfortably. Unlike normal lions, Taiga had a thick mane of fur around her neck and down her back. It would provide cushion and warmth for the girl. "My name is Taiga," she told the pup. "I know of a pack nearby and I'm going to take you there. If you get uncomfortable or you can't hold on anymore, let me know and we'll stop."

"Taiga"

As the lioness scooped her up onto her back, whisper buried her face in the thick fur of her mane, grateful for the cushioning and the extra warmth. She also felt closer to the lioness's ears up here, so was hopeful she wouldn't have to put so much effort into speaking. Through the pain, she tried to breathe normally, but it was an insurmountable challenge for one so young. “M'names Whisper,” she finally managed as Taiga began to move along the wall, “'M in Armada, but where th' trees are, not the Col...” The girl shuddered, remembering the way the water had crashed down the mountain and into the pass. She still struggled to set foot in there. “M-mums a healer, her name's Halo.” Oh her mother would be so upset with her. Her whole body was shaking, and she tried to hold on as best she could with her uninjured limbs on her left side. “Th-thanks for helping me.” She thought it was important to say so, in case she couldn't say it later.

“Speech”