The Journey Home [Rynn and Open]

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

The forest was dark and foreboding as Dawn, her pups, and the injured Raist made their way toward home. They were all on red alert, making sure they didn't come in contact with the black wolf they were attacked by before. Now that they were traveling and not fighting, Dawn thought it the perfect opportunity to ask her questions. The pups were distracted with big-thing-hunting, so they wouldn't pay attention to what the grown-ups were saying. Or, at least, most of them wouldn't.

"So...what just happened back there? Who was that? Where did he come from?"

[Rynn]

Raist staggered slightly but regained his balance quickly and focused on the sounds of the pups and Dawns voice to keep himself from passing out. Riast blinked and spoke softly, attempting to keep all traces of pain from his voice, and only partially succeeding. "That was....Gibari. I guess you could say he is my...adoptive father. He took me in when I was orphened, though I later discovered he was the one who took my family from me...I'm not sure where he comes from, he travels around too much. And......and hes also the one who cursed me...."

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

Dawn thought about this new information. So he came from somewhere that...wasn't here. And he knew how to curse. And he was...Raist's adoptive father? She suddenly had a stabbing pain in her left temple. A migraine. How odd to have a migraine. She pushed gently against Raist as he staggered, and she looked about at her pups. They were still hard at work, checking all around for any large, discarded thing. They were looking up trees, in ditches, and under brush. Nothing had turned up so far.

[Rynn]

Raist closed his eyes for a few seconds, and kept listening to the sounds of the others. After several minutes of walking, Raists strength was failing him, he staggered more often and his breathing was becoming more ragged, "Dawn...I'm sorry.....for being so much trouble...maybe I should have left....so you wouldn't have had to deal with this feud between me and...Gibari. And so, you wouldn't have to be dealing with me....I'm sure your under enough stress as it is...". Finally at his limit several more minutes later, Raists' eyes rolled and he collapsed on his injured side breathing in short shallow pants, with his eyes closed. He remained focused on the sounds of the others still fighting to stay awake.

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

Dawn caught him every time, gently pushing him back to his unsteady feet. When he spoke grimly, detailing why he should have just left, she chuckled humorlessly. "True that I am under stress, but you should not have left. Gibari would have killed you for sure had you been alone. And that, my friend, would not have been good." She continued walking with him, the pups scavenging for things to drag him on, until he collapsed. She would have caught and laid him gently down, had he only fallen her direction. However, either out of lack of balance or courtesy for her pups she did not know, he fell to the left, landing on his injury and gasping for breath. "Oh Leda!" She looked at her pups, who had stopped looking to gape at the now fallen Raist. She started looking for something to drag him on, and found nothing. She went back to his side and paced. She would have to carry him herself.

"Okay kids, keep looking. I'm going to carry him." She rolled him gently onto his stomach, and burrowed underneath him. Once she had him above her back, she stood, his legs dangling on either side of her. Her knees wobbled beneath the weight, but she started walking as quickly as she could without stumbling. The pups kept up their scavenging.

[Rynn]

Raist felt Dawn pick him up, and he came around enough to talk a little bit, "You don't have to carry....me Dawn.." he paused to regain his breath, "you could have found something to drag me on then came back for me....it not....like I"m going anywhere...anytime soon..." He gave a small weak chuckle that ended with a sharp intake of breath as several stabbing pains went through his side.

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

Dawn chuckled under the weight of the fully-grown wolf on her back, and shook her head. "I couldn't just leave you there, now could I?" The answer was obviously no. He would have been vulnerable to any kind of attack had she left him there. So she continued on, and was relieved beyond anything she'd felt in a long time when she heard Kazuko's tired cry.

"Mommy, I found a carcass that looks big enough!" Dawn hurried to her daughter's area, and found a large, mostly-eaten elk carcass. She hefted Raist gently onto it, trying to position him comfortably among the bones. She stepped back to view her handiwork, and nodded. "If you're all good, we can continue. If you need something, just tell me." It had to be unpleasant in the carcass, but he could get cleaned up later. Right now, all she was aiming for was comfort.

[Rynn]

Raist gave a faint smile, "You would be amazed how many wolves would have left me ......if I was in this state around them.....even if I had just....did everything in my power to insure their children got to safety...." Raist heard Kazukos cry and closed his eyes as Dawn walked over to her and forced himself not to cry out in pain as she moved him from her back and into the carcass and got him comforitable. He opened his eyes slightly as she spoke but shook his head, his voice barely audible as he spoke "No, I'm fine Dawn...U can move whenever your ready....I don't need anything..." He closed his eyes and fell limp darkness finally taking over him and forcing him to sleep.

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

Oh that ghastly wound. Dawn tried not to look at it, but it sure was hard with it staring her in the face like that. She shooed her children away, some of which were crying. "He'll be all right babies. We need to get him home now. I need you to help me pull him to safety, okay?" They gave weak nods and each took a piece of the carcass in their mouths. Dawn followed suit, and they dragged him in that fashion back to the waterfall.

[ooc]Continue in the waterfall board?[/ooc]