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Shukri followed along as Maya was taken into one of the large tents used to treat the injured. Wanting to be out of the way he kept to one edge and tried to relax as he put his bag down. He could deliver the eggs he'd collected later, they wouldn't spoil just by waiting a little longer. Though he felt bad Shukri was a little grateful that Fai had not been able to follow him into the tent. The girl was one of his best friends but he couldn't answer her questions right now, his mind was wrapped up in making sure Maya came out of this alright, he had promised her it would be ok after all. The concerned look on the face of the healers was worrying him. He didn't think she'd lost that much blood, was it just that alkidike were strange and they truly didn't know how to help?

Pale blue eyes watched as the healers murmured amongst themselves and set about dealing with Maya's leg, once the wrapping came off Shukri blanched, the skin underneath did not look right, even for someone who was normally sort of green and yellow. Averting his eyes the earthling tried to settle his stomach and reassure himself that the healers knew what they were doing and that everything would be fine.

Relief washed over Shruki as Maya finally woke up and seemed to be feeling better. He was unsurprised when she focused her attention less on him though than her surroundings and injury. He supposed if he'd woken up in a strange place filled with people he didn't know he'd try first to get his bearings before anything and then make sure he was alright. Although he doubted Maya knew how serious her injury had truly been, even he himself had been unaware until the healers had told him.

With Sabri preoccupied with another patient Shukri took the initiative to make his way over to Maya and explain to her what was going on. The were a soft smile on his face meant to reassure the alkidike, she was in good hands here." It's good to see you awake, how do you feel?" Shukri himself was just happy his sort of maybe friend was doing better so far as the healers were concerned. It would have been pretty bad to promise that everything would be ok and then have something horrible happen. Plus he was pretty sure Pacju would have eaten him if anything had happened to Maya.

Shukri unused to the ways and looks of the alkidike was mildly concerned with the way Maya's face seemed to be shifting in colour and he hoped she was ok and that she wouldn't puke on him as soon as he got over to her. When that didn't happen he relaxed, not that he'd blame her for being sick but Shukri really didn't want to be vomited on, part of the reason he wasn't a healer was his adversity to dealing with other people's bodily fluids.

"I promised you I'd get help you don't have to thank me," Shukri replied as he took the offered fruit. He had no ideas what it was but it looked interesting. " I don't know how much sway you have in your tribe but um it'd be nice later if you could let them know that Sauti is our home and you can't just claim it." It wasn't a demand or anything but Shukri hoped Maya would feel a little guilty if a member of the wind tribe saved her and she turned around and helped her people try to take over the land.

Quickly though he moved on to answer her questions. "You were unconscious for about half the day, it's early evening now," he explained. "I'm not sure what all of it is but I wouldn't eat it," Shukri chuckled softly "I do know they used rock moss to stop the bleeding and then they had to make a special dressing to numb the pain and draw out the poison." Humour left Shukri's face as he continued to speak. "You got stung by a mountain crawler, they look a lot like rocks and they can be hard to see if you're not used to looking for them." Shukri had grown up learning to spot the subtle diffidence between the ground and the bugs camouflage carapace as well as being careful of where he stepped and put his fingers while climbing.

"You should be ok by tomorrow though but you need to stay off the leg as much as possible," Shukri knew he couldn't very well order Maya to bed rest but he could put his serious face on while he spoke. "Don't worry about Pacju, Faiza has been fawning over her all afternoon." Unable to get to him or the mystery woman Faiza had settled for pestering the strange mount and trying to appease her with food, water and offers of brushing.

Shukri nibbled a little on the fruit as Maya spoke, he was curious about it's taste and far less concerned than her about Faiza. The youngling might be small but she was smart and fast, if Pacju had become threatening she'd probably have back away or climbed to safety. It wasn't so much that he didn't respect Pacju but that he had faith in his young friend to know when to back down. Well that and he figured if Faiza was going to set the creature off it would have happened by now. The pale haired boy stored the name Radaku away in his mind to ask about later, curious to know all there was about the creatures that seemed to serve as much reliable mounts and protectors.

Still Maya's worrying would do her no good, the healers had always told Shukri that the point of bedrest was to be calm and let your blood slowly easily. Too much exercise or worrying made the healing take longer be it the herbal kind or the magic. Swallowing a bite of the fruit Shrukri nodded. "I can help you go see her but just for a few minutes, you really do need to rest, you can use me as a crutch for now though." It'd be a little awkward with the height difference but the biggest thing was that Shukri help keep Maya from applying too much weight to her injured leg.

Shukri was fascinated by the fact that Pacju's horns glowed, it was such a strange thing and he wondered if it was to help her see at night or just a random natural feature of some species where she was from. Either way it was a useful ability to have and Shukri noted that if he managed to secure himself some sort of pet he really did want it to be practical like this and not just some showpeice or comfort creature.

The earthling buried the bubbling jealousy he felt with the taste of the fruit he was continuing to eat. It had a peculiar flavour that he quite quite describe but quite liked. Shukri had a feeling that if proper trade routes ever opened up amongst the tribes fruit like this would command a respectable price.

Shukri laughed softly and shook his head at the offer to pet the radaku. "I wouldn't dare come between you." Framed in the sunset against the mountains and the pastel sky Maya and Pacju reuniting was a charming sight. It felt wrong to interrupt them, especially when he had just recently seen how much worry could be reflected in an alkidikes dark eyes. Those two weren't just pet and owner, rider and mount they were something more, something Shukri didn't quite have words for.

"She really loves you," Faiza noted softly, the youngling girl appearing from around the side of the tent. There was no jealousy in her tone only awe and respect as if she too saw the bond between the pair.

By the way the radaku devoured the food from Maya's bag Shukri had a feeling she'd ignored everything Fai had tried to offer her. Some creatures were picky like that though, not eating things they didn't know or that came from strangers. He supposed such selectivity and loyalty helped keep he animals safe during disputes and whatnot though. Having never personally owned any sort of companion Shukri was only vaguely aware of the sorts of things people like that had to take into account. It was something he would remedy in time though, when he had the ability to provide for himself and another. Hmm, that made him wonder just what it was Maya did for her tribe that allowed her the luxury of a companion, or was it simply that the amount of resources available allowed more people of different status to keep pets than was possible in Sauti.

Shukri was startle when Maya grabbed his hand but he did not pull back for fear of putting her off balance. Her reassurances that this was ok allowed the young man's natural curiosity to take over and he was quickly running his hand along Pacju's hide able to enjoy the opportunity to experience something wholly foreign to him.

Fai nodded and grinned, not surprised that Shukri had mentioned her, they were friends after all and she had made it her mission to care for Pacju. Or to try to anyways, she'd not had much luck in getting the pretty creature to let her close or help in anyway. Though the youngling understood now why that was. "Yes please," she replied quickly at the offer to pet Pacju, oh this would be exciting. " Did you have her since she was a baby?" the little earthling girl asked curiously. She knew some creatures in Sauti had to be raised from birth or hatching if they were to properly bond to a person.

Shukri was stunned by the end of the tale, Maya had risked getting near one of those giant crystal spiders that Takoda had told him about just to save some helpless pups. He could be tenderhearted at times and on occasion brave but Shukri usually avoided putting himself in situations where he faced possibly death regardless of the reason. The earthling boy was awed by Maya's bravery, she had done something he would not have dared to do. It seemed only right that fate had rewarded her with a loyal companion in return.

It seemed that both Maya and Takoda had way of surprising Shukri with their determination to help the weak be it plant or animal. Both shifter and alkidike were fascinating people that the prentice was glad to have met.

"The story isn't boring, it's sad and I'm glad Pacju lived" Fai replied softly stroking the radaku's mane.

Shruki nodded, agreeing with his friend "You were incredibly brave to have saved her and she worked hard to get you here when you needed help." It was a really sweet story and one he thought his siblings might appreciate tomorrow. "How long have you been riding, you seemed very comfortable on her back."

Maya was certainly talented, to have adjusted to learning to ride so quickly, although Shukri supposed having such a deep bond with Pacju helped. He frowned as soon as she voiced interest in heading back into the healing tent, he had completely forgotten to pay attention to making sure she wasn't showing signs of pain. Shukri could be self absorbed like that thinking only about what he was enjoying and experiencing sometimes, he hoped Maya wasn't in too much pain. "It's fine, I'm certain pacju would like to rest too and Fai should be heading back to her family," he replied softly. It was getting a bit late for youngling to be out, especially without a shawl on to guard against the chill of the night.

Faiza rolled her eyes but nodded, before quickly giving Maya a tight hug and disappearing off into the darkness, with a promise to return in the morning.

Shukri laughed as he moved closer to Maya, offering himself as her crutch again. "I'll help you back to the tent so you can rest for the night, and thank you for the fruit earlier, it was delicious." It had been a long but interesting day that left Shukri with much to think about, he imagined he would not let sleep claim him for sometime to come.