Alonya's morning had started off... Annoying. It was the only way she could describe it, really. She hadn't been able to sleep the night before, which is what she assumed had triggered the mornign to start off so badly. She had been woken up early, but a sudden downpour. It had been a nice night and she had opted to stay outside watching the stars glitter above her. She had fallen asleep as the clouds began to roll in and cover the twinkling lights with their mass.
After she had woken up, startled by the morning downpour, she strumbled over a lump of rocks she could not see in the sheets of rain, and now her ankle hurt something feirce. If she could just get home, everything would be alright.
She couldn't help the whine that pulled from the back of her throat. She wasn't far from home or anything, but she was cold, and wet, and she hurt.
Fortunately, her whine managed to draw someone to her aid. She wasn't sure how they found her through the sound of the rain, but she could feel the relief starting in her chest when she heard someone call out.
Of course, the one to draw throught he rain just had to be her father. Her ill father, who should be resting and not looking for one of his children in the rain. Alonya frowned, stumbling forward towards the sound of her father's voice. She pulled her injured foot up, unwilling to put any weight on it as she walked.
"Alonya, sweetheart," Chozi frowned at his daughter. "You're injured!" His voice was raspy, and he coughed a bit at the end. The last thing either of them needed to be was sick from the rainfall. Chozi, being ever the mother, still made his way towards his daughter. He was weak, yes, but the adrenaline rushed through him at seeing his child injured.
He would do anything in his power to see all his children safe.
He brushed against his daughter's side, supporting some of the weight off of the injured paw. Alonya whined again, this time apologetically. "Let's get back to the den," he said softly, and the pair made their way slowly forward.
It felt like ages before they reached the mouth of the den. Chozi could feel the adrenaline leave his body, like something had pulled it right out of him, and it left him shaking and miserable. He frowned, nudging Alonya a bit, frocing her ot enter first.
The den was spacious, but the mouth of the den only allowed for one of them to enter at a time. Alonya wiggled her way inside, crying out when she jarred the injured paw as she stumbled her way in.
Chozi though, had to take a breath. The simple act seemed to shutter through his whole body and he frowned, watching his daughter disappear into their home. He took a few more moments to himself before wiggling his way inside as well. He was panting by the time he made his way inside, the exhaustion hitting him like a boulder.
Still, he made his way over to his child, who was sitting in a bed of furs with her injured forepaw still in the air. She looked on edge, and he only just noticed the fine trembled that raced through her body.
"Let me see," Chozi clucked softly, cooing soothingly as not to startle the young cheetah. He may be exhausted, but his daughter needed tending to first. He could rest after, he decided. He would probably sleep for the entire next day! But Alonya's wrist looked painfully sore.
Alonya, in turn, gave a shaky breath. She was shaking, and fighting not to snap at her parent. Instead she held out her paw gently. "Hurts," she whined pittifully. It was clear that she hadn't inheritted the higher pain tolerance or enjoyment from his side of the family. She heard her father coo at her a bit more, and she let herself be soothed by the claming words.
It took a few moments of inspection for Chozi to decide that the limb wasn't seriously injured. He touched it gently, only to have Alonya draw back with a hiss. He clucked again softly, crabbing some of his crafting supplies from the farthest corner of the den.
It was a simple length of rope made from the long grasses that cropped up from all over the wetlands. He had cajolled a bird into helping him strip the pieces apart and tie them together. It was a finer string. He pulled out a large leaf he had found and a stick for a splint.
It took some gentle reassurances for him to be able to use that splint on his injured child, but it was worth it to see the relief on his child's face. Chozi gave a sigh of relief of his own, sinking into the bed of furs that they could cuddle up on.
All he wanted to do was sleep. He pushed his body close to Alonya's trying to geth both of their trembling forms to quit shaking. "We're ok," he promised, softly. His voice was still rough and scratchy.
"Yeah," said Alonya softly. It had been a rough morning for the both of them, and she wouldn't mind sleeping for the rest of the day either. She gave a soft, shaky sigh, and nuzzled into her father's side. She hoped her foot would heal quickly - she hated to be a burden.
Chozi smiled softly at his child, humming softly. "Rest, my child, it'll look better after a nap," he said softly, watching as one of his youngest children began to doze. He hated that the morning was such a mess, but tomorrow would be better. He could feel it in his chest, and he could only pray that that feeling wasn't the beginnings of a chest cold.
They both sighed softly, and Chozi finally laid his head down as well. The exhaustion the was feeling enveloped him completely and he was asleep as soon as his head hit his paws.