Stormrider

She positioned the conveyance and spoke softly to the man. "Sorry, one extra jolt. You're not exactly going to be much help so we'll have to do it my way."

Bracing herself on her knees she rolled him onto his back, drawing from him a hoarse moan made all the more poignant by the fact that she would have bet he would have bloodied his mouth to bite back that tearing sound had he been conscious. She didn’t wait, but rolled him a second time so he wound up where she wanted him, belly-down across the traveler.

He drew a deep sigh.

"You're welcome." She slanted a look at the big silver wolf. "Strongheart..."

She did not have to finish. With a yawn, Strongheart joined her at the front of the traveler and ducked his head into the loop she held in readiness. Then he leaned massive shoulders into the supple branch, testing it. Picking up her end, Tanith started out for home, sharing the burden of the litter in tandem with Strongheart. Littlefoot and One Eye fell in behind.

They covered the ground much more quickly than Tanith would have imagined. Even so, it was slow going and hard work. She was going to have aches and blisters and it would be some time yet before she could tend her own wound.

"Great stars and blisters the man is heavy," was Tanith's only complaint as they neared her permanent camp, Strongheart solid at her side.

You would find me no less heavy were you to carry me in such a manner alone. Strongheart's subtle reminder that he shared the burden. This despite the fact he seemed not the least bit hampered by it.

"You would be worth it," Tanith shot back. "I'm not so sure he is."

They stopped below her camp, on the greensward forming a half-moon at its base. Strongheart ducked out of his harness while Tanith rotated her aching shoulder and looked down at her patient. It would be flat impossible to get him up above to the cave so she resigned herself to playing nursemaid here below. At least she would have access to her supplies and the site was sheltered, concealed, protected. The wolves were nursing their own minor wounds, so she was left with the man.

She didn’t bother to roll him from the traveler since it would subject him to another stiff jolt. All his serious wounds were in his back - including the one in his side which the bear had had no part in inflicting.

Tanith hurried up to the cave carved out of the pale blue stone of the cliff looming high above. The climb was steep, but not so steep as to prevent the wolves from ascending the nearly invisible path.

She collected everything she would need in only a few moments, a hundred thoughts trying to cram their way into her head while she focused on channeling her energies into helping this pseudo-friend, possible-enemy, with whom Strongheart was so taken.

The sun was moving toward darkness with its usual swift transition when Tanith descended, arms laden with medical supplies and a light generator. She set up the small portable light, activated it and dropped the other supplies nearby. Very few technologies had survived her craft's somewhat rough arrival in Nashira and after having spent considerable time here they seemed incongruous with the springy mat of fragrant grasses they now lay upon. Indeed, they didn’t meld well even with the more newly acquired plant medicines in her small medical kit either.