There was so much variety found within Great Bear Wilderness. There was so much variety to find within the Teekon Wilds overall. The Thawdrift male did not know of such names of the regions just yet but became enamored by the medley of different areas these lands possessed. Dense forests, sloping mountains, endless plains. All of it ever-changing with each mile ventured. On this mostly cloudy day, his vagabond paws would bring him to Bramblepoint. For as thorny as this neck of the woods was in the colder seasons, Haiku severely missed out during the past Spring and Summer where the berries were ripe and in bloom.
Trekking rather mindfully at first through this region considering the foliage was now largely stripped for Winter, it was a bit challenging to navigate considering his flyaway fur would become snagged on a bramble every couple of feet. At one point his right forepaw firmly stepped onto a downed, hidden thorn that impaled itself between the soft flesh of his paw and paw pad. Even for a well-bodied male, Haiku couldn’t help but yelp at the sharp sensation of pain. Turning his paw over to attempt to pull it out with his teeth, he currently struggled amongst his own company to get the thorn out. Initial fascination suddenly turned into frustration in this region. Unfortunately, he was in the thick of it.
All she heard was a yelp. Her ears were alert, worried it might be one of the various members of the Glen or Moonspear or even Wraen's new crowd. There were so many friendly faces in the area, Toad knew that the likelihood this was someone from one of the allied packs was very strong. So, she popped out of her hiding place, startling the colony of rabbits she'd been hunting into their holes. Disregarding the lunch she'd planned, she made a quick beeline toward the sound.
When Toad found the source, she found it was an unfamiliar young man with shadowy brown fur trying, rather desperately, to pull a thorn from his foot. Toad had been there. She made a face, and chuckle-snorted rather abruptly. Sorry, it's funny because this has totally happened to me before,
she said. As though she already knew him, she strode up very casually to inspect the thorn, pausing only when two yards or so away out of respect.
Can I see?
She asked, tilting her head a bit. He didn't smell like...anyone she knew. This was a bit confusing. She wondered how he'd found his way nested between multiple packs of particularly high-alert wolves. Toad should have had her guard up, but instead, she just waved her tail, friendly as usual.
It suddenly all made sense why such things as thorns even existed. It was scenarios like this with a wolf attempting to unsuccessfully dig one out of its paw and serve as a lesson to just not wander through even with the most careful of paws. The Thawdrift thought for a certain he expressed his anguish to himself until his peripheral vision caught another trotting his way but hearing her voice describe his situation in jest first. Raising his head and tangerine gaze to her, she walked and talked confidently of the situation, striding right up as if this area wasn’t a landmine of sharp objects. She smelled strongly of that particular scent of being associated with a pack.
Feeling both relieved and also embarrassed deep down (for he realized there was a good possibility she heard his yelp), Haiku tried to brush off the situation as funny as the female said. ”Yeah,” He responded, giving a small laugh. ”Should have known better than to come this far in but sometimes I can’t help not leaving any stone unturned anywhere.” Haiku said in an upbeat voice, betraying the throbbing sting he felt in his paw. He masked it well in her presence. She offered to take a look. ”Sure. It's really nothing though.” Haiku responded, attempting to brush it off as nothing. He lowered down to where he was on his stomach, forelegs stretched out before him and then turning the paw face up as best he could to show her.
The shadow-coated boy seemed to also find the humour in his little misstep. Toad frequented the bramble forest and knew just how painful those thorns could be, especially once they were dry in the cool seasons. How dare you,
she joked, clearly jesting in her tonality as she smiled at him. Hydra probably would have wagged the proverbial finger at her for not questioning him and demanding to know why he was so close to Moonspear and the Glen, but such things were simply not her priority.
Just as Toad trusted him, the lone male trusted her enough to lower himself and show her his paw. Swiftly, she closed the distance between them and knelt down. While she was no medic, she certainly knew a thing or two about removing pesky things from the body. She fondly recalled the days in her birth pack when the children would come home covered in burrs and thorns and whatever else. She always liked helping them feel better.
Eying the swelling part of his paw, she spotted the thorn, which had dug itself quite deep into the pad. No doubt he had tried to pull it himself, but instead had only managed to push it in farther. You really did a number didn't you?
Toad leaned in close. Slowly, she placed one of her paws on his wrist to keep him from moving it while she did her work. She licked briefly at the wound so that she could find exactly its placement just by the texture difference. Then, with surprising precision, she grabbed it between two incisors and teased at it.
The first time she pulled, it refused to move. So, she adjusted, and pulled it out with a curving motion. It had been lodged in at an angle. When it was free, she released him and spat it as far as she could, then grinned. Tadaaa!
At her lighthearted banter, Haiku gave an amused huff. ”And dare I say it never fails to keep things interesting for myself.” He shot back, keeping up with the flow of the witticism. It truly did keep matters in his world in a constant state of interesting flux. This was much more preferred over mundane encounters of going through rehearsed meet and greets, even if it meant getting a thorn wedged between your paw and having a fairly pretty female come to assist with it.
She closed the distance between them, Haiku noting her previous nature of amusement morphing into one of serious observation with the matter at paw (pun intended). He studied her in silence. She was stockier than most females, but her figure was complementing the rest of her tasteful coloration. The Thawdrift could have passed her off as being a medic just by the way she was inspecting. Haiku emitted a small laugh at her stated observation, rolling his eyes to himself and shaking his head at his literal misstep in this region as if saying, I know right?!
His paw tensed when she licked to find the positioning. It wasn’t so much pain as it was the tickling as he drew in a sharp breath through his nose to keep from laughing. He was already embarrassed as is that he was having trouble getting a measly thorn out and wasn’t about to subject himself to further humiliation. Haiku emitted a hiss at her first attempt at pulling it, furrowing his brows. Her second attempt was successful as he sighed in relief. Standing back up, he jiggled his forepaw. ”You made that way less complicated than I was making it. You're a lifesaver." Haiku said, tail wagging in tow.