Helping Terra

The pack was having fun until the two Alphas stood and started growling off into the distance. The playing stopped and everyone fell into positions. The Hunters stood behind Silver Back and Swift Strike, while the Scouts dispersed and crept into the forest to see who was intruding on the land. The pups positioned themselves behind the Hunters but still remained close to Sin who finally moved from his spot. He easily shifted to his sheer white form.
Not being part of the pack but still willing to fight if need be, Tearnyn huddled near the pups and Sin. The air crackled as the pack waited patiently to attack. They only had to wait a moment before the Scouts howled and then the rest of the pack moved. The Alphas surged forwards, quickly followed by everyone else. Swift Strike barked out orders to circle the intruding pack.
Tearnyn ended up fighting a large male one on one. It reminded her of fighting her father or Jay because the wolf was all power. As she did in fights with anyone larger than her, Tearnyn dodged and went in for swift attacks. The wolf howled in frustration as she once again swiped her claws at his hip. In a blind rage, he spun around and raked his claws from across her ribs and clipped part of her jaw and cheek. She cried out in pain while she crashed to the ground. Believing he incapacitated her, the wolf went in for the kill. However, Tearnyn was not like most wolves. A strike like that made her more determined to stop whomever she was fighting. Springing to her paws, she barreled into him. He yipped in surprised and toppled with her. As he recovered, Tearnyn latched her jaws around his neck firmly, but not enough to kill. She growled menacingly at the wolf trying to get him to submit.
The wolf tried to thrash in her grip but quickly found that instead of being released, he was only shredding his neck. He tried to shift, but even in human form Tearnyn held power over him. After running out of options, he finally yielded to her. She stayed with her canines clamped on his neck until his pack retreated from Silver Back Territory. She kept her amber eyes on the wolf pack until they left the area and the Silver Back pack headed to the Den.
Upon arrival, Tearnyn slowed and shifted to her human form. Although she would have preferred staying as a wolf, she needed to evaluate how severe her wounds were. She poked and prodded her ribs concluding that nothing was broken and the claw marks were not deep. She nodded to herself and looked up to see how the other wolves were fairing. Most had blood matting their coats but from the smell of it, it was the blood of their enemies.
A frown crossed Tearnyn’s face as the familiar white wolf form of Sin and grey and white fur of Soft Whimper remained missing from the pack. She was about to inquire where they were when Soft Whimper bolted out of the trees crying. The entire pack froze where they were as Sin limped into the clearing; iron enriched blood painting his fur. Tearnyn cursed as she ran over to him and stood next to Silver Back. Sin collapsed, his breathing labored. Silver Back growled as Tearnyn bent down to inspect his wounds. She made soothing noises and slow movements. The Alpha watched her with unblinking eyes while she assessed his Caretaker.
Tearnyn bit her bottom lip while her fingers followed the deep marks that marred his skin. The wounds stretched from his hip bone, getting deeper as it slid over his ribs, and crossed to his sternum where it finally tapered off. She looked at Silver Back before barking at Rumble to fetch Elrry. Keeping her eyes on Silver Back, she bent down and whispered, “I’m going to pick you up Sin and it is going to hurt. Try not to move too much.” She carefully slipped her arms under him avoiding his wounds the best she could. She picked him up, receiving growls from all of the wolves around her including the one in her arms. “You are going to get me attacked Sin.” She muttered as she carried him to a more open area. After she gently placed him back on the ground, she stroked his muzzle and whispered, “I need you to shift to your human form. It’s going to hurt but it’ll be the best way for me to help you.” Sin whimpered as he started to painfully shift back. He tried to curl into himself once he made the full transformation, but Tearnyn regretfully stopped him. He whined in pain.
Elrry rushed in behind Rumbled and stopped beside Tearnyn. “Do you know what to do?”
“Yes.” Tearnyn replied, “I will need fresh water, thread, a needle, a fire to sterilize the needle, bandages, and a medical salve.” Once she received all the supplies she needed, she began cleaning the wounds. Tearnyn worked as fast as she could without doing a shoddy job. At one point as she stitched up his ribs, she felt his claws bite into her thigh. She bit back a cry as she continued the tedious task of sewing him up.
Being a doctor was too meticulous for Tearnyn, thus the reason she did not follow in her mother or brother’s footsteps. Both had tried to convince her to become one for her skills in the medical area were phenomenal, but she did not like the patience it took to stitch up someone. She would much rather use the patience and calm being a doctor required to lurk about and keep the pack safe from danger. However, that did not mean that she did not learn from her family members. Having medical knowledge on the field was crucial and could mean the difference between a pack mate living or dying. She would be willing to do anything to save a life in the circumstance that a doctor was not around, but she did not want that to be her primary job. Running ahead with her fellow Scouts was where she was happiest.
Refocusing on the task at hand, Tearnyn shifted her eyes to Sin’s face. She cursed as she watched his eyelids blink rapidly, trying to keep them open. “Sin, I need you to stay with me. You aren’t allowed to sleep until I say.”
“Mean…” He slurred out, continuing his fight to stay conscious.
“Elrry, I need you to talk to him. He needs to stay awake.” Elrry nodded and shifted his attention from helping her to Sin.
Once she had sutchered the entire claw marks, Tearnyn started spreading the salve Elrry made to prevent infection and help the healing process. A few times Sin tensed but easily relaxed again when one of the Alpha’s comforted him. Tearnyn smiled at the affection as she finished spreading the salve and then retrieved the cloth. “Sin. Elrry and I are going to help you sit up. We will be as careful as we can however if you feel ill in anyway please let us know. Try not to pass out. Are you ready?” Sin took in a couple deep breaths before nodding. Tearnyn looked up at Elrry before sliding one of her arms across his shoulder blades. Elrry mimicked her and carefully lifted Sin’s arm around his shoulders. Because Tearnyn was on his injured side, she placed one hand over the joint of his shoulder and then shifted her other arm until she could use his opposite hip for leverage. She positioned herself so she could prop him up and then on the silent couldn’t of three the two werewolves brought Sin into a sitting position. He growled and panted as he fought off nausea and blacking out. “Sin, are you about to vomit?” He gave her a sideways glance. “Hey first time I met you I was vomiting up my guts. There is no shame if you need too.”
“Stop say… saying vomeet.” He huffed out, his face almost completely white.
“Sorry.” She turned her attention to Elrry. “I need you to support his weight while I wrap. Luckily he didn’t break any ribs. Thank you, Elrry. Sin, I need you to try to stay awake still.”
“I… know… I kn…” He slurred off as his chin rested on his chest.
“Sin!” He grunted but made no effort to speak or move. Moving as fast as she could without harming him more, Tearnyn wrapped his chest and part of his shoulder where the last of the gash was. Once she finished she looked at him in distress.
“He does not look good. His skin is all but translucent.” Elrry comment as he looked at Tearnyn with fear in his eyes.
“I know, he lost too much blood. I’ll be right back.” She stood and sprinted to where her clothes still laid. She went through her pack until she retrieved everything she needed for a blood transfusion. When she returned, she instructed Elrry to gently place Sin back on the ground.
“What are you doing?” Elrry asked curiously as she began to set up.
“Sin needs blood, I’m going to perform a direct person to person blood transfusion. Hopefully one of us has a matching blood type.” She pricked Sin’s finger, let a drop drip onto a plate and added a reactant and watched it change. “You sir, are AB. Aren’t you lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“AB blood types are considered universal acceptors because they can receive A, B, AB, or O blood. And he’s clean which makes what I’m about to do so much easier. Let’s see what I am.” She repeated the process.
“You do not know what blood type you are?”
“No, it is pointless for a person to know because they would perform this blood test in field to make sure the person does not receive the wrong type. I could have asked my Móðir or brother but I didn’t really care. Interesting.” She looked at her blood. “I’m O.” She did not dwell on it as she tied a tourniquet around her upper left arm. “Elrry, please put on a pair of gloves and hand me a pair. Thank you. Pass me the alcohol wipes and open those syringe packets please.” Tearnyn ripped the packets and wiped Sin’s inner elbow before doing the same with hers. She connected the rubber tubing to one of the syringes and medium glass vacuum sealed bottle before inserting it into her cubital vein. She taped it down and then shifted to sit closer to Sin. As her blood started flowing into the glass, she carefully slipped the other syringe into Sin’s vein, taped it down and attached his hose to the bottle.
“Elrry, I’m going to need food. Anything with protein and sugar.” She watched as the bottle filled. “I may be a little light headed after this but make sure I eat and drink something before falling asleep. I may not, but I don’t know.”
“Anything else?” He waited patiently for any further instructions.
“Try to get Sin to stir every so often, I’m afraid of him falling into a coma. And if you can, go into the village and get bag of blood. I can only donate about a liter, but he’ll need more. If you run into Morgana or Yurik, tell them I won’t be making it home. When the transfusion is over, we are going to need to move Sin to somewhere warmer. I know he runs hot, but in his state his body won’t be able to maintain its usual warm temperature. Understand?”
“Yes. Relax.” He ran a hand over her head, before doing the same to Sin. Then he got up to do his errands. Tearnyn watched as capillary action transferred her blood into Sin. She could feel her body crashing from the adrenaline that had been coursing through her body since the attack. She fought her drooping eyelids and started shaking. Soft Whimper wound his body behind her and tried to keep her warm. Tearnyn curled up into his fur and continued to watch the transfusion take place. Every so often she would nudge Sin with her foot, always receiving an irritated growl from him along with some slurred words. He was looking better though.
An hour or so later, Tearnyn sluggishly leaned forward. She slipped the syringe out of her arm, detached the tubing and capped her end of the glass bottle so the last of the blood would still be transferred. She tried to clean her arm, but was too tired and ended up curling it to try to form a clot. She fell asleep until Elrry returned and placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled gently down at her. She stretched and went back to work. She consumed the food and water the Elder gave her and detached the tubing from Sin’s arm.
“We need to move him into the Den and have him eat a little. Nothing much or he will become nauseated again.” She instructed, finally getting up.
“I will carry him to the Den if you bring everything else.” Elrry offered as he bent down.
“Are you sure? Sin is a grown man.”
“I may be old, but I am still a werewolf dear.” He grinned as he gingerly slid his arms under Sin and picked him up. Tearnyn watched in surprise even though she really should not have been. Her grandfather who was maybe a few years Elrry’s junior was just as strong, often doing more heavy lifting than her uncles, aunts and cousins.
Tearnyn followed after the Elder and started setting up the blood transfer. “Try to get him to eat while I set up the bag please.” Elrry managed to get Sin to eat a few pieces of honeyed bread and sips of water while Tearnyn hung the blood bag. She was thankful that the doctors at the clinic thought to add the tubes for the transfer. After Elrry was finished and Sin fell back to sleep, Tearnyn slipped the new sterilized needle into his arm and turned the nozzle. New red blood let gravity pull it into Sin’s vein.
“We should check on his stitches. It’s been a few hours and we want to make sure they aren’t infected.” The pack whined behind the two werewolves as they shifted the unconscious Caretaker and checked his wounds. They were a little inflamed but nothing too alarming. After Tearnyn put a little more salve and covered his chest again, she slumped against the wall.
“What shall we do now?” Elrry asked watching the tired young woman closely.
“Wait and watch. It will take 3-4 hours before the bag has fully been drained and we should check his bandages every 3-5 hours… He needs a blanket or clothes so his temperature doesn’t drop while he tries to recover. We don’t need him to get sick.” She shook as chills started to run down her spine.
“Let me take care of everything while you sleep.” Elrry draped a bear’s skin blanket over her body. She went to refute, but he held up his hand. “You may take over when you wake.” Her argument turned into a yawn and she quickly fell fast asleep. He smiled down at the young werewolf before turning his attention back at Sin. With relief, he noticed that Sin was looking better. He could tell that the pack was also beginning to relax, though he knew that the Alphas would take turns watching over the wounded.
To prove his point, Swift Strike came up and rubbed him. Elrry smiled at her as he carefully placed another blanket over Sin. After making sure the young man was okay and as comfortable as he could be, Elrry went back to Tearnyn noticing that she had quite a few wounds herself.
“Soft Whimper.” The young wolf trotted over and waited. “Please keep Miss Tearnyn warm.” The pup yipped and laid down beside the unconscious woman as the Elder gathered the necessary things to help Tearnyn. Once he had the salve she used for Sin and bandages, he took off the blanket and went to work. He started on the larger wounds on her ribs. They were superficial and did not require any stitches. He quickly cleaned and bandaged them before moving on to the minor scratches on her face. He had foregone bandages but spread salve to prevent infection. Finally he inspected her thigh where Sin’s claws dug into her. He debated what he should do and then decided that even though the puncture holes where not large, they were rather deep; almost measuring half an inch. Regretfully, he shook Tearnyn awake.
“What? Is everyone okay?” She murmured blinking until her eyes focused.
“Everyone is fine, however I regret to inform you that your thigh needs stitches.” Elrry replied sympathetically.
“Why?”
“The puncture wounds Sin gave you are too deep not to. I am sorry.”
Tearnyn ran her fingers through her hair as she replied, “It’s fine. I have a local anesthetic in my bag to put near the site.”
“Okay. You may go back to sleep if you wish.”
She yawned, “I’ll sleep when you are finished.” Elrry nodded as he prepared the site. Tearnyn gritted her teeth as he cleaned the area and then applied the anesthetic. He carefully threaded the needle and started sutchering. Although not as neat as Tearnyn’s, he managed to close all five without incident. He then put a fine layer of salve on the wounds and finished with wrapping the thigh. Tearnyn gave him a tired, pained smile before letting her eyes close and falling asleep for the third time.
The next time she woke up, the blood bag had been drained and it was dark. The other wolves had fallen asleep with the two Alphas staying near their caretaker. Tearnyn shivered and looked down to find herself still naked. Mustering up her strength, she got up and slipped the needle out of Sin’s vein. She applied pressure until the blood had clotted and would not leak anymore. Sin growled in his sleep before shifting to a more comfortable position. Tapping her finger, Tearnyn shuffled over and gently nudged Sin. Swift Strike’s eyes opened to look up to see what was happening. With a smile, Tearnyn nodded at the Alpha and continued to try and wake Sin. “Sin, I need to check your wounds.”
He growled again and slurred, “Always check hurt.”
“I know.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “But we don’t want you getting an infection do we?” He grunted and let her do what she needed to do without much complaint. By the time I finished rewrapping his midsection he was on the verge of falling asleep again. “You may go back to sleep now.”
“Finally.” He murmured, his breathing starting to become deep with sleep.
“Glad you’re talking to me again.” She yawned but Sin did not respond already asleep. Tearnyn curled up with her bear skin blanket cocooning around her and her foot touching Sin. Her last thought before drifting off was wondering how even severely hurt, Sin managed to emit more heat than some heaters.
Tearnyn stayed with the pack for four days. She managed to keep Sin from developing a mortal infection and she healed mostly herself. On the fourth day, Sin managed to get up and leave the Den for the first time since getting hurt. Tearnyn helped him along with Whimper to stabilize him. He was not happy about having help, but was also aware that he would not have been able to walk without them. By the time they made it to the middle of the clearing he was exhausted. The pair slowly lowered him to a sitting position as Sin breathed heavily. “You okay?” Tearnyn asked.
Sin leaned on her as he replied, “Tired. Hate this.”
She chuckled. “I know, healing sucks.”
“I see you two are doing better. Glad to have you up and about again Sin.” Elrry smiled as he walked into the clearing.
“Hello Elrry.” Tearnyn smiled as Sin merely nodded. “I thought we should have some fresh air since we’ve been in the Den for the past few days.”
“Excellent idea.” He bent down and looked over Sin who did not even growl at being prodded. “Your wounds are healing nicely. You should be able to walk around on your own in a few days. What do you think, Miss Tearnyn?”
“I agree.” Sin’s warm breath beating against her should informing her that he was on the verge of falling asleep. “Hang in there a little longer and you won’t need me or Soft Whimper anymore.”
It took Sin a moment to huff out, “Can… not… w-wait.”
“Do you wish to nap?” Sin nodded not having enough energy to speak. “Alright.” Tearnyn carefully shifted him so his head was resting on her lap and he was more comfortable. Within seconds of being settled, he fell into a deep sleep.
Tearnyn was with the pack three more days and then Sin was well enough for her to return to the village. She said farewell to everyone and was escorted by Soft Whimper to the edge of the Silver Back territory. The moment she stepped into the village, Tearnyn was bombarded by her pack mates. She laughed as Morgana and Yurik scented her. The other wolves walking by only glanced for a second before understanding what was happening. It was common knowledge by now that the Silver Back Pack had been attacked, some of the wolves had been seriously hurt and Tearnyn had stayed behind to care for them.
The small pack spent the rest of the day together. Wherever Tearnyn went her two pack mates would follow. She chuckled to herself especially when she stood to use the bathroom. She had to reassure them she would return swiftly or they would have waited outside the door for her. She had no problem with her friends sticking to her like sap, but honestly peeing only required her. However like with most scenarios, their need to be attached to her waned as the days passed. When they knew she was safe and would be there when they returned, their anxiety eased so they could function independently again. Tearnyn returned to working at the hospital and tavern, but found herself spending more time at the hospital. More wolves were getting sick. Some were vomiting, others had severe diarrhea, stiffness, epiglottitis, fevers, and other symptoms that were normal. They treated them the best they could. No one seemed to spend more than a few days in the hospital. Tearnyn worried though that the Silver Back Pack’s health. Unfortunately she never really had a chance to checkup on them.
Finally a week and a half after returning to her pack mates, Tearnyn slipped away for a few hours. Her boots crunched in the ankle deep snow as she pulled her cloak tighter to protect her from the wind. Once on the edge of the territories she howled her desire. A moment later Sin and a few of the wolves appeared from the bushed. Sin shifted to his human form and shivered a little from the wind chill.
“Not good idea you- for you come.” Sin informed as the other wolves pranced in place.
“Why not?” Tearnyn asked confused as she pulled off her cloak and tried to give it to Sin.
He scowled, “No need that, I shift soon.” Tearnyn did not argue, instead wrapped it back around herself. “Alpha Silver Back protective of Alpha Swift Strike. Mating soon.”
Tearnyn looked at him surprised. “Really? Why so late after the werewolves?”
“Not know.” Sin shrugged.
“Okay, I’ll head back in a minutes. Is the pack okay?” Sin’s face screwed up confused. “I’ll elaborate. Has any of you gotten sick lately? Almost everyone in the village has become sick and I want to make sure everyone is okay.”
“Sprinter not well few days, better now.”
“No one else?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll come by another time then. It was nice seeing you all.” Tearnyn smiled as her hand went out for the other wolves to sniff and lick her. When she looked back at Sin, he had shifted back to his wolf. He sniffed her and then started trotting off to the Den. Soft Whimper yipped at her before following after his Caretaker. Tearnyn snickered and waited until all the wolves were out of sight before walking back to the village.