Tyrande was giddy. Then again, maybe that was the scent.
With a rag of wet moss draped over her nose, the toxicologist carried her plant-filled bucket gingerly. The moss probably made her look ridiculous, but this collection of herb was particularly had to find, and when she found it, she collected as much as she could.
Henbane. The apothecary was in high spirits. On her way to her den, the sleeper's plant precariously shuffled, wafting scent up to her nostrils, only to be shunned away by the moss.
Sitri saw Tyrande walking as he stalked the pack lands. His large paws tearing up the ground in swift strides. He had been going a different way, but doubled back to see if the poisoner wanted help. Tyrande need Sitri help? he asked as softly as he could so as to not scare her. He wondered what the atrocious fumes wafting towards him were but being that he was used to strong smells he knew to stay down wind, compliments of his father.
Tyrande swiveled her ears towards the sound of Sitri's voice. The moss dangling awkwardly, she slowly shook her head.
"No, thanks, Sitri." she said, her speech muffle by the moss. "Just be careful. If you sniff too much of this stuff, you're gonna be on the floor snoozing."
Sitri answered her in his deep growl I know that smell I know to stay down wind. My father had it in the healers den. he wrinkled his nose he did not know the name of it nor what it could do exactly just that if smelled to much you would fall in a deep deep sleep. His father used it for only the gods knew what, the queen used it to kidnap babes. He remembered that well, she would have him put that throughout dens and then the queen would still the pups for her own uses slaves, some sacrifices, some warriors, some consorts whatever she pleased. As his memories assaulted him the voices began to jabber All the little children all of them for me. take em up and raise em up to what you want to be...all the little children death is bringing to yoru door all the little children death is at your door.... he shuddered as he remembered that sing song voice the queen had when she was taking all the little children he had heard the noise himself before he was taken by the queen and turned into what he was nothing more than a tool that was living and breathing adept at doing what he was told. He whimpered as the voices got louder, but he tried to be silent.
The glow in her eyes dimmed for a bit. She shouldn't have been surprised. She never met Sitri's former pack, and she was glad she never did. Makes you wonder what could've happened if I really did cross paths with his pack... probably wouldn't have ended well...
"Oh..." the Nightshade murmured, after a pause, she tentatively asked him, "Does... Does your former pack still exist?"
She wanted to know for multiple reasons. In case whatever crazy pack he once had came to pull some shifty moves. If they ever did, Tyrande would be more than happy to show them her Lily of the Valley collection...
She realized she was prying, and looked away. "Sorry..."
Sitri's tattered ears moved forward to listen to her question he shrugged his massive shoulders and spoke lowly in a growl They are all gone Sitri only one alive. He remembered the massive fire that had broken out claiming them all, he being fast had been able to outrun it, but not without some scars to add to his repertoire.
He shook his head at her and gave her a lopsided smile, a smile of someone not used to doing so. No need to be sorry wasn't close to any of them.
Honestly, Tyrande wasn't sorry about that. She was sorry because she feared she might be pulling out bad memories Sitri may not want to remember. She was relieved that that pack was gone. Lupus forbid anything like that ever ends up in Teekon Wilds. She doubted even her somewhat savage pack would do things like that.
She ran her eyes across his flank, once again reading the sad, grim story that Sitri had wrote. She swallowed. She thought she had led a terrible life, but Sitri took the cake. She doubted that many would be able to live through what he did without becoming bloodthirsty or insane themselves.
Dim World, maybe Sitri was a few flowers too short of a bouquet. But it wasn't entirely obvious. There was indeed still hope, as she had caught the glimmer of it while they had explored the caves.
Sitri, she thought, wanting to say it to him, but for some reason, she found it embarrassing, Out of all of the wolves here, you have been one of the only two that I could consider a good friend. She thought of Erika as the second, but right now, the one in front of her was Sitri, and Sitri alone.
After a moment's thought, she spoke. "You know what? How about I get these flowers to my den and put them away. Lunch is on me, and we can have it over there."
Tyrande had recently added a few pelts to the middle of the floor of the den, creating a slightly more comfortable makeshift sitting area than the hard cavern floor, and she felt she hadn't had a good conversation with Sitri in awhile.
Sitri's pack if you could call it that had been much more savage than most. it had been blood thirsty murderous and feral. Any sin that you could think of had gone on there and all of them had left their mark on the chocolate coated warrior.
He saw Tyrande look at his flanks and the scars that riddled it there. He looked down there was the one on his shoulder where the captain of the guard had dug his fangs in when he had shown Sitri how to be a man. And there was the one on his neck where the queen had been displeased and ripped out a chunk he had almost died from that one. There was the broken claw on the front paw that had been literally ripped out again from the queen's displeasure and dark moods. He could tell her countless stories all more savage and strange than the neck his ears, they were not merely scarred and torn they were notches if one looked close enough notches for all those he had killed in name of the queen, ripped their throats out and watched them bleed. He did not feel shame or remorse for these things, after all it was what he was and what he had been made into. Now though if he thought on it, he did not think he could kill the ones here in this pack like that, he had gotten to know them talked to them. He was no longer a nameless, faceless consort slave to the queen.
Under different circumstances he could have been great and knowledgeable. Unfortunately that had been ripped out of him, perhaps he could still get it back he did not know.
Sitri wrinkled his nose again, at the smell glad he was far away from it. He nodded his head yea that sounds good, but Sitri stay back here until we get there yea. Too strong smell.
"Fair enough." she giggled through the moss. Motioning Sitri to follow, the female headed off to her strange den.
There was a work-in-progress on the ledge that he didn't bother putting away. She padded over to the small hole, where several other jars laid, piled high with poisonous plants or their remedies. She tipped the henbane into an empty pot, and quickly covered the pot with a flat top.
She turned to Sitri. "Now, I have rabbit, vole or squirrel. Sorry that I couldn't get anything else. I haven't gone on an actual hunting trip in awhile. They're all skinned, by the way, so you'll just be having meat and bone."
Sitri sniffed strangely at the pots moving a paw to touch one. they felt funny and he didn't understand what on earth they were, but he understood that Tyrande used them for her herbs and poisons mostly poisons. She was one wolf the scarred male would not ever want to make angry. he sniffed at the different plants but made sure to stay away from any that were covered assuming that they were covered for their fumes.
He looked down at the pelts and smiled at them, she had made her den very nice and comfortable his had an old deer pelt in it and some small skulls and little baubles that he liked a stone that was smooth and dotted with color, a tree root in the shape of something small things. the simple things for the simple male.
Sitri looked up at her and nodded A rabbit is fine. Sitri get you a deer so you can add deer hide to your nest here. He could easily take down a small doe or fawn and those pelts were much bigger than these ones. He would bring the pelt to her, but the meat he would have to take for the caches, but he was certain she would understand.
Tyrande smiled. "Thank you, Sitri. That is very kind of you." she picked up a rabbit in her cache, padding to the crevice to clean it off in the puddle of water that had been collecting from an underground mountain river somewhere.
She padded back to Sitri and gave him the skinned rabbit before reaching for her own. So how have you been doing since we have last met? Have you found a den?
Sitri bit into the rabbit and chewed slowly at first as he listened to Tyrande. He did not know he could be nice or kind. He supposed he could he just didn't realize that is what others saw it as. He saw it as merely being useful, she made a den she liked comfortable things he would get her these because it was useful and the meat would fill the caches.
Sitri nodded Yes Has den up in the mountain place. Sitri's own place, first time has ever had one. he had never had a den or a place of his own always being in the queens own, to be at her beck and call to do as she pleased with and for. Sitri has been doing fine. He is learning new things. Kind of scary for Sitri. that was the closest he would come to divulging his own feelings being wary of what to say, he did not wish to scare or hurt Tyrande and when he began to show his emotions the afore mentioned always got hurt.