Is This It? (Bomba needs a hero){open}

[dragonqeen1010]

Eskilso forest was caught in a vicious battle between the forces of nature. Lightning flashed the sky in bright light and shocked the ground scorching the trees or whatever it victimized. Thunder filled ears sending everyone who could running for shelter or frozen in terror and rumbled the earth like the roar of some giant lion. The winds of the storm caused trees to bow and whip to and fro and sending there leaves and needles with other debris flying through the air.

The morning had started out with flooding down poor of huge cold rain drops which had driven the large old grizzly Bomba to find a heavier cover of trees and eventually to Eskilso forest were the pine trees blocked the worst of the rain, but by the evening the thunder had begun and it was not long when the lightning joined. Within thirty minutes after the thunder had begun the worst of the storm had come down on the pine forest and the bear caught in the middle of it with no were to go.

Drenched to the bone and cold Bomba sat against the rough bark of a pine tree trying to keep out of the worst of it. As light faded it became harder for Bomba to see the pines as they waved and swung but with every deafening pop of thunder immediately followed by a flash of light Bomba’s senses tingled with anxiety.

Shaking in the cold with his massive head jerking around trying to see everything at once Bomba was begin to panic. He had seen a tree fall from a strike of lightening a few years ago and it had scared the bear out of his skin and now he was afraid it would happen again. BANG! Thunder sounds a defending clap but the blinding flash of light not far away and the snap as a tree fell sent the large bear jumping forward trying to run from the storm. Heaving air into his lungs with his heart pounding he tried to run with as much speed as he could muster. Kicking his back legs sending wet pine needles flinging into the air he also dug his long from claws digging into the ground also pulling him forward. Trees sped past him in the dark, no lightning had flashed sense it had hit the tree.

BANG! CRACK! Light flashed behind Bomba on the right sending the old bear jumping forward in his panic but he couldn’t run fast enough away from the tree the lightning had stuck. Falling the broken tree smacking the brown bear on his right hip sending him sprawling forward and falling to his side as the large tree fell only yards away. Roaring in massive pain his voice was drowned out by the wind. Lying on his side panting Bomba tried not to let any sounds of pain escape him. He didn’t know if anything was broken though it probably was but all he knew was it was bad.

Pushing his front legs under him he clenched his jaws as the paint from his right wrist. The sprint he had just done had put stress on the weakened wrist that had only healed four years before causing it to pain the poor bear. Getting his left leg under him, he felt the warmth of blood running down his right leg and feared the worst with his right hip and the possibility it had cracked a right leg as he stood there with no weight on his wounded leg. Hefting himself onto his feet he turned and looked at his right leg but in the low light he couldn’t see the damage. The bark of the tree had ripped away skin with his top right leg exposing muscle and fat and sending blood flowing in streams down his leg but his upper leg bone was only bruised. He couldn’t see that and if he had he would have really been worried but it was no cause for concern. Were natural healers and this would heal completely with fur fully grown and all in probably only a month or so.

Cautiously Bomba put the foot down but as he tried to step on hit he dropped onto his left side with a scream of pain. Lying on the ground on his side the wounded bear breathed hard as shock and panic caused his body to quickly tire, the loss of blood that was still flowing pooling down his leg and onto the forest floor didn’t help either. Closing his eyes Bomba couldn’t help but chuckle. Guess this is it… no mate to miss you… any sane healer probably wouldn’t even stop to pay you mind if they spotted you… never thought mother nature would take me like this… he thought silently almost completely lost in his own world not hearing the claps of lighting or the howling wind.

[Vix]

The crash of thunder muted the shrill cries of the young fox. Her eyes were wide with fear, and every explosive bang sent her scurrying, disoriented with fear. Her pale red fur clung to her body, soggy and drape-like, clinging to her tiny, shaking bones. The young vixen looked in the storm to be more like a rodent on stilts than a fox.

The soggy ground slipped from under her paws, causing her to fall in the mud. She let out one more soft, exhausted call, hoping someone, one of her brothers, perhaps, would be able to somehow hear her and know she was there. She remained in the mud for several minutes, whimpering quietly to herself, cowering down in hopes that perhaps that she could avoid the violent storm by becoming a part of the ground.

Several minutes passed before Kai slowly got back to her feet. Her look of terror and fear had passed, replaced now by an eerily empty stare. 'Just get someplace safe, you can find your family when the storm passes,' she told herself. She trotted, body held low to the ground, over to one of the towering pines. She placed her paw in the joint of one of the branches, and wrapped the other around the side of the trunk. Her back legs scratched at the bark as she pulled her exhausted body, weighed down with water and mud, up onto the first branch. From there, things became a little easier, as she moved up branch by branch. When she reached her spot in the tree -- a thick branch, with several branches above to help defer water away from her -- she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be calmed by the gentle sway of the tree in the violent wind, her front legs remaining tightly gripped around the trunk of the pine.

As she waited for the storm to pass, she let her mind take her away, pretending that the bright flashes were cheerful spirits of the animals that had passed on, and the wind their breath. But the thunder, the thunder still chilled her to her core with every crash. She started counting the crashes, in order to try to make it less threatening (though of course losing count every dozen or so). She began to calm down, her breathing calming, her heart slowing to only a moderate race instead of tearing out of her chest. However, just as she started to get comfortable, a striking feeling hit her. Her eyes snapped open from some sort of odd, animalistic instinct, and she quickly took a dangerous leap to a nearby branch closer to the other side of the tree. Just as she pulled herself onto the new branch, there was another loud crash, and she felt the pull of her stomach going to her throat. Her paws began to rise from the new branch as it began its decent to the ground. The branch flung her as the tree fell, sending her at a catapult-like angle towards the ground. She landed with a skid, the deep indent of the impact trailing several feet in the mud.

To any witness of the incident, the young vixen would seem dead. Surely no animal could endure such a throw. As a matter of fact, this was what she felt, too. Her mind was void of thought, just terror as she gasped for breath in the thick mud. It wasn't until she finally got a shaking breath that she felt the immense pain in her side. For hours(or so it felt to her, as she had no concept of time for the moments following the fall) she lied there, paralyzed and shaken. Eventually, she moved past the shock enough to remember how to move her legs, and she began thrashing about, pushing away all of the mud surrounding her. Slowly, she reoriented herself and the pain began to subside. She lied on her side for several minutes more, catching her breath, before shakily standing back up.

In the fall, she never noticed the other victim of the accident. However, after taking a look around, she saw the other animal. She started towards him, taking steps slowly and clumsily. A few times, she even fell in the mud, taking several moments to get back up. Eventually, she made it close to the large bear, her pace getting more steady and stable with each step. She stood a few feet away from him, inspecting the damage, before looking into his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but realized that she had no idea how to even speak to a bear, so her jaw snapped shut again. It was evident that he either needed help or was going to die either way. Unsure what to do, she gave a quiet meow to get the large beast's attention.

[dragonqeen1010]

In his own panic Bomba had not seen the vixen nor heard her. Howling wind and clapping thunder had drowned out her sounds and Bomba lost in his own world had not seen her. His leg throbbed as blood flowed from it but slowly the flow was subsiding as the bears body tried to heal its self. If a healer could stop the blood or if even Bomba had the strength and the mind to stop it, he would slowly healed in short time time but it would hurt a long while, but with out help the blood loss was going to seriously weaken the bear if not kill him.

Laying on the ground, matted with mud, blood steadily running down his leg to mat his fur and cling to the forest, Bomba simply tried to ignore the world around him. He was tired and he wanted to rest, that’s all his body could think up in its stressed situation; rest, sleep. Keeping his eyes closed, breathing heavily the big brown bear did not notice the small fox moving around him or even standing in front of him, though between the claps of thunder and to close for the wind to drowned it away he heard her soft mew.

Startled by the unexpected fox meow Bomba’s dark brown eyes snapped own to see the odd light colored fox in front of him. His eyes took a moment to adjust but soon he could see the small creature that was only maybe slightly larger than his head. Even in this terrifying situation Bomba couldn’t help but marvel at the young vixen’s odd coat. Always having been fascinated by differences often seeing them as beautiful, Bomba thought her coat as beautiful, even though she was a canine. Canines had never interested this bear so there for he had never learned to speak there words or even become comfortable with them. Wolves tried to take his food, coyotes stole what they could manage and foxes hung about. Usually they were nothing more than annoyances for the old bear. Felines, other bears, and birds Bomba could understand and speak to comfortably, canines and everything else not so much. He had never had any desire to speak canines and there sort so therefore he had never learned to speak their words.

Not wanting to frighten his only hope of help out here and such an interesting individual Bomba kept his eyes locked with hers as he lifted his head slowly from the mud. Mud and pine needles stuck to the side of his head which had been lying on the ground giving him quite a comedic look but even as he lifted his head and rolled his giant mass only slightly so he could sit up more with a kind look in his eyes he was terrifying. Standing on all fours Bomba’s shoulders reached 6 feet in height and laying down like this he was still four feet at the shoulders, a giant towering over the vixen like a hill of brown fur.

Keeping his head hung he moved his massive paws with four inch claws on all five toes under him more and out of sight so he lay slightly on his stomach and less on his side but the ache in his right hip kept him from putting any weight what so ever on the wounded side. Afraid he would frighten the clearly shaken creature he laid his head down strait up in a very uncomfortable looking position. The front half of his body was neatly folded with his paws under him as if to hide his deadly claws with his neck laid strait out toward the vixen with his jaw strait down but his lower half was much less neat looking. His left leg held with the paw pad almost on the ground with his knee up looked comfortable and neat in its self but it was all thrown off by his right. His right leg sprawled out to the side, causing him to be lopsided but the shift in position had also put sudden strain on the injury causing a new flow of blood to run down his leg and onto the forest floor staining it reddish brown.

Breathing slowly and heavily Bomba watched the little fox trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't speak with her, he couldn't move much because he might frighten her… what to do? Moving his lips only a bit still hiding his white teeth he made a throaty sound that was deep and rough like all grizzly sounds but it was quite and soft. He was trying not to scare her but he wanted to communicate somehow.

[Vix]

The storm had become a mere background noise in Kai's mind as she stood before the bear. The bear was monstrously large compared to her, and easily a hundred times heavier. She noticed his eyes snap open, and felt a whisper of her instinct feel the need to flinch, but she did not react to it. Even when the beast was lying unmoving on the ground, she was eye level to it.

For the moments with her eyes locked on the bear, every bit of instinct for survival abandoned her. She did not cower, did not back away, the thought of running never even came to mind. She was even quite entranced by the beast. As he sat up, the stories came to mind, stories she had heard about violent maulings and the damage that can be done by these giant creatures. She recalled the intensity in her mother's voice as she described to the young cubs the dangers of their predators, specifically bears. As the bear stood towering in front of her, she saw that none of the things she had heard had been exaggerated; as a matter of fact, the reality of it was far more terrifying and far more magnificent than she had imagined. Impossibly strong, with muscles that were clearly defined even beneath the thick, plush fur; legs thick as tree branches, with all the power of a horse's; each of his claws were larger than even her entire paw. And yet, there was one thing missing that she'd heard about: the savage fire, said to be in they eye of a bear the moment it locked sight with a smaller, more vulnerable creature. This bear, in all of his glory and magnificence, was missing this part. As a matter of fact, he really seemed the opposite of threatening.

As he tucked his massive paws beneath him, Kai slowly began to step closer and closer, each step feeling like an eternity. She wasn't sure why she was going towards him, but she simply couldn't ignore the urge to do so. She made it close enough to him to feel his breath on her fur. Even in the howling wind, she could feel its warmth and volume. Perhaps it was the near death experience just minutes before... Perhaps part of her thought that she was dead. Whatever the reason, Kai was not fearful of the bear, simply awestruck.

The quiet growl from the huge beast snapped her out of her mesmerized state long enough to notice the blood pouring from the wound. She stared at it a few seconds, then back to the bear. She looked him in the eye, giving another soft meow, hoping that he would pick up on the message "I want to help you." She then quickly scurried over to the injured hip. The warm blood mixed with the rainwater to produce a large puddle surrounding the leg. With each step she took towards him, the bloody water splashed up onto her legs and belly. She propped her front legs up on the bear's side beside the wound, but far enough as to not cause him pain, as to be able to get a better view. All remnants of the pain from her own accident were forgotten upon the sight of the stomach turning wound. She was relieved to see that no bone was exposed, but that certainly didn't help her know what to do.

'I wish Mamma was here....... She'd know what to do....' Kai thought to herself, half wondering if the bear could last long enough for her to find her mother. But, even if the bleeding wouldn't kill Bomba, Kai had no clue where her mother even was, so the thought of abandoning the bear to find her was not plausible. Her mother was an artful healer, able to restore such injuries not only to their former state for all utilitarian purposes, but healed in such a way that scarring and cosmetic damage were minimal. However, in addition to the impracticality, another thought came to her mind -- her mother would never help such a dangerous creature. As a matter of fact, Kai knew it was likely that she would face some heavy discipline when she found her family. Surely, there was a reason that Mother Nature had brought her alone to this part of the forest during the storm. She knew she had to be the one to help him. Even if she didn't know what she was doing.

For a moment, she considered possible options to stop the bleeding. She considered packing it with mud, thinking that this could help seal the wound and keep the blood from flowing out. But she figured that dirt in a wound would probably be no help in the long run after the bleeding had stopped, seeing how that's what her mother said was always to be avoided, and why her mother took such care to lick out all of the debris from the wounds of her patients. So, that option was out. But how was she supposed to fix a wound on such a large animal? Her mother was generally very private with her work and made a point to keep her work healing away from her cubs, so Kai hadn't had the opportunity to witness her at work on a wound like this. However, when her oldest brother got in a heated fight with a raccoon, Kai did see her mother treating the wounds. She remembered that he was given some smelly leaves to chew on, but surely they would be nowhere to be found around here. For a particularly stubborn wound that wouldn't stop bleeding, she remembered her mother making her brother lie on his back, the wound on his leg held above him and the opposite side of the leg pressed against a tree for support. To stop the bleeding, she remembered her mother firmly pressing her paw into a point higher up on the limb, close to the groin. Meanwhile, she remembered the mice -- her mother's assistants -- grinding more herbs into the wound, followed by a piece of hide soaked in some sort of fluid being held firmly against the wound with the other paw. Obviously, there weren't any hides around (besides the bear's own around the edges of the wound), and she didn't know where to find the fluid and herbs or what they even were. So, Kai would have to improvise. It seemed that the only part she could do was the pressure, and even that would be a challenge for many reasons. First of all, at best, Kai was only the weight of an average housecat. Her bones were dainty and small, and she lacked much in the way of fat and muscle. So, in order to apply the kind of pressure needed to stop the bleeding on a huge bear? She really wasn't sure how to do that. The second issue, this was a bear. Even if he understood that she was trying to help him, one false step and he may snap back and crush her bones in one crush of his mighty jaws.

She took a deep breath before deciding that it was worth the risk. She walked over to his shoulder and jumped up onto his back from here as to not disturb the wound. She then walked down his back carefully, looking back constantly to see if he was about to get angry. Every breath he took caused her to rise up as his chest inflated, so she made sure to keep herself steady as to not slip off. She made her way over to the wound, and carefully pushed the bear's sheared hide back into place with her paw. She then took a deep breath for courage, and lied down on the wound, hoping her entire body weight would be enough to help stop the bleeding. Timidly, she licked at the edge of the wound.

((OOC: Okay, so, I know its kind of a stretch to say that will help stop bleeding xD But, bear with me (no pun intended?)))

[dragonqeen1010]

Watching the ghostly little creature Bomba curiously wondered what she would do. Her calm reaction to his vocalization seemed very promising seeing as she didn’t dash off like a squirrel at the sight of a hawk’s shadow. Surprising to the old bear, she just stood were she was not shying away or being scared at all like other foxes he’d seen. Lying by kills after meals watching little dashes of red fur snatching scraps he didn’t care about, only having to move to send an eating little fox scurrying for cover like he had charged them with claws and teeth Bomba had always taken them for skittish little cowards but not this one. As the massive bear settled down and dropped his head back down to the mud he was shocked to watch as she moved closer to him.

‘so brave…’ he thought. Never had any canine actually walked toward him! As she moved slowly he could see no fear of him in her eyes. She, such a small little child, in no way seemed to fear him, this massive old bear. Close enough to him he could now smell the soft musk sent of a fox on her that was odd but pleasant in its own way. He couldn’t feel her warm but he knew it was there, clear by the little heartbeat he could see pounding away under the hide of her neck were her pulse lay. Such a thin little thing Bomba had no doubt she must be a speedy little girlie. Brave and fast with an awe striking coat, Bomba’s small little glimmer of a hero seemed like a blessing of some spirit.

Watching her eye’s move he noted she must be looking at his injury and wondered what she saw. Would she now run for the gore, leaving the old bear to die? Would she bring others to point and laugh at the dying creature left in the mud. He didn’t know but he was curious as ever to find out. Thinking of his demise didn’t seem to bother Bomba. Maybe it was because he had accepted it, or maybe because he had given up, he didn’t think about, and he probably wouldn’t have cared anyhow. Looking back at him she made another sound. Soft and odd Bomba couldn’t figure out what it meant but by her tone and the way she looked at him he didn’t even consider she was going to do something to harm him in any way. Moving around him the bear eyed her sliding his head ever so slightly so out of one eye he could watch in curiosity at what she planned to do. Surprisingly she moved closer to him wading through the mix of water and blood toward his leg. “What are you doing?” he asked in a softly huff before closing his mouth realizing that she wouldn’t understand what he had said any way. Watching her prop herself up putting her little paws on him to examine his leg, Bomba couldn’t help but tense. He was amazed by this little critter. She wasn’t afraid of him at all and within biting rang she was willing to get so up close and personal with him.

Watching with surprise he slowly relaxed again as she seemed to think about something as she looked at the wound. ‘What is she planning up…’ he wondered to himself as he watched her. ‘Maybe she’s a healer...’ he thought a moment trying to consider such a thing. His eyes drooped in exhaustion as he watched her wet and concentrated looking over him but when she moved his eyes again snapped open, completely alert. Moving with quick steps he wondered what she was about to do, the last thing he was expecting was exactly what she did. Bomba tensed as soon as she did to jump. Concentrating Bomba focuses on not flinching away from the unfamiliar contact of the little fox. Never in his life had he ever had anything even close like this happen to him and it caused his mind to tense in alarm. This was something he hadn’t know and odd things were cause for concern but as she walked along his shoulder to look at the injury again he felt calmed and relaxed as she moved over him and he felt her insignificant weight spread over four little points on his hide that to him was no more weight than a leaf to a tree.

Breathing slowly he watched her every step, not in a way a predator watched an intruder or potential prey but more like a curious child watching a grownup do something they knew were important. As she looked back he just looked back at her with soft comforting eyes trying to convey that he wouldn’t hurt her. He knew she was trying to help, he knew she didn’t mean him any harm and he wanted her to know he wouldn’t bring harm to her either. A slight smile spread to the corners of the bears muzzle as he watched her so carefully walk across him as if it were something she had done many times in the past.

As she touched the corners of the gaping wound Bomba tensed locking his jaws to keep from growling at the pain. Once she laid down it still hurt but spread over a bit more space it felt a bit better than her hard paws around the tender flesh. Closing his eyes he sighed laying his head in mud and not caring. He was tired, soaked to the bone and hungry. Vaguely he thought that maybe she felt the same and worried a bit for her but his thoughts her interrupted when a feeling of odd warmth came from the edges of his wound his eyes snapped open and he jerked his head up abruptly to looking at her. ‘She’s licking me…she’s helping me…” He thought almost in amusement. He’d been so shocked and awed by this little thing he wanted to chuckle at her bravery but could bring himself to. The blood was slowly beginning to stop flowing due to the vixens brave efforts.

Looking up into the pouring rain the bear sees a stream of light fly across the sky between the grey , rain heavy clouds like a pure spirit in flight fighting against some unseen dark spirits then the distant rumble of thunder echo’s around them. The rain was cold and Bomba still had a thin layer of fat on him and thick fur so he knew the little fox must have been much colder than him. Looking about he spotted the fallen tree. Its branches arched away from the fallen trunk making a large arched shelter close to the trunk were the two could have comfortably fit with extra room and a break in the branches were they could get in wasn’t far away, but how to get there?

Flexing him aching wrist Bomba thought about the risk of pain in trying to get there but in the end just decided to go for it. “Hold on,” He huffs to the little vixen who sat on his hip before pushing his good hind leg under him and a bit shakily he was able to stand on it. Breathing heavily he looked back at the little fox making sure she was still hanging on with a smile on his muzzle. “I’m going to get us out of the rain,” He says softly to her.



OOC; it works. I think Bomba and Kia are going to be quite the great duo :3

[Vix]

((Hm.....Having a bit of writer's block, so this post might be a bit brief compared to what I'm used to writing. Sorry for that. And sorry that its so late D= I know whenever I'm rping with someone, I prefer a crappy post over no post at all. ^^; So, sorry. And yes, I do agree that they will be :3 Such opposites, young and old, huge and tiny. They're cute xD ))

Strangely, Kai was at peace. Nestled on the bear's hip, her fur caked with his blood, she felt oddly comfortable, safe even, as though this mighty predator was protecting her from the storm that was terrifying her so. Thunder sent her jumping and shaking, whereas she could bravely seek comfort from an animal that she knew could kill her at any moment. But, of course, she did not recognize the irrationality of this logic. Whereas most creatures would have a problem with being a living bandaid to one of the largest, most dangerous animals in the forest, she thought little of it. All she knew was that she was content, despite the strange circumstances.

'I wonder if this is doing anything to help him.....' she thought, feeling the sticky blood soak through her fur and clot on her skin. She briefly thought about how it may be painful for her to eventually got off the wound, but realized that it wouldn't be so bad, with the rain breaking up the clot for the most part anyways.

She looked up at him, a bit surprised that he stood up. "Be careful, don't hurt yourself..." she muttered, concerned both for his sake and her own if he were to fall over and somehow land on her. She looked over at the tree, and smiled, glad to be getting out of the rain.

((OH GOD. AWFUL POST. But my muse, its run away.....))

[dragonqeen1010]

Breathing heavily Bomba huffs every time he takes a step as he limps toward the fallen tree relying on his three legs not putting any weight on his wounded hind leg. Every time he put weight on his past injured wrist it shot pain up his leg but he ignored it as he hobbled under the opening in the trees arches branches. Looking over it he came to a problem. He couldn’t stand and enter. Dipping his head he bends his knee and elbows so he can just barely make it in without pushing the little vixen off his back.

Slowly laying back down he lays more on his side his ribs rising and falling as he regains his breath. His wound was throbbing and his wrist was throbbing but at last it was dry in here. No longer did the cold penetrating rain fall on them and the winds could not reach them in the little shelter either. Closing his eyes Bomba drifted slowly into exhausted sleep.


OOC; Sorry its so short... i dont know what else to write.

[Vix]

((Don't worry about it, it'll pick up pace soon, I'm sure I'm not one of those people who will get annoyed by a few short posts))

'He's trying to hard to get over there...... but surely the weather isn't so bad for him that it would be worth it..... I mean, he's huge. And fluffy, Kai thought to herself. 'Is he moving over there for me?' She was amazed by the struggle and effort that the old bear had to put forth in order to get beneath the arches of the fallen tree.

Kai made a small, appreciative meow, despite knowing the bear could not understand her. Now that she was out of the rain, the bear's warm body and fur kept her warm and cozy. Contently, she curled her head in towards her body and closed her eyes. She perked back up when she felt the bear's breathing slow and noticed he seemed to be going to sleep. Though glad he was getting his rest, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe it wasn't sleep, if perhaps he'd lost enough blood that he's passed out and was dying. But, either way, she would not leave his side, determined to be his rather ironic guardian. She curled back up again and closed her eyes, focusing on counting each of the bear's rhythmic breaths. The gentle rise and fall of his torso rocked her ever so slightly, until she, too, was lulled off to sleep.

[dragonqeen1010]

The singing of morning birds and the unpleasant sensation of a rain drop hitting his nose awoke Bomba. Drowsily opening his eyes the old bear was immediately aware of the aching on his right hind leg and his from right wrist but ignored them as he looked about the shelter that the fallen tree gave. Dawn’s light streamed through the pine needles and branches lacing over the glittering ground and the rain that still clung to the branches gleamed as well in the light making everything around the bear sparkle.

Itching from the drying water on his skin Bomba lifted his large head and began to shake but as soon as he noticed the weight on his right hip he stopped suddenly worried that he had disturbed the little sleeping vixen on him. Looking at the little fox with curiosity in the new light he was even more intrigued by her pale coat. Never in his many years had a he seen a fox like this and even his old bear eyes could tell she was beautiful. Finally able to get a good look at his injury in the light Bomba sighed with a hint of relief. At least the bone wasn’t showing and with that small little blessing he knew he would be all right but even he knew it looked awful. In the night the blood had crusted over leaving a large crusted scrape with a trail of blood matted fur down his leg. Looking it over the grizzly wished he could get to the lake to soak it, cleaning the wound and his fur but from the effort it had taken him to just move the few yards to this shelter he knew the long trek to the lake was all but impossible.

[Vix]

Though she had been sheltered enough for her fur to dry, glistening beads of dew clung to Kai's fluffy fur. With her thick tail curling around to practically cover her face and paws, she looked like a puff with ears.

Kai tensed as the bear shook, a rather rude awakening to her exhausted slumber. She stretched her front paws out in front of her and yawned wide mouthed with a small squeak-like whimper. She then opened her eyes, blinking in the glittering morning light. She then lifted her head up and gave a fatigued but friendly bark. She felt the pinch and tug of the clotted blood in her fur. Gently, she moved off of the wounded area, taking care not to harm her fur or Bomba. Though her back and one side was beautiful and cleaned from the rain, from the legs down and covering her left side was nothing but mud and blood caked into her pelt.

After getting up, Kai walked across Bomba's back to his shoulders. She turned and looked back at the wound. Messy, not pretty, but at least it wasn't bleeding. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, knowing that he couldn't understand her but hoping that he would get the point somehow. She thought to herself, if only they could understand each other, perhaps they could get to know one another. That said, Kai felt that she had found a friend in the old bear, a sort of companionship she didn't get even from her dear brothers.

She sat down on his back and began cat-like to lick the blood from her fur. She began to feel the sharp pain of hunger; she hadn't been able to catch anything to eat the day before since the store came in before she could eat. She considered trying to find something, but it occurred to her that she was probably not the only hungry one. She reminded herself that although this bear was potentially her friend, he was still a predator. She recognized the importance of keeping the large beast fed. 'He probably eats a LOT of field mice.......' she thought, pondering how she should go about finding him food.

[Vix]

((Sorry, Dragon, I'm leaving this thread. Too long with no response from you. I hope you're okay and that nothing is wrong.))