This was not the position he wanted to be in. Cut, bruised, and dangling precariously over a significant drop down to a river, Ophion considered his life up until this point. Damn his brother for this. It couldn't have been an accident, there was no way Kronos would have missed the eagle returning to the nest. His brother had tried to get him killed. In truth, there was still a chance that he'd succeeded. All banged up, even with the cliff's edge not too much higher from where the roots had caught him, there was no way he was going to make his way back up. It was a miracle he'd survived being clawed by the angry bird, being carried about, and then the fall down to this protruding bit of plant-life.
Phion sighed and closed his eyes. He was really so tired at this point, maybe falling to his death wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. And on top of that, the dirt falling on his back wasn't making him feel any better.
"Can you grab this?" Phion blinked his eyes open and lifted his head where he'd just been letting it lie limp over one branch. What on- a vine was dangling just above his head and was that a hare looking down at him?? She was... A hare was holding down a vine to help him up. He was a snake, he ate hares. Granted not often, they were generally too much trouble and adults could get big.
Still...
"I... can try," he replied and leaned up. He didn't get far enough at first, but a second try and his teeth sank into the plant fiber.
As soon as the snake latched onto the vine, Valori stood and hopped back, pulling with all her might to get it up to the top. It probably also helped that she had pulled the vine around a tree rather than just straight up.
After a bit, the snake was up and over the side and he let go of the vine. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Get in a fight with an acacia tree?" she asked, hopping over and sitting close beside him.
"That isn't too far from the truth," he replied with another sigh, one eye opening to watch the hare. "Why'd you help me?"
"Felt like it," Valori replied with a shrug, surprisingly relaxed for talking to a snake. He was beat up and she'd just saved his life, though, so she was pretty confidant that he wasn't about to try eating her. Especially since she was sure she could beat him up pretty hard and without too much trouble.
"You're a strange one..."
"I'll take that as a compliment." That said, she took a closer look at his cuts and tilted her head. "I can probably help with those, too," she added, gesturing to a small pouch slung over from shoulder to hip.
"Why not? You've been surprisingly helpful already," Phion said after a moment's consideration and watched as the hare dug into the pouch and started chewing on some of the plants she took out. It gave Phion time to think about all of this. The contrast was astounding. Earlier that day, his own brother tried to get him killed, and then he was saved by something that could very well be his next meal, and she was still taking care of him. He wasn't fool enough to think that all hares were like this, but... It was something to consider in the future. Maybe he'd stick to mice from now on.The hare spit into her paw, hopped over, and began spreading the chewed leaves over his cuts. He couldn't stop the hiss in pain from escaping.
"I know it hurts, but it'll cool off soon enough. I'm Valori, by the way."
"Ophion."
"So, want to tell me what actually happened?" Phion let his eyes slip closed again as the hare, as Valori worked on the cuts.
"Stupid mistake. My brother showed me a nest to go after, eggs are an easy meal. He was supposed to watch out for the mother, but the next thing I know, an eagle's swooping down on me. It took me out, I forced it to drop me, and I landed where you found me. I saw my brother watching as it flew me into the air."
"So it was on purpose?" Her paws paused, as if waiting for a response.
"Probably."
Valori set her paws back to motion, spreading the herbal remedy over the cuts the eagle's talons had left. How awful! She didn't have any brothers or sisters, but she could just imagine what it was like. Siblings didn't try to kill one another! Or, at least, she was pretty sure they didn't. She couldn't even let a predator die, she couldn't fathom someone trying to kill his brother. Of course, she could always ask him why his brother would do that, but he seemed tired and it was a terrible subject to talk about.
"Feeling better?"
"Actually, yes. At least, I'm not hurting anymore. What is that stuff?"
"Numbs pain and keeps cuts clean. You might be a bit sluggish until... tomorrow morning, and you shouldn't go swimming for at least, um, a few days, but you should be right as rain soon enough."
"You've been very helpful, I really didn't expect to get off that root. Thank you."
"Not a problem. All I ask is you don't eat me," she replied with a chuckle and actually patted his head. Yeah, she was a bit of an odd one. "You should probably get out of the open, though. Need help with that?"
As much as he'd rather not be further in her debt, Phion was fairly certain the answer to that question was a resounding yes. Pride aside, staying alive was his top priority at the moment.
"Yes, I think so," he said and quietly allowed her to slip underneath him. He wasn't a small snake by any means, so most of his body dragged behind her as she carefully picked her way closer to the tree she'd used as leverage when pulling him up. There were shadowy places among the roots and it was in one of those that she set him and he slowly coiled himself up.
"Thank you," Phion said when Valori turned to leave. She paused, glanced over her shoulder, and nodded her head with a smile.
"Any time." And with that she hopped away. Phion's eyes followed her retreating form until he couldn't see her anymore. Only then did he completely curl up and let the morning's misadventure finally catch up to him and found bliss in exhausted oblivion.
(WC: 1,121)