The air was thick and heavy. The sun was not up yet but the light from it was filling the sky, coloring the horizon in shades of pink, orange, and blue. The fire had gone out but the coals where still red when Betty Bay woke up. It was hard to beath; her nose was caked with the dust that filled the dry air around them. As she began to stand she realized that the mug form the bogs journey was now hard and cement like on her legs. Stamping her hoofs around, Betty tried to shake off some of the caked in mud but did not have much success.
The Jack hop was still fast asleep just across the fire from where Betty had been laying. Looking around, Betty knew they needed to get moving before the Banners got to hot. It is a good day to day and half walk to the Homewood and it would be a hot and miserable walk for them both. Going over to the hop, Betty gently nudged the top of the hops head with her nose. Betty knew they needed to get moving but really wanted to make sure the hop was ok before beginning the journey again. "Hello little hop. Can you open your eyes for me?" She waited near by for the sleep hop to awaken to her call.
Chenoa started to wake up as something cold and wet brushed up against the fur on her head. A soft sweet familiar voice spook to her but as she woke more, the voice faded away. Mud was plastered to her fur and made it hard to move anything. The pain form her leg had lessened greatly which was some comfort to Chenoa's slowly waking mind. After a few minutes Chenoa thought she might try to open her eyes but found it to be more difficulty then before. "Ugh it is so bright." she said to herself in protest to the morning light. "It will be brighter here in a hour or so. Hotter too." Betty replied. The sound of another's voice shocked Chenoa into action as she jumped up to try and defend herself. This was a big mistake though as all the pain in her leg from before came rushing back. "AAAAAAAA!!!" she screamed as she fell to the ground in a heap.
Betty reaches out to help the hop but was not fast enough. Looking more like a pile of muddy fur then a hop, Betty knows the poor hop has reinjured the leg she had help heal earlier. "Oh no! It hurts... it hurts!" Chenoa cries in pain. "I can help. Just hold still." Betty says as she quiets her mind. The hop stills but can not stop her tears form spilling over, the pain is fair to great. With a great deep breath in, the warm comforting mist leaves Betty and swirls around Chenoa. The pain from her broken leg decreases is replaced with warmth and healing; which makes it easier for Chenoa to stops crying.
Betty opens her eyes and sees that her abilities are at the very least helping. "Is that better now?" Betty asked hoping so. "Yes very much thank you." Chenoa was surprised to see her surroundings had changed for the bog she had been in. "Where are we?" she asked as she looked this way and that way.
"The Banners and we really need to get to moving." Betty knew the longer they talked and did not move the hotter it would be for them. "Oh my name is Betty Bay, but you can call me Betty." Betty said very joyfully even though the journey ahead was going to suck. "Oh yes my name is Chenoa." As she winced in a little pain still. "So I think I should still carry you but..." Betty look down at the make shift carrier she had tried to put together out of bog slime and Grandfather Tree knows what "...I do not think this will work for the long journey we have to walk. Do you think you can get up on my back if I lay down?" Betty really hoped Chenoa would be able to because she had no other ideas at this point and it was starting to get hotter already. "I will try." Chenoa said but her tone of voice said she had little hope for success.
It took a little wiggling but Chenoa manage to get up on Betty's back. There was not much to hold on to so Chenoa carefully gripped a tuffed of Betty's main. "Is this ok? Am I hurting you?" She asked hoping she was not because there was not much else to hold on to. "Nope all good here. Ready?" Chenoa gave a node and Betty wasted no time headed out at a steady walking pace.
It was not long before the silence became boring and Betty's curiosity took over "Soo...How did you come to be in the bog?" Betty asked not wanting to be nosy but still wanting to know. "I think I was carried away by a Raven or some other bird. I did not get a good look at it really. But when I bit it; it dropped me." Chenoa really only knew she was far from home a grateful for the help. "So how did you find me?" Chenoa asked knowing that nouls didn't just wander the bogs for fun. Betty remembered the poor hop falling from her dream, it still made her want to scream. "I had a dream..." she paused to think where the dream had come form and why they would be connected but only had one really truth. "...I think the Grandfather Tree wanted me to find you. I saw you falling and land where I found you."
The girls talked small talk for a time but it soon became much to hot to really think of anything more then moving forward and getting home. The journey was long and miserable. It took all day and just as the last of the sun's light went down, the edge of the Homewood trees came into view. They would camp in the Banners again, it was far to dangerous to walk in the dark. In the morning they would be back in the Homewood, back home and maybe they could find a stronger Vivify to heal Chenoa completely.
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