Melony's eyes widened when she heard the creature speak. Its words were clear, even though there was a definite accent of some sort that made the syllables draw out a bit more than she was used to.

"You speak?"

"Of course."

Oh, yeah... of course...

Ask it what it is

"What are you?"

"What are you?"

"I asked first."

"I'm Kale. I'm a Light One."

"A light one?"

He nodded.

"Now you."

"Colonel Melony Mitchell. I'm... a human."

"You are more than simply human," he told her. "Your life force is very strong."

"I'm human," she repeated. "I just have a little extra-"

"What's wrong with your wing?"

He'd finally noticed the blood oozing out of Melony's shoulder and down her arm. Of course, after the mad flight, she pretty much had blood spattered all over, but it was concentrated around her shoulder.

"What?"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Why are you bleeding?"

"Because you stuck your claw through my shoulder."

Kale looked down at his hand, as if looking for blood.

"You pulled out my feathers."

"You started it," she said, feeling just a bit surly about the whole affair. Her arm was throbbing, her leg was on fire, and this... guy... was mad at her for pulling out a few feathers?

"You were coming into dangerous territory. I rescued you."

"Yeah? Well, thanks."

"You're welcomed."

She sighed. Obviously he hadn't picked up on the sarcasm. Ah well, it was probably better not to piss it off anyways.

He seems nice enough

He stabbed me.

It might have been an accident

He. Stabbed. Me.

"What were you doing in the sacred place?"

The question pulled Melony away from her conversation with Talon. She looked over at him.

"What?"

"The sacred place." He repeated. "Why were you there?"

"Is that where we were when you came out of the woods and knocked me over the cliff?" She asked.

"You're angry about that?"

"You stabbed me." God, it was like talking to a two year old.

He's probably thinking the same thing

"You were in danger," Kale repeated. "The Dark Ones were closing in on you and your companions."

"What are the dark ones?" Melony asked.

"They haunt the woods."

So they would be the Guardians, she decided.

"What do they look like?"

"Like us, kind of."

"Do they change forms like you?"

He shook his head.

"Only the Light Ones can transform themselves into-"he turned to look over his shoulder, up the slope of the mountain. "Your companions are arriving."

"You brought them here?"

He nodded.

"They were in danger as well."

"Are they hurt?"

"I don't know. Would you like to go see them?"

"I would, but I don't know if I can..."

"Your hurt wing will not stop you from walking."

"Yeah, well my busted leg might have something to say about it."

He stood up and walked over to her, then knelt down beside her, his gaze going to the leg that was stretched out in front of her.

"You hurt your leg?"

"You dropped me on it."

"You shocked me."

"Yeah, well... I didn't know you were trying to save me. Sorry."

"Your apology is accepted."

Kale reached down and put his hand on Melony's leg, and she winced even though he was obviously being careful.

"You can't walk on that." He said. "I can feel the break."

"Yeah, so can I."

"I could carry you."

"As a bird?"

He nodded.

She shook her head.

"I'll pass, thanks."

"If we immobilized it, you could lean on me and walk a little perhaps."

Talon?

If he could splint it, it'd hold long enough to get someone to set it. If someone sets it I can hold it together from there.

She nodded.

"We could try that."

He got to his feet and walked into the woods, disappearing without so much as rustling a bush or stepping on a twig.

This is crazy.

It's interesting, that's for sure

I wish Carson was here.

Talon agreed, but he really didn't have time to talk – now that they were still; he was taking advantage of the opportunity to do a little damage control with her wounded shoulder. He'd already stopped the bleeding, which had been impossible to do when the claw had still been in the wound, and was starting to work on some of the damage caused to her shoulder blade.

"This might cause you some discomfort..."

She looked up; Kale was already back, walking out of the woods as silently as he'd entered them, only now he was holding a couple of sturdy sticks and some vines – presumably to make a splint with.

"I know."

He splinted the leg quickly, lashing to sticks in place so tightly that Melony thought she might pass out any minute – and might have if not for Talon boosting her a bit. When he was done and the bone wasn't going to be able to shift when she moved, Kale stood up and offered her his hand, pulling her carefully to her feet.

"Oh, sweet Jesus, that hurts..."

She didn't even have any weight on it and it felt like it was going to fall off.

"Lean on me."

That was harder than it had seemed it should be. Kale was eight feet tall, after all, and she couldn't just put her arm over his shoulder and use him as a crutch like she might have Sheppard or Ford. His slender arm didn't give enough support, and neither did putting her arm around his waist.

Kale stepped back, after making sure she was balanced on the unbroken leg.

"I have another form that might be more help," he told her. A moment later, the humanish looking Kale was gone, replaced by the wolf-like creature that had attacked her in the first place.

This creature was huge, coming up to her chest, with gray fur and a fairly vicious looking face. Not a creature she'd want to meet in a dark alley. Or on the edge of a cliff. He moved to stand right beside Mitchell, sticking his head under her left arm and sidling up against her until he was so close she could feel the warmth of his large furry body even through her clothes and Kevlar vest. Melony found she could rest a lot of her weight on that broad back, and when she took her first painful step, he moved just as cautiously as he did.

"Yeah..." she muttered against her clenched teeth. "This will work, as long as we don't have to go far."

He whined – obviously this form wasn't a speaking form – and Melony took it for a no. She took another step. Then another, and he turned them and started them up the slope.