Apollo knew his sudden arrival at the filly's side would alarm her, but he had done his best to keep her terror at a minimum. He only wished to help... Yet the moment that she seemed to realize this, becoming compliant and ready to answer, the Medic found himself smiling down upon her. She had the biggest eyes, he noted, and they were quite marvelous to look at in their two-toned beauty. She would become quite the mare one day... Giving a dip of his head to let her know that he appreciated her cooperation, Apollo's eyes drifted down to the twisted ankle.

'I was coming out of the water and twisted it,' Hotaru explained, and the Paint's ears flicked towards the sound of her voice, 'But I'm not sure if it's broken.'

Indeed, it looked bad. Was it broken? It was hard to tell, but the swelling was already beginning, and Apollo knew if he didn't act fast, the wound could worsen. Dipping his head even lower, Apollo briefly, tenderly brushed his lips above the swollen flesh, careful not to apply too much pressure. Even if it was broken, the monochromatic boy had faith in his gift. He had received it from the phantom-stag in the Deep Forest, before the invasion... And he had also received his new-found knowledge of healing from the Earth God Himself. Yes, there was no reason for Apollo to doubt his gifts.

"You'll be fine, little one," Apollo murmured reassuringly, tilting his head upwards slightly and flicking his gentle, honeyed eyes to Hotaru's dual-colored gaze. "It may sting and feel funny for awhile, but hold still while I help, alright...? I'll do my best to make sure that I don't cause you any more pain." A reassuring smile upturned the corners of his dark lips, and once more he looked down at the twisted, swollen mess of flesh. Gods, that must ache something fierce...

Turning his head, Apollo sucked in a deep breath of the crisp air before tucking his head inwards, allowing the sharp point of his crystalline horn to dig into the soft earth of the river bank. The muscles in his neck pulled and expanded as he twisted his head back and forth, making sure to coat his ice-blue horn thoroughly in dirt before lifting his head free of the earth.

'Thank you, Father Earth.' Apollo whispered in his mind, gaze flicking upwards towards the heavens for the briefest of moments before directing once more on Hotaru. He smiled, looking somewhat silly now that there was dirt covering the crystal that sat upon his brow, but that was alright. Perhaps she could take some kind of amusement from his silliness.

"Here we are, Hotaru... Now, do your best to hold still, hm?" With that, the Earth Medic dipped his head low once more, pressing the tip of his horn to the inflamed flesh of Hotaru's ankle. Around them, the air moistened, as if preparing for a fresh spring rain... The smell of rain and dirt arrived soon after, thick and pungent but not unpleasant, but rain itself did not arrive. The wound, as it would heal, would tingle and twinge, much like the way a limb feels after it has grown numb and begins to awaken, but as the tendons would begin to knit themselves back into place, the feeling would dissipate.

I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."