Portia huffed and puffed a little more than usual the past few days. She was fit as ever and still loved a good walk, but her lack of endurance mixed with all the smoke and ash... it didn't do her much help lately. She would much rather be snuggled up to Dio elsewhere, but as the pack's only-- was she really the only one?-- Skayona and medic, she knew it was her job to make sure everyone was alright. She'd been running around all damn day with a sack of herbs, herbs she'd spent all day the previous day collecting, and giving them to every wolf. She needed a break more than anything, but was too worried about letting her Heda down that she could hardly bother to take a few minutes rest.
Outside
@Thuringwethil's den, the freckled woman gave a light bark, setting the herbs down and panting.
"Ma'am?" she called, praying the woman was home,
"I need you to come out and take this right now." She had a honeycomb and a pile of coltsfoot, wrapped up in those leaves, and she was prepared to shove all of it down her Heda's throat if she needed to. She'd taken a bit herself just this morning, but was saving as much of it as she could for the rest of the pack-- especially Thuringwethil, Wildfire, and the puppies.
@Wildfire is welcome to join as well, but Portia can easily just give Thur some instruction :p
She had noticed a difference in the air lately, even if it had been mostly cleared after a day or two. Still, she has a cough, and while it isn’t enough to interfere with every day life, it had become a hindrance. It isn’t something she really pays much attention, unless it’s the occasional fit, and something she assumes will go away eventually. When Portia comes to the cave, where Thuringwethil is resting after a shift in the geyser watching the elk, she finds herself intrigued by the sudden demand.
A smirk forms on her muzzle as she steps a step out into the open space to look down at what Portia thinks she’s meant to eat right this minute. Thuringwethil licks at her lips—thinking the idea of honey will be a sweet treat, and then how she’d gotten it—but is ultimately pulled back to one main question: “why?”
Portia blinked, unsure if Thuringwethil was serious. "For your throat," she answers briefly, tail flicking anxiously. "And in case you're having trouble breathing I've got some coltsfoot," she added, eyes studying her Heda, "Even if it's not irritated, it'd make me feel better if you took it." She smiled a bit brighter, batting her eyelashes in a playful attempt to sway her leader to take it. She paused, sniffing the herbs briefly. "And some for Wildfire," she added.
Although she was weary from tension and lost sleep, Wildfire couldn't sit still. After trying to catch some shuteye, she quickly gave up and declared that she would go hunt. She was gone for a few hours, returning now with a dead rabbit dangling from her jaws. She slowed when she reached the den, watching as Portia spoke to Thuringwethil, then hastened her step. She slithered into the cave's mouth, dropped the kill in the back, then swiveled to face the medic at her mate's shoulder.
"What's this?" she asked curiously, eyeing Portia's delivery and then flicking her warm eyes upward to smile gently at the Skayona.
When Portia explains the purpose, Thuringwethil takes a moment to process. She looks down at the offerings at the healer’s feet and then back at Wildfire as she suddenly emerges. She had not given the task to Portia to go around and make sure everyone is okay and they have the things they need to settle any ailments from the blech the dragon showed them the other night. A swell of pride fills her chest as she realizes the wolves within her claim, the wolves Tanja thinks will steer her wrong, work just fine within Drageda. They work as one, taking care of one another just like any other family. A small smile hooks one side of her features and she nods her head.
“These are to help soothe what the ash has caused,” she explains as a tickle makes itself known in the back of her throat. Thuringwethil does her best to suppress the cough. “The cough I’ve had since, this will fix it?” she asks once she directs her attention back to the skayona.
Portia dips her head respectfully to Wildfire, her tail waving happily as the redhead came out. She nodded at what Thuringwethil said, then turned her green gaze back to her Heda. "It should," she said, ears cupping forward, "Honey will help with soreness or dryness, and the coltsfoot will help coughing." She bent down to nose out a smaller bundle, gently rolling it towards the two wolves. "There are a few of these in here, just take one a day until it runs outs and it should be gone soon," she explained, looking back up between the two. Her lips took to a smile, unable to contain her excitement for the couple. She had spoken to both wolves separately from the meeting, but had yet to see them together since then-- it warmed her heart.
Portia explained her remedies and Wildfire glanced sideways at Thuringwethil. The commander should get first dibs, not just because she was at the top of the food chain but because she legitimately needed it more. The Bandrona had noticed the occasional cough since the shakeup and hoped the Skayona's treatments would help with it. The yearling listened carefully to the dosages, smiling gratefully at the pretty woman as she finished.
"Thanks, Portia," Wildfire said warmly. "Would you like some fresh meat in exchange?" she added with a wag of her black tail. She would be happy to fetch the rabbit she had just caught. She knew Portia wasn't expecting payment and the Bandrona didn't think if it as such. Rather, it would be a token of gratitude for the medic's efforts.
Portia easily answers her questions and Thuringwethil nods to the instructions. It is when Wildfire speaks again that her gaze turns to the offer, bobbing her head once more. Even if Portia hadn’t put all this together for payment, it is only customary to reward, in some fashion, the work. Especially when Thuringwethil feels a new set of pride for Drageda. Between the earth shaking and the elk in the geyser field, she knew all of this is leading them in the proper direction for winter. “Thank you,” she repeats her mate, hopeful Portia will take the offering.
"O-oh," Portia was a bit shocked to hear the offer, her ears pricking and falling a few times as the question fully processed. "Yes, actually, that would be wonderful... I'm a bit out of sorts this morning," she said gratefully, dipping her head. A small smile graced her lips, tail wagging behind her and eyes shining. "Thank you, hun," she added, glancing between the wolves, green gaze settling on Wildfire briefly, somewhat pleased she was growing so close to her packmates.
The Bandrona's brow furrowed gently, wondering what Portia meant when she said she was out of sorts. Instead of prying, she shot the Skayona a quick smile, then retreated into the den to fetch the rabbit. It was still slightly warm to the touch. She carried it outside and set it gently at the other she-wolf's feet, then complemented her presentation by giving Portia a grateful nudge to the side of her muzzle.
"Just a little token of our appreciation," she said, stepping back to stand at Thuringwethil's shoulder. She was so used to curbing the urge to exchange affection with her lover in front of others that, for a moment, she stifled it without thinking. Then she remembered herself and, knowing Portia wouldn't mind—she might even be tickled—Wildfire turned her head to kiss the commander's jaw.
Thuringwethil lifts a brow when Portia speaks, curious about what was wrong, but Wildfire disappears and returns a second later, bringing the kill and placing it between the healer’s feet. She refocuses her attention and nods to the sentiment, thankful she ended up taking the offer in return. Even if it is a little token, her work on the mountain is more than appreciated to them all. And it’ll be nice to have her cough finally gone. However, she suddenly drops her ears to the back of her head as her mate reaches over and places a kiss upon her muzzle. Tensing, she turns to face her, and a wave of heat surges to her cheeks. The flustered feeling in her chest keeps her from responding and she offers a slight awkward smile in return.
At first, Wildfire brought out a partially-fresh piece of meat, and Portia's tail waved a bit with gratitude. Though she opened her mouth to thank them properly, Wildfire planted a kiss on Thuringwethil's cheek, which left the Heda almost flustered. Portia grinned brightly, a noise sounding like purr rumbling from her throat, her paws tapping against the ground in a light little dance. "Oh!" she squeaked happily, tail wagging furiously behind her, "I'll leave you to be, thanks again." She gave the pair a playful wink-- meaning only to fluster them-- and with a respectful dip of her head, she then picked up the rabbit and began off, a bit of a bigger hop to her step.
It was just a brief touch, then Wildfire withdrew and faced Portia again, missing her mate's flustered response. Her lips parted in a laugh when Portia not only seemed pleased but outright delighted, shortly before dismissing herself with a wink. The Bandrona felt a slight tingle of warmth in her cheeks at the suggestiveness of the exchange and gave Thuringwethil an almost sheepish glance out of the corner of her eye.
"See you later, Portia, and thanks again," Wildfire called after the Skayona before fully turning toward the Heda again. "I think I'm gonna catch another rabbit to replace that one. Want to come with?"
Thuringwethil wrinkles her nose a little but brushes it off quickly, hopefully before anyone has the chance to see it, but before she knows it Portia has picked up the kill Wildfire gifted her and made her departure. Thuringwethil gives her own in the same breath as Wildfire once her attention is back upon her mate. A little wiggle of her tail and a nod of her head puts them both into motion, hunting their dinner together.