Wolf RPG

The days had gone by painfully slowly. The pain had eased of course; Eigma no longer awoke in the night with a trembling body, gasping for air. She did not expect much attention from the wolves of Donnelaith and was not surprised by their absence - she was a stranger, a freeloader, and it pained her more than any injury thus far that she was so useless to them. That Lasher saw fit to aid her at all was a blessing. She decided in one of her fleeting moments of lucidity that she owed him a great debt, and that it would be her duty to re-pay one day.

It was cloudy and mild when she woke. With effort she made her way out of the small, hastily dug den which had been excavated on the fringes of the druid wolves' territory, halting just outside of the sloping mouth. A patch of pale light filtered down between the immense trees, and she basked there for a while, listening to the calm of the trees, and breathing in the lightly salted air with carefully timed breaths. Soon she would be leaving this place. A part of her did not want to.

Dante had been scarce in the packlands of late, his mood soured a bit by not particularly feeling up to snuff. The cough still plagued him and affected his hunting, though he still patrolled the borders as frequently as he could to make up for that particular lack. Small game he could sometimes manage as well, so long as the chase wasn't arduous.

Thus, it was a mildly grumpy Dante that stumbled upon an emerged Eigma, and he eyed her in a somewhat unfriendly manner, skeptical still of Lasher's decision to allow her to stay. They had newborn pups to feed and zero resources to spare for an outsider, particularly one who did not seem fit to hunt for herself. If he were still at the helm, she would have been left, but Lasher's faith in their abilities was greater than Dante's own, and there was a reason Dante had chosen to give his place to the current Alpha.

This did not mean he was going to be welcoming, and he did not intend to linger long. But this seemed as good a time as any to introduce himself. "You are feeling better?" he asked, no warmth in the question. It was clear he hoped this was the case, and likely she could surmise why that was. He'd heard briefly of her condition, but no details. He would not have known what such details meant anway, with no knowledge of healing himself.

The sunlight was pale but warm, and comforted her in ways that she had never thought about before. It was strange to miss the sunlight. Strange too, to miss the dust that floated in the beams or the shine upon the snow and ice when caught beneath them. Eigma had never been a particularly creative individual. She was mindful of the scenery only so much as a lone wolf must be; nothing held her attention more than a threatening display or the agitated rumbling of a fellow scavenger. But now, with time to sit and rest and watch, she saw the beauty here.

Not even the approach of a strange wolf detracted from her pleasant mood. Having spent a few weeks among the wolves of Donnelaith by now, Eigma could recognize a few faces - not names, there was never time nor energy for trivialities - but she recognized the gray man who settled near her. He seemed grim, casting her a few sharp looks that may have disrupted her calm had she cared enough. His question was thrown through the filter of her peaceful mind as well, and she chose to take it as a friendly query rather than the subtle reminder it could have been.

"Yes, thank you for asking." He was the first to speak to her since Lasher. She did not mind the solitude though, it was normal for her. Having company now was something of an aberration compared to her usual day-to-day activities (injured or healthy), but she was accepting of his presence all the same. "I was just going to test myself," a pause as she takes a slow breath, trying to fill her lungs as much as she could before pain settled in her ribs; it was sharp but not endless. "Do you care to... Join me?" She did not want to disrupt the pack any more than she might have already - but Eigma wanted to find something to repay Lasher. A gift of food, or of herbs, as was agreed. Perhaps being an escort would put Dante's mind at ease.

To his slight annoyance, she disregarded the hint, but Dante wasn't quite irritable enough to undermine Lasher and pick a fight with a wolf who he had granted sanctuary to.  The remark and it's disregard for his tone did plant a slight seed of dislike in the Beta, one that might disappear with the new day or grow, depending on future interactions.

At least she was thinking of making herself useful.  He berudgingly allowed her that.  While he wasn't sure he wanted to join, he did know he wasn't find of her wandering around willy-nilly.  She was no member here and this was not her home.  So if she wanted to do something, he probably should go along. "Alright."

It is with a stiff affirmation that the other wolf agrees to go with her, and Eigma wonders if all the Donnelaith wolves are as unhappy about her presence as this one. With Lasher's kindness came a certain level of responsibility - whether it was real or not, she felt as if she owed her life to the wolves here. If they did not like her presence then that was fine; she would be on her way soon enough (hopefully), but before leaving she wished to at least restore the caches that she had been utilizing in her recovery. As soon as Dante agreed to escort her, Eigma slid a tired smile upon her face. She got up and carefully stretched her legs, feeling a pinch in her armpits and along her sides as her ribs protested, and then relaxed. She gave the older wolf a small glance, wondering if he would be so bold as to chase her out if given the chance.

"I was hoping to find herbs for your healer. To restore what I've used." That or maybe a meal, something to give back. Beyond being part of her arrangement with Lasher, it was the least she could do. "Do you know where... ah," An abrupt spasm of pain broke through Eigma's attempt to communicate, so she flounders for a moment, waiting for the sensation to ease away and her breath to return; after a brief bow of her head and a controlled few breaths, she seems to return to normal. "Where do you suppose I look?" she queries, feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable, and hopes that he will help her since she is, by proxy, helping his family.

Dante was no healer, and he almost said as much - but thought better of it.  He wouldn't let his moodiness lead to conflict unnecessarily, and he wasn't abouit to risk losing Lasher's respect.  So he bit his tongue, and instead waited a couple of moments, urging his better nature to make an appearance.  Sometimes a few moments of thought could make all the difference in keeping a conversation on a somewhat positive bend.

"I don't have a great idea.  But the water would likely be a good start."  It stood to reason that anything of use would likely be near the stream, at least in Dante's logic.  He had explored the forest somewhat, but not to the extend that he would have liked, and in doing so, had paid more attention to prey and larger features than flora.  That had been a miss on his part.

"But your guess is probably as good as mine," he finished, not smiling but with a bit less ice than before.  He willed himself to relax, to not take out his irritation on this girl who seemed bound and determined to ignore it anyway.  Good of her, and he would likely later give her some credit for that.  Now he just found it doubly irritating.

"The water. Yes, that.. Should do." A faint smile traced its way back across Eigma's face, and she slipped in to an easy - but slow - stride just behind Dante. Having not explored the territory much, it was up to him to lead her; although he wasn't so keen on it, the woman was pleased to have company. Her pace was occasionally hindered by a sharp pain to her sides, so she'd lag a few extra paces behind with a curious, watchful look towards Dante's figure. She wasn't so concerned with the pain though. The wolves here had treated her well, with great care. It was difficult to ignore the sensation, but her goal was to find herbs - not to worry anyone, and definitely not to overly exert herself - so when she wasn't watching the gray man, she was spying the various plants and sections of frosted earth, hoping to see something familiar to retrieve. It was slow going, but she would not stop until she'd found something.

Slow, and quiet. Eigma hadn't thought to speak further to Dante until they reach the river; and even then, she was busy catching her breath.

The injured wolf's pace suited Dante fine (he was a bit dismayed to note), so it took them a bit longer to reach the river.  Dante too sought while he walked, taking note of finer details he had not yet catalogued within his internal mapping of the region.  There was much to remember and each time more layers could be imposed.  It would be a very long process to learn this place as well as he had the Plateau when they departed.  The thought evoked a slight twinge of nostalgia for the place, but no regret.  Here was where he was happy.

For a time, he ignored Eigma.  It wasn't out of spite, but moreso out of a lack of any real desire for words.  He had nothing to ask that he wished answered nor any smalltalk to share with a stranger within their lands.  Silence settled over them, a neutral sort that did not bother the Beta.  When they finally did reach their objective he paused, finally breaking the quiet.  "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"  If she sought something specific (perhaps those which had been used on her own healing), perhaps he could keep an eye open as well.  He had limited knowledge on what was useful vs what was not.

His question roused a briefly confused expression, but she quickly remembered the point of their trek. Her breath finally caught up with her, so she answered as best she could: "I wish to restore what the medics used on me," at the very least "- and maybe add some gifts, if any can be found." Flowers were out of season so she did not expect to find those. Perhaps there was something of equal value on the shore of the beaches? But they'd have to climb down from the Sentinels and the ridge upon which they roosted just to look. That would be an adventure for another day. "For now, just herbs."

With that explained, Eigma got to her feet and began searching. She kept her head low, probing patches of reeds or batting at the thin layers of frost upon the ground to uncover anything of value.

For now, just herbs.  How helpful, if he had any clue on earth what constituted herbs.  There were a handful he would know by sight or scent, but most plants were unintelligble for any purpose other than marking where he was in the territory.  He wasn't in the mood to ask her to clarify, though, so decided instead he'd use the opportunity as simply a chance to observe and learn the territory a bit better in the process.  He'd keep a nose out for prey as well.

While she batted at frozen ground, he rooted about the neighboring trees, poking in the roots for anything living, plant or creature.  If he found anything that looked promising outside of the generic grasses, leaves, and dried up weeds, he'd give her a heads up.  But so far he was coming up empty.  "What made you seek asylum here?" he asked after a time, curious despite himself and still not sure he accepted her presence.  Perhaps it might help to know why she was in their lands in the first place.

"I did not seek it," she answered softly, slowly, as if to announce this fact would put a nail in her coffin. Perhaps Dante would find more fault with her for admitting this, but she was being truthful. Raising her head from a clump of soil, she idly pawed at it, searching for something of value but also keeping herself occupied so that she didn't overthink the situation. "I was injured while travelling, and fate led Lasher to me. I woke up here, somehow." Though it was not something she had control over, Eigma was grateful for his kindness; that much was clear as she smiled warmly towards Dante. She did not admit to her growing attachment to the giant trees and birdsong, or the scent of the ocean wind.

"And you? How did you come to be here?" Whether she meant him specifically or the pack, she did not indicate. It was up to Dante to expound any relevant details he felt comfortable with. As he spoke, she returned to sussing out the different smells, nosing about the plants, and carefully gathering small things that seemed like a good addition to the cache. Thus far her efforts were bare, but she trusted the land would provide.

In fact, her words did the opposite.  If she had sought to burden the pack with her troubles and begged for her place here, his own respect would have fallen considerably.  That Lasher would have taken pity and brought her here himself made sense.  He relaxed a tidge, though he still wasn't sure how he felt about her personally, so his own smile in return was uncertain.  It was hard to tell when his day had been somewhat rotten thus far if his irritation was her or simply him.  Likely him.

"I helped found it." And find it, he added silently, looking with some affection at the forest around them.  "We came from a plateau to the west and relocated here.  It was time for a new start."  He didn't mention the changing ranks - there was no point in confusing anything.  As far as Dante was concerned, from this point on, Lasher led and had always led.  He would not lie if directly asked, but would not imply otherwise either.

"Interesting." She responded softly, pausing in her search for herbs to reflect upon his words. She had never heard of packs migrating before; to Eigma, that was a freedom indicative to the rogues which she had once lived alongside. Leaving one home for another sounded... Difficult. But the pack seemed to flourish here. Before she could say anything else, Eigma noticed something in the soil that was more familiar than any of the other plants - it looked like a greener, more lively version of a dried herb that the healers had left for her, time and again. "Ah, here we go." While the woman couldn't identify the name of the plant, she thought it was accurate enough of a find. "Looks like I can contribute after all." With that, she pawed at the plant so that more of it was exposed, and then grabbed at it - pulling the plant and its roots free with a tousle of her neck.

She was having luck, but to him, none of these plants stood out in any way as being particularly useful.  Poking around, he went by scent - herbs he knew generally had a stronger tang to them.  Nothing yet.

He looked at the plant she found, but made no comment.  In this she had more to contribute than him.  But he would reserve judgement for now.  Still he thought it was a mistake to take an injured wolf in, but his respect for Lasher was too great to express this.

They spent an hour or two longer in search of things, and when they turned to head back to the packlands, Eigma had a nice collection of things. The return trip was fleeting; made quick because of her lifted spirits, but perhaps only for the woman. Soon they were home and Eigma began to find places to store the herbs - some she kept in her makeshift den for drying - and the day wore on.