The young Vuesain stood back as his seafoam gaze watched the reunion of Kateri and her mother. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the tender moment wishing that he could have a reunion like this with his own mother. Lynx was still happy for his sister to have her mother back, so when he heard his name on her lips, he was surprised she was even thinking of him. "I- I'm right here Kat," he answered as he moved from the shadows to where her dark form was. The young boy moved to embrace her gently, "I'm happy you are home," he would say to her softly before pulling away.
"Hey cuz."
There was little more for her to add at the moment, even though there were a million things she wanted to speak with the man about. Apparently Kateri hadn't made it back uninjured, which complicated the reunion just that much more. It was likely she wouldn't be able to talk at length with her cousin for hours, but it was alright. Despite what others thought of her, Woya could be patient.
But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline
Present but injured and ill Aquene could handle. She was the best equipped to handle it. She could nurse her daughter back to health just as she had most of the pack at this point… what mattered was that she was home. She was all the way at the bottom of the falls? Aquene had so many questions but she could not focus on that. Her leg was bothering her, and she’d been given herbs to help with the pain and inflammation. “That was the best course of treatment.” She confirmed, grateful that such knowledge had aided them in getting her back. She focused in on her daughter as she started to explain.
The storm must have taken her from the mountain. “It’s okay… such a fright can cause memories to be blurry sometimes. Just try and breathe for me, Love.” She encouraged softly. Trauma like being lost from home could cause dissociative amnesia where things were blurry or just gone. It was possible that with time the memories would become more clear though with her age, Aquene was uncertain if they would. “Describe your pain for me, Kateri. What kind of pain is it? And is it just when you try to move or is it all the time? Does it get worse when you have weight on it?” She needed to assess for a partial fracture or if perhaps she had just sprained something that had made it hurt. They had different recover times and different methods for treatment.
The question came and she smiled softly at her. “He’s home. He was with Nash and I… I can let you two catch up once I get you properly settled.” She was moving over and starting to go through her stores to grab what she needed based off the information she had been given, relief flooding her heart, her brother speaking up once Kateri asked for him.
It seemed Al and Kateri hadn't been home long, either, and though the pup was a little worse for the wear it didn't appear to be anything too devastating, much to the guardian's relief. He was sure Aquene would be dizzy with it if she hadn't gone into shaman mode. Nash would give her space to care for her daughter, but he'd stick close to ensure she didn't overwork herself (again) and be there if she needed him.
Woya waited for Al to greet her, clearly respecting the reunion, and Nash's opinion of her rose. The trip back had been uneventful and she didn't seem as aggressive as she had upon their first brief meeting. Maybe he'd caught her on a bad day - or was thinking of the wrong woman. He wouldn't dwell on it.
Kateri asked for her brother, drawing a smile from the Eastfall as the boy went forward to sit with her. It was a good day, coming home to find her safe. But there were missing members from Al's search party. He padded to his friend's side and murmured, "Where's Chan and Leo?" He knew their founder wouldn't have left them in dire straights, but as always Nash worried for his brother - especially with another pup with him beyond the safety of their borders.
Nodding swiftly, he was happy that Aquene agreed with the treatment Chan had prescribed for the time being until their Shaman returned to take a better look at their daughter. Now that they were reunited, he was hopeful that Aquene could help Kateri further in healing from her injury, so once the dark woman started asking the girl about her pain, Aleister moved to approach the rest of the group to give them some time alone.
It was confirmed by the alabaster woman as she gave him a chin and greeted him in return. Returning the grin, "Happy to have you here," he replied before Nash approached him then and asked about the rest of his search party that had not returned with him. Before turning his attention over to the dark Eastfall, he caught Woya's gaze and gave her a "one moment and I will come talk with you" look as his duties to his pack was taking precedence.
"They went on to the Backwater to see if they have seen anything of Kip and Nori," he informed the Guardian.
Aquene was also reassuring about the fact that she couldn't remember what had happened. The truth was Kateri wasn't really sure she wanted to remember or not. "Yes, mama," she said taking a deep breath for her mom. "Do you think I will ever remember?" She asked mostly so she would know what to expect. She should have expected what her mother asked of her next. It was the time she needed to describe her pain. She thought really hard about how to describe the pain she felt. "Its kind of throbby most of the time but sometimes it's really sharp and hurts a lot." That was the best she could do. Again with the next question she thought really hard about it, she knew how important these questions were to answer right. "It doesn't hurt too much when I'm not moving thats the throbby pain. It hurts more when I do move it, that's the sharp pain. It hurts the worse when I put weight on it and that is sharp pain too." She hoped she did a good job explaining what she was feeling in her leg.
Her question about Lynx was met with confirmation that he was home and that he'd been out looking for her too. Then she heard his voice. Her mismatched gaze searched the gathered wolves for her brother. A moment later he was next to her embracing her. "I missed you Lynx," she told him returning the embrace. "Thank you for looking for me," she whispered into his ear.