She really made a mess of things this time. 

Perhaps she was too cocky. Perhaps it was the sin of pride beating through her veins her mother had so graciously given her by way of DNA. 

Whatever it was, the puncture holes in her right hind muscle would make sure that whatever foolery she was doing would be the last thing she would do … well … anything. 

She never saw the sandy-furred beast come barreling towards her on silent paws, inches-long fangs protruding from black lips as they popped right into her haunch, shaking her back and forth. It was only luck that the cat was more interested in the hog Rook had dragged down moments ago, rumbling at the wolf she had used as a ragged doll seconds prior to leave or else.

Rook limped through the yellow brush of the lowlands, a trail of scarlet drops left behind in her wake. Collapsing at the gnarled roots of a tree etched with carvings and antlers, she had no time to administer any aid to herself before static punctured through her skull and all she could see was the world around her shrinking. 

Her head resting on one of the ancient roots, the endless golden weeds of the plains laying before her, she languidly thought, not a bad view to die to. 

ooc - I haven’t written anything in decades please be gentle with me trying to reacquaint myself with the English language

Also because I don’t trust myself with how I worded things, here’s the gist of what happened: 

- Rook got attacked by a saber
- There’s two puncture holes in her hind leg
- Bleeding out, she drags herself over to the tree known as the Hellion’s Library (this all happens in the Lowlands, including hunting the boar and getting attacked)

If I need to edit anything please let me know!

As far as Franky was concerned, the scent of blood was far too common of an occurrence this close to the border. She'd just been doing her usual rounds by the lowland border and the territory near it when she'd stumbled upon the trail of blood, so strong and so fresh as to have stopped her like a stone wall. The faint scent of boar might have told her it was a hunt, or even a hunting accident (still worthy of concern), but it was very clearly wolf's blood. Here her mind went into high alert, and she dimly considered how a younger version of her might have missed the smell of cat too.

But there were more pressing matters. It didn't take her long to follow the scent of blood to the end of its trail, some poor wretch of a wolf sprawled at the base of a tree. Franky recognized this place, if only because it was creepy and unsettling enough that she didn't like to go near it. Some things mattered more than her petty superstition. While her paws were still moving, Franky threw back her head to howl. It was a simple howl, one she'd done before, one she hoped anyone would recognize: an attempt to summon a healer. Now.  

She picked up her pace until she was standing before the injured stranger. They didn't smell like Gemini, or at least from what she could tell under the blood. "Look at me," she said, trying to keep her voice commanding enough to focus the stranger. "Focus on me. There's somebody coming to tend to your wounds." Fresh wounds, from the looks of it. Could anything be done to save her? Maybe, Franky thought, she should spend some time with the healers to learn some more first aide. Later, later. "Did that cat do this to you?" She'd scented it, but... well, if it was willing to attack a stranger, then it was a threat to everyone. Someone should inform the rest of the pack.

Franky kept her eye on the stranger, but she took an awkward seat in front of her. Hopefully that would be... more reassuring? Comforting? Whatever. "Who are you?" First off Franky wanted to know (it wasn't a huge trespass, and one she easily forgave given the circumstances, but the small territorial part of her still grumbled), and second of all maybe it'd keep the stranger from slipping away. But maybe she'd come off too harsh...

"I'm not leaving until you're treated," Franky promised.

ooc

Words warbled in her ears and she started, weakly parting her lips to warn off whoever wanted to come finish the job with a row of flashing teeth. The silhouette before her warped and shifted and Rook could no longer tell what was part of the sky and what of the newcomer. 

“My … my catch … she’s eating it right now …” She managed to huff out, before her head limped back over the cool bark.

Suddenly the form before her shifted and settled before her, who are yous and I’m not leavings meant to both shake her awake and comfort her most likely, but Rook did not trust like that, did not think her own death would be so loud.

“I’m nobody you need to know, sister … and I don’t think … I don’t know, I mean – I lost a lot of blood, and you shouldn’t be around here, for this. For me. It’s alright, I ain’t afraid, and if you’ve got friends around … get them outta here. That cat’s bite was worse than its bark, as you can … see …”

She groans for the umpteenth time before closing her eyes to stop the world kaleodoscoping. One would have to forgive her for the dramatics – Rook had never been ambushed so stupidly like that, nor lost so much blood. She had never felt so faint, so weak, so fragile, and surely these must be the precursors to Death paying a visit any moment now. She hardened her resolve, however, and was determined to go out with grace, if nothing else.

“Come on, sister, if you were able to track me down, then others will too, others less kind … don’t worry about me … I ain’t afraid, I ain’t afraid …”

If she said it enough times, maybe it’ll come true.

The poor wounded stranger warbled on faint warnings and tried to placate Franky and get her to leave. For a moment Franky wondered, if she was still in Saboro, whether she would have left this stranger to die. She didn't think so, but... she wasn't sure. "This is Gemini," She said gently, hoping the information would penetrate the fog of pain that Rook was surely in. "And I won't let anyone else bleed out at our borders."

What would Serrate think of her, if she did?

It was hardly surprising that Iaera showed up next. Franky didn't really know her, and she barely even knew her name, and yet somehow they always managed to cross paths. She saw so few other rangers, maybe it was just that this had become their land. Just the two of them. Regardless, Franky quickly nodded to her in greeting. Better yet, the wolfdog knew some healing. "Anything will help," She replied. Her own knowledge of herbs was pitiful.

She didn't hesitate to chew up the herbs as instructed, though she couldn't help but curl her lip up a little at the strange taste. Eugh. It was a good thing with was a matter of life or death, because she never wanted to do this again. Anyway, she waited until she'd finish that to respond to Iaera's next question.

"Not yet," She said, and then rose to her feet. "I'll alert the Vanguards now. Maybe they..." She trailed off and let her gaze rest on Rook again. "Do you think she's safe to move? We should get her further inland if we can." She didn't wait for the answer, instead leaving Iaera to treat and asses the stranger in lieu of a healer. Franky took a few steps away and then howled again, this time a warning for the rest of the pack. Beware of cat. It couldn't be allowed to cross the wall.

The world spun, spun, spun, and only when a second stranger came to splash her leg in coolness and cover wounds with cobwebs and herbs did Rook snap back to reality and scrambled upright on wobbly legs, like a baby fawn learning to walk again.

She didn’t want Gemini. She didn’t want to be helpless on its turf, and she certainly didn’t want to be indebted to these packsisters, who would now probably bind rope around her legs and carry her back on a stick to be placed at a sacrificial pyre.

“What was that you put on my leg.” She would ask pointedly to the little grey-tan girl, before stumbling back from the carved tree, a nervous lick of her lips as she glanced between the two.

“Who did you just call.” Eyes darted to Francisca's face.

...

“Sorry, I, I mean – thanks, I guess.

“I …

“Look, I don’t wanna sound ungrateful, but – whatever Gemini is, whoever you guys are – I want no part of it. I was headed for – uh, somewhere, and I was hunting down this pig, you see, for its head – lots of good nutrients in there – to bring as a sort of trophy, I guess, and this big, long-toothed guy just snuck up on me – sandy cats and tall yellow grass are pretty formidable, together like that, you know – and now I’m, well, here.”

She breathed.

“I don’t know how you … packs? … function. I’ve only ever heard of one, and the stories I’ve heard haven’t been pleasant. You gals seem nice enough, and I’m assuming if you were anything like the characters of Alteron you would’ve found me an easy snack, probably, but, again – I can’t stay. I’m sorry.”

Fumbling over her own paws as the blood loss and dizziness overtook her, she toppled to the ground once more, managing only a few feet of distance between her and the two strangers.

“I don’t usually ramble like this. Or be as clumsy as this. Or pretty much be hopeless like this. Sorry. Again.”

Sighing, she laid one front paw over the other, and rested her heavy head on top.

The form of the saber sinking its fangs into her haunch flittered behind her eyelids, its rumbling snarl still ringing in her ears.

She perked up.

“Actually, scratch that. Can I stay here for a few days? Just by this tree. I, uh, promise I won’t steal anything? Or eat your prey? I’ll be good and gone before you know it.”

Francisca was quick to help, Iaera was grateful in a silent way as she worked to clean Rook's wounds. It was bitter, she knew that, but it didn't change the fact that her first aid was necessary. She was just about finished when Rook seemed to lunge up, adrenaline pumping wildly in her veins. "Easy! Easy! If you get worked up, it'll pump the blood out of your wounds faster. Sit down!" The Ranger's tone was unusally harsh, Rook would kill herself with bloodloss if she didn't settle her booty back down. The pain seemed to bring her back down, and so she listened to her fellow Ranger answering the question. Calling the Vanguards now, Rook however seemed upset about it. The Ranger's head was spinning; there was a woman bleeding on their border, a threat lurking, she was trying to be a paramedic and Francisca was trying to be her nurse. Iaera breathed out a soft breath, trying to calm her nerves as the situation became stressful."Eeeaaassssyyyyyy,"a soothing tone, slow and gentle, similar to what is used to calm spooked horses or scared puppies.

"She called our Vanguards, they protect Gemini. We called them out to find and remove the cat before it comes back for you or hurts our people." Francisca was asking if Rook could be moved, and Iaera was about to say 'probably' given how quickly she jumped up but Rook started rambling. Absolute rambling. Her sentences weren't making sense and she was talking about another pack, called Alteron."Alteron? Hmmm. Sounds unpleasant," the woman said tersely, ignoring her say she didn't want any part of Gemini. Rook wasn't exactly in a place where she could travel, and Iaera would have worked hard to stop her from leaving. Iaera was tiny as it was, but Rook was wounded so she might actually have an edge. Especially after the stranger collapsed on the ground again. Violet eyes shot to Francisca, a half-smirk to the woman, "well she'll move, just not sure how well." studying the woman as she lay.

As Rook finally changed her mind about staying for a bit, the little Ranger chuckled and looked back at Francisca again."We aren't stingy with our food, and you'd be much safer on the other side of the Wall," a tiny paw motioned towards the formidable structure. "If you can stand, we can move slowly. But you don't need to overwork yourself or you'll cause extra bloodloss. There are more doctors within our territory, they can help you more than my field dressing can."

ooc; short but it's here.

When she returned from howling for the rest of the pack, the stranger had scrambled to her feet while poor Iaera tried to ease her down. Franky sighed to herself and made a mental note to thank Iaera later when they weren't trying to stop someone from bleeding to death. She was grateful for Iaera's help, really - knowing someone was there to keep this fool alive meant she could split her attention to keeping an ear out for a big cat.

She paused in thoughtful silence while Rook described the stories of packs she'd heard of. Er, singular, but still. Maybe it was a bit much to jump to the assumption of which pack she was talking about, but she imagined there had to be some similarities. Though the thought of another pack like Saboro chilled her to the bone. "We aren't like those packs," Franky replied, her voice a mixture between gentle and fiercely determined. She would die before Gemini became like Saboro.

...Alteron? She'd never heard of Alteron.

"You can stay until you're healed up - actually, I insist you do. Once you're healed up, you'll be free to leave if you wish." Truth be told, Franky thought that this stranger might be better off if she didn't leave. After all, the stranger seemed nice, quietly selfless even. Misguided, perhaps. Or perhaps drawn by something that could never really be worth it. Part of Franky ached in pity.

For now, she looked to Iaera. "My den is just inside the Wall." (It was convenient, and meant she didn't have to travel far to start her usual patrol). "We can take her there, at least for today, and go fetch a healer once we get there." She moved closed to both of them, prepared to help support the stranger walk if needed. She hadn't shared her den with anyone since - well, in a long time, but the situation demanded it. Right?

ooc
as far as im concerned rook is accepted, enjoy rping and all that bullshit

She wanted to push against all that she was bred and raised to learn, that you didn’t need help, you didn’t need friends, and you most certainly did not need a pack to call home. Well, the latter turned out to be bullshit once her mother ran off and joined one, so, if her mother disregarded their own familial rules, then—

“Right. Right, yeah, okay. Take me to your docs and, uh, thanks. Again. To the both of you. I’ll only be a short while, I promise.”

Rook’s gaze followed the direction Iaera motioned at, past the carved tree, and noticed a line of rocks neatly piled on top of each other. Her mouth twitched. Was this wall needed to contain those within, or to keep others out?

She wondered if Alteron had similar structures. She supposed she would find out… once she healed up…!

Pushing up on her legs once again, she leaned into Francisca for support, ever so hesitantly, and bid the other to lead. She would follow the two, heart tentatively resting on sleeve.

“Name’s Rook, by the way.”

Gemini, huh. Well, if she was guaranteed safety to leave any time, it wouldn’t hurt to take up a tourist outlook and go sightseeing.

ooc - as far as I'm concerned as well this thread can be considered done! You guys don't have to write follow-up posts or anything. AAAAHHHH welkum to gaymini, I tell myself