Home. He was almost home. He could feel it, even if he didn't really know where he was. He'd been walking a long time, even had to raft for a bit to get back to Boreas. He barely even remembered leaving this land to begin with, but he would certainly never forget the waves and seasickness he got from said waves when he was young. It all hit him like a ton of bricks when he made the trip back, though that was the least of his pain.

If he didn't know any better, he would say that stepping paw on Boreas again had given him a ear-splitting migraine. His eyes were crossing it hurt him so bad, but he wouldn't let a little headache stop him. That was days ago, though, and it really hadn't gotten any better. He was walking like he was drunk, paws crossing over the last with each step and nearly stumbling with every other one. He wasn't even really thinking clearly, and hadn't he seen that old machine buried in the ground already? He wasn't walking in circles, was he??

Raure paused for a moment, but he shouldn't have stopped. Apparently, what little momentum he had was keeping him upright because he slumped over into the dirt the moment he stopped. Groaning, Raure tried to get up but his world was spinning and he felt like he was swimming in the depths of the ocean. Maybe his body was just telling him that he needed a nap? He certainly hadn't been sleeping well, so it was worth a shot. He finally closed his crossed, tired eyes with another groan and succumbed to his migraine.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Rex/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Corbie occasionally made it a point to do quick patrols through neighboring territories, to get a sense of any dangers to Avalon before they got too close to plan for. Predator loads, droughts, signs of other wolf groups moving on them, that sort of thing. That was what she had been doing when she spotted another wolf, dark and red, weaving oddly. She had paused to watch alertly for a moment in caution only to see the wolf suddenly seen to collapse. Alarmed, she increased her pace and changed her course enough to bring her to the stranger's side. Her natural compassion was tinged with wariness - the last injured wolf she had taken in had betrayed them to a band of marauders after healing - but she couldn't just leave someone in trouble. It wasn't in her nature. "Are you all right?" she asked him as she came within reach, stretching a paw towards him but not quite touching. It might have been a silly thing to ask since the stranger had collapsed so was clearly not all right but she needed to see if he was responsive before she tried to help. The wolf's ribs still rose and fell so at least she knew he was still breathing.

He could've been out of it for five minutes or five days and he wouldn't know the difference. He laid in the trodden grass and softly groaned as his head throbbed, raising a paw to rub at his skull only to wince and whimper as he pulled his paw away. It hurt more than anything he had ever felt, even the near starvation he had been in when he was found by the militant group. He'd much prefer that end than this, if that was what was happening. Certainly this wasn't normal, it couldn't be right?

He could hear them approaching before they even spoke, but he had no energy or even will to open his eyes or lift his head. He felt so heavy and his eyes threatened to roll back, but the approaching other spoke and although it may not have seemed very loud, it sounded like she yelled it straight into his ear. Visible wincing as she spoke, he hissed in pain through gritted teeth. Why did she have to yell?! He wanted to cover his ears, to fold them down against his head to block out even some of the noise, but that would probably hurt too so he stopped himself while he was ahead.

"I... I don't know," he admitted after a moment, his voice very soft and likely barely audible, but he sounded so loud to  himself as his voice reverberated through his body. "My head hurts," he clarified a bit, though his voice was still so quiet that he was hard to hear.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Rex/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

The male flinched at the sound of her voice, cringing away. For a moment she thought in fear, but then he pressed his paw to his head in indication of pain. She stood still a moment, chewing at her lip in concern. Ayer chittered softly in her ear in agitation, but she shushed the kinkajou. While both she and her companion could manage some general first aid from years of living with a healer and caring for livestock, she was no healer herself, and a headache as bad as this wolf's actions and words both stated was far beyond her meager skills. They were pretty near to Avalon's lands, though, and while the stranger was larger than her it wasn't by a lot. She could get him onto a makeshift travois if need be. "My pack is nearby," she told him in a carefully modulated volume to do her best not to hurt his head as she'd already done, "we have a healer who could help you. I could bring you to him if you are ok with that."

While he didn't want to turn down her help, did he really want to owe another pack for likely saving his life? At least it was nearby, which made it pretty tempting, but he still had his reservations. What would this stranger expect of him if and when he's better? He would happily pay them back, but he had just finished paying off another pack. He didn't want to fall into some cycle.

span style="color: #06bbf2;">"I... I think so," he admitted in regards to her offering to bring him back. There was no use in denying her offer, he clearly needed the help. He wasn't so sure he could walk though, or even stand upright really, but he would try despite everything screaming at him to stop. Managing to make it up to his elbows, his eyes remained squeezed shut since even the mere thought of opening them even a teeny bit make his head throb. "Mind if I lean on you?" He asked, hoping that she could more or less guide him back.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Rex/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

The stranger wobbled and squeezed his eyes shut with such obvious pain that Corbie bit her lip in concern. "Of course you can lean on me," she assured him, moving to his side. "Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look." She looked pretty sturdy, so that wasn't really a concern anyway, but in her experience males tended to be reluctant to think of females as being as strong as a male the same size and weight. Studying him for a moment, she thought maybe he was having too much trouble with the light, so she added, "If you need to keep your eyes closed, that's all right. I'll go slow enough you can feel your way ahead, and I can guide you around anything major."