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Ester set aside the water gourd she'd had ready for the next creature who wanted it. Ah, just as important as hydration was medication! She gently took one of the wild dog's paws in hers and turned it upward. The moonlight was becoming fleeting, with clouds mostly masking its light now. The rain didn't seem to bother the medic much at all, though she paused to swipe her forelock out of her eyes.

"Ah y-y-yes," she mused, "y-you have j-just a few scrapes and m-m-maybe a b-bruised p-pad." She held his paw upturned in one of her own, and dug in a nearby sack with the other. She pulled out first a stoppered gourd, then a shallow bowl with a melted beeswax seal holding on a simple lid. "This may s-sting a little, if any of y-y-your scrapes are d-deep," she warned him, then tugged the stopper out with her teeth. A strong smelling liquid was poured over his paw, and the medicinal gourd set aside.

Swift and sure, she slit the seal on the bowl, then scooped a glop of salve out with one toe. Carefully she slathered it across his paw, then took the time to rub it in. She examined each of his other paws in turn, and applied both medicines as needed. When she was done, she closed up both containers. "All d-done!" She waved at him encouragingly. "Y-you can g-go d-dance again!"

Kifu boogied aside, just a little bit. He heard the falter in the wolf song, and did not mean to interrupt to. He let the singer have their space - especially since they hadn't responded. In all reality, he may of been talking to an echo!

The blind dog should of been paying more attention; he could normally smell the shift in air before a rainfall. Apparently the intense dancing was throwing off his nose, or maybe it was the dust cloud from earlier. Either way, when the water started to plop down on him, it took Kifu by surprise. However, he adapted quickly. Dancing in the mud changed his style, instead of steady back and forth; he switched to more of a slip and slide style, using the increasingly wet earth to his advantage. He shimmied to the left a little, letting his paws drag as he did so, just to get a feel for how slick the earth was. Hoping there was enough room, and pushed himself forward while dropping one of his front paws. It mostly just covered him in mud, but hopefully the slide-dive would impress the dance masters.

Hila laughed softly as the dance master called out to the dancers. "Terribly sorry, my good sir," he said back, grinning at the lion from under his hood. "That might have been my doing." What with his slick moves and his previous indulgence in water, most of the signs pointed to him. He didn't mind, though, even though the ground was starting to get muddy. It felt funny between his toes, squishing and squelching in time with his dancing. His cowl was starting to grow heavy, but he didn't pay it much mind. His head was still dry despite the water falling from the sky, and he could let it dry once the dance was over.

He was impressed with his own stamina and turned in a smooth circle, using the slippery ground to and more fluidity to his dance moves. The pretty cheetah called out to him and he grinned, tossing a flirtatious grin her way. Perhaps he could spend a few weeks here after this dance to get to know her a little better. His mind was no longer on his feet and rather on the pretty female, though, and he misstepped rather horribly. With a surprised yelp his legs slid out from under him and he landed hard on his chest, the wind knocked out of him for just a moment. He gasped for air and rolled to his feet, shaking his cowl down from his head to breathe.

His chest aching, he hobbled back over to the lioness that had given him water before. "Ah...lovely to...see you again...my dear," he panted, giving her a weak grin. "Might I...bother you...for another sip of water?"

(Oooooh crash and burn, Hila XD Lowest roll possible!)

Ester had seen the blue cheetah's slip and fall, and had sucked a rain-damp breath at the impact. She winced as the other limped near, ignoring the rumble and crack of thunder. The strobe effect of the lightning was slightly more problematic, but she'd managed. "Oh, y-you p-poor dear!" she said between thunderclaps. "C-come sit here," she instructed him, ignoring the request for water. Though she'd give it to him in a moment, water wasn't what he needed. She could see him gasping to get his breath back, and was certain that doing so was rather painful just now.

She dug into her sack and pulled out another stoppered gourd. "When I open this, inhale d-d-deeply," she instructed him firmly before sinking her teeth into the stopper and wiggling it loose. She held her breath as she did so, then promptly shoved it under the muzzle of the slender Hila. It was strong smelling, but not unpleasantly so. It was an extract she'd tracked down used by a distant pride. It helped to open the lungs and ease breathing, and hopefully would help his inhalations to be less labored. After he took a few deep breaths more easily, she shoved the stopper back in. "B-better? G-good. Have a drink and y-you are g-g-good to g-g-go!"

With a grumble about the mud, she put the gourd and the other things she'd been using back in the sack, then carried the sack to a jutting rock, setting it above the mud level. Mud was never good for injuries, both creating or treating. She cast an accusing glare at the rolling clouds above them, blackening the sky that was once strewn with stars and moonlight.

Hila grimaced just a bit as he was denied water at first. Whatever Ester had, he hoped it would work. It felt like he needed to guzzle a whole lake full of water to get that sensation out of his chest. He did as she asked, though, and breathed in the foul smelling brew, coughing just a bit in the process. It did open up his lungs quite a bit, though, and soon that tightness and lightheadedness left him.

Taking a breath of clean air, he bowed his head to lap up another gourdful of water, content that his slip hadn't done any more than make him unable to breathe for those few minutes. A familiar voice caught his attention, and he turned to spot the pretty cheetah with a very concerned look on her face. He gave a little chuckle as he moved away from the water, pausing to glance at Ester.

"Thank you once again. You're a fine medic," he said, giving her a wink, before turning his attention to the purple cheetah. "I'm quite all right, my dear. Just lost my wind for a bit. That won't slow me down, though," he said, grinning at her as he dipped his head to bring his hood back over his features.

"What is your name, my dear?" he asked as he paused by her side, just inches away from her.

Kifu was covered in mud from his little slip dive. Maybe that had not been his best plan; the rain was still coming down in big fat drops, serving to wash off at least the most outer layer of grime. He did his best to try and stand back up 'elegantly,' but a dirty dog was not the most naturally graceful creature in the savannah. His only consolation was that he didn’t get any more mud on him.
They rain was not letting up, not even a little bit. While the slightly slick layer of soil allowed for artful slides, this was getting beyond what even his paws could handle. Apparently he wasn’t the only one affected. The nice cheetah who spoke with him at the start of the dance had fallen prey to the murky mess; at least he didn't seem shaking up by it. Kifu gave up on the tricky slips and went back to a more basic shimmy, trying to dig his paws deep with each move.

After slurping down the water so kindly given to her, Dauer had begun to sing again. She didn't mind the rain, but moved a little so that her body sheltered her sleeping puppies. The rain kept coming, though, and soon she was not only being rained heavily on, but she could feel what must be mud being slung by the dancers on the dance field. When a particularly heavy glop of it slapped her in the muzzle, she stopped singing to try and wipe her nose clean again. Blech.

This was the timing chosen by those of the Kaskazi tasked with baby duty. When they approached and offered safe, dry shelter for her puppies, the blind wild dog had to stop and consider. For most parents it would have been a no-brainer. For her, however, knowing where to look for her offspring later was vital, and she couldn't quite figure out how to ensure that she would be able to locate them later. Another splash of mud thrown her way, spattering the pups as well as her legs was what decided her.

What good was it to continue to sing when mud could land in her open mouth anytime? No, it was time to call it quits. She nudged her pups awake enough to follow her, then turned to the one offering shelter. "I think we'll all go," she answered softly. The party was over for her. Plus, wasn't it getting close to dawn anyway? She cocked an ear as she followed the pride member away from the song and dance. Her internal clock said yes, the sun would soon be rising, though the land was still black as night. Those stormclouds must be terribly thick and dark to keep the sunrise from them!