Duskfire Glacier maybe it's okay to hurt

medic trade thread? :)

Kieran had awoken something within Hawthorn. He had been bitter before, and yes, he was still bitter, and he still didn't have much of a will to live, but he didn't want to leave the Glacier as much as he did before. And although it still grated his nerves that he was no longer heir, he decided that while he would still fight for the throne, it wouldn't be too bad having someone like Kieran leading the pack. He seemed like a nice enough boy, and with enough training, he could be a good heir, possibly even better than Thorn. Besides, if he was being honest, Haw didn't really care much for power and the throne, not as much as Rose did, at least.

He had other goals now, and Haw decided that the throne could wait. Right now, he wanted to gain the Medic and Mercenary trade, and he was on his way to find someone in this pack that knew something about herbs and healing and was willing to teach him. Hawthorn remembered distinctly that @Eden and @Heartha knew something about medicine, and so he sought them both out eagerly, following the scents in the cavern.

Hawthorn, Eden greeted as she came upon the juvenile's form. She'd been looking for him the same as he was for she, though she had different motives. She wanted to keep her eye on the boy, as her trust for him was quickly diminishing. Eden didn't like his wandering with her children around, and especially not with Sorrel being so ill. Everything alright? She stood on gaurd, ready for whatever he might have to say, but she wanted desperately to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Eden found him before he found her, though it mattered little to the boy in the end. She greeted him, and though he sensed that no longer did she trust him in the same way she had before, he still offered her one of his boyish smiles and a greeting, "Hey Eden," he said rather cheerfully, feeling a bit better for the first time in a long time. "Yeah, I was just looking for you. I want to learn to become a medic and a warrior and I was hoping that you could teach me something about medicine? I remember that you were good at it," Hawthorn frowned then, trying to recall where he got the information from, but then quickly dismissed it as unimportant.

"I want to help," He then answered honestly. "I know it's hard with all the pups around, and as I'm one of the oldest, I want to help in anyway I can." Hawthorn might not like the fact that he was not heir, but he wasn't extreme in the way Rose was, and the brief conversation with Kieran had showed him that maybe he didn't need to get power yet, maybe he didn't need revenge yet, maybe he just needed to have another childhood and start over in the Glacier.

Maybe, he just needed a fresh start. Hawthorn could only hope that Eden would oblige to his request, and so eagerly, shifting his weight between his paws in anticipation, he watched her with bright blue eyes, waiting for her reaction.

A medic? Eden could certainly help with that. I'll help you, she told him, her tone loosening a bit. There were a lot of pups around, that was for sure, and they could use whatever help they could get. Do you already know anything about the trade? Eden asked as she sat back on her haunches. It would be a waste of time to simply reiterate what he already knew, so she wanted to get a feel for his experience level. I was your mother's co-midwife, you know. And Heartha's as well. I was also the sitter for both litters, and I technically still am. In all honesty, that duty to watch over the children was the primary reason she'd even agreed to work with the child. It was more of a chore than anything.

She said she would help him, and at that, Hawthorn visibly brightened, a genuine smile spreading over his face. "Thank you," he said, dipping his head in a respectful bow. He acknowledged that she was now the leader and he just happened to be the orphan child she was looking after for the time being. He knew that if she wanted to, she could kick him out and with good reason too, given that he and his sister was the last trace of competition Eden had. But she needed to know that Hawthorn was done fighting over the throne - he figured that being born into the rule waas more luck than anything and he wanted to do it the right way, he wanted to work hard and rise up the ranks.

"I know you're supposed to clean wounds, but that's pretty much the only thing I know," he shrugged a bit helplessly, hating the feeling of being stupid and not knowing anything, after all, he considered himself a creature of intelligence and this was a bit insulting to his pride. Nevertheless, he waited eagerly, listening to her words. "Really?" Hawthorn smiled thoughtfully. "I didn't know that."

Really, really. Eden hadn't expected Hawthorn to know much about the trade, and so she wasn't surprised when he confirmed her assumptions. It was fine, being able to teach him from scratch, though she knew it would take some time. I remember each and every one of your father's children, although I hadn't expected the more recent three. Honey had come in with her young brood, claiming Alder as their father. Eden had her suspicions, but she chose to keep them to herself. At least for the time being.

We can begin lessons as early as tomorrow morning. I want you to go to Duskfire Forest and howl for me as soon as you get there. They would begin with plant identification; what was toxic and what was safe? Eden flashed Hawthorn a look, as if to ask if there was anything else on his mind. If not, then she would be on her way, back to caring for Sorrel.

"Fath-Alder was quite a womaniser wasn't he?" Hawthorn spoke, his tone soft and thoughtful, but bearing an underlying layer of bitterness. "I'm not quite sure how I feel about having...my father as a manwhore. But I don't suppose it really matters, given that he killed his own son and abandoned the rest," Haw shrugged then and looked away. He was more or less just talking to himself, using Eden to bounce his ideas off. It was easier for him to think, this way.
"Okay," Hawthorn replied obediently when Eden said they could start tomorrow morning. "That sounds good." He was about to leave then and allow the leader to get back to her duties, but then he felt the urge to speak. "I just want to say that I'm not Alder; I'm not going to leave suddenly, and I don't mind not being heir or whatever anymore. I like Kieran a lot, I think he would be make a better leader than I would anyways. I would be a terrible leader. And I just want to say that regardless of what my sister does or say, I thank you for saving us, taking care of us, teaching me and giving us a new home," he blurted out suddenly. Rose would undoubtedly disagree with him, but Haw found that he no longer cared as much.
Yes, he cared for his sister and would move mountains and rocks for her if he could, but he realised that his life didn't revolve around her, and whilst he would continue protecting her, he needed to live his own life out. We all only live once, after all.

Eden gave a small smile to Hawthorn. While she was still wary of the young boy's intentions, she knew that there was nothing in him which was comparable to Alder. Yes, Hawthorn was his son and they shared the same inward thirst for power, but the way that they went about things was incredibly different, to say the least. Besides, the child didn't have litters running around here and there like his father; at least, not yet. I know. You don't have to explain yourself. Now, off with you; we both have business to take care of. Eden gave a nod of her head with a gesture signaling him away, then turned and left the scene.