@cyluos asked:
His last contract was a challenge, he’d give them that much. Even though he largely remained the victor, Qara was not without his wounds - as it was to be expected when facing people as fierce and hardy as the Xaela of the Steppe.
A breath left the pale figure, staggering along the ravine as blood dripped from him, marking his path. Even more red seeped through his fingers that made a futile effort to hold a gash on his side closed. Each step shot pain through his form… Never did he feel so alive.
That was his last thought, before he collapsed by the river bank.
(For Ilmari :3c)
@kolak-magiya
“Nettle, what are you doing?” Ilmari sighed, her gaze pulled from the herbs she’d been collecting and towards the large blue-grey canine as it sniffs around the area- seeming to have caught the scent of something interesting. Unfortunately, interesting likely meant some small creature that was about to get chased by an excitable wolf.. The Au’ra leans her basket against her hip, tucking the plants held between her fingers inside with the rest of the herbs and other bits and bobs she’d collected on today's exploration- a brow raised as she curiously watches her companion.
Nettle stops by a large rock- nose pressed to the surface as she sniffs loudly, before sitting down in front of it. She barks, pawing at whatever she’d found and coaxing Ilmari over- her curiosity winning over. “oh come now, it’s a boulder- unless you’ve suddenly learned to sniff out hidden crystals or some such, i doubt-”
She pauses, blinking at the large smudge of red smeared down the rocks face... Looking at it, something told her this couldn’t be from a scuffle between wild animals- it was too oddly placed- and it was far too fresh to be left over from a training mishap earlier this eve..
Something was wrong here, and that feeling only grew as nettle stood and continued sniffing about- barking again and drawing her attention to a second spot of blood on the ground a ways away. Ilmari curses under her breath, grabbing the staff she’d brought with her from its place nearby before gesturing to the canine. “alright, alright- lead on then.”
And lead she did, following the edge of the river- through the field and ravine as the sun continued to set, bathing the world in a warm, dim glow.. and then they found him. A large, pale, unfamiliar Au’ra man- collapsed close enough to the stream that the fingers of one bloodied hand touched the surface of the water.
Her first thought is that he was, very likely, very very dead- a theory she tested after sharing a look with her companion by poking him with her staff.. and when that failed, checking his pulse- the latter of which proved more successful, and she huffs out a relived little sigh when she feels the slow rythm beneath her fingers. ..that only left what she should do with the injured man. It didn’t feel right to leave him here, still alive, for the buzzards to eat- but neither she nor nettle would be strong enough to get him back to her tribe.. and that aside, she doubted they’d be overly welcoming of this..stranger.
Ilmari hesitates, knelt on the ground beside him, before calling out to Nettle. “..i’m sure you could carry him at least to a cave, right?” Nettle simply whines reluctantly in response- but shortly did the two of them find themselves dragging the poor man away from the river, and into the safety of a cave where she could properly try and treat his injuries..
