[PRP-SRP] Bump in the road (Vappu, Zrathi, Fluess)

[Annchen]

So stupid. Vappu had an urge to face-paw, but that would probably hurt her sprained ankles even more. She hadn't been injured in the line of duty in forever, but today she'd gone for a quick run and managed to step into a hole. She was probably lucky nothing seemed to be broken, but she certainly didn't feel lucky. Both front paws were injured, the left one worse than the right.

It wasn't her season, so she wasn't expected to be out spreading the word about festivities. Still, it wasn't unheard of for Criers to be working other seasons than their own. To make matters worse hadn't told anyone where she was going, and she was far enough outside pride territory that it might take a while before someone missed her or happened to pass here by chance.

"Stupid," the cheetah said. "Very, very stupid. Ow!"

Trying to put weight on her right paw had really hurt, and now her other legs felt a bit wobbly too. Perhaps if she rested for a while she'd be able to hop back on three legs, but at the moment she didn't feel up for it. And she wasn't about to start trying to walk on her hind legs. She was not a monkey.

---

The air had become more and more chilly as Zrathi closed in on the mountain in the distance. She could see white on the mountainsides and Zrathi couldn't help but wonder if some ancient magic was affecting the temperature. She had never seen snow before, and nothing in her shaman training had prepared her for its existence either. Her companion, the genet Fluess, was curled up on her shoulders holding her pouch of healing items. The warmth of the smaller mammal was comforting.

"What do you think that white on the mountain is?" she asked, "Do you think it's some kind of corruption or sickness?"

"Sure, why not?" Fluess mumbled and curled up tighter. "You're the shaman here. Are you going to heal the mountains now, and not just lions?"

The genet hadn't even looked up at the mountain, she had found a comfy spot and wasn't all that interested in moving. She wasn't impressed by the change of climate. Not too long ago they'd travelled through dense and humid jungle.  

[Annchen]

Vappu saw movement in the distance, and her ears perked up. Someone was coming this way, and it might be her salvation, even if the creature approaching came from the direction of the roguelands and not from the pride. If she asked nicely the other might be willing to send word to the pride and get her some help.

"Hey!" she called when the other was close enough to identify as a lion, "Could I ask for a favor?"

Her voice was quite loud, after lots of crier training and she could see that the lioness noticed her. The lavender cheetah wasn't worried or scared about trusting a stranger out in the roguelands. Had she been a rogue she might have been more hesitant to call attention to herself while injured, but in her pride everyone helped each other. She'd met all kinds of people while out spreading the word about parties but she'd never had a truly bad experience.

---

Fluess noticed the hollering cheetah first, and she tugged Zrathi's ear to catch the shaman's attention. To her dismay the lioness changed direction and started walking towards the noisy creature.

"I didn't meant to steer you that way," she grumbled, "Oh, never mind."

Ugh... She shouldn't have pointed it out. Now they had to go over there and investigate, apparently.

Zrathi had also heard the cheetah, it was hard to miss really, but before she had a chance to react her companion tugged her ear. She stopped for a moment, scenting the air, before heading that way. The shaman hadn't interacted much with non-lions. The oath she'd taken had mostly dealt with healing other lions, but it didn't exactly forbid helping other animals. She'd fixed minor injuries for Fluess since they met.

She couldn't know that the cheetah was injured, of course. The yelling could be for some other reason... However, there was something about her voice, and when she came closer she could see the look on the female's face and the unnatural way she was sitting.

"You're in pain," she stated matter of factly.  

[Annchen]

"Well, yeah..." Vappu admitted, looking slightly embarrassed about the ordeal. "I miss-stepped and I think I sprained something. I was calling you over to see if you'd be willing to help."

If the lioness could just carry a message to Sikukuu she was sure they'd send someone to help her back. They might even send one of the medics to help her get back to her feet more quickly. She smiled at the lioness, hoping she'd be willing to help her out.

---

"Oh great," Fluess mumbled. An injured cheetah. Zrathi hadn't done anything stupid in order to help another person lately, but that was probably just for lack of opportunity. This might take a while. Hopefully she'd be able to nap through this ordeal, but she doubted that. Soon enough Zrathi would be all 'Please help me with this' and 'Fluess, hold that'. Ugh!

Zrathi couldn't know exactly what her companion was thinking, but it was clear that Fluess wasn't impressed. She ignored the genet and focused on the injured cheetah. She needed to assess the severity of the situation before deciding on a course of action.

"Can you walk at all?"

The lioness was much more familiar with the dangers of the roguelands, and she knew a crippled cheetah wouldn't last long if the wrong person found her. Cheetahs were built for speed, and speed was what kept them alive. This one looked well fed and healthy, and that would be a good starting point when it came to recovery. Unfortunately she'd be out of luck if the injury prevented her from hunting for long.  

[Annchen]

"I guess I can walk a bit but I'd rather not," Vappu said with a wince, "I was wondering if you could take a message to my pride. I'm sure they could send someone to help me."

She was reluctant to ask the lioness to support her so she could walk herself. It was a big favor to ask and she was already carrying a little critter on her back. Oh, she'd seen a couple of those before! It was a cute little genet.

"Oh, what a cutie," she cooed and smiled at the tiny predator.

---

Fluess was provoked by the cheetah's lack of concern for her own well being. Calling strangers over, admitting you could hardly walk, and then just asking to pass along a message? What was to say the crippled cheetah wasn't eaten already when they came back with help, then who'd take the blame? Certainly not her, she was fairly sure she couldn't eat a cheetah even if she wanted to. And she didn't want to.

"Go ahead and fix 'er up," she whispered in Zrathi's ear. "That's probably quicker, yeah?"

Zrathi wasn't sure she'd call Fluess cute. She cared deeply for her small friend, but cute? Nah, not really. She padded closer to take a look at the injuries. She could see that the left front leg was swollen around the joint, and from the awkward way the female was sitting she suspected that the right one might be injured as well.

"Mhm..." she said and touched her nose to the swollen joint to feel if it was any hotter than normal, "Does this hurt?"

She used her front paws to pat along the legs and paws, evaluating the extent of the injuries. A yelp from the cheetah confirmed her suspicions.  

[Annchen]

"Ow," Vappu yelped as the lioness started manhandling her forelegs. "Yes it hurt! What did you do that for?"

She hadn't expected this kind of 'help'. Sure, the lioness was probably well meaning, but Vappu had appreciated a gentler touch. Or you know, the kind of help she had asked for. There were skilled medics in the pride, she just needed to get there. It wasn't as if she had asked the lioness to carry her.

"Ow..." she said again, and licked her poor foreleg. It didn't really help, but it was a little comforting.

---

"Mmmh, that's not great," Zrathi mumbled with a frown, "But from what I can tell nothing is broken. Fluess? The arnica paste and that long strip of hide."

From the noise the cheetah was making you'd think she had tried to maim her. It wasn't a good sign... Zrathi had learned that tolerance to pain could be very different from person to person. Hopefully this cheetah was just sensitive to pain, and not badly hurt. She hadn't been able to feel anything that suggested broken bones, but she didn't want the cheetah walking before she could do something about this.

Fluess started digging around in the bag that was her responsibility. It was filled with Zrathi's tools and supplies, wrapped up in hides and leaves to avoid mixing the various cures together. Arnica paste was used for bruises, sore muscles and various pains and aches. Fluess was not fond of handling it since it made her paws tingle, so she just dug up the package and unwrapped it without touching the goop. Let Zrathi deal with tingly paws... Next she fished up a long strip of hide that had been worn and beaten with rocks until it was soft and supple. The flower goo would go on the cheetah's legs first and then they'd work together to wrap the hide tightly around the leg to give support and keep the cure in place. Easy peasy... She'd help like she always did, but she did not want to touch anything sticky this time around.

They'd patch her up, no problem, and if the cheetah would stop complaining and moaning while they worked that'd be great.

-fin-