[size=x-small]For
@Dovev and
@Scimitar - set straight after the 'quick silver' thread.[/size]
The earthen wolf stood by the Creek alongside Dovev. She had few scratches and bruises that caused a painful ache in her body, but she shrugged it off; no use in complaining. Lowering her head to the same level as the water, she took a long drink from it without pausing, resulting in her panting slightly from holding her breath for so long. The frigid water numbed her lips, and a cool lull washed over her body. After the droplets of water dripping from her chin dwindled, she looked over to her friend who had a concerning wound on his thigh, probably worsened by running to Falwasi's defence.
Falwasi took a long look at Dovev's laceration, gruesomely bright, then looked back up at him. She had nothing to say; she was no healer. She didn't even know if the pack had one... It was Falwasi's fault to have sent him away; her anger made her act in an impulsive manner, one that's price was payed by her pack mate. Dovev had been brave to accept to lead the bear away, maybe a little rash, since the outcome had already been predicted as grim even before he left Falwasi's side.
After a long moment, she detached her copper gaze from the ivory beast and instead stared into the distance - the Creek running away from her, towards the Wetlands. Thunder still crackled, but the rain never came. The broad charcoal clouds filled the sky, making perception drab, the occasional strike of salient lightning illuminating the sky. Tilting her head upwards slightly, a howl escaped her as she called for Scimitar.
Their traipse from the meadow was slow but steady, and they had crossed the border at least several hours ago. Dovev was often several paces behind Falwasi as he half-limped, half-dragged his injured leg along. The pain had faded to a dull ache from it's original sharp, lancing pain. Even if he couldn't feel the pain, he knew it would be looking pretty gory back there. He hadn't bothered to look, but rather had spent their travel dreaming about the time where he could just collapse and rest.
With the creek at their paws, Dovev limped to the water's edge and gulped eagerly at the surface. Small waves fanned out from his muzzle as he thirstily lapped up the cold fluid. He avoided Falwasi's glance, instead opting to scan the golden landscape. The male felt horrible for being so ready to scare off the bear- turning around to see the stranger tackling his packmate was visually traumatizing. It was his job to support the pack, through hunting, patrolling, protecting... and he had failed on that part. With a slight chuff, Dovev stepped back from the bank.
Shall we call for Scimitar? he questioned, bracing his front legs to allow his back muscles to relax for a bit. The female nodded and lifted her head, a howl escaping her pursed lips.
The call rang out for him, and without hesitation, the cinnamon regal dropped the half eaten hare he had been indulging in and loped in the direction of Falwasi's voice. His creamy paws thrummed the cool autumn grass, feeling the crunch of a leaf every so often as they began their descent from the tree branches. Winter would be upon them soon, and for now, he held mixed feelings to whether he wanted Bazi home, where she belonged.. or if being held in at Duskfire Glacier would be far better for everyone, instead.
These thoughts were wiped from his mind as the scent of blood filled his nostrils, and with his pace quickening, the Alpha caught view of the two -- Dovev, by the creek's edge, and Falwasi, steadfast beside him. Dark storm clouds above, the concern for weather was the last on his mind as he drew closer, his eyes instantly studying them both before noting Dovev's leg.
"What happened?" Concern laced his tone, but a frown was upon his features, and tilting his muzzle back, the male called for
@Esperanza, the pack's newest healer.
She finally had her opportunity to prove herself.
[size=x-small]Sorry for the late reply - just realised I wasn't subscribed to this thread![/size]
Shortly after, the Alpha came at a rapid pace towards the two wolves. "What happened?" he asked, a hint of trepidation in his town. There was a frown on his face as he looked upon Dovev, seeing his wound. Falwasi cast a sidelong glance at the alabaster male, meeting his eyes briefly before looking back at Scimitar.
"He got swiped at by a bear." She said, deciding to start off with the worst. It was the simpler route to take, and if she didn't cut to the chase, she would ramble. Falwasi picked her words carefully: "I saw a loner in the meadow, looking at something ahead of him. It was a bear. Dovev came, and the loner was being very obscene towards us. He... well, we got ourselves into a confrontation." she said, retaining a snarl as she remembered the little bast-
"I requested that Dovev go distract the bear while I fought the wolf, in hope both creatures would leave," Wince. It sounded bad, "I guess we could say half of it was highly successful. The loner ran off." her voice remained vitriolic as the tall wolf finished, tail flicking, an aggravated movement as she held her breath.
Across the river, Scimitar appeared over the waving grass and strode toward them, a confused and concern glint in his bright blue eyes. Dovev lifted his head and gave a twitch of his ears as a greeting, but remained quiet as Falwasi gave a summary of their action-packed outing.
It might've gone better if I stayed by your side, Dovev muttered mutedly, balancing on three legs as he held his wounded paw up off the earth. The leg will be fine. It just needs some time. The male had kept his gaze on the creek instead of returning their prodding looks. He felt a little weak in front of them with his gaping claw wounds. Normally, the tundra wolf would have scuttled off and found some place to nurse his ailments in solitude, hoping that no infection would show up in the open sores.
Esperanza had been hunting for quite some time. She was hungry, for she had not eaten for a couple days due to her new pack, and the new lands that she could explore without any harsh confrontations. But, when she was about to snag a hare, a howl rang out and she saw her prey dart back into it's burrow. A sigh escaped her maw as she dashed over to where the alpha had called her. There had to be something wrong, but, she ran as fast as she could go as her emerald pools shown determination in their illuminating glow. The sounds of thunder crashing throughout the sky, echoed along her lobes. She paid no heed to it and tuned it out so she could only focus on her breathing, and hear her heartbeat.
When she arrived to the cave, she saw Schimitar and Dovev not too far from where she stood, and also a wolf whom she did not recognize. She must he a high-ranked wolf as well, bowing her head respectfully to the higher ranked wolves. She soon lifted her cranium as her orbs widened when she saw Dovev's leg, cut open with a large gash, knowing it was probably from a bear. "Need me to heal his wound?" She already knew the answer, but, she wanted to make sure that it was Dovev and not anyone else who had gotten hurt.
It wasn't an answer he expected. Wolfish brows lifted -- a rare occasion to reveal emotion as he listened to her story, and in turn, cast his eyes with concern on Dovev. The story was weaved with a flourish of confusion, and blinking, Scimitar felt his own lips twitch as they pulled back slightly, spurned only by the thought of some rogue wolf messing with his comrades. "I hope you took a chunk of his tail on the way," he muttered darkly, allowing the aspect of the lone wolf stray now.
What was important was that Dovev was injured. Esperanza did come, and as the dark creature swept in, Scimitar's turquoise eyes cast her a glance of indifference, holding back a snort at the question. "I didn't call you here so we could all watch him bleed on the grass," he murmured dryly, taking a step aside so the she-wolf could assess the damage, though his eyes would linger upon her with a hint of regret at the sharp words he had given her. "Falwasi, are you injured at all?" With that, his eyes streamed over the lissome female, as if reassuring himself she had been unharmed.
She could sense that her answer caused the alpha to be a bit surprised and frustrated with her dumb answer. She growled on the inside but said nothing as she checked out the wound, indeed caused by a bear. The wound was deep as blood flowed from the opening and onto the foliage below. She grabbed some leaves that were still fresh and placed it the ground, soon grabbing some berries that still hung from a familiar bush she had known back home and began to mash them, as well as some herbs, into a paste. She smeared some onto the opening of the wound as the paste began to harden.
[size=x-small]Sorry, was a bit confused about posting order![/size]
Falwasi looked at the regal briefly as he spoke harsh words to the healer who arrived very soon. Although she wanted to get her friend treated quicker than possible, the way Scimitar spoke to her made her uncomfortable. She didn't know the other she-wolf's name, but she watched her medicate the stained crimson wolf, the actions of gathering leaves and berries, grinding them together and applying it to the wound somehow put the honeyed wolf at ease.
"Falwasi, are you injured at all?" the cinnamon male questioned, scanning over her body to make sure she was unharmed. She looked back at him and said, "No." almost immediately. Her soreness and bruises would take no more than a week to heal; she knew this from experience, and she wanted the attention to be on Dovev. So she moved away to stand next to Scimitar to let the healer heal, and waited with the grey thunderclouds that resided above her.
Soon after Alpha had arrived, another figure came in his wake. Dovev barely lifted his head to acknowledge the ebony female known as Esperanza, who he had met briefly before. His ears twisted away as the russet-brown male growled at the new healer, but made no move to deflect the comment at her. Instead, Dovev kept one eye on the black creature as she flitted around and stepped towards his back flank. With pursed lips rolled slightly over his front teeth, the tundra brute stood rigidly as the cool plaster of medicine soaked into his leg wound.
Although he knew healers were commonplace in a pack, Dovev never had the decency to seek one out. The several times he had needed one the male neglected it; now poorly healed scars grizzled his face. The bear did leave deep gashes, and no doubt these would leave a mark. But the poultice would allow skin to regrow instead of gnarled scar tissue taking it's place.
This should only take a day or so to rest, Dovev spoke, looking over at Falwasi. He knew they had a mission to attend to, something the white wolf was fairly anxious to go to. Since his first encounter with a Bypass member, the alabaster male had formed some fairly strong opinions about them.
Stepping away soon after Esperanza applied the plant mush, he positioned himself so that his wound was facing away from the group, giving only a small, meaningful glance of gratitude to the healer. It was marred by embarrassment.
She sighed and shook her head with a sigh. She understood that some pack members wanted to keep their image, but everyone gets hurt from something, and it is her job to make sure that the pack is healthy and able to do what is assigned to them. Her emerald eyes looked to Dovev as she smacked a leaf that was long enough to cover the wound, and made sure it had stuck to his pelt with some cobwebs that hung around the ceiling of the den. "Don't move around so much, Dovev, otherwise the leaf will come undone and it is to help keep the mash I made from drying up. Wait a couple days and you should be good to continue your work. I suggest you rest for a day or two," She told him and soon began to walk away.
(OOC: Dovev's owner, you have a thread from me.)
@Esperanza can you please stick to the posting order? Wolf tends to follow this system, as set out in the game policies. Thanks. :)
The dark she-wolf was quick to work, and guiltily, the regal turned his gaze back to Falwasi as she answered him. She seemed okay, and Dovev was more or less fine as well -- as long as he didn't aggravate the wound further. Grateful the injury was seemingly tamable, as the dark healer finished, he offered her a nod as she began to walk away. Apparently she was done here.
Shifting his weight, Scimitar looked between the two, not acknowledging that Dovev was not trying to hide his injury from view.
"Do we have any details on this stranger?"
Falwasi gave the arctic male a curt nod as he informed her he would be fine in a couple days rest. She wasn't so sure, though. He stood at an angle to her and the agouti, his wound invisible to them at the moment. "We'll see." She said with pursed lips as the dark healer walked away smoothly after treating Dovev. The serene she-wolf knew he was referring to the mission they were going to embark on, and her heart sunk slightly. The unconvinced outcome was threatening to delay their journey to the Bypass.
Scimitar shuffled beside her, posing a question to which she could answer well. The proximity between her and the rogue had been cramped, and Falwasi had gotten a good look, and feel, for him. "He was lanky and bony. Ragged blanched fur and his eyes were amber colored." She said, reminding herself of the key features of the aggressor. His eyes were very similar to Falwasi's - both vibrant and conspicuous, and the image of the menacing orbs was burned into her mind, a deep hostility associated with them.
"I didn't get his name, we had no opportunity to do so." The grizzled wolf finished with an airy tone. After a long pause, she asked, "So what are we going to do?" Falwasi hadn't really thought of it, but right now she didn't really want to do anything about it. She and Dovev had already chased the loner off, and she was sure he wouldn't return. It would be stupid to run after him. The she-wolf thought. No point hunting for an animal who did not, or would not, be found.
He was an idiot. Dovev lifted his flickering gray gaze at the pair, adding his statement after Fal gave a quick rundown of their encounter. He remembered the stranger by his actions, and not his appearance. From the moment the bear and loner came into perspective, opinions had been formed. Why didn't the loner just bolt like a polite little wolf? Bears are slow. There would've been no danger. As the memories swelled, Dovev's shoulder hairs became agitated, but fell flat again as the tawny female spoke.
I think he knows not to come back, Dovev interjected with a small but satisfying grin. No use risking life and limb in order to explore the Creek territory. Their pack had been stable in the region for almost a year, and had always kept a fair amount of members patrolling the border.
Amusement revealed itself only in the quirk of his lips for a stolen moment before a stoical mask fell upon him once more. He gave a nod to their description -- a stupid, thin lone wolf who held little chance against a pack.. If only because he would likely whither away to nothing come winter if he did not find a place to accept him.
"There's no point. He was probably passing through.. No threat." it was unfortunate they had stumbled upon him and a bear at the same time, and while he noted the tawny female seemed less than thrilled about Dovev's insistence he only needed a day or so, Scimitar would keep his opinion to himself. He trusted the ivory brute would not push himself too far.
"You should rest, Dovev," he rumbled then, giving a nod to the male. "Not everyone dances with a bear and lives to tell the tale." With that, the cinnamon male cast his bright eyes upon either, content only that two of the more loyal members of the Creek had made it home. Without another word, the male left them, his own paws leading him to the borders.