Wolf RPG

she toured through the trees with aaron, at least until he made his departure; as a leader, hosannah suspected he had many duties to attend to, the last of which would have to be acquisition. so, she was left alone for a time. the forest was a great black pit the deeper one marched in to it, and the further she went, the more forlorn she felt. the light which penetrated the boughs near the thinned fringes of the plantation was warm and inviting, while here - without the light, though she knew it did exist still - she felt a little more lost. like this place was some form of doorway to another world, one of blackness and evil.

she would not speak of this to aaron, of course. a breathy whisper contained a few choice prayers, recited as she wove her way out of the dark and closer to the brightness of a clearing. as hosannah found this clearing, she stood centrally within it, and took a shaky breath; her weakness remained, even after the meal she had eaten, and the mental comfort of knowing she had a place here. thoughts of the future were limited in this moment - she simply existed, basking in the warmth afforded by her lord.

Winding amongst the dark trunks of the shady forests Liri felt at home. She viewed the forest as shadowed, secretive but not ominous. She loved the darkness of her home, finding beauty in it even if it wasn't conventional beauty.

The brown female was larger than she, previously injured if her nose was correct. She smelt Aaron on her and assumed that meant she was a new recruit and not an intruder. 

Padding closer shyly, she sniffed the other in a greeting as old as canines were. She leaned back some, barking softly to greet the other.

when her eyes opened, she felt more at peace. the warmth of the sun - and the light of it - brightened everything. no longer hindered by her irrational fear of the dark, hosannah could focus on other things. her first thought was to find a den, or some place to sequester herself for a nap - but before having the chance, a pale, sylph-like creature came creeping like a ghost out of the shadows. she came closer, and hosannah remained still, unsure but not uninviting, and even extended her sharp snout so that she could investigate her. they sniffed one another briefly, and hosannah picked up the subtle perfume of aaron, as well as something floral, across her body. 

hosannah smiled softly, her expression showcasing how tired she felt. you are another wife, she surmised, wondering to whom this spirit was tethered. my name is hosannah.

She stiffened at the female's words, memories appearing in her mind's eye. Another wife. It made her recall the last pack she had belonged to who had believed in polygamous relationships. She remembered the ugly, twisted woman who had been her sister wife.

Her lip curled slightly, one canine peeking between her lips not in her usual happy smile but in slight disgust at her last home. "I belong to no man," she told the other female defiantly.

Concern flirted over her features, relieving the biterness. "You are in pain, no? I can help you, I am a healer." The woman seemed tired, likely needing a place to sleep. "You may come with me to my den if you wish, likely you are tired. You may sleep there if you want, until you can dig a den of your own." She smiled kindly, offering her medicine and board but only if she wished to accept.

the acerbic manner of the woman's response catches hosannah's attention, and she raises her brows slowly in an oh? moment. were the women here not all of the same mind? not wives, as aaron had put forth to her? perhaps this pale one was here against her will. if that were the case, she could have easily departed -- hosannah had not seen many wolves lingering within the forest, and none had intercepted her approach save for aaron, who appeared to rule here. she said nothing of her thoughts,

hosannah's expression softens the longer the woman speaks, and she turns her head to fully regard her; the sunlight gleaming across her fur. this offer of aid does not surprise her as much as the first utterance, as she had already surmised these wolves to be soft of heart. this one seemed a little stronger, tougher - trying to resist the heathen ways that aaron presented to her - so perhaps this one could be saved in the long run.

her silence is short lived - and a smile spreads across her pointed features, accepting of the woman and her offer. that is very kind. please, lead the way - we can walk and talk, and hosannah can learn more about this place, its customs, and its many spiritual failings.

She nodded, pointing with her muzzle slightly in the direction of her home. "It is this way." Her den was large enough for two, she had spent half a day digging it upon first joining. There were some large males within the pack which led her to dig it big enough for herself and one of the larger males in case she mated them. It would be spacious enough for the two petite females.

As she walked she turned slightly to face Hosannah, "What is it that ails you? What caused your injuries?" She had distinctly smelt blood, an older smell that led her to believe Anna had arrived injured leading her to wonder why no one had helped her before.

as the woman directed her, she moved. they did not move too far before she thought to look around, but in the doom and gloom of the forest, hosannah was oblivious. she could not discern the shape of the entryway, nor what to look for (be it a great living tree, or something more decayed, or even a burrow dug grave-like in to the soil). it was not so important, for surely this ghost would direct her when the time came. instead of focusing on that, the woman devoted her attention to the question posed to her.

i was.. over-zealous, which was the unfortunate truth. i was on the other side of the mountains, and there was a pack... it's denizens were hardly friendly. although that was only a half-truth; it had been her foolish desire of impressing her lord which led her there, and now it seemed hosannah could find redemption in this other place.

in an effort to distract from her wounds - for hosannah was not keen on speaking of them, especially since it was so obvious she was missing an appendage - she shifted the conversation to focus upon her. what of you? were you born here, or...? it seemed likely for a harem-pack like this to have many children, and so hosannah suspected this place to be much older than it was.

She laughed quietly, remembering the northern land she had been born to. It was a desolate place of snow and darkness filled with packs of long lineage who bore wisdom and primitive aspects. It was nothing like Rosings, here she had actually felt a sense of home, of family. Her own pack had been a stiff place, filled with notions of nobility and stiff social ranking. 

"No, I was born far from here. I only joined this pack about a month ago, shortly after it formed." She explained briefly, recalling with a small smile the day Aaron had recruited her. 

She gestured with an incline of her head to her den, which loomed from the ancient tree. It had a magical feel to her even if that was a somewhat silly idea. It was a hole in the trunk of the large tree, which had fallen long ago and created a sort of roof. The dirt floor sloped down into a deep pit beneath the wooden trunk to create a cozy feel to it. "We're here."

She ducked into the hole first, mainly to show her where it was in the dim light. Her own eyes saw well in the dark as she approached the cache within her den where she stored her healing plants. Some had been dried in the bright sun of the less shaded places around Rosings, others stored fresh. 

Turning to Anna, who she had named in her mind as such, she studied her. "What exactly are your injuries? I could examine them if you wish but it would help if you tell me exactly how you sustained them." 

when the pair reached the den site, she looked around. as she inspected the exterior - eyes catching upon the strands of herbs which her lord fondly caressed, withering them, drying them for use. hosannah smiles as she sees this but says nothing - soon enough the pale woman's head appears once again, and she is asking more questions.

taking a small, slow breath, hosannah decides that it is worth it to at least expand on what she had said before. this was her home for the time being, and if she were to try and gather a flock unto her in the name of raas, she would need to be more diplomatic. or at least form some loose connections to the beasts here.

i was attacked by multiple beasts, but escaped. not entirely unscathed, at this she turned her head to look askance at her rear end, then glanced to the ghost - realizing she wouldn't be able to see properly. it was no time to be bashful. so instead of speak, the woman pirouetted on the spot and stopped with her head pointing away from liri. you see? my tail - she tried to wag it, and flinched, stopping quickly enough, they took it. pulled it off of me like... like it was the end of a fox. after stating this, hosannah felt a swell of doubt and despair in her belly.

The light within her dwelling was dim but even so she could see the bloody stump that had become her companion's tail. She choked back the urge to wretch at the horrid sight, never had she seen such a gruesome wound. She prided herself in having a strong stomach though and kept it in check.

"You poor thing, let me find herbs." She turned to her stash, rifling through it neatly to keep from disorganizing it. It was crucial not to disturb the order for in a frenzy she may mistake the plants for each other and cause disatrous results.

She considered the dried chamomile for a moment but knew it was too mild for such a wound. Hesitantly, she grabbed some dried datura also known as thornapple. It was poison while raw but the dried leaves were safe for healing uses, it tended to be strong. Too much could kill a wolf but she had used it before. Carefully she portioned out some, bringing it over to Anna.

"Take this, it will make you sleep but it will deaden the pain." She was sure the wound ached quite a bit, removing one's tail didn't even seem plausible. Rightly, Hosannah should be dead seeing as part of her spine had been removed yet she walked fine, lived even.

Grabbing the alfalfa she had chosen fresh to use to clot the blood, she lay it nearby for Hosannah to take as well. "To clot the blood, help it heal." Tomorrow she would help the woman wash the wound with water and another type of plant, perhaps the chamomile. As a wash it was good for healing wounds but it wouldn't have worked as a stress and/or pain reliever. 

"If you should need me, do not hesitate to wake me. In the morning I will wash the wound. For now it is too dark. Sleep well," she moved some away, stretching out for the night. She stayed close to the other inside of her den, ready to help her if needed.

it had been a month - or nearly so - since the attack. since her stupid foray on the other side of danger. her own tending had been sloppy and nearly useless, which had led to the remaining tissue becoming necrotic and - sickening as it was - coming apart. what hosannah had been left with was an irregular stump for a tail; a little thing that was easier to clean, but a morbid sight to behold. this was proven by the herbalist's own admission, and hosannah could not help but pale upon hearing her words. her beautiful tail - gone, just like that! but it was only flesh. one day she would transcend among the stars and live with her lord, and this sated her nerves for a few moments at least.

there was a wide array of herbs presented to her, and while hosannah listened as best she could, it was too much information for her to take in at once. it did not matter, so long as she was tended to - and ate as she was bid. some things she recognized; though this woman used different words and had other uses for a few items. the woman smiled over the growing pile, and muttered, you have vast knowledge, i am impressed, and she wasn't being fascetious this time either. her smile was genuine.

it has been some time since i lost my tail... so i doubt i need to clot any blood. this seemed like pertinent information for the ghost, but following this, hosannah began to pick at the pieces of things she had to chew. anything that needed to be turned to paste she methodically munched, spat out, and munched some more; this was familiar to her, this preparation. perhaps a healer was what she would become here - to at least mask her true purpose in this place.

once everything had been eaten or otherwise applied, hosannah crept in to the mouth of the den, the ink-like shadows covering the crown of her head, and settled in to a position which was... mildly painful, but not impossibly so. eventually she would sleep, and her new life among the heathens of Rosings would truly begin.

Perhaps her vision was not as good as she had thought in the dark of her home, she had been sure the wound looked fresh. Even now she squinted at it. Still she was certain the alfalfa would not hurt, surely if she still smelt blood it was festered. 

It would scar badly, that she was sure of. She was not adverse to scars, she had many which she hid in the depths of her thick fur. They were visible only when she was wet, scars in the shapes of gouges and bite marks. They tokens of her past life, reminders of her strength and at the same time- her weakness.

"Thank you but I have much to learn yet. Aaron is a better healer than myself, in my opinion." She glanced down shyly, flattered but also embarrased with the praise before settling her head on her paws, wondering if the woman had anything else to say before retiring for the night.

managing to settle in to a somewhat acceptable position, hosannah began to drift as soon as her head was down upon her paws. she thought of the days ahead, of her wound, of the terror she had experienced by virtue of her greed for her lord's love - and of her lord, of course. she heard liri in the back of her mind though, and managed a small grunt in response, more like a hum. but before her mind could concoct a response, it was already shutting down for the night. she was asleep within moments, and breathing softly.