Northstar Vale what will be will be

when colt came to, it was snowing and the woman (@Meadow) was still hovering close. he groaned as a bolt of pain raced through his body, lanced through his head, and for a moment he couldn't speak.
the red eyes blinked, cleared. "yew fixed me up, miz mountains." he flexed long limbs in the drifts, trying to recoup enough to sit upright. "much, much obliged."

Hope you don't mind. <3

The red-hooded boy had gone searching for Meadow. He hoped that she might be able to teach him more about the plants that she collected. He had prepared to pose an agreement with the healer. He knew that her time was valuable. Antigone only wished to share in her knowledge, to expand on what she had already taught him.

It was not Meadow that he saw, however. An ugly man was in their home and he smelled like he had been through every despicable pit in the world before landing there. The hairs along Antigone’s neck bristled slightly. Dark blue eyes picked at parts of the man that made him sick to his stomach, fixating on them.

Who are you?

She was stretched across the snow, thoughtful as her eyes studied the man who slept for now. He would rouse—and the pain would come for him. 

When he did open his red eyes, she hesitated, about to respond in turn when young Antigone came upon them. The boys were instantly upon the chaotic looking stranger, the hiss of his voice stirring her to her paws swiftly—he likely had not seen her. 

She crossed to the boy, her copper muzzle bending down to smooth at his crown should he allow it, though her eyes were careful upon the man. He’s an injured man that just needed a bit of care, she responded, a brow arching to the stranger, wondering what he would respond with.

it was just as well that miz mountains was here to set things to right, for colt was ready to backstrap the confronting little redhead pup.
as it was, he lowered his muzzle and attempted, for her sake, to seem contrite. "yer healer here set me to rights," he grunted, though red eyes flickered at the idea of learning her name after all this.

If Meadow had not made herself known to the boy, he might have tasted the battle that his father spoke of. The young wolf’s frame was taught with his distrust. Antigone did not like that there was a stranger in their home. He didn’t like the look or the scent of the man. The red of Colt’s eyes had created bile in the back of the younger wolf’s throat.

Meadow soothed the hairs atop his head. Antigone looked up at her – navy eyes pressing her with unspoken questions. She knew that this nasty stranger was in their home. She had brought him there to tend to his wounds. Fearful of what that might mean, he slunk forward a few steps and sniffed tentatively at the stranger’s stench.

How’d you get hurt? he asked callously.

Antigone brought with him a wave of tension. Apprehension played upon the copper mask of the she-wolf as she sidled alongside him as he moved closer to the stranger, though her gaze was fiercely set to the man the youth questioned now. 

This had been far too dangerous—treating a wolf who had all but indicated he was on the run for doing something to another pack or having a run in of some kind—a loose cannon. If something happened to Antigone…

He was caught up in a storm and got hurt. She nodded to the ear, patched with herbs and salves. Frostbite.

last post unless tagged back! <3

colt wanted to swat the impudent little whelp away.
he tensed but did not otherwise react, staying silent until the wisewoman's voice sounded again in explanation. gingerly he climbed to his feet, swaying once in the snow and then collecting himself. "reckon i should be off. thank yew again."
for a moment that lasted a handful of seconds longer than it should have, he met the valewolf's soft yet knowing eyes, dipped his head to her and the boy, and turned, starting a shuffle off into the trees that surrounded the border where he'd lain.

The winter storm that had blown in seemed to have been the cause of the man’s injuries. Meadow said that frostbite was the to blame.

The man did not seem to want to linger for much longer. Antigone found this suspicious. If he had not been so grateful that the filthy stranger was departing, he might have asked him more questions. The dark blue of his eyes followed the man until he had slipped away. Could he be trusted not to find somewhere within Epoch to hide? The young wolf did not know.

Curiosity was spurred within him.

How do you treat frostbite? Antigone asked Meadow in a low voice.

The man looked to her—red eyes fierce despite the softening in his expression. Was it his way of letting her know he wouldn't cause her loved ones harm? She hoped so. 

Or maybe it was just the pain he felt. 

As he walked away she released a shaky breath. Her eyes slid down to study Antigone—unsure if she should remind him not to approach sketchy men at their borders alone or just leave it for now. 

She chose the latter. 

Frostbite is… tricky. It depends how bad it is—how far along it went without being treated. That man’s ear was… Would it be better to somehow say it gently, so she didn’t nauseated or scare the boy, or was honesty the best route here? She felt flustered! Well, basically it was rotten. I had to amputate it.

Meadow seemed flustered. Antigone wondered if he was not supposed to visit her without arranging a time and place, beforehand. It had been impulse that had driven him to find her. He’d carried a hundred questions upon his tongue, hoping that she might help him. The kindness that she had showed him had never been lost on the serious young wolf.

When she described that the frost had rotted the man’s ear, Antigone felt his nose scrunch. The thought was enough to flip his stomach like a flapjack. He couldn’t help but wonder what she had done with the pieces that she had removed from him. He wondered then, if they stank as badly as the man had.

How quickly can it spread? Antigone asked her in a hushed voice.

The stench of the injured wolf was beginning to subside—though she snorted softly, as if she could rid herself the sensation of near panic she felt at Antigone confronting a strange man on the borders. Trying to shake the feeling of what could have been, the she-wolf tilted her muzzle in response to his question, breathing out once more—relaxing. “I haven’t dealt much with it,” she confided, moving now, stretching her muscles as she came closer to the Gnosis—eyes searching over him, inadvertently ensuring he was unharmed, even though she knew he was fine.

“But it can spread fast. And if your patient is not warmed up in time, it can lead to… what it did for that man.” And with that, her eyes darted back to where he had been—the area she had done her work on, and feeling overall unpleasant about the entire scenario.

“We can trail him further back, make sure he does leave,” she offered, wondering if this was something that interested the boy— or, “Or you can come with me and I can get a drink of water. Wash up a bit. All of that was….” She paused, her nose wrinkled. There was no point in lying to Antigone. “It was gross.”

The ice of the world was dangerous, then. Antigone would not forget this lesson.

The boy did not miss the way her eyes inspected him. He wondered if he had bothered her, again. The softness of Meadow’s features was almost… Antigone realized that she had reminded him of Tamar, in that moment. Had she worried for him? This may have been the reason for her shift in tone.

Meadow suggested that they might follow the smelly man to be certain that he had left their pack. He didn’t wish to admit that this didn’t sound like an enjoyable task. It was something that might have been necessary, though. The stranger’s red eyes flashed through the Gnosis’ mind. He wondered where that man had come from to arrive in such a poor state. Perhaps the cold would eat him, still.

It was her second suggestion that drew his ears to an interested point. Meadow wanted to clean herself after treating the man. Antigone offered her a smile.

I can show you the spring where I bathe. I will show you the best ways to remove stench. This was something that he could teach her. It felt good.

Antigone seemed far more keen on the second option she had given, and with a quiet tip of her muzzle, her eyes would stray from darting back to where the stranger had disappeared, falling instead upon her pupil and offering him her rapt attention. He wished to show her something dear to him—she could tell by the smile that lit his face now, when previously it had been clouded with uncertainty.

“That sounds perfect,” she hummed softly, and while she wished to ensure the red-eyed wolf was indeed heading in the direction he needed to—which was away from Epoch—the idea of cleansing herself was far more appealing… and surely, the sentries of their home would find the man should he try anything. The pack was compiled of many retired Mereo soldiers.

Standing up, she gave a gentle shake of her pelt—as if she could ward off her unease from the entire ordeal—and still, her heart heavy with the transpiring of days past, she knew that this would perhaps be a little reprieve.

Eager to show his favorite places to the healer, Antigone began to walk.

The boy would take her to the best spring with the brightest blue water. He had spent days there as a pup, watching the natural life that grew beneath the surface. The spring was so clear that he could see anything that flurried through it. The flow of the stream that carried it through Epoch was enough to keep it bright and clear, even after he had used it to bathe.

Antigone would share his time with Meadow. He enjoyed her company and her knowledge. He did not feel that she expected anything from him. The things she shared were always valuable, always soft, always offered with her utmost generosity. He felt that she reminded him of his mother. It must have been the reason why Tamar and the healer got along so well.

When they had finished, he offered to fetch her some food. The boy glistened with his clean coat and his intense expression.