Wolf RPG

The journey was a quiet one, save for the occasional grunt or swear that slipped from Atreyu's mouth when he stumbled. Despite wanting to prove to the man he could walk unassisted, he was grateful he was there acting as a brace. The painful pressure in his right shoulder that he didn't know he had grown accustomed to was finally relieved. It had taken a while to find a rhythm, though, and Atreyu constantly fell slightly out of step with Tatsuya's much longer stride. He was partially distracted, too, gaze sweeping the changing landscape as they travelled, on the lookout for any other wolves that may happen upon them.

Eventually, they made it to the lake the helpful stranger had mentioned. Well, it certainly was big. The scent of salmon and other prey was thick here, and the boy hurriedly peeled himself away from Tatsuya's shoulder and began to head straight for the banks. It was an awkward sort of lope, ungainly and coltish, but he didn't care. The sparkling lake beckoned him, and he thrust his muzzle into the shallow surface as soon as he was able, relishing in the cool, delicious waters. Sweet heavens, how long had it been?

A colorful vocabulary, this one possessed. The casual profanity spat from the younger wolf's mouth was comical though Tatsuya did not show said amusement, face stony all the way to their destination. Plus, having a mouth full of plants both acrid or just plain leafy did not allow much emotion to pass over one's face. Atreyu need not look any further than his eyes for signs of feeling; they sparkle with mirth, grew dark with worry, glassed over when inner monologue occurred. Atreyu would have to angle his head uncomfortably to be get a look at him. There was rarely a moment when some sort of emotion was not conveyed through his bewitching sunset eyes.
INDENTIt was nerve-racking to find a stride Atreyu could keep up with. The constant fumbling wore on the Epsilon's forbearance. To avoid giving up and leaving Atreyu where he was, he kept reminding himself that his patient was missing a fucking leg and to stop being pissy about something that cannot be avoided. Atreyu was going to stumble and fall. This was to be expected. Didn't mean he had to like it, though.
INDENTOnce they arrived, Tatsuya laid his bouquet down onto the ground, soggy with spit but still functional. Ack! A throng of foul tastes remained on his tongue. He followed Atreyu to the lake, taking water into his mouth before releasing it. The other might think of this as gross but Tatsuya did not want to swallow whatever substances may have sunk into the flesh of his tongue. So Tatsuya did this while Atreyu noisily gulped down the cool liquid. Concerns about dehydration crossed his mind. Well, he's here now so he can get back the water he lost. Yeah, he should be thirsty; throat and body parched like a damn desert. He had his missing leg to thanks for that, too.
INDENTFinished washing out his mouth, Tatsuya withdrew from the mucky bank, walking back over to look over his treasured plants. Hmmm. Which of these should I give him? No, not that one. He's certainly not pregnant. And he's not lactating. Wait. Can males even lactate...? Wait, what? Focus, Tatsuya, focus!

The boy only looked up once to spare a glance in Tatsuya's direction when he also came to the bank. He drank...before then spitting it back out. His brow crinkled in confusion — having no idea the herbs he had held were bitter and unpleasant — before he shrugged it off and continued lapping up the water. It was like he hadn't had a drink in years. His tail waved happily behind him and, after consuming what felt like half of the entire lake, the Gamma withdrew and shook out his sodden front half.

Turning, he limped his way back to the other, feeling much more content than his present company, it seemed. Tatsuya's eyes had a sort of engrossed look to them as he sorted through the herbs he had brought along with them. Atreyu drew up beside him, his own gaze on the plants and head tilted slightly in fascination. They looked a bit worse for wear now, whether that was planned or a good thing or what, Atreyu didn't know. He looked to the dark male curiously. "They still okay?" he asked, trying to keep both his own attention and Tatsuya's on the herbs and away from the whole purpose of their travelling here — the dreaded bath.

Licking his lips, Tatsuya continued to stare at the all of the flora he has harvested. Considering each and every one of them, he began separating them into different piles. This pile is for Tonravik. This one is for disinfectants. This one is for healing...And on and on and on. He has collected as much as he could with as little information as possible. His nose has done most of the work; virtually all herbaceous plants emitted a special fragrance. It was elementary tracking plants down because it was drilled into him at a very young age. His father may have been austere in his teachings but Tatsuya could not deny that the knowledge he had instilled within Tatsuya was effectual and necessary. Healing was a trade worthy of notice and respect. More so than becoming a warrior. At least in Tatsuya's opinion.
INDENTMother had been a bellicose presence, urging Tatsuya and his brother to spar. With each other, with friends, even with their parents. Back then, the Epsilon was not interested in violence. Until he reached sexual maturity. Then, combat was desired. He lashed out to keep the flames at bay...He left home in search of turbulence, of adventure, of purpose. And death was what he found instead. Dark times.
INDENT“Hm?” Tatsuya muttered, ear flicking to bat away some buzzing insect. “Oh. Uh, yeah. They're okay.” The Epsilon had been so lost in his memories Atreyu's words almost missed him. Whoops.
INDENTSorting his cache a bit more, an outstretched arm abruptly paused in midair, taking in Atreyu's grubby appearance with overcritical eyes. Any other time, he would not have minded having another watch him go about his business, but they had come here for a reason; an objective that Atreyu made no movements to complete. Tatsuya said nothing. The stink eye he gave Atreyu spoke more than words ever could. Boy, if you don't wash that grime off of you, I can guarantee you're not gonna like me doing it for you. Kind of bad, having to scold a wolf nearing adulthood, but that added to Atreyu's charm. Damnable brat. I'll kick your ass.

Atreyu hadn't taken much notice of the strangely distant demeanour Tatsuya had taken on as he sorted through his herbs, though still waved his tail again as he snapped back into the present with a partially jumbled answer. It satisfied his curiousity. At least they wouldn't have to trek all the way back to the Fen to fetch some more herbs. He would be damned if he had to walk — or limp, rather — all that way again. Especially if he had to depend on the healer to act as a crutch again.

The boy was desperate to lie down, content with his belly now full of water and feeling groggy. He remained watching the man separate the plants into differing piles, though. Thinking they were all for him, Atreyu tried to withhold a whine, ears falling back with worry. Was he meant to eat all that?

It was Tatsuya's deadpan expression that diverted his attention, snapping his head up to meet his reprimanding gaze. His message was clear. With a frown, Atreyu slowly and hesitantly back-pedalled, stepping into the shallows of the nearby lake. He stiffened as the fresh water lapped at his ankles, lifting a lip in disgust. It was so...clean and still. Maybe he could convince the healer to accompany him to the ocean, where it was much more refreshing. And salt was good for cleaning, right? Another glance at the large wolf put a halt to that idea, and so Atreyu very slowly continued walking into the water, fixing a seething stare at Tatsuya. To hell with you, wannabe wolverine.

Atreyu was ever expressive, growing distressed by the sheer amount and smorgasbord of Tatsuya's stash. The Healer did nothing to lenify his fears. Yes. I am going to shove all these down your throat if you don't get your ass in the lake. The juvenile better clean himself good, too. Atreyu could live with having water in his ears for a couple days...or a couple weeks. Fluid liked to linger where it was most unwanted.
INDENTAny attempts to go to sea would have been shot down had his child patient spoke up about it. While it was true that the salt in the sea was a dandy cleansing agent, Tatsuya did not want to travel all the way there. Nor did he want Atreyu to limp/trip/fall flat on his face any more than he already has. Damned fool. You think you're invincible? I can assure you, you are not. It this was a lesson Tatsuya must teach him then so be it. The wolf probably has not had any parental figures in his life, what with how he waltzed around covered in filth and half a neglected arm...or maybe his parents were just shitty. Tatsuya withstood the desire to address this, question burning on the tip of his tongue. To do so would tempt issues that may or may not have occurred in Atreyu's life. That topic was too personal, too soon.
INDENTFixing Atreyu with an impassive stare, Tatsuya let out an appeased rumble. Good boy. The teenager could curse Tatsuya all he wanted. It would not change a damn thing. Content to not bicker with Atreyu, he went back to work: sorting and considering. He was still unsure about what to use on his patient. What would work best for a gigantic, purulent trauma? Well, his options were nothing if not varied, but he sincerely did not have any of those scarce, treasured cure-all that he dearly wanted to cultivate, hoard and obsess over. Now that would be wealth worth guarding. Lamentably, Atreyu would have to settle for a meager operation and meager prescriptions.
INDENT“You're awfully quiet back there,” his voice boomed accusingly, attention focused on that which was before him. Atreyu was either washing off quietly or not at all. You're going to lose your other leg, kid. Don't test me. And wash behind your ears, ya damn scrub!

His reluctant compliance was at least met with what Atreyu assumed was a pleased grumble from the older male. It didn't wipe the irritated scowl from his face, however, glaring daggers at Tatsuya even as he turned around to continue messing with his herbs. Truthfully, he didn't really hate his temporary doctor — hell, if he hadn't been willing to help him he would have continued on his merry way, allowing the infection to spread into his blood stream — yet that didn't mean he liked the idea of a bath. While his scent may be more of a stench to others, he was used to it, it was his. Granted, his fur was beginning to matte and become increasingly uncomfortable. Not to mention he was almost certain fleas had taken up residence in his coat.

With a sigh (loud, so Tatsuya could hear), the boy turned and waded further into the lake, leaving behind a stream of clouded browns and reds in the water. He hissed as the shock of the cold hit his foreleg, wincing as it burned painfully. Perhaps it was a good thing it hurt? It had been numb for so long, Atreyu was surprised he still had feeling in it. He stood quietly in the water, staring down at the blood that slowly seeped out of the wound in an almost trance before Tatsuya's deep voice rung out from behind him.

With a snort, the boy swung his head to look over his shoulder, making a face at the man before working to awkwardly scrub the dirt off himself, making as much noise as possible to ensure Tatsuya was satisfied with his bathing abilities. He felt like a child (oblivious to the fact that the stranger regarded him as such).

It took a while but, eventually, Atreyu emerged from the waters, still streaked with faint marks of filth but much cleaner than when he had entered. For perhaps the first time in his life, the pale cream of his true coat colour showed through. His stump seared with pain from being exposed to the open air and he couldn't help but grit his teeth as he returned to Tatsuya. "Done," he mumbled simply, coming to sit before the healer, but not before shaking out his coat in attempt to drench the entire area.

Shrugging off Atreyu's glare with a pronounced roll of his shoulder blades, Tatsuya locked onto one of his more colorful plants. It was no bigger than his arm with nodding, pink-rose flowers and sharp toothed, waxy leaves. Prince's Pine, an evergreen he found on the outermost edges of Neverwinter Forest. Judging by the plant's value, properties, taste, and smell, Tatsuya took as many as he thought he needed, but...Atreyu was unexpected so he would have to find that particular spot again to gather more. As of right now, he had six of them. It should be enough for Atreyu, his untended limb, and any harmful bacteria that might course through his veins.
INDENTDeliberating the herb's many uses (and whether he should use it on this wolf or not), Tatsuya swung his head around when he heard his patient's voice. Ah. Much better. He could now discern the wolf's coat color: cream. There was some streaks of dirt and whatnot in his fur but he was clean enough to finish what Tatsuya started. Done giving the younger wolf a once-over, his blistering gaze settled upon his patient's face. Oh. Atreyu's jaw was clenched. The Healer looked down to his affliction with concern. It was hurting him. As it should. The stub hurt him before the boy took a bath but even then he shouldered the pain as well as he could. Tatsuya opened his mouth to speak and promptly shut it as Atreyu shook the lake water from his coat. The Healer was close enough to get sprayed and he endured it until Atreyu was done, finishing up by taking a seat.
INDENT“Ass,” he snapped, no venom in the comment. Retrieving the plant he considered earlier, he brought them before Atreyu, coming to rest at the Epsilon's feet.
INDENT“I'll be using this on you,” Tatsuya revealed, pausing to separate the tiny bunch. “It's called Prince's Pine. It is good for getting rid of any nasty shit in your blood...Nasty shit being things that make you sick. It also speeds up the healing process.” Atreyu had not asked for the information, but seeing as he was going to eat it (and have his wound covered in it), Tatsuya thought it appropriate to hand out the information whether he wanted it or not. “Lucky for you, Prince's Pine tastes and smells good.” That in itself was something worth mentioning. It was still going to feel like he was chewing greens, but at least the taste would not be too horrible. “For all the good, there is some bad,” he went on to add, ears flattening to put emphasis on the 'bad'. “The bad is that this stuff induces urination...and is very itchy when it comes into contact with skin.” He paused again, looking for signs of distress on Atreyu's face at the bad news. “Your injury...is going to itch. It is going to itch and you will want to itch it. You will not give in to the itch. You itch it, I will know, and I will find you and tear off your other three limbs.” Tatsuya said this with a big, threatening smile. You itch, you die was the idea he was trying to get across. He was also trying to convey that he had no qualms about tracking Atreyu down and ripping him limb for limb. “Oh! And it's going to hurt like a bitch, but I'm sure you already knew that.” As if this was going to be painless. Ha!
INDENT“Now that that's out of the way – and you have no questions – I want you to eat two of these. I'm going to have to chew on the rest into a paste so that I can smear it on your injury. While you're doing that, hold it out for me again. I wanna look at it one more time before I work my magic...”

If asked, Atreyu would claim innocence against his crime of giving Tatsuya an impromptu shower. Who me? Never. Of course, it would be hard to prove that wasn't his plan all along, being as close as he was to the darker male when he had decided to dry himself off. A minuscule but pleased, shit-eating grin spread across Atreyu's face as the healer retorted to his antics, before he moved to his stockpile of herbs, returning with a delicate-looking bunch of flowers in his jaws.

The boy watched as they were placed at their feet, studying them with growing fascination as Tatsuya explained their uses. Such a tiny flower could do that? He had never heard of Prince's Pine before, but was interested in how it sped up the healing process. He glanced down at his leg again, wondering what it would look like once fully healed. Was it going to be a gaping, jagged hole forever? Or would he get some badass scar like Ragnar had when he had lost his eye?

He focused his gaze on the man as he went on to described the pros and cons of the herb. He wasn't sure if any plant could be considered tasty — they were plants after all. The last plant he ate had been horribly bitter and had had some...very strange side-effects. Besides, this was medicine, it was almost obligatory that it would taste terrible, regardless of what his doctor said. And it was going to itch. Wonderful.

Tatsuya's threat was met with another grin from his patient, and though he knew hoped he was joking, the man very well could make good on his word. He was a large wolf, taller than himself and looked like he could tear off a limb just as easily as the bear had. Atreyu didn't want to risk it. He also just wanted his leg to stop hurting so much. Oh, but the plant was going to make it hurt anyway. "Super," Atreyu announced his thoughts out loud with an exaggerated huff.

He made a face as Tatsuya went on to command him to eat the stuff — just as he expected. Then he would have mushed up plants and wolf spit smeared all over his injury. Not that that was really worse than what usually adorned his pelt, but he still didn't fancy the idea. Ears flicking back in hesitation, the boy glanced once up at Tatsuya, trying to hold his gaze for a moment as if saying do I really have to?, before he leant down and quickly ate two of plants the healer had separated from the pile. Better to get it over and done with. A sweet taste suddenly filled his mouth as he chewed, and Atreyu's ears perked and he looked up in surprise at Tatsuya as he remembered to extend his foreleg. Huh, what do you know, he was telling the truth.

Atreyu did not seem all that enthused when he told him about the herbs and what they will do. Granted, such a wound was bound to hurt no matter what the Healer did. Tatsuya felt bad for not being more prepared; he had nothing to dull the pain. Considering pain was just a part of life, he figured what's the point? and moved on. Now, though...He would have to retrieve something – anything – that would take the edge off before returning to the Spine. Although his pack mates did not seem like a bunch concerned about pain, exactly. Back home, the only wolf who even seemed afflicted was Tonravik and that was a given. She was pregnant, after all. He hoped those raspberries he gave her a while ago have come in handy.
INDENT“Hey, it's better than dying a slow death do to infection.” The wolverine shrugged. Atreyu's foreseeable future might lead up to that despite what the Epsilon did now. Herbs were never foolproof. There was always a chance said plant might not work or it was applied too late, in Atreyu's case. But now – having got to know his patient more – Tatsuya was convinced Atreyu would not just lay down and die. There was a certain fierceness, a willingness to live on even with such a handicap. It was an admirable trait, one befitting Ouroboros Spine.
INDENTHa. Ha ha ha! Atreyu would probably hate his home. Too much of a wise ass. And that mouth! His superiors would likely rip out that tongue. Ahh, but would they even look past his injury? The Spine valued capability and strength above all else. Having three legs alone would be a deterrent when joining. If Tatsuya was in any position to accept Atreyu into their ranks, however...he would accept him. Probably. Once he learns how to walk with three legs instead of four.
INDENTThe younger canine displayed a hesitancy to go through with this. The Healer nodded his head, gentle and patient in his urging. Yes, you do. Now, go on. Atreyu did as he asked, quickly gulping down the plants. Tatsuya smiled at the youth's surprise. He wasn't lying when he said these plants were tasty. Not as good as meat, true. Far better than those bitter greens though. I told you, goofball. Why would I lie about something like that?
INDENTNow came the unpleasant part. His patient extended his leg as Tatsuya leaned down to take the last four plants into his mouth. Wolves could not chew with their teeth, but they could grind. That's what the Healer did now as he gave Atreyu's exposed wound one final once over. Blood trickled out of it in a slow but steady flow. As to whether this was a good sign or not was lost to the Epsilon. It was not gushing out so that was a definite plus. On the other hand, Atreyu could continue bleeding despite the Healer's best efforts. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...
INDENTThe plants in his mouth have been crushed and blended into a paste perfect for application. Without preamble Tatsuya's tongue got to work, spreading the Prince's Pine onto Atreyu's affliction. His patient was likely to feel intense burning at this point. Nothing compared to having his fucking arm ripped off, but enough to make a grown (or half-grown, in Atreyu's case) man wince and consider crying. Or cuss endlessly. Sorry but this has gotta be done. Atreyu's wound now had a nice, even coat of paste on his wound. More could be applied around the center, though. He still had more in his mouth but he had to let what was on there dry first. Not wanting to give the impression that they were done, the Healer extended his arm beneath Atreyu's stub as he leaned back up. He was trying to lessen any strain his patient might feel in having his stub extended so. Back at the Fens, the younger wolf expressed some discomfort when he did this so Tatsuya tried to assuage that pain.
INDENT“We're noff dunf,” slurred Tatsuya. Hard to talk with this shit in his mouth. “Godda wet – rrgh, let dwy.” Hard to say for how long...Tatsuya would just have to check and see how the paste was drying. For now, he settled for grinding his teeth while staring at Atreyu. He looked like a cow chewing cud.
INDENT“How ya holfing upf?”

The doctor was quick to get to work, spreading the paste over his injury. It was warm at first and Atreyu relished it, but the soothing sensation last all of two seconds. Replacing it quickly was a searing pain that felt like it shot up his very forearm, burning right into his bone. Hackles bristling, the boy wrinkled his muzzle as he tensed and uttered a pained whine. He resisted the urge to show any more signs of discomfort other than that (despite an overwhelming urge to yell and cuss as much as he could). He didn't want to appear like a sissy. Still, the pain was intense. Hurt like a bitch had been an understatement.

It increased as Tatsuya withdrew and there wasn't any other sensations to distract him from the burning in his limb. "Ssssson of a..." Atreyu hissed, glaring up at the man as if blaming him for the pain. He would rather him just tear off his entire leg and be done with it. We're not done. Of course they weren't.

He gratefully let his stump rest upon Tatsuya's own extended foreleg, though he felt awkward in doing so. Instinctively, he wanted to pull away. It felt...intimate. Not to mention the fact the man was also licking his leg. For good reason, but Gods forbid anyone saw this. The boy inconspicuously looked around the area for any stray wolves, pretending he had simply heard a noise across the lake before turning back to Tatsuya. His mindless, wiggling jaw as he chewed made for a funny look that counter-acted the burning fire in his eyes.

After a few more minutes and applications of the paste (which Atreyu tolerated fairly well, despite wanting to gnaw his injured foreleg off), he finally uttered something that wasn't a swear whispered quickly under his breath. "Can I...wash it off after?" He winced as he focused back on the pain in his leg. "It won't hurt forever, will it?"

Inevitably, white hot pain flooded his patient. So much so Atreyu could no longer keep up the tough guy facade. Ahh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Tatsuya felt terrible. The pain could have been dulled if he had just foresaw this encounter happening. The healer was no psychic, but he would learn a valuable lesson in this meeting: always bring pain relievers. Best to have it and need it than to need it and not have it.
INDENTAtreyu's discomfited fidgeting was humorous but Tatsuya did not poke fun at him. There was a strict professionalism in what he was doing. Given the dourness of Atreyu's injury there was no room for joking. Only appropriate timing could pander jocular activities. Perhaps when the Bay wolf was healed and well...As Atreyu asked to wash it off, Tatsuya's muzzle scrunched up.
INDENT“No.” Oops. That came out a little heated. Substituting that tigerish aspect with a forgiving one, the wolverine instructed: “It will flake off. Avoid getting it wet until then.” That shouldn't be a problem for you, scrub. “The pain will diminish. It's intense right now because I just applied it.” Obviously. “It will pass. A rough estimation would be an hour or two –”
INDENT“Two?! Holy shit! Just end me and get it over with already!”
INDENT“...You done?” Atreyu groused. Visibly and audibly. Tatsuya shook his head and shrugged. What am I going to do with you? “Look, I wasn't expecting to cross paths with a maimed wolf, so I don't have any pain relievers. And before you say I should have just left you alone, consider the possibility of maggots feasting on your rotting corpse because you failed to medicate your horrendous wound.”
INDENT“...Dude.”
INDENT“Yeah, I know. Sorry. But you get the picture now right?” In Atreyu's case, he needed some hard-boiled facts to set things into perspective. He was not invincible. He was not immune to illness or disease. He could die from this even with all that Tatsuya has done. He needed to realize this before they part ways. “Anyway, I'm going to send you off with some instructions. One, do not wash this stuff off. Two, drink plenty of water and rest lots. If you run – or stumble, in your case – with a pack, you should return to them as soon as possible. Three, don't itch it. Itching means it is healing, but Prince's Pine does that anyway. It's unavoidable. And finally...don't die.”
INDENTThe kid was heedful enough throughout the healer's spiel though Tatsuya could tell he was growing antsy. To do what, he had no clue. What would the Bay wolf do now, he wondered.
INDENT“Do you want some he –”
INDENT“No. I – I got it.” Indeed he did, rising slowly from his seated placement, Atreyu steeled himself before moving on. The Epsilon moved to the lake to clean his mouth until his patient spoke up one more time. “And, uh...thanks, I guess.” At least his gratitude was authentic. Nodding to the juvenile, Tatsuya washed out his caked jowls before turning to leave. He spared Atreyu a final glance, sunburst eyes fondly watching him leave. Good luck kid. You're gonna need it.