Mercie stayed in Auggy's line of sight as she padded threw the woods ahead of him. Twice already she'd attempted to give him assistance and twice he'd simply growled at her in response. This left her extremely quiet as they journeyed towards the backup cave.

Augy was at the point that everything seemed like a vague dream. He kept walking after Mercie, numbly hoping they'd get there soon and put all his energy into keeping upright.

"I think your gonna have to let me help you." Mercie told him as the underbrush gave way to a section of river. "I did warn you there'd be swimming."

He paused and took a shaky inhale. He was pretty sure he couldn't make it over. Mercie would have to drag him all embarrassing like. The thought was almost as painful as his wound, and he just wanted to turn around and find Molly. Still, he had to be a badass so he shuffled forwards, ready to drown.

Mercie stood at the edge pondering which would be more effective, four legs or two. she decided that if Augy slipped she'd prefer having hands with which to grab him and so chose the right form. "Come on, I won't tell one, I promise."

This statement made him hesitate. The fact of the matter was he couldn't make it alone. He gave Mercie a menacing look then seemed all at once to abandon the act. He slightly raised an arm for her to get under and grimaced as the torn muscles on his chest tensed.

Mercie was glad he was going to accept his help. How could she tell his pups that daddy died because he was too stubborn to let her help him? She eased under his shoulder and gingerly stepped into the water.

The river was refreshing at least. He hoped it didn't get too deep or he might accidentally pull Mercie under. She was pretty tiny after all. Especially her human form compared to his. The current was horrible for his already shaky balance and he found himself clinging onto Mercie more than he had hoped.

The water got a bit deeper as they went. Mercie was holding onto him as tightly as he was holding on to her. When they'd reached the middle the water was up to Mercie's chest but she peddled on as hard as she could, using Augy to anchor herself so she didn't float up and cause him to have to catch her.

At about this time Augy's head started spinning and he drooped a second only to snap himself back up. This would be one hell of a shitty time to pass out. At least he was getting cleaned... not that water would help his wounds clot...

Where they waded the water that trailed behind them was an unfriendly reddish tint. Mercie saw this and doubled her efforts. They where already over half way across but Augy was heavier than before and she slipped, unintentionally grabbing Augy's arm to prevent from falling before the current could wash her away.

Augy was anything but a steady anchor at the moment. Before he knew it, Mercie had accidently tugged them both into the water. The cold water hitting his head made him reel again. In what was most likely his last bit of strength, he managed to right himself, pulling Mercie with him. The world was spinning really fast now. There wasn't much time before the blood loss just made him pass out.

Mercie almost lost Augy when he blacked out but somehow she found the strength to keep him from slipping away. She surprised even herself as she also managed to drag him to shore. Nigh exhausted by the time they reached dry land she collapsed next to Augy and attempted to catch her breath.

Augy laid awkwardly on the ground, knowing full well that standing back up was not going to happen. "How far are we?" he asked weakly.

"Not very." Mercie panted. She looked to her left and to her right and sniffed the air. "That way." She said pointing. It was easy to see that the going would be much easier than the climb they'd face if they hadn't crossed the river. "It's in a branch of the riverbed, should be pretty dry this time of year... beavers."

"I don't think I can get up," he admitted, looking pissed at the fact. Even in wolf form he'd be to heavy for Mercie.

"Ok." Mercie panted as she stood up. "Not a problem." She looked at their surroundings. "We've got long grass and enough down timber for a light litter. It shouldn't take too long... We should keep you talking. I won't be able t move you if you pass out."

"Great," he said sarcastically, still in an uncomfortable position with his feet dangling in the water. "What d'ya wanna talk about?" His speech was a little slurred.

"Start with where your from." Mercie said as she took his arms and attempted to heave him the rest of the way out of the water. By god he was heavy and one particularly strong tug sent her worn out sneakers sliding in the mud, causing her to fall rather swiftly on her bottom. "oowww."

Normally he'd be insulting her but right now that tug and crash hurt like hell. He grimaced and inhaled through his teeth. "... Forget it. Let go of me," he struggled to say.

"Fine." Mercie said letting him go and standing. She did her best to brush herself free of mud but she was unable to loose the two round brown spots that had stained her bottom. "I'm gonna go get what I need. If you pass out I'm leaving you here and telling Molly I lost you in the crossing." She knew if she couldn't budge him conscious she'd never get him onto the litter unconscious. She also knew she wouldn't leave him no matter how she felt about him and his attitude.

"Hurry up then," he said, annoyed. Augustine didn't really know anything about Mercie. He only paid attention to Molly and everyone else faded into a singular annoying presence.

Mercie was gone a good ten minuets as she gathered her materials. When she was finished she sat up shop a few yards away from Augy and began building the litter. It wouldn't be much, just two nearly dry rotted timbers lashed together with a few supports. The whole rig would be rather light if she knew what she was doing.