Dawnlark Plains string from your tether unwinds

@Sebastian ❤ other tags for reference

He spent a lot of time sleeping now— restless, fitful sleep. When he was awake, he was lethargic and largely unresponsive. Occasionally his lips peeled back from his teeth in silent warning; otherwise, he only stared. He was aware— his eyes followed movement, particularly when the one moving was @Kasatka or @Spiritwalker. Sometimes, he made eye contact.
Today was a little different. His silence was broken for the first time as he awoke screaming, his first jolts into consciousness marked by his own shrieks. The sound died as awareness hit him fully, and he opened his mouth to call for @Aditya. The words stuck in his throat. Instead he whined softly, lifted his head to glance around, and dropped it back down with an audible thud and a second whine. Everything hurt.

After finding River in the marsh, Sebastian had been making sure that the boy was getting all the care he needed. The male had been shocked at seeing the boy. He felt it was a miracle that the boy still lived. Hence why Sebastian wanted to make sure he stayed alive. The grey tank was close when he heard the shout. He made some haste and saw the boy soon enough. 'Hey there," he spoke softly. It sounded a bit muffled as he was carrying herbs in his mouth.

He placed them before the boy. He took away some of the twigs and flowers so there were only some poppy seeds on the ground. "River, I want you to chew on these seeds. They will take your pain away. Can you do that?" He offered him an encouraging smile. Sebastian had some marigold with him as well, and some other grasses to make it into a paste. He knew marigold itself would be dangerous to him if he would chew it too much, hence why he had grass as well so it would make a nice poultice that he could apply to the wounds.

He heard Sebastian’s approach not long after he’d given up on trying to call for Aditya, and tensed slightly at first. When he heard his voice, though, he relaxed. He moved his head by fractions to look at the large grey male, wincing a little at the pain of the movement. As the other spoke, it became apparent to River that he’d have to move again, and he dreaded it.
But he did as he was told, silently enduring the pain associated with any motion that shifted his neck. He swallowed dutifully, eyes stinging; swallowing hurt almost as much as trying to talk. Then his gaze turned to Sebastian, eyes questioning. He wanted to know what the seeds were from, but he couldn’t ask, so he hoped the inquisitive look was enough.

He knew the boy was in pain. It showed what a great character that the boy had moving through the pain to chew on the seeds, hopefully, it would numb the pain. The male chewed on the grasses and marigold before spitting it out again. The young boy looked so quizzical. Sebastian wondered if he might want to know what he was doing. "The yellow flowers are marigold. They help fight infections that might be in the wound. I added grass because if I chew too much on the marigold it is dangerous for me," he explained. "And those seeds are poppy seeds, they come from red flowers, they take the pain away for a bit. Though they only grow a certain time, so lots of seeds need to be harvested to have them year-round," he added and then offered a smile. The male then grabbed bits of the paste and started to gently apply it to the wounds.

He managed a half-smile when Sebastian obliged his unspoken request, though it faded quickly to a more focused expression. He listened intently, looking between the grey man and the chewed-up mess that had once been the herbs he spoke of. The silver-furred boy nodded as he went on to explain the origin of the seeds, and the particulars of harvesting them — it was interesting, and he had enough foresight to think it might be useful. But he still didn't say a word. He only took a deep breath as Sebastian moved to apply the plant paste to his wounds, preparing himself.

Sebastian hoped that his explanation would be enough for the young mind. He wouldn't mind to talk more about herbs and teach him while tending to the boy. He went to apply the paste to his wounds. Sebastian knew that it would sting a little but hopefully, it would soon feel better with the new paste. "It looks good, River. I am sure you will recover well," he spoke in a hopeful tone. The infection seemed to be far less and the wound looks like it was recovered well.

wrapping this up, sorry for the crappy mobile post <3

The pain was less than he'd expected, and he relaxed after a few moments. He watched Sebastian's movements carefully, honey eyes sharp, and tried to ignore what pain he could feel. The information given to him swirled in his mind as he watched — maybe he could replicate this one day, he thought. It was quickly becoming clear to him that he'd need to learn how to take care of himself — and how to defend himself, too.
He was a little sad to see the grey wolf go when it was time, but the small activity had drained him more than he realized, and he was beginning to feel the poppy seeds. As soon as Sebastian was out of sight, the young Corten laid his head on his paws, yawned once, and immediately fell into a restless sleep.