The wind was brutal. She could hear it howling in her ears as she flew above the chilled, frigid breath of the winter night. Her legs were tucked in close to her body, trying helplessly to keep warm. She glared at the dark, blinding night infront of her. She was flying blind; a fool's trip. She had to find safety from this blizzard if she were to survive. That was how life worked, didn't it? She knew there was a field below her. She was resting in an old, barren tree earlier. She perked up. Son of a- Cry growled under her breath, pushing more air under her wings as she swiftly pulled up on a tree sucker punching her vision from the darkness. Her tail feathers adjusted to her position, letting herself fall down a few feet before opening her wings back up to catch her.

She panted under her breath, a bead of sweat pooling down her face as she turned back to stare at the tree. Where had that come from? She was normally better at almost sensing objects in front of her. She shook her head, clearing her mind. She had to keep going forward. She tiredly turned back in front of her, fatigue slowly taking over her body. She had been flying for hours. She could hardly breathe through the stress. She blinked, her eyes falling shut for a few moments before snapping back open once again. She couldn't fall asleep. She must fall asleep. She couldn't... fall...... asleep......

And her eyes snapped back open.

She panicked as she noticed the ground becoming closer and closer. Her wings snapped back open and covered her head. She hit the ground like a rock. Sharp ice broke off the frozen ground and punctured through her blood feathers. A sickening snap filled the air as Cry cawed out in agony. She winced, panting as she pushed herself off the ground with her beak. She turned her gaze to her right wing, her ears ringing as she saw it bent in a strange, unnatural position. She cried out when she pulled it close to her chest. N-no matter, she convinced herself. It was just a f-flesh wound. She had to keep going. She pulled the injured wing closer to her, flapping with her mostly unscathed feathers. She managed to get a good two feet off the ground before making the plunge again. She ate snow, shivering on the cold ground. She pushed herself up, only to fall in fatige. She sobbed quietly from where she shivered. So this is where it all ended, huh? No one was around for miles. She dared not cry out. She would not be known for dying crying.

// Powerplay is allowed ahead of time. A strange start to a strange character. c:

"SPEECH"

Jacob had been out on a walk. He wasn't paying much attention to where his paws took him. He didn't intend to be out for long. He just knew he had to keep stretching his legs. Technically, he wasn't sure if taking scheduled walks helped or hurt his damaged legs but he had to be doing something right since he hadn't had them stop responding in a few days, which a miracle in itself, especially after the long journey he and Jersey had endured to get to this place. He thought maybe the cold helped his joints but he wasn't too sure about that either. It certainly lessened his pain and, according to his books, it was supposed to help.

However, his nice little walk was soon disrupted by horrible winds and snow being thrown in his face. He began to turn away with the intent to get back to camp to hide away and wait for it all to be over. Then he noticed something. The tiny body, the feathers, the blood. A bird. Jacob had owned a bird once and he absolutely adored it (though it'd been quite ab it of work to keep the others from eating it, which Jersey threatened to do on a regular basis). He'd found it with a broken wing, likely from falling out of the one of the nests near the buildings he called home. He took it in, nursed it back to health, and from that day on it stayed with him at all times. That is, until it'd come time to move away. It'd almost been harder to leave behind that little bird than his babbo (not that he'd ever tell Vito that).

So, the canine rushed to the bird, concern in his gaze as he began to pull supplies out of his bag. "Don't ya' worry, I can take care ah' ya'," he murmured. He knew it wouldn't be able to understand him but maybe talking would help keep it calm. "'M name's Jacob n' this is gonna make ya' feel all better but i's gonna hurt a li'l at first," he hummed, moving forward, gently attempting set up his paw so it wouldn't be able to run away as he used his other paw to apply some marigold paste, which would hopefully keep away any infection from the cuts that covered it. Then he began to prepare some bandages, which he'd need to use after he set the wing back in the right place.

She could not hear Jacob. All she heard was the ringing in her own ears and the sound of her thumping heart. Each beat told her one singular message. I'm still alive. I'm still alive.. I'm still alive... Everything was a low, painful throbbing. It began in her right wing and sent powerful washes of agony throughout her body. It vibrated on walls and bones. Cells and organs. She could hardly breathe, her body shivering in the cold.

She cried out in a desperate caw as Jacob pushed up against her. She couldn't hear him over the ringing in her ears. She teared up from the sting of the medicine. She opened her beak, trying to bite down on the larger's paws. D-don't... she coughed, her throat hoarse and sore. D-don't touch me... She begged, her bruised wing flapping to escape the other. What was this he was applying to her? Spices? Cry huffed. She wouldn't be no crazy mammal's easy lunch. She reached down, pushing herself back up with her beak, taking two steps before collapsing again. It was useless. She couldn't move. D-don't hurt me... She was resorting to begging. Disgusting. She would beat herself up about it later. That is... if she survived...


"SPEECH"

Jacob flinched as the tiny avian clamped down on his paw and he scrunched his nose, though this was far from the first time he'd been pecked by an agitated bird. His eyes then widened when he heard words coming from it's beak. Had he heard it wrong? It must have been a strange chirp or- no, there it was again. Then he heard the desperate plea. "I promise I ain't gonna' hurt ya'. 'M gonna' take good care ah' ya', you'll see. I used ta' 'ave a bird n' I took care ah' his wing all the time," he wasn't even sure if the injured creature would register his words but he reached forward again. If he didn't treat the wounds, the poor thing would surely die out here in the snow. He then tried to adjust the wing, to straighten the bone and then quickly wrap it. He knew it'd hurt but he didn't have anything other than his poultices to stave the pain currently. The herbs in Snowbound were limited and he'd used a lot of the herbs he had to treat pain to treat his own leg on his journey here. Now he wished he'd forced himself to take less than usual. Of course, he had no way of knowing this was going to happen but he felt guilty all the same. He gently attempted to wrap the wing and, once he was done, he spoke again. "Alright, 's all wrapped up n' the bone should be set right but tha' don' mean you're better. I should take ya' back ta' camp where I can look after ya'. Do ya' understand? There's food n' water back there that I can give ya'." He didn't want to try to move her again and scare her even more but he couldn't leave her out in the cold.