Finding Home (Ebony, Kayalee, River)

[Meesh]

Ebony purred "I've managed so far with my stores as they are. I think I can manage a tad more" he meowed quite honestly, shooting his stockpiles of herbs a fond look. "The skull of our elk and its antler should be plenty fine for a while, just so long as we've got something set in before winter comes." shooting the stockpile one last glance, the absonding turned in concern to listen to the conversation about the cult. "That Cult disbanded before the either of us were born. - Do you really think they would still be a threat?"

[Hazelstar]

"I'm perfectly fine with you using the hide of whatever we catch for your storage area." Kayalee meowed. Then her eyes darkened as River and Ebony spoke of The Cult. "I know they probably won't show up and that their members are probably long gone! I just can't help worrying about it!" Kayalee snapped, then whipped around and ran, just flat out sprinted away. She had to get away from them before she snapped and hurt someone.

She eventually collapsed in a patch of long grass, tall enough to cover herself as she laid down. She put her paws over her eyes. "I'm not fit to rule this tribe, I anger to easily." She moaned to herself, then rolled onto her side and looked up at the autumn sun. "Much to fast...."

[Deleted]

River blinked, ears flattening against her skull as Kayalee snapped and then ran off. Well, that had been unexpected. She and Ebony were trying to reassure her, not anger her further. Still, River understood angry outbursts. She understood them far more than she liked. It was that understanding that kept her from pelting after the larger feline. For her to run away like that meant she didn’t want to be around either of them until she calmed down.

River forced her ears up and sighed. “I’ll go get those things for you, Ebony. Be right back.” She ran off to retrieve the elk pieces, glad to have something to do instead of waiting.

[Meesh]

Ebony jumped at the outburst, then sighed as Kayalee ran off. always, I drive my tribe mates off. I wonder what it is that I say that always makes River and Kayalee so angry.. he quickly hid his frown before River would notice, but the black and white feline had already turned away, padding towards the elk carcass. Guess that's hint enough.. "Alright, thanks" Ebony called after her retreating form, not moving from his current position.

After a moment, he sighed, returning to his herb storage and home and settling down, Walnut scampering over to curl up by his shoulder. Maybe the others just didn't like him is all. With some effort, he shook his head free of the thoughts. Feeling sorry for himself would do no one any good. What he needed was to be useful. Standing, the feline turned and padded out of camp, towards where he knew a patch of rotting flowers were. Herb gathering, that'll be useful

[Hazelstar]

Her sadness turned to anger. "If only they didnt mention the tribe, then I wouldn't have gotten so angry with them." Kayalrr growle crossly, then sighed. "No, no I can't blame them for my character fault." Kayalee sighed, then pulled herself to her paws. She saw a large shape in the distance. A buck. She leaped towards it and suddenly found herself right in front of it. She gasped, startled, she must have teleported. She had no time to think about his now though, for she quickly had to leap out of the way of the startled buck's antlers. She slipped in a puddle of mud and was flipped onto her side. She saw a flash of hooves and felt a shock of pain in her belly as he rammed his hooves into her then ran off. She raised her head weakly and looked at her stomach, blood poured from two gashes. She laid her head down. There was no way her tribe mates coul know of her troubles, so she just laid there in the sun hoping by some miracle they would find her in time.

[Deleted]

River just had time to touch her teeth to the skull when a flash of hooves filled her vision. She flinched and jumped back, letting out an angry roar at the buck for startling her.

Only…there was no buck.

Blinking, she looked around. She was alone with the remains of the buck they had killed before, just like she had been a moment ago. The hooves were nowhere in sight. There was no way a deer could have disappeared in such an open area. That meant what she had seen was a vision. Why had she been given that vision?

A sick thought occurred to her, and she worried over her tribemates. The hooves had come from an aimal nativeto the area. If she saw them attacking, then one of them must be in danger. It was Kayalee’s scent she found first upon returning to camp, so it was her scent she followed, going as swift as her paws would allow. If Kayalee got mad at her for it, so be it.

River arrived in time to catch a glimpse of the buck as it ran off and Kayalee on the ground. The scent of blood overpowered all else as she rushed forward, sniffing at the wound.

“Don’t move!” Like Kayalee was going to take orders from a subordinate. “I’m going to get help.” She could find cobwebs to try and treat the wound herself, but it could take her ages to do that, and she had no idea how long Kayalee had. It was better for Ebony to treat her, anyway, even if River had to run all the way across the plain.

River rushed toward camp, intent on picking up his scent from there and following it to his location. She willed her legs to move faster and faster, all but flying over the ground. “Ebony! Ebony, Kayalee’s hurt!”

[Meesh]

A crash made him jump, sending various herbs flying. River burst in front of him, yelling about Kayalee being injured. Ebony leaped to his paws, "What happened?" he called, not waiting for an answer as he rushed ahead of her towards his storage den- suddenly seeming much too far away. A vision filled his mind as he ran- his storage den with the prickle plants and cobwebs faintly illuminated and Ebony leaped into the den, grabbing those two items without sparing the rest of the herbs a second glance. He leaped out of the den again, skidding to a halt as he suddenly found himself standing right over Kayalee.

Perhaps if the situation had been less dire, Ebony would have congratulated himself for using both powers in such a short amount of time. Now, however, was not the time for that. Carefully, the feline placed a paw on one of the gashes to stop the bloodflow, laying the cobwebs on carefully. Too late, he realized he couldn't lay out the cobwebs and chew the prickle plants into a paste at the same time. River, hurry up and get here soon

"Just hold on" Ebony said out loud to Kayalee. "The bloodflow's slowing already" the cobweb was now firmly pressed into the first gash, and the Absonding was carefully working on bandaging the other. Now just some sticky grass to keep the cobwebs in place Ebony shot a look over his shoulder to where a clump of sticky grass was growing. Of course, he couldn't turn to reach it, as both front paws were occupied with keeping the gashes closed. Carefully, Ebony stretched out a hind leg, attempting to reach the clump with his hind toes

[Hazelstar]

"Don't move!" The words echoed through her head, she couldn't tell if she had thought it or is someone had said it. She couldn't have moved even if she wanted to. She felt a burning pain which ricocheted across her body. She felt as if she was on fire. Her vision rippled like the river and she suddenly saw a white flash in front of her. Is this the end? She thought, unknown of what was coming. Then a large, dark, blurred shape appeared in front of her. The shape moved towards her until it took up most of her rippling vision. She felt pressure on her wound, followed by a sharp sting. She hissed, but then the pain receded. She didn't know what was going on, her brain was fuzzy as her sight. She attempted to inch away from whoever, or whatever it was, just falling deeper into darkness as she passed out from loss of blood.

[Deleted]

She had clearly started him, but there was no time to dwell on that fact. The important thing was that he got the message. She followed him, giving the quickest answer she could come up with when he asked what happened. “Hoof to the stomach, I think. She’s bleeding badly.”

She broke off from following him as he entered his storage and ran back the way she had come, heading for Kayalee. She couldn’t teleport, so it took her longer than Ebony to reach their leader. By the time she arrived, she found him reaching for a clump of grass with a hind paw. Shaking her head, she ran over and plucked the clump, dropping it within easy reach of his muzzle.

She glanced between the two felines. “What should I do?”

[Meesh]

Ebony nodded his thanks, barely looking up from Kayalee's stomach as he picked up the sticky grass, carefully laying it over the bandage. The cobwebs would serve to keep the grass bound onto the fur, if only he could lay them on quite correctly. A voice pricked at his concentration- River asking how she could help- "Prickle plants" Ebony motioned with his muzzle towards the spiney plant that now lay in a heap on the ground. "Chew them, spit out any prickles, don't swallow any, and when it becomes a pulpy like paste, see if you can get her to swallow any. I've got to work on stopping the blood flow" He quickly turned his attention back tot he problem at hand. River would be able to manage it, he trusted her. Carefully pressing harder on the wounds. Slowly, the blood flow began to slow.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee's mangled body lay fainted in the grass, blood pooling around her and sticking to her once glossy silvery pelt which was now covered in clumps of dirt and matted with her blood. Her body began to twitch, once, twice, thrice. She had no control over herself in this fainted form. She couldn't tell that the blood flow was ceasing, she didn't know her pain would end and she would be able to truly live once more. Her faith in herself was low, she didn't think she would make it. But her body knew it would, especially with the help of her tribe mates. Her blood began clotting, trying to form a huge, protective scar over the gashes on her skin.

[Deleted]

River nodded and bit into the prickle plants, being as careful as she could not to take any prickles in her mouth as she chewed them to a paste and spitting the needles out when they did manage to wind up in her jaws. Thankfully, it was only a few times and she noticed them in time to keep from puncturing the inside of her mouth or – as Ebony warned – swallow them. She chewed up as much of the helpful part of the plant as she could ad spat it out near Kayalee’s mouth. She then began licking the tribe leader’s face.

“Come on, wake up…”

[Meesh]

Ebony gave River a half nod, still distracted by the flow of blood that slowed...slowed...and then finally stopped. The feline gave a sigh of relief, pressing more cobwebs onto the wounds and wrapping them tight with sticky grass. "We'll need to go to the Maple Forest later" Ebony muttered, distracted. "They have herbs that can fight infection- and once she swallows some of that paste, it should make her sleep a while. We better get her back to camp" Carefully, trying his best not to reopen Kayalee's wounds, Ebony stuck his nose under her belly, trying to wriggle himself under her so he could lift her up onto his back. "Uhm, mind helping me out a little here?"

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee felt a strange sensation on her face, was she bleeding on her face? Had that shadowy figure attacked her? No, it felt rough. Was it a tongue? It sure felt like one. Kayalee's eyes fluttered open and she saw the the black an white fur of River. She saw a clump of stuff in front of her, she stared at it for a moment, then ate it, se assumed it was some kind of herb. He felt stuff sticking to her belly. She turned her head a little and saw bloody cobwebs clinging to her fur, she also saw Ebony. Was he the shadowy figure she has seen? She wanted to ask them what happened, she couldn't remember. She however could not draw the energy to speak. She felt a pressure on her side, then something pushing under her, she assumed Ebony was attempting to pick her up. She tried to scoot herself to help, but even the smallest effort to move tired her out.

[Deleted]

Thankfully, Kayalee stirred and ate the herbs. River licked her jaws, cleaning the remnants of the paste from them. It wasn’t a pleasant taste, but if she waited it could be hard to clean off later.

“Do you want me to go with you there once we get her settled?” River asked when Ebony mentioned going to the maple forest. “Or would you rather I keep an eye on her? If that’s it, you’ll have to give me some instruction so I know what to do if things go wrong.” She sighed. My job is taking lives, not preserving them.” But she did want to help. She wanted Kayalee to live through this and make a full recovery.

When he tried lifting her onto his back, she rushed over to steady Kayalee and help maneuver her. “Is it possible to teleport others with you, or will you be walking back?”