~ Healing after the Attack ~

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

The small ebonite-hued vixen entered her den, brown gaze washing over the ground. She padded over to the wall and scratched at the soil, revealing a few herbs. For now she would decide what to use until the dogs came.

Valerian. Just in case they struggle, she thought to herself as she pawed the clutch of roots and flowers out. It was a mild tranquilizer, and Triss hoped she didn't need it.

She grabbed a clump of chervil, which was used on infected wounds. Trisscar nosed through the batch again, taking out a poppy flower with care; chewing on the seeds relieved pain. Thinking of Rade, she grabbed the leaves of a black nightshade, which helped wash out eyes.

Next, the shaman got a burdock root. Great! For the bites! she thought excitedly. Lastly she pulled out a cattail, a determined look on her face. "Bring them in, Tyrant!" she barked happily, pawing aside some common herbs like the marigold and goldenrod poultices.

Valerian:
Chervil:
Black Nightshade:
Burdock Root:

[.::Tyrant::.]

At Triss's call, Tyrant and Aphro paced solemnly into the den, bearing Espio carefully on their shoulders. The ridgebacks made their way to the back of the den, led by Tyrant, where it was slightly warmer. Aphro crouched down here slipping out from beneat the black fox-dog. Tyrant tilted his shoulder downwards, allowing Espio to slip onto the floor.

"You'll be fine." The Top Dog said bracingly, standing over the dog protectively for a moment. He then smiled softly at Aphro, who licked his muzzle affectionately. The male returned the gesture, then turned and padded to the den's entrance, where he would make sure the rest of the injured members - and Valentina - arrived safely.

---

Aphro stared at her brother, a dark silloughete against the blinding brightness of the snow outside. Then, she lowered her head, still crouched beside Espio. She fixed him with her warm brown eyes for a moment, then nudged his muzzle with hers before turning to smile at Triss.

"Do you mind if I stay and help?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Espio had been injured protecting her. She was determined to do all she could for him now.

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

The black femme watched with tears in her eyes as the two Ridgebacks brought her half-brother in and set him down gently. She thought back for a moment to when Espio first arrived, ready to attack, and she had surprised him with her strike so he ran away...

But that wasn't the case now. Espio was hurt and she needed to save him. At Aphrodite's words she nodded to her with another smile, then bent down to the renard's side. "Espio... This may hurt a little...I don't know...but..." He smiled at her and nodded a bit, indigo oculi flicking to the auburn fae for a moment.

Trisscar pushed the chervil root toward Aphro and asked quietly, "Well, the juice from this helps infected wounds...just in case." As she told her this she began chewing the burdock root into a pulp and she licked it across the neck-wound.

Triss looked at Tyrant for a second, then pushed the black nightshade aside. If Rade wasn't here she wouldn't need it just yet. "Drizzle the juice over the wound," she told Aphro quietly.

As she looked back at her half-brother she became frightened. He was staring out into space, all emotions concealed. Back to his old self, he watched Trisscar work nonchalantly, not even wincing as the root pulp made contact with his throat.

[Valentina]

Slowly a scarlet figure became visible outide, like a shining drop of blood in the snow. It's pace was dreadfully slow, but eventually the form took shape.

The fiery pelt of Valentina pressed slowly forward, Rade hopefully right beside her. She would stop and brace herself against the icy wind now and again, shouting to her companion, "We're almost there!" over the gale. Her creamy legs seemed to blend into the snow, and until she reached the entrance of the Hollow, she appeared to have been gliding. She walked further into the healer's den so that Rade could find his way to a comfortable spot, and after making sure he was situated, bounded back to Tyrant who stood waiting at the entrance.

She nuzzled his neck and licked his nose, then withdrew to let him read the relieved but solemn look in her icy eyes. She turned to Triss who was applying herbs to Espio through bleary eyes, and asked quietly "How is he?" to no one directly.

Suddenly her ears pricked and her eyes widened, and she stood up straight, listening careuflly. Far, far off, low but so powerful i was not carried away by the wind, Laion's howl echoed. She wanted to shiver, but again tried to hide her fear. All at once the sound was gone, and she couldn't tell if it had been cut off or ended. She laid down by the entrance next to her mate, and rested her head wearily on her paws, although her eyes never stopped darting about the snow outside, searching for any signs of Laion. "Looks like he's okay..." she said with a light laugh, but inside she was trying to convince herself of that more than anyone.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Tyrant watched Valentina approach, head turning so he could follow her progress into the den. A smile shaped his lips as she then bounded over to him. He pressed the underside of his muzzle against her head as she nuzzled his neck, and licked her chin as her tongue washed his nose. Then, he met her eyes.

"Triss is doing what she can." He replied softly, glancing into the den, where Aphro and the shaman worked to save the fox-dog, enveloped in shadows.

The Top Dog's limp ears perked suddenly as a chilling howl reached him, and he turned to stare out of the den, into the bleak, snow covered landscape. The howl faded, leaving only the wailing wind that whipped the air into a frenzy.

"He'll be ok." Tyrant said, noticing Val's nervous movements and sliding into a lying position next to her, placing a large paw reasurringly over her's. He smiled and touched his nose briefly against the Lieutenants, then turned to stare into the wintery lands once again, warm eyes surprisingly calm. But despite his tranquil appearance and comforting words, Tyrant was worried. Now that he had time to think, he felt that this attack would not be the first. He wondered who could have reaped such mayhem. The gang had no enemies that he knew of...

Tyrant was suddenly gripped by foreboding, and he fought to keep his features calm as worry flooded him. This time they had been lucky, there had been no deaths... or, at least, so far. But perhaps next time - for Tyrant was sure that there would be a next time if something was not done - they might not be so lucky. The corner of his mouth twitched, betraying his emotions, as he turned his eyes on Valentina. He would not be able to bear it if he lost her, or Aphro, or Reverie... or any other of his friends.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Aphro watched as Triss smoothed the burdock root over Espio's wound, and she had to tense her muscles tightly to prevent herself from shuddering. The wound was deep and looked painful. She met Espio's eyes and forced herself to smile. He did not even flinch as the shaman applied the root, and she had said it had hurt...

His bravery reminded her of Brick, her old mate. She smiled at the thought of him, a real smile, however small.

Then, Trissacar adressed her. Aphro looked up and nodded, bending her head and lifting the chervil in her auburn jaws. She began to chew, and its juice flooded her mouth. Ignoring the plant's bitter taste, Aphro positioned her muzzle so it was over Espio's wound, then parted her lips, allowing the liquid to drip onto the raw flesh, seeping into his dark fur and wetting her own chestnut muzzle. When all of the juice had been put to use, Aphro turned her head and spat the chervil - chewed to a green pulp - out.

"Hope that didn't hurt too much." She whispered, turning back to Espio and laying her head on her paws so that her eyes wereon the same level as his.

[darkwolf]

He stuck by Valentina's side all the way. Snow whipping about him. He felt a air of slight warmth come to him. He knew he must be at a den. He laid down in a comfy spot and waited for somebody to notice he was here.

He laid his head on the floor when a howl came to his ear. Faint but he could just make it out as a howl. He pricked his ears a bit more. It seemed to end suddenly. It was either the dog had finished it or something or one had cut it of. Though it was too cold. Even for his coat to go of. And in the mess he was in he doubted it even more. He laid his down once again and tried to think of thoughts which were nice thoughts. Though he could only think of one through his whole life.

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

Trisscar nodded at Aphro and smiled, then turned to look at Rade. "...Eat this valerian, please..." she whispered, pushing the herb toward him. It would sedate him so she could use the black nightshade on his sightless eyes.

She then looked down at Espio to see him glance at her with heavily guarded eyes. He usually opened his emotions to his half-sister a little, but she assumed he noticed Rade. There was a slight frown on his face and by that Triss guessed he was remembering something unpleasant to him.

"Is it bleeding a lot now?" she mumbled to him, looking at the wound. He grunted a no and instead the shaman decided to watch Rade to make sure he ate the valerian. She pushed it toward him so it was touching his nose.

As the chervil juice was drizzled into his wound Espio watched the belle gently. His pools were not as hard as when he was with unfamiliar dogs; they were filled with a friendly warmth. His indigo optics met hers and he gave her a fond smile.

OOC: I'll bring Cody in a bit later...

[Valentina]

She let out a light sigh, and rested her creamy maw on the Top-Dog's large paw. Her blue eyes flicked up at his for a moment, and she flashed him a grateful smile. She then allowed her pale lashes to rest together, although she wasn't tired, and listened intently to all the sounds inside the den and out.

She listened to the tiny shaman, so frightened when she first came and now so in-control, taking care of the injured. She listened to Aphro as well, wondering if she was simply a creature that loved all things with such compassion, or if she was truly fond of Espio. From the black brujo and the silver husky she heard nothing however, save for a grunt from Espio and the shifting weight of Rade. She lay her dark red ears back flat against her skull and forced her eyes to stay shut, as she wondered about all those still out in the violent weather. The wind had only begun to pick up since they'd all begun travelling back to the den, and she hoped Cody and the new husken femme had not gotten lost...Hadn't Cody been right behind her?

When the crystal eyes opened again, slits of shimmering silver through the slanted eyes, Valentina allowed the small frown that had been playing upon her face to show itself. She could have sworn she'd heard something, but she was both afraid of getting her hopes up in case she really hadn't heard anything, and if she had, she was afraid of what it was. it was near impossible to tell over the wind, but the blood in her was able to tune out the wind, and decipher the other sounds underneath it as though there was no wind at all.

She rose to her feet quickly, muscles tense. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Tyrant, for fear her voice would block out the sound. A distant series of randomly-spaced thumps could be heard, and the undertone of a sharp rumble...the bass of a snarl.

Her ears were strained so hard the half-wolf felt they might tear off her head, and she rushed forward a couple steps, out into the blinding whiteness and howling wind, so that she might be closer to the sound. The gale parted her thick fur and lashed at the skin beneath, but this did not bother her. What troubled her was the sharp whistling in her ears from the wind assaulting them, so she had to turn her head to ease the sound so she could hear, but no longer look in the direction of the noise.

She stood motionless, fur rippling in harsh waves over her body, shoulder to the wind, head sideways and maw pointed to the ground thoughtfully. Her icy eyes then widened, and she looked back over her shoulder to shout over the wind and into the den, "They're back!"

[Valentina]

The first sight of him had thoroughly shaken Laion, and for a heart-stopping second he thought he had finally cracked. He'd first laid eyes upon the other wolf on the borders of the city. Once again, Laion had been standing on the edge of civilization, staring into the woods and debating returning to his old life. He did this daily, and daily he made the same decision; he'd pad in a couple of steps, remember his sister, and he would freeze. He'd stare at the ground blankly for a while, shake his ink and gold pelt, and pad back out.

Today however, as he padded deeper into the forest, before thoughts of Valentina could turn him around again, he heard the raspy breathing, and saw out of the corner of his eye something move. He pivoted his entire body to face the left, head low and already bristling. But he saw nothing. His ears slackened, his black lips again covered what seemed like way too many teeth for one mouth, and he continued along his way, assuming it had been snow fallen from a weak branch.

His heart was beginning its daily turn-around however, and slowly the enormous foot falls stopped, so that Laion might turn back, after gazing a while longer at the forest. His golden paws sank into the snow and he fell stationary, but he realized with a start that the sounds of him moving had not. His ears pricked and in an instant he spun, and found himself staring into what he thought was a mirror.

You see, when wolves travel, they walk in each other's paw prints, to conserve the energy it takes to drag one's feet through the snow, instead of simply stepping on it. The wolf's footfalls had evaded Laion because of this instinct, and so the wolf had been stepping at the exact same pace, speed, and spot as Laion had.

The two figures were more silent even than the woods around them. Snow fell limply off pine branches, a crow or two flapped noisily through the trees. The wolves were nose to nose, eye to eye. Laion flicked his ears back and his intense blue eyes softened with bewilderment. The opposing wolf remained low and frozen in a snarl, his maw blackened with filth and the pupils of his golden eyes way too small. Laion's nose twitched, and he straightened the slightest bit, although he was still bristling.

"Je-Jeagar?" he whispered, who in response said nothing. Laion took a step back, blues eyes locked with amber, and then Jaegar lunged, and the noise made sent every bird half a mile around into the sky in a black cloud.

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He could tell that even while fighting him, the wolf was slowly working his way toward the others. Laion leaped back from the combat, and threw his head back to let out a lone cry. Jaegar found the mass of footprints leading to the Hollow, and abandoned Laion to bolt along the trail, enormous paws rising and falling rapidly. Laion saw this and his howl ended with a yelp. He prayed the gang had been warned.

He bounded after Jaegar, and caught up with him about 100 yards away from the entrance to the healer's den. He chanced a look at the entrance to the den, and saw his sister standing out in the open. His heart froze. He leaped as high as his body allowed, and rammed Jaegar in the side. This knocked the wind out of them both, and Jaegar let out a yelp. The both tussled in the snow for a minute, writhing and trying to get way from each other and stand at the same time. Jaegar turned his blazing gaze back to Laion, and lunged again.

Laion's left shoulder was slashed deeply from Jaegar's first attack in the woods that was so close range. He'd been aiming for Laion's throat, as wolves do not play around but go right for their target. Having no time to get out of the way Laion turned his shoulder to him to take the damage. He now felt light-headed from loss of blood and over-exerting himself...he had been running at top peed and fighting for his and everyone else's lives since that morning, and it was now almost nightfall. He knew he could not sustain another injury this serious, and so instead of sacrificing his other shoulder, he too rocketed himself at Jaegar's throat, so it came down to a matter of reflexes.

Laion won. God knew how, perhaps because he was fighting for a cause, or that his own mind was still in tact, but he felt Jaegars fangs drag along his face as his own fastened directly under the wolf's jaw. He tore at the throat and jumped back, but it had done next to nothing. There was a giant gaping hole in Jaegar's neck, but Laion had missed the jugular vein and his attack had not been deep enough. Jaegar gasped for a moment, and stumbled, as Laion watched in an addicting kind of horror, maw bloodied and eyes as ravenous as Jaegar's.

Jaegar attempted a snarl and nothing came out. Laion had torn his windpipe, and for all the damage he had done, Jaegar has simply been thrown off balance, could no longer make sound, and could breathe through his neck. Laion jumped at him again, aiming to drive his muzzle further into the wound and make sure he succeeded, but in what Jaegar had left of a mind, he jumped back, bristled at the considerably smaller wolf silently, and ran off, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Laion was caught up in the moment and began to chase after him, adrenaline pumping through him and the taste of the kill on his tongue, his jaws gaping as he panted, his blue eyes crazed, and for an instant it would have been impossible to tell which bloodied mess of an animal was insane.

He skidded to a halt and fell over his own feet to fall sideways into the snow and he leaped up to face the direction of the den once again, ignoring Jaegar's retreating flanks and enticing trail of blood. Valentina's high voice was calling for him, just barely audible over the wind. Slowly his eyes dilated, and the rush to kill left him, the pain that he had pushed out of his mind returning to him. He threw back his head and let out another howl, but it sounded harsh and wild; slowly it became softer though, as he returned to his normal self. He saw his sister, once again the reason he turned back everyday, bounding toward him, and then he blacked out.

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She started running when she saw blood fly. As she neared she saw the other wolf retreating, and Laion running after him. Their legs were immensely longer than her half-dog ones, so she halted and screamed, "Laion! Stop! Come back Laion!!!" and instantly he was called back to his senses, howling back to her. She shuddered at the sound he made at first, but eased when it mellowed out, and when she started running at him again, she saw him disappear in the snow.

She almost stepped on him when she finally found him in the snow just deep enough to cover his body, and had to leap over him, and turn back. "Laion..." she said mournfully, and nudged his black, frost and blood coated ear with her creamy maw. "Get up!" she cried, but all the response she got was the deathly slow rise and fall of his side. She could see the blood underneath him spreading out into the snow, and knew that this side, as torn up as it was, couldn't be the worst of it. Tears streamed down her face and froze in her scarlet pelt, and she reared up to bring both paws down on his ribs, in the same fashion she had once jolted Reverie awake , while they had been in the fire. "LAION!"

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Valentina's small, sharp paws on his lean side jolted him back to the world of the conscious. He scrambled and flailed in the snow for a moment, and yelped, as his sister tackled him and showered him with nuzzles and licks. He stood up abruptly and Valentina slid off his back. "What happened!?" he shouted, and Valentina began to talk in such a way Laion believed she was not breathing as she did so. It came back to him all at once, and both he and and Valentina seemed to freeze as attention returned to his shoulder.

The bloody flap of skin was peeled away from the writhing red muscle exposed to the frozen wind. He lifted his paw on that side and the bloody mass convulsed. He squinted his eyes shut, thinking he might be sick if he looked at it longer, and slowly put his gaze to Valentina. Her blue eyes were perfectly round, locked on his shoulder with a look of horror on her face. Her lips trembled, tears pouring down her face, and he thought vaguely how he'd never seen her this upset, even as a pup. Suddenly her blue eyes were on his, then roaming over his face.

Two long gouges ran from the middle of his cheek back to under his ear, and the entire half of his face was matted and dark with blood. "Your face..." Valentina said distantly, and Laion muttered, "Just a scratch..." He was unable to feel much of anything, as he was numb from the cold. "Come on," Valentina said and cocked her head in the direction of the den, and he noticed she had regained her composure that quickly. "Let's get back." she nudged him and began to trot off, and he followed, in wolf fashion, in her prints.

When he entered the healer's den, the tangy smell of herbs hit his nose harshly, and he looked to Triss, eyes round, and said with a tone as scared as he was serious, "Don't come near me." Valentina scowled at him and shoved him with her muzzle to the back wall, and then pushed him down with her paw. He fell weakly against the wall, and did his best to glare at her, but was soon distracted by Rade. He caught sight of his bloody eyes, and gulped. He bristled and said, "I'm serious!" but Valentina just laid a paw on him and gave him a look, so he resigned himself and sat quietly, as his sister turned to the shaman. "Have your way then, Triss." she said, although her eyes were fixed on the wolf among them as she said this.

[Strider]

Strider limped to the Healing Den, his front paw bloody and twisted, but not beyond repair. He lifted his head and watched them all. "What's going on? What happened?"

Strider silently cursed himself for leaving the gang, no matter how important his business had been with Devilish! He shook his pelt, feeling pain rip threw him. Some of the dried blood hadn't felt good when it was attached to his fur.

[darkwolf]

Rade lifted his head. At The words of the shaman he took the herbs. He chewed on them gently. A sort of bitter taste. Though he began to feel sleepy. He caught the sound of another two come in but after that he seemed to slip away. Into a land where anything could happen. But he kept the thought of the two arivals in his head. One he had smelt on the sight. The one who had chased after the wolf. Laion....

[.::Tyrant::.]

Tyrant leapt to his feet, bounding after Valentina as she went after Laion. But she was much swifter than he, and she and Laion were on their feet when they came into view. Tyrant stopped, observing them silently, deciding not to intrude just yet. Instead, he perked his ears, listening carefully, dark eyes darting to and fro.

He had predicted another attack, but his prediction had been fulfilled a lot earlier than he expected. Responsibility for the other dogs weighed on his shoulders, and he straighened up, standing squarely. He would take on that responsibility, and he would fulfill his roles as Top Dog. He was happy to do so, and he would be happy to give his life for any one of his members if it came to that.

Hopefully it wouldn't.

Valentina and Laion paced past him, and he turned and followed them, thinking. He would call another gang meeting, and organise a guard to be set. The gang would face their attacker as one... or, at least, Tyrant hoped they would. There were some rebellious souls in his gang, and he worried that they would not keep to his rules. That they would put themselves in unnecesary danger.

He sighed, shaking his head. He would do his very best...

The Top Dog was at the den's entrance once again, now. Aphro, who had leapt to her feet at the sounds of attack, was waiting for him at the entrance, where she stood, hackles bristling, ready to defend to her best ability the injured and weak who lay healing in the den. Tyrant glanced briefly over her shoulder, to where Valentina stood over Laion. Worry flashed clear in his eyes. He was loyal to, protective over, all of his members... but Valentina... He loved her. He would die if anything happened to her...

"You really love her, don't you." Aphro whispered, her voice strangely sad. Tyrant turned to her, and the worry in his eyes doubled. He loved Aphro, too. His sister. And Reverie! Those three female's were his nearest and dearest, and they were all under threat. He sighed and settled into a sitting position.

"Yes. I do. But I love you too, Aphro." He smiled and licked the female's maw, and she leant forward, leaning her head on his chest.

"Thanks, Ty." She said gentley. Her brother had read her sadness correctly. She missed Brick. No matter how hard she tried not to feel sad, to "be strong for him", sometimes she could not help but feel miserable. She breathed in Tyrant's familiar scent, then leaned backwards.

"I'm going to go back to Espio..." She said, craning her neck to lick her brother's nose, then turning and padding back into the den. Tyrant watched her with grave eyes, then turned back to stare into the swirling winds.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Bitter winds tore at Reverie's fawn coat as she ran, whistling in her ears and stinging her eyes. She had heard the howls... the growls... and now she smelt wolf. She instantly thought of Laion, the sulky brute who she had called for. A growl rumbled in her throat, and eyes began to blaze. If he had harmed a hair on Tyrant... or Valentina's... heads, he would pay.

Reverie skidded to a halt at a place where blood stained the snow - the place where, only minutes previously, the wounded Laion had lay. Reverie's muzzle was instantly pressed to the snow, her nose twitching madly as she sniffed. It was definately Laion's scent. As she travelled away from the bloody patch, nose still pressed to the ground, she found she could also smell Valentina... and Tyrant. And another scent, another wolf.

What had Laion been up to?

Reverie growled again, lifting her head, hackles bristling. She broke into a swift bound, ignoring the icy wind that penetrated her wispy fur and planted frozen kisses on her pale skin.

The Esterela Mountain Dog's eyes lit up with relief as she saw Tyrant, sitting outside the den, unharmed. She increased her pace, halting before him, and looked over his shoulder. Valentina was there, pinning Laion to the ground with a paw. Reverie misinterpreted the femme's actions, deciding that she was holding Laion captive. She snarled briefly at the wolf, then turned to Tyrant.

"What happened?" She asked hotly. Her features then softened as she noticed her friend's worried expression. This was also wrongly read. Poor Ty... She thought. He trusted Laion. He trusts everyone... treachery must really hurt those who aren't expecting it. Reverie once again looked to Laion. I'll kill him! She thought fiercly, hackles bristling. I'll kill him for making Tyrant this worried!

"It wasn't him, Reverie." Tyrant rumbled. "He was trying to protect us... I'm not sure what happened. I'll ask Aphro soon."

Reverie met Tyrant's eyes and nodded, secretly relieved. Laion was useful to the gang. Having him loyal to the gang would come in handy...

"What happened, then?" She asked again. Tyrant shrugged, and Reverie noticed that he was a lot more distant that usual. She stared worriedly up at him.

"We'll soon find out. For now, we have to deal with the injured." He smiled and licked her muzzle, and the Guardian allowed herself to relief. He was, perhaps, distant. But that was due to thoughtfulness. He was still Tyrant... and he would get the gang through this time of trouble.

[~ T r i s s c a r ~]

OOC: -reads- I have a lot to reply to!

IC: Trisscar smiled at Rade as he ate, grabbing the leaves of the black nightshade herb. But then Valentina stood, saying that they were back. The little shaman knew who instantly, and she leaped forward to stand over Espio, but he wasn't there. He had limped to the entrance of the den, bracing himself against the earthy wall. She small fox-dog screamed, "Espio! Get back!" to him and he stared at her with cold indigo pools, finally retreating.

Triss saw Valentina leap for the entrance as well and a while later Laion came in, heavily injured. She was too terrified to know what to do as she caught sight of his bloody face. At his words she backed away, noticing Espio had sat up again, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Strider had appeared, too, and the half-breed healer was extremely stunned.

"What...?" She grabbed hold of the remants of the valerian and pushed them toward the wolf, brown orbs still very wide. He was stronger than some of the others as a lupine, so this time it wouldn't knock him out completely. She snatched up both the marigold and goldenrod flowers along with some berries and chewed and mushed them together to form a poultice that would both heal and prevent infections. She spat it out onto a leaf as she started to pick up the nightshade. Trisscar grabbed for the cobwebs in one corner but fell, and luckily Espio's black mitt scooped them up and pressed them almost teasingly onto her nose.

"Emotionless Espio, and you stick webs to my whiskers," she grumbled to them, wiping them off. She smiled at the German Shepherd but couldn't tell if any of the wounds were still open or bleeding. As her gaze searched him it made it evident she was looking for injury and waiting for him to speak up, for she was much too shocked to do anything. Not without help...

You have to tell them to help, she told herself firmly. She saw Espio lay down abruptly with a false guilty looking face as he caught sight of Aphrodites.

"Um, Aphro, could you put this poultice on Laion's wounds, and tell me if they're bleeding heavily...?" she asked timidly. She glanced at Reverie -- the first dog she had healed since wandering upon the gang; the guardian that was the whole reason she was shaman. She dipped her head and went back to the nightshade, chewing it up into a juice.

Triss couldn't help but let her thoughts wander back to Cody. He hadn't come back yet. Was he okay? ...Alive?

OOC: Lots of puppies to heal...