It had been a few days since Evien had really interacted with anyone in the pack, too busy stocking up on plants and sorting them out. He'd found some ergot recently and was pleased to add it to his stock alongside the burdock, rosehips, hellebore, hyssop, and arnica. It was growing into a good collection for treating many ailments, and Evie was proud of himself.
The boy stretched after he aligned the rest of the herbs on the slats of sticks he'd stacked together to store them on, then headed into the main part of the den to lower his head and drink from the small spring. It had been peaceful lately - almost too peaceful.
Evien wondered when he was supposed to become suspicious.
The dull ache of his broad back was new. Revui was used to some discomfort: the hitch that occassionally caught in his stride, his ever-present hunger, a cold sort of frustration that persisted in his waking hours. This was different. He felt it spreading like hot oil across his skin where his brother had torn in to him. It was a healed wound, the flesh puckered and knotted as a scar, but now it made itself known.
He had been idly patrolling a new swath of the valley hewn with linden trees and briar that tugged at his coat; his stony silhouette dwarfed by a bruised sky which heralded future rain. The air was growing thick with it.
At first he paused to watch as another wolf worked. He was silent - with nothing on his face betraying judgement or thought - as slowly, Revui recognized the loud boy from the border. His lingering cost him, however. The seeping warmth to the old wound demanded his attention, so he turned to glimpse his hip, straining as a stallion might while trying to banish an itch they could not reach. He spun in place - one rotation, partway a second, before halting to snort.
Evien loved this stretch of the territory, so close to the border that it was easier for him to leave the territory and go gather herbs if needed. It was also protected well by the briars and bushes that were growing as spring flourished around them. Of course, he was usually out there by himself, which was also something that he enjoyed, and when he had a visitor it was usually Ico or Kepler or Merrick. Or the occasional wolf with an ailment to care for.
Such would be the case today, as Evien barely registered the approach from the gray wolf he'd met at the border. But as green eyes flicked from the water to the massive wolf he arched a brow, observing his body language.
It was easily recognizable - he often took that position when his hip ached. His wasn't from an injury, of course, but it still ached nonetheless. A small smile crooked his maw upward and he made his way down from the entrance to the den to the bottom of the hill so he could be nearer to the larger wolf.
"Would you be willing to accept an apology for my behavior the other day?" he asked, geniunely hoping they might be able to start over. He did tend to get... aggressive, to say the very least, and he was sure the gray wolf hadn't meant to run into him as hard as he had. "Maybe we could start over." It'd make things less awkward for what he'd have to do to examine and treat the other boy if they didn't have that hanging over them the whole time.
Evien extended the olive branch and waited to see if the other wolf would accept it.
He tried to reach again for the segment of flesh filled with irritation but couldn't make it, and anyway - the boy had noticed him, closing the distance rather quickly considering that he lacked a limb. Revui swept back to a proper standing posture just as his voice swarmed him. The boy was doling out apologies and to Revui that signaled further weakness, so when Evien was finished with his begging, the only response the leviathan granted was a derisive little snort. Maybe we could start over.
Revui wasn't the type to easily forgive the mistakes of others, nor was he eager to see this boy's weakness praised in any way; he couldn't help but slide his eyes across his plush brown body - lingering on the missing limb with an obvious twist to the expression, a mix of boredom and repulsion, before stating smoothly: No.
Evien's expression faltered and he frowned, jaw setting in confusion and a tiny bit of anger that threatened to bubble back up beneath the surface. He pushed it back down with a sigh through his nose and shook his head, green eyes rolling briefly before he stepped forward once more to look at the spot Revui had been favoring before.
"Regardless," he began, flicking his tail in an almost catlike manner. "It looked like you were in pain. Mind if I take a look?" He was the medic after all, and whether or not his packmates were rude as hell, it was his job to look after them.
Not to be put-off by Revui's answer, the boy seemed intent on checking the gargoyle for damage. Having him drift so close was unsettling and without meaning to, Revui lifted his lip and flashed his teeth, while the fur on the nape of his neck raised like a set of jagged fins. The display came and went in the span of a breath; he heard the question, and once he figured out that Evien was versed in herbs and medicines he gave a lazy shrug and let his posture slacken.
He turned his attention away, observing their surroundings while Evien did - well, whatever he was trying to do. The painful tissue along Revui's lower back was the throbbing aftermath of his fight with his brother. It had been previously mended by a woman in the mountains (a slathering of honey with herbs affixed across) which helped stave off infection and ease his pain at the time, but by now had crusted over or flaked away in places. The skin was puckered and red, and it did not help that Revui had been nipping at it.
A raised eyebrow was all that the massive wolf would receive in response for the flash of teeth as Evien turned his full attention onto the wound on his back. Relatively fresh, not fully healed and certainly not taken care of. It looked painful, for sure, and it was definitely something that needed tending to sooner rather than later.
"Come on," he urged, nudging the other boy's side with his nose to try and get him to move up toward the den. The spring water would be best for cleaning it before he got to work on the poultice. "Whether you like me or not, I'm willing to bet you'd like it if this didn't hurt anymore, right?" the medic asked, turning to head up to the den himself. "I'll help you."
Being herded backwards was not an experience he'd like to repeat, but with some prodding Revui made his way - and staggered around so he could face the direction he was meant to go. The twisting was fine, but once he began the process of hiking towards the den mouth he found his lower back aching more, itching, and being altogether unpleasant.
The boy was ready and willing to tend to the wound. Revui did not know what was more odd about this wolf: his willingness to please, or the fact he was doing women's work. Perhaps the world wasn't as black-and-white as Revui had grown up believing? That or, perhaps the weaker of body a man was, the more he might seek out a lesser vocation.
Regardless, the wound needed tending and Revui would have to allow Evien close to do so; it was not the first time he had ever been a patient, so when they were both close enough to the herbal stores for the boy to get to work, Revui dropped and sprawled in the grass (with some grimacing) and lay there, waiting.
To his surprise, the larger wolf followed him without a word. It seemed like he'd had a difficult time getting up the hill, which Evien understood. On days where his hip bothered him, he too had to struggle up the incline. The boy headed into the stores he'd packed up and took some of the burdock root into his maw. It would treat the infection and numb the pain - ideal for this situation.
Evien took it into the main portion of the den, along with some clean, fresh moss. He dipped the moss into the spring to soak up some of the water before returning to the large wolf's side.
"I'm going to clean it first. Probably won't be pleasant. Try not to bite me," he urged as he leaned in to dab at the wound with the soaked moss. It would do better to get any debris out of the way - it looked like it had been chewed at, which Evien would fuss at the man for later, and it certainly needed a washing before treatment.
Revui knew better than to bite the hand that tends him, so to speak, and yet to hear the boy's concerning tone he couldn't help but snort and let a pleased rumble emanate from his chest. It felt good to be feared, he thought. Maybe it wasn't fear that brought such a question to Evien's mind but it didn't matter how deeply the feeling ran, whatever it was. Revui wanted to be known for his teeth and his brawn, and that's what the request meant to him.
Do your work, boy.
He advised, hoping he would cut to the task at hand rather than speak again; the sooner he was done here, the better. There were things to do - creatures to hunt, beasts to kill.
Do your work, boy. Evien's jaw set and his eyes narrowed slightly at the large wolf he was working on. A firmer press of the moss against the wound was the response the silver beast would get for that - just enough to sting a little bit, not enough to damage.
Once he was finished cleaning the injury out, Evien crushed the burdock root. "This will sting at first, but it has numbing properties that should kick in after a moment or two. I'd suggest resting while it settles," he explained, and without preamble, began to smear the poultice on the injury. It was important to coat the entire area, and while Evien was gentle, he was quick with it. The numbing would kick in and soothe the older wolf's pain.
"So," he continued, smirking down at the silvered wolf. "Could I know your name? It's only fair, since I've taken so much time to care for you." He was not afraid of the larger wolf - Evien was sure that, if injury were to occur, Merrick would take care of the assailant.
The insistent press against his wound stung, but more importantly the boy's reaction brought a thin smirk to Revui's face. He could handle a little bit of extra pain; it was like lighting a fire and seeing how someone responds to the threat of it. Evien clearly did not like being ribbed by Revui and yet he held himself back from truly reacting. Anger was good - anger could be cultivated, he thought. Maybe with enough goading he could bring out the real animal inside of Evien. At a later date - once he was recovered.
Evien's own smirk and comments steeled Revui again, and with a lethargic air about him he responded: Revui Ost-
oh, no, not Ostrega, not anymore. He grunts, then corrects himself. Revui.
Not long now, he presumed. Once the poultice could set he would be able to resume his patrols. A sly glint touched his gaze as he observed the boy, appraising him silently, but he said nothing more.
Evien nodded to himself, satisfied with the application, and stepped back to look the man over. When he deemed that there were no other wounds to tend to and the one he'd treated was thoroughly coated, he stepped back to wash his paws in the spring.
Revui Ost-.... Revui.
A cut-off surname. Perhaps Evien should've dropped his own a long time ago - after all, his mother had certainly been awful enough to warrant it. A soft hum escaped him as he turned back to the larger wolf, tipping his head to the side and offering him a small smile. "I'm Evien Kastner. Ursus' medic, if you couldn't tell," he said with a light huff of laughter. "You're welcome to rest here for as long as you need. Try to let that sit for a while, until it dries, and come back and see me again day after tomorrow to check on it." All business, for now. When he would run into Revui again, perhaps then they could have more of a conversation. "Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
He didn't want the boy's name. He knew his herbs and being labelled a medic went without saying. Still, as surly as Revui wanted to be, he was appreciative of the effort and Evien was being more charming than he probably knew. It felt wrong to keep stringing him along with attitude. Revui nodded to the recommendation and then paused, shifting his weight to get comfortable, and then dismisses the medic with a brief comment: No... thanks.
Evien smiled at the man then, grateful that there were no more harsh words in his direction. He dipped his head then and turned to head to his own section of the den, tossing over his shoulder a lighthearted,
"Stay as long as you need." fade