The Wall -- echoes of thundering hooves

Paging @Grayday!

Mirabelle had adjusted once more to traveling alone — a feeling new to her having grown up in a fiann for as long as she could remember, but not one that was entirely unwelcome.  She was not used to the loneliness that crept up during her solo travels but she did find some kind of peace in the silence and available time for self-reflection.  

She had switched direction when she parted with her cream companion at the borders of Drageda and doubled back the way she came, this time straying further from the coast to the mountains inland.  The path she took narrowed quickly, and before she knew it a steep drop accompanied each side of her, but instead of turning back she pressed on, eventually reaching the top of the Wall and making her way back down the steep rock.

A soft rain started to fall, the ground covered in a thin layer of water and suddenly slick, and before she knows it she loses her footing and skids down the precipice, tumbling against the rock.

Dizzy, she tries to gain her footing and her feet slide from underneath her once more, causing the wind to be knocked out of her lungs again.

Today was not her morning.

Most packs had their rendezvous site in the innermost parts of their land, where intruders ran a higher risk of being challenged by a pack member in order to find it. The Morningsiders had broken tradition with their new territory; the high, imposing cliffside that marked their eastern border had seemed secure enough, and Grayday - who should really have known better - had decided to keep his cubs' play area nestled right up against it.

"Stay here," he said to the Tenacious Three, ears standing tall and alert as he headed off toward that distant sound. Falling rocks weren't an usual occurance - and this, Grayday had taken in mind, and made sure the cubs kept well out of the line of fire - but the skittering, sliding sound that accompanied the usual racket had the male's fur bristling on end. He began the arduous climb into the higher reaches of the Wall, and soon enough, came across a somewhat exasperating sight.

"Y'alright?" he asked, unable to decide if he was amused, annoyed, or pitying.

Her toothpick legs continue to fumble underneath her crumpled frame.  She finally caught her footing as a large gray man came into view and she groaned internally.  Mirabelle was a lady of class and charm as well as generally sure-footed, so this slip up was not the first impression she desired to imprint upon anyone.

Yes, thank you.  She lifts her legs up individually, surveying them for damages.  Most of her injuries appeared to be scrapes and although they burned with some intensity now with proper care they would tidy up well — that is if she as a lone wolf could prevent them from infection.  Her ears slick back against her skull and her whiskers flicker, curled tail unfurling.

Am I disturbing you?

Pity, he decided, the corners of his mouth turning down as he observed the tender way in which the shewolf moved. It seemed like he wasn't the only one around having trouble with climbing, these days. But she insisted she was alright - Grayday uttered a skeptical uh-huh - and had the gall to ask if she'd disturbed him, which quickly turned the male's frown in the other direction.

"Yeah," he replied. Clearly. Why else would he be here. You're scaring the kids, he wanted to say, but he didn't want to reveal that he'd been dumb enough to keep them here - not the safest place, he was realizing. Maybe they'd need to mark further up in the mountains, or maybe they'd just need to move the rendezvous. It wasn't like they had pregnant women or newborns. "It generally disturbs me when strangers move toward my borders," he explained, sitting down on a relatively flat rock and watching the woman flounder. "I try to keep tabs on anyone nearby."

While it came to no surprise that she did indeed disturb the man and apparently his pack as well, she was disappointed in his response.  Mirabelle straightened and felt herself cooling, brooding, the ice queen taking the reins at the forefront of her mind.

If she had disturbed him so much, it would have been easy enough to dispatch or otherwise chase her away but instead he chose to lay down.  She ignored her own urges to pace and also dampened the burning sensation in her wounds (which seemed mostly isolated to her legs although a garish gash on her hips would require closer inspection later) and calculated instead what she could say to diffuse the situation — she had already offended him once.

Excuse me. The Melisende woman could not afford to be afraid but her previous capture made her flighty; she twitched uncomfortably and a pain seared through her limbs as she tried to diguise a small noise of pain. Of course it would.  She shifted her weight but remained standing — a better position to run if need be.  I apologize for the inconvenience.

Grayday shrugged. "I'm sure you didn't know," he replied, thoroughly unthreatened by her continued proximity. While she had disturbed him, he knew it was his own damn fault for having the rendezvous site so close to the edge of the territory. It wasn't as though the woman could've guessed she was going down into someone else's living room. If she had known and was just getting close for kicks, he was sure he'd feel a bit less charitable. As it was, he knew just how irritating scrapes and scratches could be.

"Why don't you come down and let Pema look at that for you," he went on, nose twitching at the scent of blood. "Infection's no joke this time of year." And then, fishing for a name, "I'm Grayday, by the way."

She bows deeply at him as he introduces himself and continues with a follow-up of her own, Mirabelle Melisende of Eirann.  As she returns from her bow the pain in her hip intensifies and she nods — perhaps she should let their medic look her over.

Thank you very much for the hospitality.  I will do my best to stay out of the way.

"Mirabelle," said Grayday, surprised to hear the name. Though it'd been months since he'd thought of her, the name easily invoked images of the proud shewolf he'd known. It seemed an odd name to be so common, but then again, there seemed to be hardly anything common about whatever had just come out of this shewolf's mouth. "That's quite a name," he laughed, privately tossing everything but 'Mirabelle' from his mind.

He waited for her to catch up a bit before making his own way down the mountainside. "Why were you up there, anyway?" he asked her, curious about the strange set of circumstances. The hunting was hard and unpleasant, and he couldn't think of another reason a wolf might climb to great heights. Why waste the energy?

sorry for the short post last time!

She smiles at his statement and lets out a small laugh — was it really quite a name?  Where she hailed from it had been fairly common as well as a name without worth, but she supposed if he liked it that was enough for her.  She was curious about his name as well, Grayday was something she had never heard before but before she can mention something, he asks her a question she does not have a good answer for.

Well, she begins, I got myself up the other side and figured that I would not waste the time to double back and go around the mountain.  It always feels steeper going down, she muses, letting out a sigh. I am often sure-footed traversing mountainsides but the rains made it slick and I am not as comforatble with wet rock.

She keeps pace behind him and tries to hide the pain she feels but the blood is now beginning to trickle in earnest down her leg.  I come from a land far north and occasionally we would travel over or through the mountains.

No problem! I don't mind a short post to get a thread moving, from time to time :)

Grayday gave a hum of thought, but decided that this explanation passed inspection. Sometimes, it just wasn't worth the effort to turn around. He was familiar enough with stubbornness getting in the way of sense. He had a cut on his chin to prove it.

"I'm from the north, too," said Grayday, "but my father's pack occupied the base of a mountain, and on into an endless plain. We never got much use out of the mountains." Especially not after the fire, but that was a story for another time. They'd reached flat ground, and Grayday wasted no time in calling for @Pema.

"Pema will be here, soon. Why don't you lay down and rest," said the male, and though the words were phrased as a suggestion, his tone left no room for argument.

And I'll wait on Pema before I do anything else. :)

It seemed that the older gentleman understood her reasoning and it assuaged her churning stomach.  Feelings conflicted inside of her — she never had left the plains of Eirann and had always been a pack wolf but to steal a glimpse into the life of another while feeling like an outsider the entire time was not something she was to be fond of.  

She makes no effort to disobey the nurturing yet commanding tone of the other and makes herself as comfortable as she can given how she feels at the moment.

Ours was similar in nature, but our territory was fluid.  We were somewhat nomadic and shared land with other packs, hunting grounds, sometimes breeding rights.  Occasionally issues would arise as is natural and we would relocate.  The mountains were a nice barrier and they were also a nice escape.

From her den Pema could see the rendevous site, along with the pups that had been with Grayday. Seeing them alone made her worry slightly. Surely Grayday hadn't left them alone, and if he did he had intended to come back shortly. But she decided that whatever the situation was she could take a couple minutes out of her day to watch the pups she loved so much. 

When she first got over there she said hello to all of them, greeting them with nudges and nose taps. "Where's your father?" she asked and watched as they all gestured up the mountain. Really? She though to herself. Why would he have gone up there. It a rather steep side to the mountain and had served as a barrier for the most part more then anything else. 

What could he be doing up there? But then she heard a call for her. Being the medic of the pack one of the first things she though of was that he needed her help medically. What have you gotten yourself into now Day. "Stay here." she said to the pup before running over to where Grayday and a light colored female was laying down. "Day, what's wrong are you ok?" she then got a better look at the female laying down to the side of him. 

"Oh, But he's not the one who needs my help you are." she assumed that she could be trusted for whatever reason for the time being. Seeing as how Grayday hadn't chased her off. "I'm Pema." she introduced.

Grayday was pleased when Pema arrived on the scene almost at once. He was not worried about the pups causing trouble; they were big enough to be on their own for a few hours at a time, and it wasn't as though he was far away. They were not far from his mind as Pema moved to introduce herself to Mirabelle, but certainly not the most pressing on his list of things that currently needed his attention.

"I'll go and get some more of that frilly plant," said Grayday, moving off toward the river once more. "Can you take a look at her?"

Grayday will be back for the next round.

*noises of rust as i try to garner muse for this character*

A shame rises up in her and sockets itself in the roots of her teeth, bringing a heat to her cheeks that is too familiar to the once-slave girl.  Although the woman's tone was not cutting her words struck Mira in a way she was not fond of, echoing in her mind — ...but you are. 

Yes, she admits, turning her injured hip towards the medicine woman, revealing the tattered flesh beneath the oozing wound, blood marring the surrounding white coat.  She stood up, closing some of the space between them as Grayday retreated to find herbs.  Mirabelle Melisende, of Eirann.  She gives a dip of her head, raising her leg off the ground.

Sorry, she whispers, uh, where do you want me?

Before she knew it Grayday was off looking for the root that she had treated his infected chin with. She wished he had stuck around for a moment to listen to what else she would need, but was happy that he remembered what it was that she had needed before and was willing to fetch those things for her. It was just the two they now and after she was introduced she asked where she should go.

Pema didn't think that she would necessarily need the shelter of the den, especially with it being so close to the pups and Mirabelle wasn't a member of the pack. But depending on how bad her injuries were she may need to spend a few days within the territory to heal. But first they needed to get off this mountain. "Nice to meet you Mirabelle. Well let's get off this mountain and then I can look at your injuries and see what needs to be done." she said guilding her down the mountain, but in a direction away from where the pups were. They weren't he pups but she did feel quite protective over them, plus she didn't want Grayday to get angry if she got too close to the pups when he wasn't around. He wasn't a harsh leader, but he loved his children. 

Once they had gotten down the mountain, Pema took a closer look at Mira's wounds. Asking along the way what hurt and making sure that she didn't feel too uncomforatble with Peam being to close to her. After looking her over for a couple minutes, it seemed as though the worst of it were simply a few deeper cuts. Nothing deadly, but she was still bleeding none the less. Once Grayday returned she would need him to retreave a few more things for her before they could start the real treatment. "From what I'm seeing it's just a few cuts and sore muscles. Shouldn't be too terrible. But let me ask you. How do you feel about combwebs?" she asked wondering if the non herbal method of treatment would be alright with the female. It wasn't the only option, but it was one of them.

Grayday returned in time to catch the end of Pema's question. His ears flickered in surprise, and hesitated a moment before offering his advice, not wanting Pema to get down on herself. Setting the herbs down at Pema's paws, he leaned in close to murmur to her: "I'd suggest tree sap for wounds on paws. Cobwebs aren't going to stay on her if she has to walk anywhere else."

His words were gentle, and his tail was wagging patiently to show that this was friendly advice, and not criticisim.

He turned his attention back to Mirabelle and eyed her more critically now that she was on even ground with him. She was a small wolf, but that didn't mean very much to Grayday. He'd known plenty of small wolves that got on just fine with their size. He was more concerned about her mental state, as she seemed rather frazzled. Perhaps it was just one of those days, though.

The woman's following words helped to assuage the discomfort Mirabelle felt with the entire situation.  First she falls into their territory, and then they take her in and heal her?  It sounded like something that the wolves in Eirann would have done.  Something sucks the air out of her chest.

Dutifully she follows Pema, keeping close.  Her fall had landed them close to the bottom of the mountiain and she was grateful there was not more of the slick surface she would have to traverse.  All in all, she made it down okay.

More good news headed her way!  It seemed to the woman that Mirabelle's gash only looked unsightly, and wasn't going to be a big deal.  

Whatever you feel is best.  Thank you for your care, Pema.  She ducked her head as Grayday returned with herbs and swiveled her ears away from them as to not eavesdrop.  She could feel the man's eyes on her, surveying her as she stood and for the love of all that's bright and beautiful she hoped this would be over with soon.  Mirabelle hated to be a bother.

She seemed to be alright with the cobwebs, but shortly after Grayday returned with the Chervile Root. He came to her side and exlained how the cobwebs wouldn't be too effective at staying secure wound her paws. It seemed as though he had heard of the non-herbal method of using cobwebs to stop bleeding. He also suggested that she use tree sap instead, something she had never heard of before. What it did or how effective it was.

She also thought about how difficult it would be to attain tree sap. Some birds had long beaked equipped for tapping onto trees to reach the sap, but the wolves weren't beavers able to bite through or deep into the trees to reach the sap. Unless they had a tree that was already tapped into by a bird and now was free flowing down the bark.

But if Grayday was willing to get some, along with a few other things she thought that he would have the best luck finding a tree with such characteristics. "Good point. I was also thinking of some oak leaves too to stop the bleeding and help fight infection. Two birds with one stone, though we can still use the chervile root." she said looking at Grayday. "I'm not sure where the trees are with sap... Would you mind grabbing some for me and some maple leaves while your at it?" she saked embarrased to be asking the leader of the pack for help. Both because he was higher ranking then her, but also because she didn't know where to get what she needed.

Grayday grinned sheepishly as she went on to talk about what else might be needed. "Sorry, hon - I'm pants at herbs. I'll trust your judgment, though," he excused, knowing he'd be better off playing nurse than doctor. He turned back to Mirabelle to give her a friendly smile. "Looks like you're going to be our test patient," he said playfully. "Hopefully we don't poison you or something."

But of course, he was kidding. They could hardly poison her with sap and maple leaves - and Grayday was certain he'd gotten chervil root correctly as well. He wandered off to find the rest of the things Pema had mentioned, hoping there were enough low-hanging branches around that he wouldn't have to befriend a squirrel in order to get to the maple leaves.

Luckily, he found all the items in good time and hurried back to where he'd left Pema and her new patient.