Following the encounter with Summer, Honey Badger altered her course. Instead of continuing northwest—which would have brought her to the plateau's doorstep—she crossed the river and found herself on the edge of a hot spring. She padded forward, the warm, damp air making her crusted fur feel suddenly heavy and uncomfortable. She spontaneously decided to wash off the dried blood and stepped into the nearest stinking puddle of water.
When she emerged, the badger's blood was gone but her own wounds remained. Begrudgingly, she acknowledged them only long enough to sit down and lick them clean—the ones she could reach, anyway. She promptly ignored them beyond that as she climbed back onto all fours and weaved deeper into the hot springs, stopping only when she spotted movement.
Wip had heard tell of sources of warm water in these parts, and she had been eagerly seeking them out ever since. It was not that she was not capable of withstanding the unending cold that these lands seemed to be pelting at her since her arrival; it was only that if there was the possibility of being absolutely warm…well that was a possibility that she could not pass up. Her nose told her she was near before her eyes did however. It quivered with the smelliness of the warm pools, and immediately she began to rethink this venture. Wip was slightly more vain than she cared to admit, and she wondered if being warm was worth being submerged in smelly waters.
Still, having knowledge of warm waters could be useful to her pack in the future, and so she pressed on. It wasn’t until she was fully visible herself to the other female that Wip was alerted to her. Her presence had been clouded by the smell of the pools she was currently submerged in. Wip lowered her head and tail slightly in a sign that she came in peace and approached the other slowly, with a calm countenance on her face. She nodded slightly, and pivoted her ears in part to ascertain if they were alone. Hello there, getting warm? The injuries of the other female were as of yet, obstructed to her view.
When a wolf stepped into view, Honey Badger immediately slicked back her ears, stiffened her forelegs and bristled her fur. Her lip began to lift to bear her teeth when she noticed the stranger's meek, almost submissive approach. She sheathed her fangs but still narrowed her yellow eyes mistrustfully. Her silver-dusted tail stuck straight out behind her, rigid as petrified wood.
"No," the yearling replied if only because she was contrarian by nature. "What do you want?" she snapped quietly. Because of the other female's posture, she did not behave quite as aggressively as usual, though she kept her yellow eyes fixed on her in case the situation changed. She would be ready if a fight broke out, and she would win it.
It was a rare moment that Wip ever spoke without thinking thoroughly about her words, and this interaction would be no different. She had traveled for so long in isolation and had become accustomed to silence, therefore she never feared it. It was for this reason that she comfortably remained silent for a beat as she studied the female in front of her. She was painted black except for the white markings on her head down to her back, and other than that her body was submerged out of Wip’s view. It was the eyes that held the tawny female however, a piercing yellow that stared warily.
Wip wondered if she had caught her at a bad moment, and noted the other’s tone. She found a certain liberty in always being pleasant, so she assumed that there must be a really good reason for which anyone would choose to be hostile. Yet, always the agreeable wolf, Wip considered that perhaps she would not be as charming had she been interrupted in the middle of a bath. She lowered herself slowly until she was sitting on her haunches a few feet away from the warm pool, and curled her tail with it’s black tuft of hair around her legs in a calm stance.
She wrinkled her nose and then replied, Want? I don’t really want nothing ma’am, I was just spending the day looking for these warm pools I had heard about. Only, now that I’m here…they kind of smell. Wip considered these words and then added, What makes them warm, do you know? Always eager to learn new things, Wip wondered if the female could provide her with an answer.
Hobad (haha...) isn't actually in the water. Just a minor detail I wanted to note. :)
The she-wolf responded in an even, unassuming way. Perhaps she thought she could kill Honey Badger with kindness or somehow win her over. The yearling grunted at this thought, then idly took a step sideways and dipped her right forepaw into one of the pools. She stirred the water, then out of a sudden and mean-spirited impulse, she flung some of the hot water in the other female's direction to show her what she thought of this conversation.
"Sulfur," Honey Badger replied unthinkingly, which explained both the smell and the heat. She sneered, then placed both front feet into the pool and dipped her head down to drink from it, feeling like a total badass. It tasted just like it smelled: like rotten boiled eggs. Nonetheless, the yearling licked her lips as if sulfurous water was the breakfast of champions.
She then backed up to remove her paws from the spring. Despite the wintry season, algae still managed to grow on the smooth stones around the pool's edge. Unaware of this, Honey Badger stepped on the slick surface. It was like stepping onto ice. Before she knew what was happening, her right foreleg went out from under her. She lurched forward, tried to find her balance but ended up over-correcting. She went down and the left side of her head smashed into the algae-covered rocks, cutting her good cheek open and causing her vision to dim.
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out :)
Wip watched the other carefully, yet was not able to move quickly enough to dodge the splash of water that was sent her way. It sloshed over her shoulder, and the female felt that it was indeed warm. Wip nodded as if this had been a carefully orchestrated scientific procedure, and then watched the younger wolf drink from the pool. In Wip’s experience, if it smelled bad it most likely tasted bad. With the exception of those tasty morsels that were buried for later of course. Yet, the other female seemed determined and gulped the water like it was the most delicious thing in the world. This persuaded Wip to near the pool, and put her nose up against the surface of the water, inhaling deeply. She shook her head in disgust and exhaled quickly, unwilling to force herself. Soul-fur. She repeated the word in her usual process for learning things, and then decided that Soul-fur whatever it was, smelled bad, and probably tasted bad to boot.
Just then she sensed a sudden movement, and always the cautious wolf she backed up quickly, in time to see the younger female slip on the rocks and injure herself. It was only then, when the unnamed female was splayed out before her, that Wip was really able to see the extent of her injuries. You’re hurt! She was addressing more than just her cheek now, as she looked over the other’s wounds. Hold on! Wip ran away back into the trees, excited to have a chance to exercise the extensive catalogue of things she had been keeping track of during her travels. She had noticed a plant similar to one that grew near her old home. It thrived in clay soil, and her emerald eyes lit up with excitement when she spotted it. It was a flimsy looking herb, but it was hardy to the climate and her experience told her it worked wonders on the flesh.
She tore out a large bushel with her mouth and then loped back to the pool where the other female was. She chewed them all out with zeal, and then spit up the concoction sloppily over a flat rock. This will help…if you let me help you with it. It will make everything feel better. Wip grew tentative, she knew almost nothing about the other, but got the impression that her pride more than anything as hurting, and some wolves followed their pride straight to the grave.
The helpful stranger needn't have worried about having an uncooperative patient on her hands. Honey Badger didn't move a muscle, nor respond in any way. She lay where she had fallen, stunned, her vision swimming and her head and entire left side aching like crazy. Gradually, her awareness began to sharpen, yet she remained badly dazed.
Alarmingly, she couldn't even think. She didn't know that she had suffered a concussion when she had rammed her head into the large black wolf she'd fought in the mountains and that, just now, she had suffered another, this one even more severe. She did know that it felt like her brain was about to burst out of her skull.
The she-wolf returned, not that Honey Badger had noticed her depart. She blinked her eyes dully, tried to form words but found she couldn't quite manage it. She didn't know what she wanted to say or how to say it. Her lips moved but it was like they had forgotten speech. The yearling experienced a brief moment of panic, which faded into the fuzzy buzzing that was now filling her mind like a swarm of mosquitoes or static on a television.
Wip grew alarmed at the apparent incoherentness of the younger female. Her earlier behavior had demonstrated to Wip that she was feisty, and to see her now in such a subdued state was worrisome to her. She approached her warily, still not completely trusting of her, as she had demonstrated some saltiness earlier. Wip licked up a gob of the herb goo on the rock and approached her warily, and licked some of it onto one of the wounds on her body. When she didn’t lung at her, Wip grew bolder, and repeated the process with the rest of her wounds until only the cheek was left.
The herb would sting, and this would hopefully help bring the other one back. She scraped the rest of it up with her tongue and smeared it onto her bloody cheek. Wip had plenty of experience with hurt puppies, and although the female before her was no puppy, her youth was evident to Wip. She really could do nothing now other than wait for the herb to sting at her flesh, and hopefully bring her wits back to her. She knew it would be working to heal her wounds at the same time. Wip lay next to her head, and began to lick at her face and snout, so as to prevent her from sleeping, and then lay her own head down atop the other female's neck protectively.
She sort of blanked as the stranger tended to her wounds, though every so often she would snarl at the stinging sensation. At length, she felt a warm weight beside her and although Honey Badger was having trouble forming conscious thoughts, she instinctively resented the proximity and, with a muffled growl, made it known. She then attempted to shuffle away, though that would require lifting her throbbing head.
Taking a deep breath, the yearling lifted it, then blinked somewhat blankly at the she-wolf next to her. "I'm..." The thought she had been trying to vocalize vanished into the ether of her damaged mind even as she spoke, leaving her slightly bewildered. She forgot all about it within thirty seconds, however, and pushed backward from the other wolf while randomly muttering the word, "Dauntless."
Wip was not surprised by the other wolf when she began to push her away. She had not seemed like the cuddly type after all, and Wip had not thought it prudent to go into a lengthy explanation in the moment that she was merely trying to keep her warm, so that they did not have to add shock to whatever it was that had rattled her organism. Wip did not struggle when she pushed her away and stepped back, and only nodded sagely. It’s nice to meet you Dauntless. I’m Wip. Where do you live? Do you belong to a neighboring pack? Maybe you could show me your home?
Wip hoped to be allowed to guide her back, because even though she did not know the wolfess, she hoped that were she in the same position, someone would help her out the same way. Sometimes, out in the wild, a creature had to depend on its fellow creature in order to survive. Wip pointed her nose towards the Bay, I live over yonder. Ever been to the Bay? Would you like to visit? I have some food cached away, if you’re hungry.
The she-wolf called her Dauntless and the wolf formerly known as Honey Badger blinked. She intuited that this wasn't her name, yet when she opened her mouth to correct her, she was at a loss. What was her name? She couldn't remember. That panicked feeling came back, though it was short-lived, receding into the buzzing at the back of her brain.
"W... wip," she enunciated, still struggling with speech. Just as she couldn't remember her name, she had no idea where she was from, whether she was in a pack or if she'd ever been to the bay. In a brief moment of clarity, the two-toned yearling just thanked her lucky stars she could understand language, though that thought, too, drifted away.
"Food—hungry. Yeah," she replied, speaking in stops and starts. She nodded. She would follow this female—what was her name again? It started with a "W," she thought—and get something to eat. "Dauntless," she added in a breathy voice as she tried to stand, only to wince and sink back beside the strangely smelly pool of water.
It was obvious that her concoction of herb goo had not been completely magic. That had been the right plant right? Wip began to grow worried at how confused Dauntless seemed to be. Where was the fire and sass that she had seen mere moments ago? Wip grew worried that the fall had been much more serious than she had previously assumed, and was relieved when Dauntless agreed to come with her. Maybe the walk back to the Bay could help Dauntless regain herself. And if not, maybe Wip would be able to nurse her, and to ask around and see if anyone knew this mysterious female.
Suddenly, she felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, and decided that there was no way she would let Dauntless down. Unfortunately, Dauntless’ own body was letting her down, and Wip watched her sink back into the pool. Goddamnit I really don’t want to go in there. Begrudgingly, Wip sank into the stinky water, enjoying its warmth briefly before she braced against Dauntless, and pushed slightly, trying to get her to step out. C’mon. You can do it. Step out and we’ll get you something to eat. Maybe drinking this funny water got you all discombobulated.
Honey Badger Dauntless decided she would try again after giving herself a moment to breathe through the pain. This evidently wasn't enough for "W," who stepped into the pool and began to push at her. The yearling licked her lips, nodding as if to say, I'll try. Then something in her snapped and she growled suddenly, lips snaking back from her fangs.
"Stop shoving me!" she hissed, only for her angry expression to melt back into nothingness a second later. She blinked, then shook her head lightly and stood, slowly and painstakingly. "I'm... okay," she announced as much to herself as to "W."
Blinking hard again—the ache in her skull seemed to be making her eyes pulsate—Dauntless looked at the she-wolf. "What... what's your name again?" she asked with an edge of impatience, which was once again directed at herself as much as her companion. At least she was regaining her ability to articulate normally.
Everything else was still fuzzy though. She stood there, trying to retrieve facts and details of her own life, to no avail. Dauntless felt like she was stumbling blindly through a dark forest, lost in the maze of trees and constantly running into them headfirst, never making progress toward light or clarity but instead making it worse and worse.
Sorry for quality, really sick today :(
Wip sighed, exasperated. She needed Dauntless to get out of this muck, so that they could get moving. Maybe with some fresh air her head would clear a little, other than that, Wip didn’t think standing around stagnant would provide any solutions. When the other snapped at her, Wip only stayed still and waited for the apparent hissy fit to dissipate. I’m not pushing you. Just bracing against you so you don’t fall again you big silly. Now, try again, you will feel better once you get out of this muck. Wip cringed at the mud she knew was getting all over her fur. Maybe the fumes of this soul-fur were just making things worse.
I hope you feel better soon!
The yearling felt an inexplicable fury when "W" didn't answer her question.
"What is your name?" she hissed through suddenly clenched teeth, glaring daggers at the wolf who was only trying to help her. Even as she asked, she stepped away, putting space between them. She was suddenly incredibly agitated.
Leave me alone! she found herself screaming internally. She shot "W" a final look of reproof before abruptly turning and loping away. She hoped the she-wolf wouldn't follow her. The thought caused her to hasten her step, though by the time Dauntless reached the edge of the strange, pungent swamp, the details of the entire counter had already begun to fuzz around the edges.
Exhaling, she turned from the edge of the hot springs and began to tread northwest, running roughly parallel to the winding river to her right.
Well good riddance. Wip huffed, a little self-satisfied as she watched the other trot away. Maybe it had not happened the way she wanted it to happen, but she had succeeded in getting Dauntless out of the pool after all. Yet something nagged at her conscience. The younger female was obviously not in her right mind, having asked her name again. Wip considered running off to the Bay, there certainly were other things she could be doing with her time at the moment. But, she knew that the thought of this she-wolf running around witless would eat at her.
On a hunch, she followed closely after her, wondering if her mental acuity had improved. Hey Dauntless! Where are you going? Home is this way…remember? She would try and lead her back to the Bay where she could keep an eye on her.
My last post. :)
As she began her trek, she heard footfalls behind her. At first, Dauntless just increased her pace, hoping to outrun her unwanted company. When her shadow showed no sign of falling back, she then snapped over her shoulder,
"Leave me the fuck alone!" She had no idea where such
anger came from but she didn't question it much.
With her angry message delivered (if not received), Dauntless growled loudly and broke into a steady gallop, eventually shaking off "W" and leaving her far behind.