"Speech."

The mist would swirl thick at the edge of the Oasis borders, an impenetrable wall, but it was fleeting. The thick, tall wall would linger for only a few moments before it would begin to recede, reluctantly leaving behind a black figure. The figure would lay sprawled on the sandy ground, trembling. When devoured she had shrank in on herself, making her large form as small as she could, but now she lay stretched and exposed in the cool autumn air. The scent of blood hung thick in the air as she lay there, too tired to move.

Tron would groan, attempting to roll onto her belly, but the movement would cause a great deal of pain and she would flop back to her side. “Help!” She’d call, weakly, mustering up all of her strength into the voice. Strange wounds would cover the girl, some seeming like bites and others as if claws had curled and carved marks into her hide. Using flesh as a canvas of sorts. Bones would protrude, as if she hadn’t eaten the entire time she had been gone. Emaciated and tired, the girl would lay, forcing her silver eyes to stay open…if she slept, would she even wake? Did she want to?

OOC: AW

more clever scribbles to come. or footnotes...

code by corvus

There.

There—was it?

Aidoneus felt her stomach drop at the sight, panic drove her to cross the Oasis and towards the youngling. Eyes fixed, and her attentions irrevocable from Tron’s figure. She rushed, not to fill the space to ensure the girl was not followed, that there would be no villain at her heels seeking to take more from the Oasis.

You’re home now, reassurance for not just the returned girl but for herself as well. Dread filled the ice of her eyes, taking in the poorly condition. Worry for Diantha and Leonie flitted across her face, noting she was alone. Worries for Fang spun there too.

One had returned, but the delay in their arrival could mean they were all the more in need of help. Decidedly, the Queen chose to remain at Tron’s side, assessing what her untrained eyes could.

Then, a summons, a wafting thunder to call any within the Oasis.

Hearing @Aidoneus' call from within was not something he took lightly and of course, the Heir was there to make sure he could help her. Large paws carried his form from where he had been lounging towards where she had called from but when he arrived it wasn't Aidoneus he locked onto but @Tron herself. And the shape she was in. Quickly he rushed to his daughter's side and brushed against her. Tron, oh god, what happened? He looked to the Sovereign before back to his daughter. She looked horrible. Skinny as if she hadn't eaten. Injured as if someone had harmed her and his blood boiled.

irish

When @Drakon had vowed to find their girls, Hecuba realized she had made a massive mistake. She hadn't specified that she'd wanted them both back in one piece, so when she heard the cry for help and spotted the emaciated girl, she really had no one to blame but herself. "@Tron!" she gasped, rushing by (or perhaps straight through) @Aidoneus and her husband to investigate the wounded yearling. "You're alright, you're safe now. You're safe now, we'll get you fixed up in no time." Hecuba didn't care what had happened in that moment, only that Tron was back and needed care. Whatever stories she had could wait until the immediate problem was taken care of.

It's the first sign of life, of reprieve. Months after the lost souls of the Oasis had been plucked from their beds, one of them returns. Bloodied, weak, emaciated, but @Tron is at least alive, if only just barely. Seneca approaches the group with urgency, chuffing a call for @Iofiel to come lend aid.

The sovereign is otherwise silent, his gaze equal parts perplexed and relieved; he wants the answers just as much as they, but he promises patience until the yearling is ready to give them. Where has she been, and is there still hope for the others who remain lost? Tron may not be his, but Seneca has a level of affection for the girl — mostly due to her eagerness to tend to the borders — and he is glad to see her still breathing. The rest of the puzzle will knit together in time.

BG — ART — CODE

+10 Heal a character’s sickness or injury

The pale medic was surprised to be summoned. He wasn't typically called for. But since he was that meant that there could only be one thing on the mind of the High Sovereign. That meant a delay in answering the call so that he could stop by his cache in order to gather supplies.

He had no idea what he would be facing and so he gathered his standards. Aloe, because that was able to be used for most anything. Wild sunflower, used to stop bleeding. Then something for pain and a wound dressing. That should do good enough for now.

Iofiel took his gathered materials and made his way towards where the call had originated from. There was already a small group there by the time he got there. And at the center of it all, Tron.

The state the young girl was in had the medic hurrying. He moved next to Tron's side and placed down his bundle. "Remember this?" He asked as he placed the aloe down before the girl. "Chew on it. It will help." It would be enough to get some fluids back into her again.

The medic then looked to those gathered. "Someone go get her some food." It was a rare command from the usually soft spoken man. His attention then turned back to Tron as he assessed her wounds. While doing so he chewed on some of the sunflower to get it to a paste form so it could be applied to the bleeding wounds.

@Tron @Aidoneus @Drakon @Hecuba @Seneca

"Speech."

Pain pulsed through the girl, with every beat of her heart a throb and rush. The yearling wanted it to stop. Everything to stop. The shift of sand, the beat of paws would intermingle with that of her heart racing and then there was someone. Ears picked up the sounds of her voice without shifting, @Aidoneus was there. Reassuring words were heard, but it was not reassurance on the girls façade, only pain and fear. The mist had engulfed her just outside of the Oasis borders, they hadn’t been able to save her, and when the Mist had been done with her, it had spat her back out. Tron would attempt a smile along with a thick swallow to push back the emotion that seemed to clog her throat.

The queens alarm call would cause the girl to startle, to groan at the loudness of it, but otherwise, she remained still- the more she moved, the more it hurt. More paws would come, the thundering deep vocals coming from someone she instantly recognized. Eyes widened, head shifting slightly as she grimaced from the pain from the small movements. “D- @Drakon …” A pitiful and weak sound, heavy with fear. @Hecuba would arrive, comforting the girl with more words. She was home. She was safe. Was she though? They’d fix her up. She knew that to be true enough. “I’m scared.” She’d whimper to her two guardians.

Seneca would appear, his piebald colors blurring in and out, hard for her to focus on. He said nothing, only summoned someone else- @Iofiel. The medic that had held the herb lesson. When he arrived, silver gaze would shift to what he sat at her mouth, she nodded ever so slightly at the question he posed, of course she remembered the Aloe. Chew it. Her nose wrinkled, she’d collected enough of it to know it did not taste good. He said it would help so jaws would part, using her tongue lick the Aloe, catching it on her tongue and pulling it into her mouth so she didn’t have to move her head too much. Yeah. Still gross. The girl would make a face and a quiet choking sound as she chewed on the plant. The mention of food would have her stomach clench, empty, but wanting. Food sounded nice….but did she have the strength to even eat? Chewing was exhausting.

Just in case, Tron would stop chewing the Aloe, resting her jaws and letting her head roll back awkwardly into the sand to conserve strength so she could eat.

OOC: AW

more clever scribbles to come. or footnotes...

code by corvus

Relief, however small, came spying the approaching figures.

One by one, relief bolstered as even their blessed healer was soon to join. Aidoneus added note to ask him of his knowledge. She felt small and useless in this moment, even when it was suggested they gather food for the girl. Briefly, she thought to inform it was better to have small meals if half-starved. But some innate notion had her presuming they too would already know this. Dread of what lingered in the girl's shadow continued to pester her thoughts.

A firm, and worried look was passed towards her husband, I'm going to check the way she came— she paused before departing, unsure if they would understand the why.

But feeling the urgency of the moment, there came no room to debate with herself. Giving her husband a brief, yet affirming smile, she turned and departed past the Oasis borders. Still given no reason to believe these stories of the mist, she wished to ensure the danger and whomever inflicted such pain on the girl wouldn't return.

Return for Tron, or worse yet, return to take more from the Oasis. exit.

"I know. It doesn't taste the best. I promise it will help. It will keep you hydrated until food can be brought." Iofiel had kept himself going on aloe before when living among his nomadic desert birth pride. Prey didn't flock to them as it seemed to do in the Oasis. Aloe was the one constant source to be counted on at least.

Aidoneus said she was headed off to check where the girl had come from. Iofiel could see the sense in this in cause trouble were to come on her heels. The medic worked on chewing up the wild sunflower to turn it into a paste that he would then attempt to apply to Tron's wounds in order to stem off the bleeding.

@Tron