#earthrunes

..............

"Emma?"

Oswald calls out from outside the healer hut

"Darn it.. if she's here she's not responding" Oswald carries the pooka in his arms in gently "It'll be okay."

The old woman breathes hard , almost panting.

"Oui?"

Poppi says "someone yanked the floor out under me"

between ragged breathes

Emma emerges, whiskers a-quiver and ears lowered.

"She fell" Oswald says simply "Tylar found her"

"Oui... out, out..." She pushes Oswald and the grump into the hut.

She's set down, laying there

"Bonjour, Poppy, you look well..." She chatters, but the worry is obvious as she gently checks the older pooka.

"Mon deux, I have a hole in me? did little timmy fall into it?" She sounds like a sluagh, her voice weak

"Oui, he fell down far and echo, echo, echo..." Hands pressing against her hip, feeling for a break.

A crack, right there. the old woman winces... and tries not to make noise.

Dogged courage in her

"Shhh... if you need to howl, the moon, why, she is right here - oui?"

Her ears have flattened.

"Oooo" but while there's pain in it, there's no strength

Oswald says "We can heal the leg. It's no trouble right?"

Emma turns to her table, hastily collecting herbs. "Oui."

"what can I do to help?" he says

"Mmm."

"You couldn't get me a milkbone, that would be impossible..."

"Non non.. maybe this old woman should go to the farm" Poppi says "With the rabbits"

"Don't say that."

"Farm? the DeBukes??" Oswald says

HUFF.

"Oh little one..." Poppi says "too much wine in my shrimp dishes . You shall run out"

"If the milkbones are lost, I could go looking."

"Right" he goes toget the milkbones

She grinds the herbs in her mortar. "Oh, this is just a little bruise..."

And he finds some offering LITTERAL Milkbones, thoug he's not sure he got it right

Poppi begins to mutter "Emma, mon tendre, you deserve your travels and joys ... I've been slowing your walks down. "

She smears the treat with smashed herbs. "You..." A struggle, her words getting caught up. "You are not my joy." FROWN.

Oswald says "Poppi, listen to Emma"

Popppi says "oh listen to this one, possum whipped" but despite her pain, theree's a fondness

"Sticks and stones and tasty milkbones, let the hurt go from here to there and there to here..." She presses the bone against the old auntie's hip, and with a push of glamour it CRACKS as a bone SNAPS with healing.

And the energy flows.. and the hip heals..

but the old woman still looks frail. Only the fact she's in a hold seems to be keeping her aware of herself.

"We'll make sure she stays by the fire" Oswald says

Poppi gasps "I'm a timeshare" whatever she means by that she pats Emma's arm as the woman goes by

Emma wrings her tail in her hands.

And then outside "look, pally..."

"I'm a knight" A voice says

"Look, SIR Pally. There's no wilting willow here, this is in GRASS" Rollo says "I don't care what vision you had. "

Poppi still breathes hard, easier than before, but still harder than it should be. "Is not so bad... maybe around the corner I will be best in the show?" A sigh "I do not wish to leave your gold fish untended"

Emma sits down on the bed, looking ready to cry.

And Oswald puts a hand on Emma's shoulder