Wolf RPG

When dawn broke, the spell the crab apples had cast had worn off, leaving him groggy, a little bit shaky, and dehydrated. Having been emptied the night prior, his stomach gurgled though he was not convinced that he would be able to keep breakfast down. He ran his tongue over his lips, finding them dry and his mouth sticky. An exhale and an inhale revealed a slight sourness to his breath that caused him to grimace- this was far worse than his usual morning-breath. He allowed himself a moment to wallow in his misery, though he counted his graces as well- he was lucky that the borders he'd approached had belonged to wolves who had gone above and beyond to make him feel safe while he slept off the accidental intoxication. 

He clambered to his feet awkwardly and stretched, sinking back on his hips before he leaned forward and pulled his hind legs out behind him, uttering a soft moan as he felt the muscles stretch and the joints pop in his lower back. With a slight turn of his chin, he popped another joint in his neck and shook the tension out of the rest of his body with a good shake. A light pulse behind his eye began, but it was the price he would pay for his folly. 

He lapped up water from the turtle shell, and took stock of his location. He'd been brought to an evergreen forest where the air was cool and fresh. He stood upon a part of a glacier, a great shield of ice that had likely been in this place for thousands of years. He eyed the ridgeline of ice that reached for the grey sky, and blinked soft snowflakes away with his eyelashes. 

He now owed these wolves a debt, but it settled easily upon his conscience.

Leith was the first wolf—aside from @Kaluktuk—that Ariadne sought the following day. After kissing her intended on the cheek goodbye, she set off toward the abandoned bear den and found him upon the glacier, starting at the sky. She cleared her throat to catch his attention; she didn't want to startle him.

I greet you, she called, approaching him.

He wasn’t sure if any of the wolves who had found him had checked in on him at night, but he found their scents fresh all around him. One in particular grew stronger, and he recognized the woman immediately when he saw her. She moved with the gracious poise of a leader, though she still looked relatively young in his eyes. 

His tail waved and his expression softened into a somewhat guilty smile as he moved forward to meet with her. Sheepishly, he kept his gaze indirect, though his expression was soft. ”I uh, greet you too- fortunately I’m in a better state to do so this morning compared to, uh…” Right. He from the sourness of his own breath, he could tell he’d been sick the night before. He tried to keep his muzzle low so that the kind woman wouldn’t have to smell the lingering aroma of stomach acid and crab apples. 

”I apologize, is what I mean to say,” He said, shaking away a bit of his awkwardness to cut to the point. ”And I’m very grateful for your hospitality, Uhm….”

He couldn’t even remember her name- and gritted his teeth together quietly.

I am glad you are feeling better—you were in rough shape, she said, remembering how he'd looked. But, you look better now. I hope the sleep and water have helped you. It was a shame that he had eaten something that didn't agree with his stomach; she'd experienced that before, too, and it hadn't been pleasant. If you need some food, we can get you something. Our caches allow us to be generous.

She was confused about why he apologized and quickly shook her head. You do not have to be sorry, she assured him. And I'm Ariadne—what is your name?

Ariadne’s tone was kind, but her words made him wither in shame. His evening had been a blur- it hadn’t taken long for the meal of rotten crab apples to effect him but he could only remember the earliest sensations. It’d been fun, for a time- lightly dizzying and confusing, but he’d had a lackadaisical sense of merriment. 

Then his insides seemed to register that it was too much, and that it was time to evacuate the light toxin out of his system right in front of the quiet guardian. 

”Yes, it did.” He agreed with a nod. Aside from the dull headache, he recovered well. She mentioned food, and he shyly shook his head, shrugging his bronzed shoulder. ”I was just about to hunt- I really owe you and your pack for taking me in and taking care of me.” He said. 

He would remember her name next time, he decided- and he would certainly remember her face, though he was too ashamed to look at her for very long. ”I’m Leith.”

Ariadne shrugged. Only when you are feeling better, she said, sensing something lingering within him. You do not have to rush and pay us back this very minute. Our caches are filled, and our bellies are full. They were fortunate, and she hoped the prey would continue to be plentiful through the winter.

Leith, she repeated, liking how his name sounded. It is nice to meet you, too. I hope you avoid whatever you ate the next time you come across it. It ... does not seem worth it. Then, she wondered, Do you know what made you sick? I'd like to avoid it so I don't end up in a similar position.

From the sound of things, he couldn’t have found a better place to crash. Not only were they willing to care for him, as a stranger, but they seemed to be fully stocked and in need of very little, still willing to share what they had. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been a part of a pack that was this well prepared.

”Crab apples, we call them,” He said, with a somewhat pained expression. ”Unbearably sour when they’re ripe…They’re sweeter when they’re a bit past ripe but apparently once they’re kinda mushy they’re a bit, uh, intoxicating.” He certainly hadn’t expected it. ”I was just hungry, is all. I don’t make a habit of getting wasted out of my mind or anything,” He added quickly. ”Makes a bit of sense now, though…I’m pretty sure I saw a drunk squirrel once, guarding some crab apples. Heheh, thing couldn’t even walk a straight line.”

She scrunched her face as he explained what crab apples were; they were something she wouldn't seek out for herself. She felt lost in most of this conversation about intoxication and the habits surrounding it. She frowned, not wanting to involve herself with such things. What do they look like? she asked, wishing to find out so she could avoid them.

”More like apples than crabs,” His laugh was feathery, as though he knew it was a bad joke. ”And smaller than regular apples…Typically darker red, and they grow on trees that flower kind of a pinkish purple in the spring,” He said with a smile that was almost wistful. He wished for Spring- for the blossoming flowers and buzzing bees. Winter left him hungry and cold, but was to be weathered nonetheless. 

”I think they tend to grow further inland,” He concluded. ”I found those ones- which were the last of them- in kind of a forest-y grove, that way.” He said. ”I could take you to them if you really wanted to see for yourself.” he offered.

Although she'd wondered if the apples looked like crabs, she had kept that to herself; it was that, or the apples made people crabby. Neither of which seemed to be true. Instead, Leith explained what they looked like, and Ariadne nodded as she committed the information to her memory.

He then pointed to the general vicinity where he'd found the apples and offered to show her, and she smiled sadly. I would love to take that trip, she said, looking down at her casted leg. But I do not think my leg would like it if I traveled that far.

Maybe another time? she offered.

The lone wolf blinked in surprise- both at the casted leg which he had overlooked and at the fact that it had been put in such a thing at all. "Oh!" He said, ears flicking forward with keen interest, back in an apology (for surely the incident had caused her pain), and then forward again as he appraised the ingenious design. "May I- take a closer look?" He asked, before hurriedly continuing. "I've heard of this being done, but I've never seen it in practice," His words were spoken with a soft breath, a deep admiration for the craft of healing reawakening at the sight of advanced medical practices.

She was amused by the distinct array of emotions he went through in that short time, and a smile spread across her face as she hoisted her arm towards him. Of course. I do not know what my anaa did to create this, but I can ask her the next time I see her, she offered.

Timidly, he moved forward, hovering his whiskers over the cast and tilting his head from side to side, the way a bird might pause to investigate a shiny rock. He thought he could pick out by smell what some of the ingredients were, and with a brief touch of his nose, he noted the texture. "Wow," He said, clearly impressed as he stepped back. "And you find it works? It is firm enough to support you though you're-" He said, with an apologetic laugh, "Well, you're quit trim, so I imagine this would work quite well for you."

He stepped back, eyebrows still raised. "I am very impressed; your anaa seems to know what she is doing. I'd be glad to know how one makes something like this," He said with a tip of his chin.

It does, she confirmed. And it has been on for many moons—. I'm not sure what anaa put in it, but whatever it was, it worked very well! I have been able to walk around with very few issues. The only major issue was getting used to the bulk of the item around her leg, which she'd overcome a month into healing. Aside from that and the inability to bend her leg, everything else seemed relatively normal considering the circumstances.

I can take you to her when it is time to get this removed, she offered. Maybe then you can get a better look at the inside of it and ask all the questions you want. My anaa is very helpful and is always willing to share her knowledge.

The cast had lasted for months? What concoction must have been mixed to make something so sturdy? He hypothesized perhaps Clay, perhaps birch bark, perhaps moss, which he knew would dry and hold its shape without being too uncomfortable. ”Fascinating!” He breathed, truly impressed. 

The opportunity to meet the miraculous medicine woman flattered him. ”I would love to learn more from her,” He said. ”You are fortunate to have had someone capable of making a cast like this;” He said as he sat back.

I will make it happen, Ariadne promised, sitting back as he did and grinning broadly. I really am—my anaa is the best.

Their conversation would continue until she excused herself—the day was getting late, and there were things that she needed to attend to. In passing, before leaving, she offered him the ability to stay with them in Moonglow.