Redhawk Caldera skydancer

For @Titmouse! Set sometime in the afternoon; sunny, cold (~25F), clear skies, a little breezy.

With the passing of each day, winter's grip grew tighter and more ruthless on the Teekon Wilds. The mountains' snowline fast approached convergence with the ground, while the bone-chilling breeze stripped ever more foliage from the trees' bony limbs. The sun was in the sky, but its impotent warmth offered little comfort to the creatures of the land. Soon, the lowlands would be blanketed with snow, prey would be hard to find, and life in general would be significantly more difficult.

For now, though, Raven didn't worry herself over things that hadn't happened yet. Her medicine supply was well-stocked, so she felt prepared for whatever winter might have in store for them. At the moment, she was thinking of Titmouse and wondering how his resettlement in the caldera was going. She wasn't really sure where he was hanging out so she did her best to track his scent, which was...all over the place. The boy had never done much sitting still when he was a baby, and it seemed that things hadn't changed much in the months since.

Note to self: smol window between him joining RHC & then being taken by BFW

The caldera wasn't so different from the vale, and that fact was a comfort. Tit didn't remember being here before because of his age; he had no knowledge of the last winter, when he'd been held within an icy cave by nature's spontaneity. He saw the caldera for what it was: mountainous, enclosed, safe. It was familiar because of how closely it resembled the vale to him.

Yet it was still foreign in so many ways. It wasn't home - not yet - and Titmouse found it difficult to adapt. It hadn't been long though. A single night, maybe. He'd been awake since his conversation with Elwood, roaming and scent-rolling, trying to get a handle on things. The fact that Raven couldn't locate him wasn't exactly a fluke either. The boy had been careful to avoid well-used paths and kept to himself.

Except, when her scent became the strongest thing among the trees, Titmouse knew to stop his roaming and slow down a little. He was pacing atop a narrow ridge of stone when he spotted her silhouette below and let out a bark - then hastily clamored his way down the steep incline with as much finesse as an eager duckling. The momentum almost carried him by her, but he skidded to a stop before almost taking out her legs. Typical idiot.

Hey Raven! he greeted warmly before sucking in a few quick breaths to calm his energy, this place is huuuuge! How much of it have you seen? Did you see the big ridge over there or, or, maybe the view from that way? He was abruptly pacing around her, motioning with his nose in the various directions as he listed them, obviously wired as heck.

I am a dumb-dumb! I overlooked the part in your BFW thread where they were taking him. I was thinking Ray would treat his injuries in this thread, lol! Oh well! Bonding is fun. And I need to learn to read. XD

A walking disaster. A train-wreck on four legs. That was Titmouse, and Raven loved that about him. He was obnoxious -- maddeningly so, at times -- and naive and a little dense. But those qualities mixed together created something so sweet and endearing that she could not help but wag her tail and grin like a jackass at his joy and exuberance.  Her Screech.  It was so good to have him home again.  

She nodded to his questions, for the caldera was one of the few places in this mountainous landscape that she knew like the back of her paw.  "I've seen it all!" she commented with enthusiasm.  "I've had to travel every nook and cranny of this place in my work as a medic."  Lately, her medicinal research as well as her own curiosity had taken her further outside of the pack's boundaries, but she still had a lot to learn about some of the lands surrounding her home.  "I bet you saw some pretty awesome things while you were away, huh?"

She'd already seen the whole thing? But it was huge! There was so much of it! And everything seemed to change from day to day! How had she managed that...? Titmouse was intensely jealous for a split-second, then in awe, and promptly decided that Raven was the most badass person he'd ever met (besides Rannoch). It had probably taken her ages to explore every inch of this place!

I guess I did, the boy humbly agreed, although he didn't know what to say really. Nothing came to mind when he thought of his travels, and none of it seemed that important. The vale was the closest thing to home he'd ever had, and the caldera was pretty much just like it. Unable to think of anything, Tit redirected the conversation towards Raven's specialty with the obvious question: Whats a medic?

Tit didn't seem to be too eager to share any of his own experiences, and Raven was fine with that. He probably had a lot of mixed-up feelings about the things he'd seen and experienced in the months since he'd left. Anyway, he wasn't really the type to put too much meaning or significance into the ordinary or mundane. While he did have a wild imagination and a fiery spirit, the boy was also the type to call a spade a spade.

Much to his credit, though, he asked Raven one of her favorite questions, and she was all too happy to answer. "A medic uses their knowledge of anatomy along with plants that have special medicinal properties to help heal wolves who are sick or injured," she explained, feeling a little candle of pride glow inside as she spoke of her trade. There wasn't much in this world that Raven was proud of, but the work that she did was undeniably one of those few things.

Tit wasn't sure what to make of her answer. Yeah, her excitment was contagious, but he wasn't smart enough to understand the bulk of it. It led to more questions. What is anatomy? And how do plants do anything? Don't wolves eat meat - why would you feed them plants? He spoke rapidly, and then when he was done looked more confused than previously, almost dizzy. Then he abruptly switched gears and seemed to get an idea, thrusting himself forward with a very purposeful step as if he were suddenly on a stage before Raven. Before she could get a word in he added: Wait -- wait, would any of that help me be a better warrior?

The way Titmouse's mind worked could be so amusing. He bounced around from thought to thought like a hummingbird moved among flowers, and one had to be quick upon their feet to keep up with him. Fortunately for Raven, she was more than accustomed to his ways. "Anatomy is--" she began, before he abruptly cut her off with his next question, puffing up like a rooster as he asked if the pursuit of medicine would help him become a better warrior. She giggled a little at his sudden change of direction, wagging her tail as she replied, "It would, actually. There are lots and lots of warriors, but not every warrior is trained in medicine. Knowing how to treat injuries would give you a big edge over someone who only knows how to inflict them." She wondered if he might be the first of her siblings to take an interest in her trade, and while it might take some time and patience to teach him with his fleeting attention span, she would be more than happy to pass on whatever knowledge she could to him if he wanted it.

He would have never considered something like herbs, anatomy, or medical knowledge to be an asset. But if what she said was true, Tit was willing to give it a shot! At the very least he would know things nobody else did (in relation to his siblings), and maybe his fighting skills could get stronger too. 

"Will you teach me?" Tit queries, directing all his enthusiasm at Raven.

She was pleasantly surprised when Titmouse actually asked her if she'd teach him. He was definitely a curious guy, but his affinity for more physical trades like hunting and protecting had, in her opinion, made him an unlikely student in the more cerebral pursuits. Nevertheless, she was delighted he had asked, and she smiled brightly as she answered, "Of course I will!" Realizing that she would be starting from nothing with him, she found herself wondering where to start. "I hope you don't mind the nasty taste of plants, because you'll be chewing a lot of them up to make medicinal pastes," she added with a wry grin, arching her brow as she wondered how he'd react the first time he got a big mouthful of dandelion or goldenseal root.

This just kept getting better and better. Titmouse loved to eat things, and primarily things that weren't usually consumable. Being told that part of his tutelage would consist of eating random shit just made his tail wag more furiously. Duuude! I totally wanna do that! I'll eat anything! But the biggest question on his mind was, When can we start?!

Sorry for the lengthy wait. School is killing me rn omg D:

His enthusiasm delighted Raven, and she laughed at his eager comment that he loved to eat and that he'd eat anything. We'll see about that, she thought to herself with a grin, remembering the first time she'd had to chew a mouthful of dandelion greens to a paste. The phantom taste still lingered in her mouth, so god-awfully bitter, and made her tongue cringe almost reflexively. Yuck. He demanded to know when they could start, and Raven was a little indecisive. "Well, it's too late in the season for me to teach you how to locate and identify medicinal plants," she explained, her lips pursed as she considered the next best option. She felt that was the most important basic skill in her trade and the most logical starting point for a newbie. Skipping it would be inconvenient but there was nothing she could do about it. "We'll just have to work with what I have stashed away. I can show you some of my favorite places to find certain plants, though, and teach you what they do. But it's a lot to remember, so we'll take it slow. How's that sound?"

This was the best thing ever! He'd get to eat random things, learn stuff his siblings didn't know, and spend time with his favorite person! Literaly no downside.

Titmouse nodded vigorously and began pacing around Raven, wondering where they'd go first and what sort of stuff he'd be taught. Lets goooo! And with that he dashed off in a random direction, ready to pivot and chase after her as soon as a real plan took shape; but he was excited, and filled with impatience to get started.

Fading here!

He was restless and eager to get started, and who was Raven to refuse him? She laughed again and gestured for him to follow her, intending to lead him back to the little badger den where she kept her stores of dried roots, leaves, seeds, and other items of various uses. She was already mentally putting together a lesson plan for him, and for a moment she had flashbacks to her own childhood mentor. Tiger had been Raven's first real friend, and had started her off on a path that had defined her life in every way. As she walked with Titmouse, she wondered what the future had in store for him and if he would be the one to follow in her footsteps. She'd always wanted one of her younger brothers or sisters (or even one of the Blackthorn kids) to take an interest in her trade.