Hildegund rode slightly in the lead, eyes on her hounds as well as the trees and ground, not letting any single sight occupy her attention for too long unless it seemed to warrant a real look. Marnewyn followed along, watching similarly, though more so at trees and ground since she was not used to trying to figure out the hounds.
Before long, Hilde spotted tracks on the ground, closer to the stockade than where the mysterious tracks had been found before. She pointed, just in case, and Fang started sniffing at them. Hilde held up and looked around before checking the ground there more, looking for possible ambush even at this point.
Marnewyn also looked around first, and was careful to slow her horse and guide it around the area where any sign of tracks was found, following her friend.
They saw no sign of ambush. The tracks appeared fresh, and whoever had made them likely passed through the area within the previous few hours. There seemed to be four to five pairs of different prints, though it was difficult to tell at points.
Hildegund looked them over, and seemed perhaps to confer with Fang when looking into his eyes. She then checked for the direction of travel, and any further sign of where to follow that might be faster than going by hound's nose, like trampled grass or the like.
Fang snuffled at the traces and paced around them while the women watched, and Breon kept his own watch around them.
The direction of the trampling and the way the prints pointed indicated progress westward towards the Combe/Archet area. The tracks also seemed to indicate that at least some of the people were in a hurry, perhaps in a full sprint by the way the dirt was disturbed.
Hildegund peered at Fang, and did that mutual stare thing again, then nodded. "Track." He set off, and Hilde guided the horse to follow in parallel to the tracks. "Think is four runners, and someone Fang knows. He not know how say who."
Marnewyn nodded, riding in parallel to the other side, and keeping side-to-side watch. "Someone who'd be here and following the trail, though... probably Em? Since we know she was going to look?"
A nod. "Is best guess. But not know."
Marnewyn nodded, musing to herself, and ventured to ask. "He can tell you who other hounds are, can't he? You've sent him to fetch people by their hounds before, at least."
Another nod. "Is so. But Gloss... not same. And his scent not here."
Marney chuckled softly. "So all the more reason for me to talk to Cutleaf and get a hound in training."
Hildegund gave a small smile. "Would help."
Further along the tracks, several minutes' ride from where they first picked up on the trail, a tall figure covered in a green cloak came into their view by the trail. She was holding a long stick or spear, and turned as she heard the hoofbeats and Breon's snuffling, which were not exactly subtle. She gave the group a wave, still holding what turned out to be a staff in her other hand.
Hildegund waved a little and slowed her pace as Fang looked between Em and his mistress.
Marnewyn gave a more significant wave, unlike Hilde's usual understated one, and a big smile.
Hildegund eyed her hounds and preemptively commanded, "Breon. Down."
Em stepped over, smiling and leaning over to give Fang a scratch, which he allowed – though he was making sure the tracks didn't disappear from lack of watching them.
Hildegund smiled a bit, nodding. Em looked back up at the other women. "You are following the tracks as well, I presume?"
Marney smirked a bit at some internal amusement, but nodded quietly, while Hilde gave her terse "Yes."
Em glanced back down to the tracks. "Gloss was out hunting and I happened to come across the trail while walking. It is closer to the clan. Than last time I saw them, that is."
"Quite a bit closer, yes. Enough to have made us rather nervous." That comment from the smaller blonde came with a nod.
The tall dark-haired woman nodded and smiled over at Fang and Breon. "Having your hounds here will make this easier. And it is good to have more people along, as there are four of them along. Tracks are fresher too. Might be able to catch up to whoever they may be this time."
A nod from the larger of the two blondes. "Have hounds and arrows if need. And she say horses fight if think should. Is time see if catch, I think."
"Aye, they'll fight if they feel that sort of threatened, at least, rather than just shy away. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but we're as prepared as reasonable."
"Let's see if we can find them. And hopefully don't have to fight." The green-glad woman turned to continue following the trail.
"Yes. Fang, track."
The group followed the trail for a few more minutes until Em stopped and leaned over. The hounds also gathered to sniff at what she uncovered as she brushed aside some grass and dirt. She stood back up, showing the other women an arrow shaft with the head broken off. "Looks like they were hunting… but there's no tracks of anything to hunt here. Nothing fresh in the area."
Hildegund frowned and looked around as her hounds tried further to sniff the arrow, with Fang seeming to have more meaningful intent.
Marnewyn pondered, still looking about as part of her general 'keep watch' attitude. "Still four sets of prints? I know I have a nasty, suspicious mind, but we've been suggesting bandits already for these folks. Hunting other people comes to mind."
Hildegund grunted a little, but gave a slow nod. Fang turned back to following the tracks. "So, whatever loose at, not hit, and not one of them."
Em nodded to Marney. "Still four prints. And I was worried of such too…." She continued on the trail as well. It became more erratic from that point, with the prints more widely scattered and not so neatly lined up. "Looks like they are hunting now, though. Not just running."
Marnewyn nodded with a soft hrm, and followed along. "Not hit yet... but that's a mess of tracks now. Though easier to count."
A short distance later, and Fang gave a growl and a restrained, low whine. His mistress looked up to interpret for the others, "Blood now." To her hound, she nodded and instructed, "Follow blood."
Em looked over to Fang, then Hilde, "That's not good. Trail continues here though…."
From her vantage on horseback, and looking about as she was, Marney saw that the trail also split off up ahead, with trampled grass going both south and west. "Tracks splitting here." Her tone was just one of informing – she certainly understood the point of following blood first. The weather was good and looked to hold long enough that other tracking could wait.
The others acknowledged her comment and proceeded to follow after Fang's lead, continuing west.
A raven landed on a branch near their trail and began to caw. Em stopped and held her arm out to it, and glided down to land on her bracer, cawing again. "Someone is hurt up ahead."
"Fang. Slow." The hound responded by becoming more cautious in following the scent. As he hadn't been told 'danger', that essentially just meant going more slowly.
The raven flew off as Em held her arm out again, then she resumed following Fang.
Not much more than another minute passed, and they started to see someone on the ground ahead, lying face down by a tree. As they came closer, it was clear that there was an arrow sticking out of the body.
"Breon. Fang. Guard." Their demeanour changed as they went on alert, watching for danger from without the group, tracking no longer occupying the beasts.
Marney kept watch with them, accepting Hildegund's reins to keep her mount still while she dismounted to follow Em carefully over to the body, which remained still even as they got up next to their quarry.
The body appeared to be that of a woman, though age wasn't readily apparent through the dirt on her face. She was in rather ragged, patchwork clothing. The arrow was sticking up from the back of her right shoulder, seemingly stopped in the scapula, based on the apparent depth. She was breathing, but even prodding her leg got nothing more than a low, incoherent moan.
Hildegund kneeled to check the positioning of the arrow, not moving anything just yet. "Is not good ride or carry like this. Not want bleed out. May need break off."
From her watchful perch, Marney commented, "You're the one who's been taking some time to try to apprentice healing as well as cooking. But I hear nothing to argue with."
Em nodded. "Break but not pull out entirely though… might be hard to stop blood that way. At least from what I have seen of creatures hit by hunters' arrows…."
A nod. "Not pull out any. Just break off. Can help hold steady for break?"
Em stepped over and kneeled on the other side of the woman, holding her steady for Hilde.
Marnewyn nodded slowly, trying to follow the reasoning. "Oh, right... besides it blocking any bleeding as is, we don't know what point it has... pulling could be very bad."
Hildegund nodded and positioned her hands very carefully, with an intense focus on her grip. The directness of her stare would have made it clear why she usually won't look directly at people, had those with her not already known. With a grunt, she snapped it off with a minimum of disturbance to the segment still in the woman.
A soft, low whistle came from Marney. "Remind me not to arm-wrestle with her."
The woman twitched slightly as the arrow was broken and moaned again, but remained otherwise unresponsive.
Hildegund looked the woman over some, checking further for extent of injuries, finally starting to dare to move her a little to get a better look. "She not ride on own. Think is safe enough put on horse, but maybe see if Pie-Maker or Arastal come here?" Upon finding a mark on the woman's forehead that looked like an impact mark, she also checked the ground below for additional signs of blood before lowering her again. "Horse is warmer her, but need lift, and will bounce."
Em nodded. "I think we are close enough to the stockade to get Pie-Maker or Arastal. Or to bring her to them, but the bounce might not be good…. We can keep her safe here… if you think it's not good to bring her back on horse."
A brief bit of pondering, then a nod. "Would rather let healer say. Take blanket, try put under her. I ride. Fang, stay and guard. Breon, follow." She pulls a blanket off the horse's gear before mounting up. "Sorry leave you. Be back soon as can."
Em nodded. "We'll wait here for word."
Marnewyn took the blanket and dismounted to offer what aid she could, ground-tethering the horse in some grass. "Let's see to that warmth, then, while we wait."
Hildegund turned and rode off, with Fang glancing after, but staying, and Breon running along happy with the trot.
Em looked over to Marney. "I can lift her. Put the blanket under her when she's raised."
A nod. "Aye." She was ready, flipping the blanket out just enough to be sure it would cover the needed area. The two women get the job done carefully, being sore not to disturb the arrow stub, and getting hands back out of the way quickly.
"There we go."
Em's response was a nod of thanks. She then looked back east along the path. "Now we wait for Tree-Walker."
Riding back toward the stockade, alternating gaits as needed to accommodate Breon's ability to run with the horse, Hildegund kept watch and pondered her approach. She tried, as she'd phrased it for her clan-mates before, to 'make words' in advance, to help save time once she arrived.
Soon enough, the hounds at the stockade heard their approach and gave voice, which Breon answered, and the typical greetings of hounds friendly with each other got exchanged. The rider let this go on until they were close enough for her to identify individual hounds there, and she instructed hers, "Breon. Find Song."
The off-white wolf-cross took off, calling for his littermate. Song perked up from playing with the babies and stood at attention with her nose in the air. She let out a long howl for him.
Leohna wrung out a just-cleaned nappy and looked toward the noise, as Breon diverted into a bee-line up the hill, calling 'prey found' for his mistress, as though she couldn't tell.
The hunter guided her horse up the hill in his wake, slowing to a walk as she got to conversational distance.
Leohna hung the nappy up to dry and wiped her hands on her apron. "Hello, Tree-Walker, lass. Nice day for it." A nod to the horse punctuated the comment.
A nod in turn. "Was. Found woman in woods. Arrow in back. Still alive."
Leohna let her smile fade a little. "Where is she now?" came as she was already moving to gather the babies up and put them in their cart.
Hildegund pointed, not that the direction was that helpful. "Is ride... half-mark? Breon can find again if need me tell Jay." She paused, then finally remembered to check her assumptions. "You can ride?"
"Aye. I can ride, but the lads can't."
"Can tell Jay mind them, yes? You take horse, I take them, find her?"
Leohna nodded without hesitation over Tree-Walker watching the twins. "Aye. Don't let them chew on Dance's ear. He lets them in order to get close to their treats." She was already walking over to the horse. "Larger than I remembered 'em being."
Hildegund nodded, dismounting and holding the reins. "Need help mount?"
A sigh and a nod, "A hand up would be helpful. Used to use a step ladder. Don' tell no one. They'll never let me live it down."
The scout just nodded. "Is big horse. War-trained. You small. Is just how is." She braced to let Pie-Maker boost off her knee, with a steadying hand, while still holding the reins with the other.
The smaller woman hopped up with a grunt. "Oh! That used to be easier. Ta. Won't be a moment." When she received the reins, she whistled at the horse and turned it, readying it to resume travel. "Onward!"
Hildegund turned her attention to her hound, having to focus more with him because hes not so clever as the other. "Breon. Take her, find Fang." He looked confused at having to leave her. "Take her. Go. Find Fang!" He got it that time, and led off.
Leohna followed Breon, knowing her sons were well cared for, with Song accompanying them.
Hilde wheeled the pram about and made an imitation hound call of her own that was good enough to get an answering bay from Thyra. She went that way in search of Scarlet Jay while Breon led the healer away in a south-westerly direction.
Breon started calling out to Fang as soon as he thought they were close enough for that, which was as soon as he could see Marney's horse. As they approached, Leohna could see the horse, then a standing Marney, then Em kneeling beside their mystery woman, with Fang keeping watch.
Marney waved over as Em stood to wave as well, both at about the same time that Fang finally deigned to answer the junior hound's over-eager greetings – as though he hadn't heard them before, or even the approaching horse.
Leohna slowed the horse as she neared, and halted in front of the group. She quickly dismounted and dropped with a thud in the leaves. "Ooo! Me rear went numb. All good!" She popped up and took her satchel/medicine bag off. "Lovely day, Marney. How long has she been like this?" came as she got on her knees beside the woman and started examining with her eyes only while pulling supplies out of her bag.
"Longer than we know for sure. And I can't ask Fang how fresh the blood is." The Dale-woman looked worried, which probably accounts for why she was more business-like than usual.
Em added, "She's still breathing. But she's not talking, and only moving a little."
Leohna examined the wound with her hands after setting out what she expected to need, and examined the arrow as well for evidence of poison.
"Aye. She moans enough to be worth looking at, so to speak, when we move her – which we only did for the blanket. Tree-Walker wanted a real healer here rather than bouncing her on a saddle based only on her guesses."
The stub of the arrow was stuck in the right scapula, and seemed not to have gone through it, or at least not enough to have breached the thoracic cavity. She found no evidence of poison as she poked her fingers around the wound. "Going to need yer help, my dears. Best to pull it out quickly. I'll need one of ye to hold her down and the other ready with this bandage to stop the bleeding once it is out." She readied her pliers and bandages.
In that time, Fang had finally got Breon calmed and reminded him that their standing orders were to guard. The larger, younger hound was too excited to do so without pacing about, but at least it got him out of the way of people. Fang went back to being nearly invisible as a still bit of dappled gold in the filtered sunlight through the branches. Song was standing nearby, waiting to be helpful to her mistress, and quietly cried for her new friend – for such was how she interpreted Leohna's care for the injured woman.
As the healer got things ready, the other two women considered, but the Dale-woman, as usual, spoke first. "Well, I'm smaller, so probably I move the bandage in, and Em holds?"
The latter nodded. "I can do the holding." She was already kneeling and placing her hands on the woman to do so.
Marney nodded and moved in on the other side, reaching to take the bandage, ready to move it into place as soon as the arrowhead was removed.
The diminutive healer waited for them to be in position as she held her pliers ready. "Soon as ye see me hands move press hard."
The other two nodded and watched her hands, with Marney adding, "Aye."
Leohna put pliers to arrowhead and pulled the arrow out. She moved quickly out of the way so Marney could put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. The latter was taking the former at her word, and had the bandage in place and started with pressure as soon as it was physically possible.
The injured woman twitched and let out another quiet moan, but did nothing more, so Em was able to remove her hold.
Breon looked over at something, starting to move, but a flick of Fang's ear with a quiet, brief growl reminded him to hold position. Marney looked over at their mini-commotion, but they were calm enough she returned her attention to their mystery woman.
Once the pressure had slowed the bleeding enough, the healer set about cleaning and sewing the wound, not willing to give any prognosis to the others until she'd got that done, and had a better look as part of it. The woman continued to shift and groan occasionally, but otherwise remained still.
In the meanwhile, Marney looked over the arrowhead, finding it to be a normally tapered one for general hunting, and not something designed to tear flesh on the way in or, usually worse, on the way back out.
While Leohna prepared an additional bandage with honey and herbs to help fight infection, the earlier minor to-do with the hounds proved to be Tree-Walker returning, trotting up the trail, avoiding both the earlier tracks and the later horse-droppings. She slowed to a walk as she re-joined the others so as not to be huffing at them too badly.
After dealing with the stitching and bandaging, Leohna checked the woman's pulse – not so weak as to be of immediate concern – and her skin for fever – which she had, though not so high as to have been obvious without a deliberate check. "Poor lass. She needs to be in a bed. Is there a way to get her to the lodge? Do ye think the horse would pull a small litter?"
Marnewyn looked at the horses and crinkled her nose. "Proud war-horses... and like most horses, there are still some things that make them nervous. We'd have better luck throwing her over a saddle – gently – and walking with the beasts."
Hildegund looked about at the trees and bits of fallen branches, then at the horses herself. "Make litter go over saddles? Keep horses together?"
Leohna frowned. "I don't like how hot she is. She needs willowbark, feverfew…. That bump on the head worries me. Whatever the method, we need to get her out of here. Do ye think the big lad could carry me and the lass? I could hold her upright, off her back, to the Lodge." She looked to the others.
"Aye. That works. These horses commonly carry men in full armour and gear for several days. You and her? Still not that much."
The healer grinned. "I think I've trimmed down since the lads were born." She patted her slightly still rounded belly and made sure the bandage was secure.
Em smiled and nodded at Marney, "They are Marney's horses, so if she says it is alright, it should be."
Marnewyn chuckled. "No doubt, lass! Between us, we can get her up there with you... and help you up, which I'm guessing you need. Um. By 'us' I mean Tree-Walker and Em for lifting our new friend, considering. Height."
Em chuckled, "I suppose we are in the best position for it." She looked over to Hilde, "Whenever you are ready, Tree-Walker."
Leohna snorted, "Let's get me up, then." She cleaned up her supplies and put her satchel/medicine bag back on, then headed back towards the horse to wait for the others. Marney got into position with laced fingers for a boosting-stirrup, and received a smile and "Ta!" for her efforts. Once the healer had hopped up into the saddle, she groaned. "Haven't pulled that muscle in ages. New worlds heard from! Ready when ye are lasses." She gripped with her thighs and opened her arms to help pull up the injured woman.
Hilde and Em took positions on opposite sides of the woman, preparing to lift and hold her upright. "Should we do a count to make sure she is stable, or...?"
That got a brief pondering before the response. "On three. Not three then lift. Lift on three."
Em nodded and began counting up to three, lifting once she got to three as carefully as she could. Hilde lifted with her, her arms flexing against her tunic, showing just how much she really does use that bow of hers. Once they had their patient in the healer's steadying grasp, the scout helped get one of the woman's legs over the saddle as well.
Leohna's attempt to help lift betrayed how long it had been since she'd even lifted a weapon, but she was able to keep her passenger steady, at least. "Got ye lass. Don't ye worry. I'm a healer."
The other women slowly backed off once they were sure the woman was secure enough in the saddle and Pie-Maker's arms.
"Who else ride now?"
Marney pondered briefly. "Hrm. I'd say you, but there are those other tracks, and we might want hounds for that... but those tracks will keep a bit longer, too, I suppose. It's not like we're right on their heels any more, and having the three of us, plus the two hounds, would be better than rushing off without."
It was only then that anyone besides the other hounds noticed that Song had left, but as it didn't seem to fret her mistress, the rest let the realisation go without comment.
Leohna thought a moment. "Could one of ye come back to the Lodge with me to get the lass set up and ride back with this big lad, so ye can still follow yer tracks?"
Em offered, "I can go on foot. If you need me at the stockade. To move the woman back down."
Hildegund shrugged one shoulder a bit. "Saddle only fit two, not three. But can ride. And left Jay at house with lads. She can help lift, if nobody else."
"I can get Jay to help me. Will this lad wander back to ye? Do they do that?"
Hildegund shook her head. "I ride along. Help at house. Bring both horses back." She haunted up, having decided her course of action.
Em looked to Hilde, "Do you need me along too? Or should I start on the other tracks?"
The woodman scout shook her head. "Take Fang, start tracks. I take Breon, find you after."
Leohna nodded. The Boss had spoken. She waited for the others before setting off for the lodge.
Hildegund looked behind to her hounds. "Fang. Stay with her." She pointed to Em. "Breon, come."
Marnewyn chuckled and just waved them away. "It's a plan, then."
The tiny healer pointed her steed in the right direction and held on to horse and woman for dear life. "Onward!"
Em nodded and smiled at Fang, leaning over to give him another scratch, "Let's go see where these other tracks lead."
The riders entered the stockade and got up to the right house. The injured woman moaned and groaned upon occasion during the trip, which was about as responsive as she'd been before. The stitching seemed to have closed the wound well enough that bleeding was not a concern.
Hilde dismounted and bayed for Thyra again as she tethered her horse to the tree, which got answering noises from inside. She then moved over to help Leohna, who pushed her passenger toward the larger woman, letting her slide out of the saddle and down the side of the horse.
Jay emerged with the pram, and both Thyra and Dance. She came down to help Tree-Walker 'catch'. The latter holds the woman up, letting first Pie-Maker, then the other scout manage keeping her stable until they got her down far enough to change their grips.
Leohna smiled at Jay, red-faced from exertion. "'Lo Beautiful." She let go once Hilde and Jay seemed to have her patient, and hopped down – a little more gracefully this time. "They need to make these lads smaller." She patted the horse and made much of him. "Good lad. Well done!"
The two archers shifted their grips to hold the woman in something close to a sitting position as they prepared to move with her. Hilde nodded as she saw the healer had made it down without another fall.
Jay smiled and chuckled at her sweetheart's comment. "I'm glad we don't have to feed these beasts too often!" Fortunately, their passenger was a hand shorter than either of those carrying her, and much slighter of build.
Leohna was woefully out of shape having not lifted anything more dangerous than a loaded nappy or a squirming baby in the last year. She grunted. "I need to get back in shape. A less round shape. Let's get her inside."
"You get door. We get her."
Leohna ran ahead to get the door, and Song came trotting up to join them with a mouthful of bark and green things. The scouts sidled up sideways-ish as their carrying method required, but it appeared that they'd done this together before.
Once they were in the door, Leohna ran ahead, clearing anything out of their path – baby toys, laundry, her many sewing 'projects'....
Hildegund watched for where to go, while also dodging 'helpful' hounds. Even Thyra was a bit in the way for once. Dance was quite in the way.
There were people in his home and he was so happy to see everyone, bringing toys over for them to see, and he couldn't understand why no one would play with him. Somebody love me! He tried to see if one of the other hounds wanted to play.
Leohna led them to her bedroom through the commotion. "Here. Put her here for now. My love will understand."
Hilde decided that she needed room to manoeuvre more than she needed hound discipline right then. "Breon, play nice." He now had permission to play, and was an excited dog, but the admonition kept him from using his greater size to too much effect. Dance got a playmate for the nonce. The side effects of playing puppy and yearling still didn't keep them entirely out of the way, but it was an improvement.
Leohna helped them get the woman settled in the bed. She took the herbs from Song and petted her on the head. "Good lass." She turned back to the others. "I can watch this poor lass from here if ye need to leave."
Tree-Walker stepped back and sighed softly. "Not like leave, but you and Jay have. Should get horses back, and help search. Other trail... probably is who shoot her. Want words if catch."
The woman shifted her head slightly before lying still on the bed, making no further movement save for breathing.
Leohna nodded. "Plenty of words I hope." She sat by her side. "Poor lass."
Hildegund nodded and turned to go. Jay added, "We'll let you know if she says anything or... well, if anything happens."
With another nod and after reclaiming her hound, the older scout departed to rejoin Marney and Em and track some more, at least in what daylight remained.
