Nimbus Summit ain, yun

she and the others had gotten a bump into the ranks. a bit sucky that no one had come to visit her but heda decided they were all off doing iota stuff.
it wasn't their fault she was clumsy. heda could hobble a bit now, a scanty few feet around the healing den. today she leaned her shoulder against a tree, testing her mending leg with a small press against the ground.
the pain was dull and sickened her immediately. not yet.

Imaq had hidden herself away to heal rather than join those in the healing den. It wasn't as if there was a physical indication of the sunatuinnak's pain -- aside from the sickening jut of her bones and the limp state of her fur. Even that had begun to be restored with time and food, leaving only the haunted look in her eyes. Now that the she-dog was recovering, even if she had a ways to go yet, the medicine woman felt it important to begin familiarizing herself with all of the new faces and return to communal life. 

Such was how she came upon the pale girl, just shy of a year and streaked with a feral stripe of copper. The child was an unfamiliar one and Imaq could not recall if she was the daughter of one of their own -- perhaps the new northeners whom had come to lead in the time she had been lost. 

Imaq chuffed a soft note of curiosity and concern, seeing the child test an injured paw as she padded up to the healing den. 

"Salutitsik," she greeted in her own language, though Selkie couldn't be certain the near-year spoke tundrian. "Okay? Need Imaq help?"

Caracal was minding his own business, investigating a strange mushroom he’d come across, when he heard voices nearby. He froze, ears pricking.

“(No clue.) Okay? Need (gibberish) help?” he heard. Without realizing what he was doing, he leaped into action as if summoned by the word “help.”

Help, he said when he bounded onto the scene, has arrived!

His gaze bounced between the strangest she-wolf he’d ever beheld and a girl about his own age with what looked like a bum leg. He made a tsk noise of utmost empathy, scooting toward her with a look on his face that clearly asked, May I look at that?

ask and you shall receive.
heda's pity-party slash exercise session was dissolved by the appearance of imaq. admittedly she did not know the woman well, and mostly by sight: the little woman was distinctive in all aspects of her physical appearance. "no," heda answered more sharply than she had meant.
"i mean, no thank you, imaq. i need to do this alone. i'm trying to see how long it will take me to walk aga—" suddenly a golden boy she had never seen was among them, and heda was too taken aback to do more than stare and offer her paw toward his gentle expression.

Imaq dipped her head in understanding, edging back a step. Her lips parted, perhaps to ask after the girl's name when she was similarly startled by Caracal's sudden appearance. The she-dog flinched slightly, paws fluttering as she backed up another pace -- ears lifting in alarm as her sapphired-dashed aquamarines watched the young he-wolf closely.

It seemed that he too only wished to help, leaving Imaq to silently observe -- ready to back away and leave the younger members of Atautsikut to their conversation if it became clear that her presence was unneeded or unwanted.

She held out her paw and he examined it. Caracal wasn’t particularly savvy at this kind of thing yet, though he could see that it looked swollen. On a scale of 1-10, how much does it hurt? he queried sympathetically. After all, he knew all too well how agonizing a sprained ankle could be. And how’d it happen? he tacked on, withdrawing a bit to take a seat.

He had forgotten about the other she-wolf entirely, though now he turned his head and angled a smile over one shoulder blade. I’m Caracal, by the way, he said, twisting back to face his would-be patient. I’m Lane’s new apprentice. Has she been looking after this for you? He pointed a toe at the girl’s leg, careful the whole time not to actually touch her.

closer now, heda found herself quite overcome by how handsome caracal was. poor imaq fell into the background as the hotheaded and injured girl began to be gentled by the golden boy's bedside manner. "yeah, um, and antha. and tessa," she volunteered in a mumble, lowering haunches to the ground.
"i was hunting and fell off a ledge," heda said honestly, silver-smudged eyes darting to his for a daring moment. "it's a two of ten when i'm doing nothing, and a nine out of ten when i try to move."

Imaq blinked her aquamarines owlishly, seeming to be similarly struck -- though not by the boy, Caracal's, features. Rather, Selkie was muted by her own timorous nature. She dipped her head in a slow movement as she was acknowledged. "Salutitsik, Caracal," the dog murmured in hushed tones. "Imaq," she introduced herself with another bob of her creamy chin, as if gesturing to herself. 

Her gaze flickered between the two near-years, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips to see the bashful look upon the bold girl's face. It was heartwarming. Seelie lingered, thinking perhaps Lane's apprentice might need her to fetch some herbs -- should he require them for Heda's injury.

Bless you, Caracal said when the older she-wolf made a sound that was surely a sneeze. Nice to meet you, he added with a tip of his chin when she repeated one of the words he’d overheard earlier: Imaq. He was 62% sure that was her name, although that number jumped to about 87% when she gestured at herself. He smiled.

Turning back to his peer, he wondered about her name but focused on what she was saying. That’s how I rolled mine, he murmured sympathetically, staring at her injured ankle, and the pain levels sound about right. He looked up, catching her eye now and smiling softly. But sounds like you’re in good hands, at least! Not counting him, that meant she had three caretakers already!

Feeling rather redundant and scratching at one over-sized ear, he said, Well, is there anything I can do for you? Anything you need, Ms…?

"heda." she fought the urge to yank away. he was very thorough and very gentle. "i don't need anything." her throat filled with a frustrated sigh. "i just want to walk again." she coughed and this time she did draw her paw away and tucked it gingerly against her chest.
"where did you live before this, caracal? he's another healer, imaq," heda smiled toward the other wolf, trying to include her after her own outburst. she didn't touch on the fact that he'd hurt himself. heda didn't think she had the energy to do more than feel sorry for herself.

Imaq cocked her head curiously at the phrase, unfamiliar with it, but didn't linger on its meaning. She did not feel quite so comfortable as when @Rye was teaching her to speak, there would be a time and a place to ask after definitions but it was not now. "Good meet," she returned diffidently, the words but a shy rasp. 

Heda's words brought her seaglass gaze to the young woman, nodding with a slight smile. "Medicine-man," the term came out conjoined into a single word, but it was accompanied by a smile of kinship towards the golden boy. Their tribe was blessed by the inua to have so many fine healers. 

"Good meet, Heda," the she-dog murmured then to the pale girl, offering her a small bob of her bespeckled crown and a warm grin before moving to trot away. She thought perhaps it might be best to let the youngsters converse on their own for a time, though this was not to say that Seelie had been made to feel unwelcome.

Oh man, I know that feel, he replied, empathizing with the frustration he heard in her voice. Caracal remembered how dismayed he’d felt when Sialuk had told him his sprain would take weeks to mend. Wish I could say it doesn’t suck, waiting around for it to heal… but it totally sucks butts.

Heda asked him a question. Caracal was happy to answer. Perhaps companionship and conversation would get her mind off the situation, make the time pass a little faster. But before he could answer, she made an offhanded remark to Imaq, who in turn called him a “medicine man.”

His chest puffed up a little, though before the yearling could come up with a response, Imaq departed. Caracal crooked a paw after her and shouted, Bye! There was something very intriguingly unique about her, but he soon forgot all about Imaq as his attention returned to his injured peer.

Oh, uh… I actually hadn’t lived anywhere in a while before I came here. The pack where I was born disbanded in the winter and I traveled with my buddy for a while. We actually stopped when I busted my own ankle a couple months back. Caracal could get into that whole story, but instead he asked, What about you, were you born here?

heda felt smothered by imaq's motherly kindness and caracal's scorching type. and then the older woman was leaving, which made the girl feel an entirely sort of other feeling. vulnerability, perhaps. the golden medic was talking and she arrived back into the conversation with a jolt.
"uh, yes. i mean —" she corrected with an irritated little huff at herself. "sorry, been laying around so much my brain doesn't work anymore. uh, no. i was born in rivenwood."
her gut twisted. she felt green. "uh, you know what, i should — like, get back. stomach not — settling so great lately," ears folding in apology and heda lolloping to her mismatched stance.

Heda answered him distractedly, causing Caracal’s brow to furrow ever so slightly. What had flustered her? Was it the question? Before he could ask, she told him her stomach wasn’t feeling too well. She was clearly trying to excuse herself. Caracal wanted to insist on walking her back to her resting place, though he actually listened to his good senses for once, which told him to let her alone.

I’ll ask Lane about something that might help with that, maybe bring some food around for you, he said gently to her back. See you, Heda. Nice meeting you! And that was true enough, despite the circumstances.