@Ryuu
The light-grey wolf marched along the paths that came around the middle of the mountain. He had met most of the pack, save for the alpha's mate and their pups. Though Chaska had seen her, but that was only once, and never had a formal introduction. Even though that was the case, he did not aim to meet her just yet, for he expected that she may spend most of the time in their den with their pups, and respected their privacy. So instead, he decided to seek out the one he had by his side, though more towards his flank, when they found the trespasser.
So far, he had no success in finding her. Chaska wasn't very good at recalling scents, even if his life depended on it. He also did not know where she normally ventured in her spare time, and had searched around the base already. He was very close to giving up, but he was not one to surrender so easily. Some would call him stubborn, but he didn't see it that way.
"Where could she be?" he wondered, not realizing he had spoken the words aloud.
]Ryuu scratched at the thing around her neck, wishing that it would fall off. Not only was it itchy, but it was beginning to irritate her skin. She could feel the scabs beneath the band, a few felt wet like they were bleeding. It wouldn't do to die from the two-leg thing. Even after escaping them, they are still interfering with her life. But how could she get it off? Ryuu glanced around the rocky mountain, an idea forming in her mind. Several of the rocks were chipped away to where they had sharp points. That may be able to cut her free. She walked up to a particularly sharp looking rock, placing the band against it. Moving back and forth, she attempted to saw it off.
After a minute she stopped, bringing her back paw up to feel the band. There was a rough spot where she rubbed it on the rock. The small rough spot encouraged her to go at it again. She began to rub on the rock once more, faster this time. If she worked long enough, the thing could come off and she would finally be free of the two-legs. A sudden sharp pain on her shoulder made her wince. She stopped rubbing on the rock again to try to look at her shoulder, but the band prevented her from turning her head that far. "Damn it," she muttered in frustration. Ignoring the pain, she began trying to slice the band off again.
Chaska heard a voice, not too far from him. He moved towards it to find who he had been looking for. Though he found her activity a bit...odd. She was rubbing her neck along a sharp rock. But when he got closer, he caught a glimpse of something around her neck. He hadn't noticed it before.
He approached slowly, since she seemed slightly frustrated, then, from a distance, he announced himself with a low grunt.
"Have I come at a bad time?" he asked.
A voice from behind caused Ryuu to jump and spin to face the one who had spoken. "What? Oh um, not really." She looked down, scuffing a paw against the ground. "You're the one who answered my call when I found the intruder," she noted, glancing up again. The band slightly rubbed against her skin causing her to flinch in pain. The thing was becoming unbearable. Ryuu felt a bit embarrassed about the blood that was soaking her neck. How did this wolf see her? As a danger? As something weak? Ryuu inquired about his name while resisting the urge to scratch her neck. She didn't want to make the wounds any worse than she had already made them.
He winced when she jumped and he saw the blood on her neck. Chaska was afraid that he had caused it by making her jump, and that the rock may have cut her. That's when he caught sight of the thing around her neck. Now that he was closer, he could see it was some black object, and it was wrapped around her neck. He had never seen anything like it. And that's when he pieced things together.
"She must have been trying to get if off" he thought to himself. But whatever she was doing seemed to only make it worse.
"I am sorry if I frightened you" he eyed her apologetically, lowering his head slightly and averting her gaze. He immediately raised it when she realized who he was. "Indeed. It was good to have someone else there. If things had gone bad, I may not have survived alone." He moved the conversation onto the weird object.
"Are you having trouble with...whatever that is?" he queried, cocking his head slightly on it's side. Perhaps he would help with it. He had plenty of time on his paws.
The wolf who had startled her apologized. "Th-that's all right," she smiled a little and wagged her tail. After voicing her realization of who this wolf was, the male responded with a friendly tone. "And I would not have confronted the stranger alone without you." She replied.
He moved onto the subject about the thing around her neck. Ryuu pinned her ears against her head. "Yes. I'm afraid that the wounds it is opening up underneath will cause an infection, if it hasn't already." She winced. "It's extremely painful as well." Looking over the grey male she asked for his name, "What can I call you?" He looked younger than her. Ryuu sighed. Even though he may be younger he was more confident than her. Just goes to show how pathetic she was.
Chaska couldn't imagine how painful it must have been. Considering the damage it had caused, it was really rough against her skin. He began to wonder how it got on her in the first place. He had never seen such a thing in his travels. One thing for sure, it was not natural.
"Do you need help with it?" he asked, concerned that it may cause more damage. He hated to see others in pain, especially if they were in the pack he was. Just seeing the blood made him cringe, imagining the pain himself. He scratched at his neck with his back leg in an attempt to rid himself of the feeling.
She inquired about his name, and he answered, "Chaska. Just Chaska. And you?" he queried back, recalling that he had never learned her name either.
"I would ap-apreciate some help with the band. Is-is there anything you c-could do?" She watched him scratch at his neck and couldn't help but smile at the action. It seemed that her situation was rubbing off on him. He gave his name then, Chaska, and asked for hers. "Ryuu," she offered shyly. This wolf was very friendly and she immediately began to like him. That would be two wolves in this pack that she could start trusting. The others she still hadn't met personally, but knew that even though she was nervous to meet them, she needed to.
Walking up to the grey male, she sat near him and put her neck out for him to inspect. If he could do anything to get the thing off she'd be eternally grateful. It was a constant reminder of her imprisonment with the two-legs. Thinking of them she placed her ears back. Would she be able to forget that?
The she-wolf moved her neck closer to him, allowing Chaska to inspect the collar closely. Now that he was closer, he definitely knew it was not natural. It was black, and a small object jutted from the bottom of it, a small yellow light blinking. Maybe if he stayed away from the blinking thing, he would be fine. His eyes moved up the black thing until he found a rough spot, most likely where he had rubbed, and an idea popped into his head.
"Hope she doesn't mind" the grey wolf thought to himself before nipping at the rough spot, careful not to scratch her with his teeth. As he did, she told him her name.
"Tat's a ice ame" he mumbled as he chewed, meaning to say that it was a nice name.
"O ow id ou et dis?" he asked, once again muffled. He had meant to say 'So how did you get this?', but when talking with one's mouth full, it becomes hard to utter a single word properly.
If you want it to snap, you can do a bit of pp for him pulling at it
She had flinched when Chaska began nibbling on the thing around her neck. He was careful not to scrape the tender skin beneath, which she was grateful for. But the pressure of his teeth and the movement hurt. She clenched her jaws, allowing him to continue. He mumbled a few things as he worked, but she couldn't fully understand what he was saying. She didn't really want to bring up that she hadn't understood, not wanting to irritate the male in any way. But unwilling she managed to get out, "I-I'm sorry, but I di-didn't catch that." She hopes he wouldn't too irked at her for asking him to repeat himself. Ryuu felt irritated with herself for being nervous about asking a simple question. But she feared rejection and anger. Anything that was negative shattered her fragile state. She hated it; hated herself for it. But there wasn't a thing she could do about it. This was her now. She had to find a way to make peace with herself.
With one final tug, Chaska reeled back with it still in his mouth. And after the snap, he found himself stunned, laying on the ground with the thing in his mouth. In an instant, he spat it out. All he could do now was stare at it, thinking of what to do with it. It had no taste that he could recognize, and felt weird against his tongue and teeth. It felt almost as rough as bark.
"We should bury it" he finally said, sending a sour glare at it. Obviously, it didn't glare back. "And I said that you have a nice name." He began digging a hole next to the black thing, and then dropped it in before covering it up. Now it was gone forever. Hopefully.
"Good riddance" he said proudly with a nod of his head, then turned back to her. Maybe she would seem happy now that it was gone.
Snap. The thing around her neck went flying with Chaska as it broke. Ryuu stumbled back herself a few steps. "Are-are you all right?" She questioned a little worriedly. If the grey male harmed himself trying to help her, then she would feel at fault. But she realized he was okay as he stated that they should bury it and repeated what he had tried to voice earlier. "Y-yes. A-and thank you." She felt even more shy from the compliment. She did not really enjoy recognition.
When the male had dug a hole and dropped the band in, Ryuu felt relief wash over her. But there was also pain. The wounds around her neck seemed to bask in pain as air reached them. She winced." As a reward for ridding her of the annoyance, Ryuu gave him a grateful smile. "I never thought I'd be free from that thing." It was probably a good idea for her to find a puddle of water or something similar to inspect her wounds. With how bad they felt, she believed that she would have to reach out to FitzDutiful who had once told her that he knew the basics of healing. Being tended to by him could also jump start her training in that area.
Standing, pain shattered around her neck. A small cry escaped her and she began to pant out of nervousness. How bad were the wounds exactly? "If there's anything I-I could ever d-do for you..." she allowed the offer to drift off, the pain distracting her. "I need to find FitzDutiful." She sat back down while trying not to cry. Did the band accidentally make the wounds worse when it snapped off?
I don't mean to prolong this, but it's getting so good
He stuck his tongue out several times to try and rid it of the taste from the black object, and nodded when she asked if he was alright. It had been horrible, but had done nothing to him. At least, not yet.
"No problem" Chaska replied after the hold had been dug. And is was true. It was a nice name, one he had not heard before. He was happy to have helped and with one more glance at the fresh mound of dirt, he began to turn. But he stopped when he heard a cry of pain from behind. It didn't take too long to realize that she may have been in more pain. Had it caused more damage by taking it off? The possibility made him feel guilt now. Maybe he should never have tampered with it. He knew nothing of how to treat wounds, but there was one who might know someone. He lifted his head and sent out a calling howl for the alpha,
@FitzDutiful.
A few assumptions, lemme know if you want me to edit
A howl went up and FitzDutiful stopped what he was doing, putting nose to the air and trying to determine what was needed. The howl didn't portray all the much information, though it was Chaska calling for him and so the alpha stepped up to his duty and headed off towards them. There wasn't too much urgency in the call, but enough that FitzDutiful didn't dally.
"Hey, what can I —" his words cut off as his eyes took in the scene, blood on Chaska's muzzle and staining around Ryuu's neck. Around her neck where the black thing with the blinking light used to be. Used to be. It wasn't there any more. He assumed he was called here for healing, but he wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't a healer and Ryuu had talked about maybe taking up his challenge of becoming one. He waited, his eyes questioning but not accusing, letting his question go unsaid for someone to explain what had gone on
She watched happily as Chaska buried the collar, he then called out for FitzDutiful. The alpha came around quickly, his words cutting off as he took in the scene. "Y-you said before that you knew basic healing..." Ryuu began. "C-could you t-take a look at the wound?" Her eyes shifted to Chaska with gratitude. Without him she may have accidentally killed herself. "Chaska helped get the thing off, but I did some damage before hand..." Ryuu scuffed a paw. If the rock she had tried to use had managed to cut too deep, she could have bled out. It was a good thing that he had shown up. She would have to find some way to repay him.
Her neck was beginning to itch, her face contorted into a scowl as she resisted the urge to scratch. She wanted to tell Fitz to hurry, but thought that it would be rather rude. Ryuu's back foot began to twitch, she stilled it unwillingly. Would Fitz be able to help? She could feel the blood starting to drip down her chest. She must look like a complete mess. Which was somewhat embarrassing.
Last from me
Chaska knew she would be okay when Fitzdutiful arrived on the scene. He knew that, even though he may not have any knowledge to aid her with her injuries, someone was bound to have some. And he would sort it out. And then Ryuu spoke of Fitz's basic healing knowledge, so it was a definite that she would be okay. But before leaving, he gave his luck upon Ryuu.
"I wish my luck onto you. Be safe." He then turned to his alpha.
"I will beg my leave now." And with that being the last of it, he began to head off. Probably to his den and have a rest. Even still, the unnatural taste of that
thing was in his mouth, and he hated it. But he made no effort to spit it out, because he knew it would be gone in time. Just like the
thing buried under the ground.
"Of course!" FitzDutiful exclaimed, he would be more than willing to help her. Chaska begged his leave from them which so happened to just coincide with FitzDutiful beginning to ask him for help. Very well, if he had places to be, so FitzDutiful didn't stop him. Instead he went racing around, looking for the appropriate herbs and plants to help it.
"Here," he said, racing back and putting all the herbs on the floor. He plastered the appropriate antiseptic types to her, "It might sting", belatedly realising he should have warned her before the fact. And then he chewed up the clotters and applied it like a plaster. "That should seal it." he told her, pressing it in with his muzzle. "Try not to get it wet, it should fall off on its own."
He looked at her, wondering how she was. "Are you okay?"
Chaska left, wishing her luck and Fitz gathered the appropriate herbs for her wounds. He warned her that they may sting as he chewed them up and applied them to her neck. Ryuu flinched from him during the initial touch, but stilled herself when she realized the pain wasn't too bad to handle. Fitz told her not to get it wet and that the herb would fall off on its own. Ryuu thanked him as he asked her if she was okay. "I'm happier now th-that the thing is off ... and I-I'll be fine as long as this doesn't get infected," she told him worriedly. Interested in learning what he had used on her, she asked softly, "What herbs did you use for my wound?" This was her chance to get some information on healing. She would get first paw experience to how the herbs would affect her wound and how long it would take to heal. She would just have to keep an eye on it.
Ryuu showed an interest in what herbs he had used and he belatedly recalled their conversation when she had first joined in which FitzDutiful had mentioned both caretaking and healing as possible trades for her to earn. Maybe she was thinking of trying out the latter now? Pleased, but not showing it, FitzDutiful lay the spares of the herbs in front of her.
He pointed to the first lavender plant. "This is Lavender Hyssop, it's an antiseptic but it needs to be used in small doses and kept out of reach of small children. It has bad side effects if you have too much." moving on to the second green plant, "This is Canada Milk Vetch, it's leaves are poisonous but the roots can be chewed up and put on cuts. It's the emergency version. there's another sort of plant which you can dry the leaves out for and place on cuts too. Unfortunately we don't really have a healing store."
They could do with one.
Fitz pointed to each plant while explaining their uses. Ryuu was surprised that the plants could do both harm and good. She definitely wanted to make sure to remember the harmful effects. It wouldn't do to accidentally kill one of her pack mates. Then Fitz told her that they didn't have much of a store of herbs. "How come?" She questioned the Alpha. Even though they did not have a healer, Ryuu still expected them to have a storage of plants. Feeling like maybe she had stepped out of place by questioning Fitz, she bowed her head low.
Ryuu asked the question that he knew would be coming next and he had nothing to hide behind here. Why didn't they have a healing cache? "I've just never got around to making one. I always hoped we'd get a healer who would do that. Do you fancy creating one?" It would be good training and learning experience.
The dedicated healer of the pack aught to have the cache stored in a system that worked best for them. He hoped that Ryuu would take on this challenge. Everything that she found, stored or collected would go as proof that she had learnt more and more and the cache itself would be a good way to judge whether her knowledge was worthy of the title 'healer'.
It was explained that a healing cache was never made because Fitz had not gotten around to making one. He then asked her if she wanted to. "M-me?" Ryuu was surprised. "But I-I don't know anything about.... herbs," she explained. "If I knew, then I would ... love to help... but I don't know how..." She was feeling anxious now. This was something huge for the pack that she could have helped with. Ryuu wished that she knew more about herbs and healing. She wanted to do something to help her new pack. Her anxiety began to make her feel sick and shaky. "Would the pack be able to help me?" She knew Fitz would help, but she wanted to go beyond what he knew because then he would be proud of her and she would be able to show that she was useful.
Ryuu seemed nervous and started shaking a little - though FitzDutiful wasn't entirely sure that it was solely nerves and not a sense of excitement too. "You learn by doing," he said, kindly and gently, "by looking at different plants, sniffing and smelling them, and testing them out on other injured creatures you might come across."
She had asked a question and he nodded as he began to reply to it. "I think everyone will help you. They'll all help you figure it out, and fetch you things if you want something outside the pack lands and don't want to go yourself." He remembered her fear of outside lands.
When Fitz had told her that she learned by testing on injured creatures she may come across, Ryuu contemplated the idea. She felt a little excited at helping others, and that it may bring about a purpose for her. The idea made her smile, and then she smiled even more when the Alpha said that everyone would help her figure it out and fetch things for her. This was what a pack was all about: helping each other. "Thank you, FitzDutiful." She scuffed a paw. "I will get started right away, but... where.... would the cache be?" She would also have to ask exactly how to store them. But that can always come later
Ryuu had a point, where should the cache be? He thought it over for a moment, looking up at the sky as if seeking some sign from his naturalist training. Wouldn't it be nice if he could read the skies that way?! As it was, he wasn't entirely sure if anything useful would ever come from the sky. Instead he let his mind go through all the best places. "Somewhere central" he said, "For the main cache, which will allow it to be well protected and give everyone access. However," he paused after that to take his breath, lest she scamper away before he finished. "We'll probably need smaller ones on the outskirts in cases of emergencies."
He hoped she saw the sense in that. He knew he was asking a lot for her, but hopefully the few herbs he had taught her would help her start those emergency cache's.