Wolf RPG

In the weeks since Wildfire's departure, life had become weirdly empty.  Raven missed her sister with a fierceness that surprised even herself.  A huge part of her world was missing now, cut off completely and just...gone.  Wifi was one of the only members of the pack with whom she'd always felt completely open and comfortable, and now that she was gone, Raven didn't really know what to do with herself.  She had supported her sister's choice, of course, and had encouraged her to do what felt right.  But deep down, she had never wanted Wildfire to leave at all.  And with the passing of each day since, that empty place in her heart only seemed to grow deeper and darker.  

She often thought about visiting Wifi at her new home, but she was afraid.  Venturing near another pack's territory was no casual thing, after all.  On a basic, instinctive level, it felt wrong and repulsive.  What if they hurt her?  Or killed her?  To them, she wouldn't be Wifi's sister.  She'd be a stranger and a threat.  Yet every day, she weighed that against her desire to see that goofy, beautiful red face again, to see that toothy grin, and to hear that nefarious giggle.

Sighing, she turned her eyes toward the little garden her sister had left to her.  From where she was laying near the old badger den, enjoying the pale sunshine and the slightly chilly breeze, she could see a pair of tiny chickadees frolicking amidst slowly browning leaves and stalks that she nevertheless carefully tended, chasing bugs and cheeping brightly.  In a way, it reminded her of the silly games she and Wifi had played when they were little, and the memory made her smile.

Things were quiet at the caldera. Peregrine was trying to get out more following his brief funk, though the place felt a little like a ghost town. It didn't help that a few members of the pack seemed to be getting sick. He had noticed the symptoms in passing. They were nothing too alarming, yet the Alpha hoped the whole pack wouldn't come down with an illness. That would leave them very vulnerable, a position he did not want to be in, especially with the wolves loitering in the woods next door.

He decided it might be a good idea to track down Raven and see about preparing some remedies just in case. He followed his remaining daughter's scent trail to the rendezvous site, then found her sitting astride her little garden by the old badger den. A couple of small birds took flight as he approached but Peregrine paid them no mind. He saw the wistful expression on his child's face and frowned sympathetically.

"Hi Rave," he murmured, padding closer to her and taking a seat beside her. "Missing her too, huh?" he guessed, biting back his own sigh and bending down to nip affectionately at the tip of one silky black ear.

Her wistful daydreams were gently interrupted by the sound of soft footfalls on fallen leaves.  A glance revealed it to be her father, the sight of whom brought a warm grin to her face.  Grinning a little wider at the feeling of his nip on her ear, she leaned into him and enjoyed the comfort and closeness of his touch. It was so hard for her to remember why she'd ever been frightened of him. The bond between them was so natural and comfortable that she couldn't imagine life without him.  She wondered how Wifi had been able to walk away from him.

Somehow, Dud knew exactly what was on her mind (he usually did!) and his question confirmed it. She nodded, still cuddled against his side, and replied softly with a sigh, "Yeah..."  She hoped that wherever her sister was, she was happy and having lots of fun.  "Feels so weird without her here."  The one bright point she'd had to look forward to was the prospect of having new siblings to play with, but even that wasn't happening now.

His suspicions proved true. "It does," Peregrine agreed, lifting his nearer leg to drape it loosely around his daughter's shoulders. He searched for words of comfort but found none. In time, they would get used to Wildfire's absence. But nothing would ever fill the little hole she had left behind in their family and their hearts.

Peregrine knew from experience that staying busy helped a lot at times like this. "Hey, I could use your help, Dr. Raven, medicine woman. Some of our members seem to be coming down with a bad cold. Any chance you could help diagnose and better yet treat this minor medical malady?" he wondered.

Though Raven was a deep thinker and tended to dwell on things more than most kids her age should, she also had an attention span that was reasonably easy to manipulate.  Hearing "Dr. Raven, medicine woman" perked up her ears, brightened her eyes, and brought a grin to her face.  Plants and their medicinal qualities were one of the very few things of which the youngest Redhawk was most passionate.  It was a soothing thing to her, one that demanded equal parts intellect, dedication, curiosity, and courage.  It was something she'd pursued and learned almost exclusively by herself, despite the fact that there were plenty of adults around that she could have asked (and Sebastian was, in fact, a qualified healer).

Few things gave her more pride and satisfaction than when her parents, the Alphas of her pack, recognized the value of what she did and put it to use.  It made her feel important and needed.  So when Dud asked her if she could help with a cold that was going around, she looked at him with obvious delight and nodded eagerly.  "I know a few things that might help!" she piped up exuberantly, already running through a list in her head of what she had stashed in the badger den.  "Who all is sick?"

He saw the effect his words had on his younger daughter. Slowly, she smiled, her eyes glittering with interest and pride. She should feel proud, Peregrine thought. She had come a long way in sharpening her healing skills, especially considering there was no one to train her properly. It might take longer for the self-taught Healer to officially earn her stripes but the Alpha male had no doubt Raven would one day be an incredibly adept and skillful medic. He more than trusted her with a remedy for the pack's present outbreak.

"I know I saw Dean sniffling and snotting," Peregrine answered, "and when I swung by Elwood and Finley's place, I thought I heard the bub coughing in the den." That was all so far, though he feared it would spread to everyone else. It was probably only a matter of time. "Do you know of any ways to, uh... I don't know what word I'm looking for. I don't want to get it; is there anything I can do to stop myself from catching it? Other than avoiding everyone...?"

Truthfully, Raven wasn't sure how to answer his question.  She wasn't a super-experienced healer by any means; she might be able to tell you how to remedy a runny nose or dull the pain of a scraped leg, but prevention was still a thing she had yet to figure out.  But she knew well that certain little blue wildflowers (chicory) that grew everywhere here were good for helping with stuffy noses and bellyaches.  She had a strange hypothesis, and she voiced it aloud to her dad, "Mebbe if you chew up chicories they can help you not get sick...cuz they make you better when you are sick so mebbe they can help you not get sick?"  She looked at Dud expectantly, as if hoping that he might confirm her theory.

He could tell that the question stumped her a bit. Peregrine gave her a little nudge, reassuring her that it was all right if she didn't know. But Raven came up with a suggestion: chicories. She didn't sound sure at all, though it would be harmless to try. He looked around himself, as if hoping a whole bunch of them would magically appear at his feet. No matter how bad they tasted (because, let's face it, most plants tasted horrible), he was eager to gobble them up if it meant he might not get sick himself.

"Are there any in there?" he guessed, thrusting his black muzzle toward the badger den. "If not, can you show me where to find some?" Although the circumstances weren't optimal, he wouldn't mind making a daddy/daughter date out of collecting chicories and perhaps other necessary flora to prepare the pack for a possible outbreak.

Raven grinned, pleased that her father seemed so receptive to the idea. She wasn't sure at all if her idea would work, but somehow in her youthful mind it did make sense.  At least chicory wasn't harmful, though, so if she was wrong the worst thing Dud would end up with was a nasty taste in his mouth.

"I have a little," she answered, indicating the small cluster of dried chicory plants she had stored in the little badger den. "But it's better if it's still green though. We might can still find some if we look!"  She knew this particular plant grew well in grassy areas, and their packland was basically one gigantic grassy area. The cold weather would have likely killed most of the wildflowers in exposed areas, but in wooded areas, they could probably still find some.

She pointed out a small amount of chicories stashed in the badger den. Trying not to think about its original occupant, Peregrine took a mental picture, then swiveled to face out across the expanse of the rendezvous site. It was very late in the year and the local flora hadn't been in bloom for months now. However, there was still greenery and though they'd had a frost or two, it had yet to snow. They stood a good chance of finding a few more of these plants.

"Well," he declared, "time's a-wastin'. Just tell me where to look. Like, do they grow in certain areas? Or under certain conditions?" Plants didn't much interest him, yet there was an authentic curiosity in his voice. This was Raven's passion, so that made him all about it right now. He gazed at her expectantly, eagerly falling into step beside her as they set off on their botanical scavenger hunt.