Edge Stone Pool Search Party of One

She didn't respond to his question right away and that was fine with him. It gave him a chance to figure out if the rocks in front of him were simply going to give out as soon as he stepped on them or if they stable. A paw was testingly placed down in front of him and he slowly pushed down but stopped as soon as the rocks gave way again. He looked further down to see that the larger rocks were within his reach if he wanted to do a small hop to get to them, but he wasn't sure if the pup would make it or if those rocks were stable. If they weren't and he jumped onto them then he might get hurt which neither he nor the pup wanted.

Reid stopped his assessment of the rocks to listen to Shana speak. She wasn't out exploring she was looking for her mom. At that moment he was glad that Shana was behind him and that she wouldn't be able to see the flash of anger that crossed his face or the way his lips curled up into the briefest of snarls. What idiot of a mother left her pup without explaining what was going on? To get better? What did that even mean? Had she explained to Shana what was going on or had she been told by one of her packmates? Where was Shana's father in all this? And why the hell had was she out here looking on her own? Somebody had screwed up somewhere that was blatantly obvious.

Quickly he composed himself hopefully before she caught on to how tense he had gotten even if it had been brief. Quickly he went over the wolves that he had met trying to match any that had smelled like the pup, seeing as how she hadn't given him a name or a description to work off of. Sorry Sana I don't think I've met her before. He told her before he went on to ask. Did you ask one of the wolves from your pack to see if they knew where she went? It might make your search a lot shorter if they know. Plus he wanted to know if she had just decided to go on this little jaunt on her own.

As sure as you are. He responded back knowing that it probably wouldn't comfort her but he wanted to at least be truthful. Another step and another wave of rocks. He ground his teeth together as he took a bit of a further step to see if it was more stable. He didn't find out as the rocks beneath his other front paw suddenly shifted and gave way. Scrambling his right front leg twisted beneath him and his shoulder hit the ledge as he slid down. Panic flared inside him because he knew he was dangerously close to the edge. He tried to straighten himself up but all he could do was flail until his shoulders and upper back hit one of the larger rocks as it stopped his descent. Pain erupted through him and he bit his tongue to hold back a yelp. The pup was she okay? His gaze frantically looked for her small form trying to see if she had gone down with him or if she had remained safely out of the way.

Oksana didn't really understand why her mother had to leave Hearthwood to get better but it was what Inna thought was best. The pup had to accept that as she had learned to obey her mother but Inna had been gone too long and Oksana was worried. As she thought through her answer to Reid's question she watched him trying to place his paws in the best spots to keep them safe. She was now worried for his safety too and considered telling him they should head back and find something to drink somewhere else. The only thing was she didn't know where else to find water.

She settled on answering his question truthfully, how could he help if he didn't know the truth after all. Just like she had been truthful with Lachesis and he had helped her to get her mum out of the den. There of course was so much more to the story but the pup didn't know how much she should tell. She was glad Inna had finally left her den but had it only been for her to get hurt or worse while out trying to get better. Oksana knew that her mum was doing it for her so that she could be a better mum. All the pup really wanted was to know that Inna was okay and that she would be returning when she was ready.

The smudge was disappointed to hear that he didn't know her mother but she supposed that in such a big place she shouldn't be surprised. “It's okay,” she told, “It's the first time my mum has really been out of the den in months. Maybe she needs more time than she thought.” She looked up to meet his gaze as he asked his next question. “No, they don't know, my mum didn't tell them she was going.” Oksana didn't know why Inna hadn't told anyone but her but she had respected that and not said anything to anyone. Maybe she'd been worried they would come to find her and bring her back before she was ready.

His response when she asked how sure he was wasn't very reassuring but she knew they weren't in the best of situations either. Then the worst thing happened, Oksana watched as the rocks gave under Reid's paws and he scrambled and then everything else happened so fast. The pup made the mistake of trying to go to him to see if he was okay and ended up scrambling for a grip on the stones herself. A shocked, “Yelp,” escaped her as she slid a little her claws trying to dig into the stone under her. Finally she was able to regain her footing, “Are you okay?” she called to him panic in her tone, 'Please be okay,' she thought peering down to him.

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Before his unfortunate descent, he had heard her say something about her Mom not coming out of the den in months. Which was absurd unless she had a serious injury and needed to stay in the den in order to heal. He felt the urge to snarl again because all Sana did was confirm what had already been floating around in his mind. Her Mom had abandoned her. To not tell the rest of the pack you were leaving and then to just leave your pup with them? What else could he call it? Reid didn't know the circumstances but couldn't help but feel that Sana had gotten the short end of the stick in all of this.

His anger was short lived though as he was sent sliding down the ledge legs flailing as they tried to find purchase. When he did stop the pain that came from his shoulders hurt but hearing Sana yelp was the thing that made his heart drop. He found her trying to get to him. Don't come any closer. He barked to her hoping that she would stop, hoping that the rocks that were sliding underneath her would stabilize. Panicking he tried to get up so that he could get to her if she ended up sliding down. He couldn't do it while keeping an eye on her but when he saw her footing was solid and that she wasn't sliding anymore he stopped. Reid waited a moment to make sure that the rocks under her would stay put and when they did he relax. He let out a loud sigh of relief. She was fine, she hadn't gotten hurt at all.

She called down to him from her advantage point asking if he was okay. He mentally went through his body trying to figure out if anything besides his shoulders and upper back had been hurt. There was some pain from right paw but when he looked at it he could see that it had gotten scraped up but otherwise looked and felt fine. I think just some scrapes and bruises. Doesn't feel like I broke anything so I should be alright. He called up to her a relieved smile on his face. He would be sore but that was to be expected.

Now to get up. Taking his eyes off of Sana he carefully picked himself up. His movements were slow and he could tell that his shoulders were going to hurt for a while. He winced as he moved up onto the large rock. Ignoring the pain he took a step to the next stone and then from there to the water and very stable ground. He turned around and putting his paws onto the last stepping stone he watched to see if Sana would need help coming down. I think it was my weight that did it but I think that you'll have more luck coming down than I did. He told her hoping that she wouldn't freeze up and that he wouldn't need to climb up and pull back to safety at the top of the pit.

She knew she probably shouldn't be telling Reid all that she was but it made her feel a little better to say it to someone. Her uncle Lach had done what he could she felt and now her mother was out if the den. Only, she was lost somewhere in the tundra and had she come back when she said Oksana might not be out there trying to find her. She didn't feel that she was in the wrong to go looking for Inna either, she felt that the Raven would have done that for her mum too. There was still a little the pup didn't understand but one thing she did know was her mum would do anything for her and she had to do the same for her mum.

Their conversation was brought to a halt when Reid went sliding right in front if Oksana. She tried to go to him and help him but ended up sliding herself. All she could think about as she slid was getting back to stable ground and Reid, what if he was hurt really badly? Even her yelp which had come out without her really knowing it until it happened had scared her. Finally she was able to get back on solid ground again and regain her footing. Immediately she turned and wanted to try to go to the man again to help him but his words stopped her in her tracks. She let out a loud whine to convey her worry for him and her annoyance at being told to stay. She watched helpless as he tried to get up but then he stopped and the rocks stopped sliding and for a moment everything seemed okay.

She wasn't happy just seeing him there on the rocks she had to know he was okay so she called out to him. Then she waited licking her lips anxiously and shifting her tiny form on her front paws for an answer from him. Finally he did answer in which he described what had happened to him but that he was alright. “Maybe we should go back this isn't safe and your hurt,” she threw out. Part of her didn't want to after what they had gone through to get as far as they had. All of it would be for nothing and she didn't want that.

It seemed Reid wasn't if that thinking either as he slowly got up and moved from rock to rock until he finally reached the bottom. She saw how he had done it but was still worried that the same would happen to her. His words as he spoke of his weight causing the rocks to side and her having more luck helped. She took a deep breath as she evaluated the rocks, which ones she needed to step on. “Okay, I'm coming down,” she announced. Then she started her descent following the same path he took from stone to stone until she finally reached the bottom. Right away she went to the man and started checking him even though she had no idea what to look for. She wished her father or her uncle Lach we're there to make him feel better. “We should get you some help to make you feel better,” she told him as she finally sat down right in front of him.

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If he could have Reid might have considered trying to turn around but he wasn't sure that he would be able to and still maintain his balance. <b>I'm not too sure I would be able to Sana.</b> Reid responded to her. If he did lose his balance he was going to have a lot more than just scrapes and bruises. He wasn't a healer though and he hadn't broken anything before so he wouldn't even know if something had been broken. Either way, he still had to climb down the pit, at least he could get a drink after nearly having his heart jump out of his chest. So with careful movements, he made his way down.

Before he went to the water he waited for Sana giving her a reassuring smile as he explained that he was a heavier than she was and she was likely to have more luck than him with her descent. Reid saw how Sana hesitated and kept the smile on his face as he watched her looking for signs that she was too scared to move. Then she took a deep breath and announced that she was coming down. Reid grinned and moved out of the way as he watched her climb down. His assumption seemed to have been right as he noted that the rocks hadn't shifted out from underneath her like they had with him.

Reid expected that she would immediately go to the water to investigate but instead, she went to sit in front of him saying that they should find him some help. One of his flicked out to the side as an amused expression crossed his face. That would be nice but I don't know any healers Miss Sana. He told her with a shrug, the movement sending spikes of pain through him. He tried to conceal the wince as he realized his mistake. No more shrugging until healed he mentally noted.

Her suggestion to turn back and find water somewhere else was a no go, Reid didn't think k that he would be able to make it. “Okay but you can't get anymore hurt,” she told him, “We both have to make it to the bottom.” Her mother might kill her if she found out that Oksana had disobeyed her and gotten herself hurt. The pup also didn't want Inna to come back to either find her not in Hearthwood where she'd left her or injured. It wasn't what her mother needed right now with everything else she seemed to be going through. Oksana watched as Reid jumped the rest of the way to the bottom without any more incidents.

Then it was her turn to make it to the bottom but she was worried, what of the same thing happened to her? Luckily Reid was there with his reassuring words and smile which helped give her the confidence to jump the final rocks until she too had reached the bottom. She was relieved to have made it without getting hurt but now her concern was her friend and how badly he'd been injured. She needed to know that he was alright and him telling her just wasn't going to do. So many times her mother had told her the same thing only Oksana knew she wasn't okay.

That was when the pup told the man that they needed to get him some help. “That's okay my uncle Lach and my father are,” she told with a smile. “We can go back to my home and I am sure they will help you.” How could they not help him when he had gotten hurt helping her. Oksana was confident that once they returned to Hearthwood and explained things Reid could get looked over and made better. “Should we get a drink before we go?” She asked. That is what she had wanted down there for in the first place and why they had gone through so much trouble.

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It seemed that Sana knew all the right wolves because she easily responded that her father and her uncle were both healers. Not just one but the both of them. It wasn't strange for a wolf to be a healer but Reid hadn't heard of more than one in the same pack before. Perhaps they weren't which would explain why Sana hadn't mentioned her father before this point. Of course, maybe she had simply been too focused on her mother to think about her father.

The next part of her comment had him considering. He hadn't planned to let her go off on her own anyway and if she knew someone that could take a look at him that would be good. This would also let him know the area that he should be watching for Sana's mother and to keep an eye out for Sana if she decided to go wandering past her pack's borders without company again. Well Miss Sana looks like you've thought of everything already. Reid told with a nod of agreement.

Reid looked to the water. Since we're down here we might as well. He didn't know how far away Sana's pack was and he didn't know if there was anything to drink between here and there. We wouldn't want to waste the opportunity. He commented as he made his way over to the water to take a deep drink. The water was fresh and cool and it tasted rather good considering the adrenaline rush he had just gone through due to panicking. Once he was done he took a step away to wait for his new companion. They had some daylight left and he wanted to use it if he could to get out of the pit before it got dark enough to make the way out trickier than it already was.

Before Oksana hadn't ever given the fact that her father or her uncle Lach we're healers much thought, she hadn't had a reason to. Now she was thankful to know that about them because she could bring Reid to get help. Whether he thought he needed it or not Oksana wanted to make sure he was okay. It was the least she could do for him after he'd gotten hurt trying to help her. She did however realize that bringing Reid home she would have to admit she'd left the territory and disobeyed not only her mother but her uncle Lach and father as well. She just hoped that they could understand why she'd done it.

All they had to do now was get out of the pit and make it back to Hearthwood. Her gaze went back to the way they had come and she worried that one of them would get hurt again getting back out. Her gaze was brought back to Reid as he spoke about her thinking if everything, “Not everything,” she said, “Are we going back up that way?” Or maybe she had thought of everything, “I guess we should be lucky I know that my father and uncle are healers.” It would be a problem if she didn't.

She felt that since they had gone through all of what they had they needed to get a drink before they left since that was why they had come down in the pit. Reid agreed that they should get a drink too which caused Oksana's tail to wag behind her. “No, I don't think so either. I was very thirsty coming here,” she admitted as he went to the water. She waited patiently for him to finish before she took her turn when he stepped to the side. She took her own long drink in hopes it would last for the trip home before she joined Reid. “We go home now?” She asked as she sat back in her haunches in front of him. She hoped going up would be easier than coming down.

(This post was last modified: Oct 30, 2017, 01:37 PM by Oksana.)

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OOC: You can p-play Reid if you would like to fade out in your next post.

His companion was quick to say that she hadn't thought of everything and Reid couldn't help but chuckle. Really she hadn't? She was already asking if they were going back up the way that they had come down. At the very least Sana was thinking ahead and planning. The red male scanned the walls once more to see if he could find another way up and out of the pit. He didn't see any other routes. At some point, he would need to have a wolf that knew the area show him a way to go in and out without creating small rockslides on the way. Now wasn't anywhere near that time though.

It sure does seem like it to me though. Reid commented before going on to ask I don't see another route up, do you? Maybe she would be able to see something that he couldn't. Some wolves were just better than others that way. Maybe, if I stick around you long enough your luck will rub off on me. The red male teased. If was pretty lucky that she knew two healers he knew of only one and she was a long ways away from there current location.

It looked like the main purpose for her coming down here was to get a drink and Reid thought about how his sliding routine could have been avoided if he had simply asked. Too late now and no point wasting his time worrying about what he could have done differently at this point. Yeah, we can go home now. He replied with amusement as he stood next to her.

Faded and archived

The black pup was glad that there were two healers back at home so Reid could get help. All they had to do was get there but getting back up was the first thing they had to do. She didn't want to go back the way they had come. Her companion had already gotten hurt once and she didn't want to have it happen again. She didn't want to be that scared again either especially on top of the worry that already festered inside her over her mum.

His response to her question about going back the way they had come was exactly what she hadn't wanted to hear. She looked up at the walls around them for another, safer way out but she didn't see anything. “I wish I could say that I did.” So it looked like they had no other choice and all she had left to do was accept it. Her mother was going to kill her if she got hurt. Oksana did laugh at his statement though, “Maybe,” she agreed giving him a quick bump on his chin. The only place she was sure hadn't been injured.

They both got their drink in preparation for the journey to Hearthwood. She couldn't be sure if the distance so she couldn't tell Reid but she did know the way they needed to take. Once they had gotten their drinks and Reid had said they could go home the dark pup went back to where they came down. They both started back up and made it out without incident.

Fade

(This post was last modified: Nov 02, 2017, 02:46 AM by Oksana.)

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