Stavanger Bay No one dies from love

Today is my One Day Off before three weeks of hell so I'm forward dating this lmfao, set around a week from today
Puts this here because I have nowhere else to put it

Nothing helped.
The slow ascent of her fever began to keep her in the den again, and Reverie emerged only to drink large amounts of water. She kept Blossom with her as much as she could justify it to herself — but as the sickness in her worsened, she began to loosen her iron grip on her daughter, if only to allow the girl more freedom than her mother was allowed. Reverie did not want her childhood memories to be of her mother's sickbed.
But today — today, it was so very difficult. That clenching pain had returned, and as Reverie cried silently to herself in the safety of her sleeping space, she wished that she could hold Blossom. She did not go to her, though; she knew that her pain would only scare her daughter, and no part of her wished for that. She herself was not afraid anymore, at least. The one thing she'd feared most had already come to pass, and Reverie was empty now of fears and of hopes. For Blossom. Not me.
She wondered sometimes if Lestan felt that he had gotten his wish, or if he still found fault in her. She didn't dare to ask.

after this I really gotta get going but I’ve been curious how they’d interact for a while XD have a random Bridget!

She followed the river down to the coast and followed the coastline after. Parts of it had been vaguely familiar, but the first time she’d traveled it she’d been on death’s door. The second time she’d been in too big a hurry to get back to really appreciate any of it.

The shore was beautiful. Lonely in a way that made her feel both bigger and smaller at the same time, if that made any sense. She wasn’t sure yet if she’d stay here or strike inland, but she was enjoying each place she encountered.

This one seemed claimed. Not officially, but there was a strong presence, so she moved forward with care. Normally she’d have left them be but there was another scent on the wind she couldn’t ignore - sickness. Someone here might need a healer’s care and she couldn’t pass by without asking.

Hello? I’m sorry if this is a claim, I’m not looking for any trouble. I’m a medic, passing through, and wanted to offer help if it’s needed. She called out, making her way carefully through the bay. The sand made it hard to travel quickly on three legs anyway, though she was slowly getting some handle on it.

It was possible the illness she’d detected was already gone, or the wolves here had a healer of their own. It couldn’t hurt much to ask.

SCREAMS??? Thank you for joining omg <333

As if summoned from a dream, or by fate, or through whatever magic that might still burn in Reverie's veins —
A healer appeared, calling out, making her way through the Bay. Reverie heard this call from the den, and rose on unsteady limbs to answer. She trembled as she stepped from the cave, winced as her pace picked up, but when she caught sight of the gilded figure all the breath was stolen from her throat and she went very, very still. Her pain was forgotten.
Rose?
No. No, this was someone else. But the memory of it ached; the first sun of her life, the one whose death had torn everything from her and left her — this. Self-loathing swelled in her throat at the thought, but she took another shaky step forward. Hi, She called out, and swallowed. I - I do need help. Please. After a pause she thought to add, I'm Reverie.

She was glad she stopped here when an answer came. The scent of old sickness had been subtle, but it was one that always drew her in to investigate. It wasn’t in her nature to pass someone in need without a thought.

The woman seemed to at least be in good enough health to speak, though she seemed sickly for sure. Bridget looked at her with concern and took a few slow, clearly non-threatening steps forward. She knew better than to think the stranger would trust her right away.

My name is Bridget. I always try to do what I can. What are the symptoms? It would be convenient if it was something she had seen before but illness was tricky. The kind brought on by injury was straightforward, but the ones that settled in the body could look like one thing and be another. If nothing else, perhaps she could at least help with a part of it, unless she happened to know the cure itself.

Bridget. Reverie managed a gentle smile for her, though it faded when the healer asked for her symptoms. She bit her lip, considering a moment before she responded. Well, She began slowly. It started - months ago, with abdominal pain. Sort of a cramping pain - it comes and goes, but it's gotten worse. Sometimes it even hurts to move, like now.
And then there's the bleeding - from - well, Reverie cast a sheepish glance at her own hind end, unsure how to explain. And - fever. That comes and goes, too, and I never have an appetite anymore - I've lost so much weight...
She swallowed. I don't think I can be cured. But I'll try anything.

Mmm. Something internal, from the sound of it, either in the stomach or lower. This was harder and less sure but not impossible - the body was always willing to fight for its own survival. All Bridget needed to do was provide it the tools.

Where is the pain? She asked, moving to get a clearer look and to hopefully get a demonstration. In the stomach or lower? And is it closer to the back, side, or underbelly? Her focus went clinical, but she smiled, if a little distractedly. It’s likely the source of the pain is the source of the problem, and whatever is hurt inside is causing the fever. Lack of appetite and nausea made sense as well.

Already she was considering options. If the stomach, then gentler foods and vitamin-rich to build strength and help it to heal. If the issue was reproductive, that was less within her wheelhouse, though maybe something for the pain and something to relax the muscles would do something. She would need to consider the herbs she knew and their effects… there had to be something she’d learned.

Lower, Reverie pointed with her nose to the place, right between her thighs. More underbelly, but it radiates to the back, sort of.
There was a slim sort of hope stirring in her, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Of course she felt relief — but there was resentment, too. If this was another false hope... well, she wasn't sure how she would handle it. Reverie turned a slightly nervous look on Bridget. Do you know what it is? She wasn't entirely optimistic; she hardly knew what it was beyond a vague diagnosis given only to the dying.

Lower and radiating upward. There were a number of sensitive things there, but the signs pointed towards reproductive, doubly so with blood involved. Bridget paused thoughtfully, considering it carefully before answering.

It’s a rejection of some kind. Something within is either torn or fighting itself and the fever is your body’s attempt to heal. The sickness and bleeding are likely side effects, but the important thing is finding out which is the case. There were massively different treatments for each. She’d rarely seen the second case but had a couple of notions on where to begin.

Do you mind if I try to feel? I’ll be careful, and can stop at any point. She looked at this new stranger, Reverie, with a practiced concern. She was lovely but the thoughts that might have crossed her mind if they had met in other circumstances were nowhere to be found right now. A patient for her was only that; it was a boundary that was especially important in moments like this. No healer could approach intimate conditions without the proper level of professional respect, and Bridget hoped she could earn this trust.

There it was: real hope, a real possibility that someone might be able to help her, and now Reverie's resentment of it faded into fear. She took a moment to study Bridget in silence as the healer spoke, trying to decide if she trusted her. Once, she would have wanted Lestan's opinion before trying anything at all.
Now she didn't even want to tell him about this.
Swallowing that grief in favor of the present moment, Reverie nodded. That's fine. I'll try to - be still, Dread was in her expression, because she knew that it would hurt. A rejection of some kind. Did that mean that it could be stopped? Bridget hadn't said anything of the sort, but the fact that she had any confidence at all in what it could be — maybe that meant it would be okay.
Or maybe it would just end up being another way for Reverie to know that she was truly dying.

An invitation. Bridget came over, ensuring that her approach was non threatening. She was used to her three legs by now and rarely thought about it, but it would be apparent in the way she came near. If anything it made her even less of a threat.

Let me know if there’s pain. The moment you feel it. She said, sitting down beside her. Then she ran her muzzle over the area, methodically applying a gentle pressure and seeing what she could determine. In each place she was careful to check a reaction before continuing. It would tell her the exact source as well as when to stop.

Reverie nodded slowly, but her pulse was rising. She settled when Bridget did, and carefully leaned into a prone position to allow her better access. It felt — vulnerable. Intimate, really, and that sent a flush through her. But she did her best to stay still.
And failed, increasingly, as Bridget's touch drifted lower. It was the anticipation of pain that kept her on edge, wincing and then apologizing with every move — It doesn't hurt yet, it's just that I know it will, She explained once, hushed, before falling silent. At least until the healer touched upon the place where it did hurt. Then she flinched, and cried out, and sucked in a harsh breath through her teeth when the flash of pain did not fade. Instead it intensified, echoing through her, turning into a familiar clenching feeling. Reverie could do nothing but try to focus on breathing steadily through the storm.
That - that hurt, She managed after a moment.

She could tell the other woman was nervous. It wasn’t strange to be at all, but it told her what was likely to come, and when the response was pain she stopped and noted the placement as well as what she had felt. There was nothing obvious yet but she had a theory and every piece was important. That there was pain when external pressure was applied told her something.

I’m sorry. I have one more question, but it’s personal. Have you been with a man and, if you have, did it hurt? Even when they were careful? She lifted her gaze to Reverie’s and stepped back, allowing her to recover from that.

No matter what, the more common herbs would help. But if it was what she suspected then she would need to find something that was likely going to be harder to track down.

It's okay, She murmured when the pain had subsided, but her eyes were downcast and her ears flushed with heat at Bridget's question. And, well - yes and no. I've been with a man, but it never hurt. But it's... it's been a long time.
Too long, Reverie felt, and she knew that Lestan would never touch her again. If she recovered from this — if she didn't die — then she would fix that. She would find someone else. After everything, after all that she had suffered, she at least deserved that much; to feel wanted, to forget everything if only for a little while and lose herself in the purest joy she'd ever known. She wouldn't let Lestan deny her this — or anything else. Not anymore.

Bridget heard the implied meaning in that and didn’t ask further. Even without that, the most telling clue was the blood, and combined with the fever it told her something was likely wrong reproductively. Long-standing pain spoke of inflammation, an infection of some kind, and the fever compounded this.

There are three herbs right now I’d try. Turmeric and chamomile for inflammation and infection, and ginger to help those along. If we are lucky, they’ll help quiet down whatever’s causing trouble, and help your body to handle it. Those were the ones she had in easy access, and she’d seen them used in adjacent situations with success.

It might help, too, to eat mainly fish and less red meat. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem here. Bridget smiled, then glanced off, back inland. If that helps, there’s a few other things we can try, but they aren’t anything I have right now and tend to be harder to find. I’d need to track them down.

If you want to try, I can go get the first things ready. Bridget paused, waiting for a confirmation. If her help was accepted, it seemed she’d be staying in the area a while, but she didn’t mind that. She’d left to find something of her own, but there was time for that still, and this was her calling. She’d wondered if a part of why she’d felt so disconnected in Brecheliant was the lack of anyone needing her help. It felt good to be working again, even while she felt for the woman in front of her. Injuries healed, but chronic pain was a whole other variety of hell. Bridget only hoped she could do something for her.

Tags just for ref!

Reverie sucked in a breath as Bridget began to list herbs, nodding along quietly while tears welled in her eyes. She didn't know that she truly held any hope that this would cure her — but she couldn't quite help the swell of emotion that rose to meet the healer's easy confidence and gentle demeanor. It felt, for a moment, as if everything might really be okay.
Yes, She breathed, a little more eagerly than she'd meant it. I - yes, thank you. Does that mean - will you be staying? Of course, she would need to inform @Vairë and @Rhaegal — and @Lestan, though she found herself far more reluctant at this thought. Honestly, she didn't want to face the possibility of his apathy; Reverie was not entirely convinced that he still cared for her after that day with the witch's children. But perhaps he'd allow Bridget to stay with them, in their den; it was large enough, surely, and maybe Blossom would enjoy meeting the healer.
Reverie herself was more charmed than she wanted to admit. But she was married, and so she allowed that thought to slide away from her and fade into the background of a million other worries on her mind.

Her heart went out to her, seeing the tears and tactfully not mentioning them. How long had she lived with this, and had she sought help before this? Clearly no one had tried this treatment before, which gave Bridget slightly more hope that it might work. The tendency was to treat the pain, but that would only go so far - she preferred to focus on what was beneath the pain, not the symptoms but the cause.

Of course. There’ll be plenty of time for more aimless wandering later. Bridget replied with a slight laugh, waving a paw. I didn’t get to enjoy the coast much, last time I was here, so it’s nice to see it again.

It's beautiful, isn't it? Reverie's eyes turned briefly to the sea. When she looked back at Bridget, there was a gentle curiosity in her expression. She wondered if she traveled often, but did not ask, not yet. Of course she'd noticed that the woman only had three legs, but she hadn't thought much of it. It reminded her of Phox.
I'll have to ask my husband, but - maybe you could stay in our den, with us. It's - big. It's a cave, She stumbled a little over the explanation, aware that it might sound more intimate than it really was. And it has a lovely view of the ocean. And the sky — but she wouldn't spoil everything. It really was something best experienced, rather than described.

It was. It didn’t have the same beauty as the forests or the mountains but it had something of its own. Bridget had found, over the years, it was less the place and more the wolves that made a place worth staying. She’d taken a liking to Reverie fairly quickly, and if her husband was similar, she was sure they would get along fine.

It is. She took a breath, then stood, responding with an easy smile. I don’t need to intrude, but I’ll stay close either way. Wait here, I’ll be back in a few. She’d taken some supplies with her, but hidden them back while she hunted. She’d bring them and find a place to start a store here, somewhere dry and safe. Her husband might not want her so close so soon, but she’d at least choose a spot nearby. She’d need to be within calling distance while they worked on finding the right solution to this problem.

Bridget was so — easy-going, and there was so much comfort in it that Reverie was almost reluctant to let her go, even just for a few minutes. Alright, She agreed thoughtlessly anyway, caught up in the positivity and not wanting to taint it.
So she would wait patiently, trying to ignore the prickle of nerves that nagged at her. Reverie was uncertain what sort of effect these things might have; Bridget had described them but she knew from experience that sometimes it worked a little differently in practice than in theory. That was the part that made her nervous.

It didn’t take her long to return, herbs in tow. She’d dithered a bit over the doseage, and in the end decided that caution was the way to go. They could adjust as they went.

It isn’t much, but I want to see how these go before you take more. The effects would depend on if she was correct; there was always a chance that a body would react badly, but at least in this instance, all of these herbs were fairly safe for a wolf who was not pregnant. She hoped they would serve until she could find the better ones. If there’s more blood, or more pain, we will try something else. If I’ve learned one thing in healing, it’s that every case is different. No matter how standard the problem might seem.

Bridget smiled, hoping to set her at ease. She would be here if anything did happen, and at the very least, each step would teach them something new and offer a chance to find a solution that would work. They needed to start somewhere, and from what she had gathered, this was the most feasible first step.

fine to fade if you like! <3 you can decide what happens, even for what the guess is on approx what she has, the results are mixed XD so I’m open to however you play it!

I'll get us a new one <3

Thank you, Reverie murmured, returning the smile somewhat hesitantly. She wouldn't notice any immediate effect from the herbs, aside a slow-growing sense of calm — but maybe that was a good thing. The pain did subside somewhat by the time she parted ways with Bridget, promising to call on her again soon, but it always came and went. So she couldn't be sure. Yet.