Swiftcurrent Creek Momma 'Lette will patch ya up.

@Cygnet perhaps for Arlette's medic trade? :) (set after fight with Arric)

Arlette was lounging around the den. It was a more quiet moment for the pale female. Cygnet had been out as she had done more recently. Arlette actually didn't mind it, it showed that the girl was maturing. It made sense that she wasn't hanging around her all the time like when she was younger.

Speaking of, the young girl came to find her, but there was something off and different. She got up and approached the girl instantly. She knew she could be a little mothering hen sometimes but it was clear that something was off. Arlette slowed her approach and nosed over the girl to check for injuries. This was something new. She could smell Arric on her fur, and briefly her brows furrowed. Had she fought with Arric?

"Can you tell me what happened? Pain? Where?"

Sympathy was exactly what she had hoped for. She tried not to be dramatic, so as to earn skepticism, but the ache in her ribs, and the pain she showed for it was clear and realistic. The claw marks along her cheekbone stretched from her canine and back toward her jawline, fanning wide enough apart to have clearly belonged to an adult. She had little enthusiasm when Arlette came to hover over her, having been thoroughly tired out from the journey back. 

Normally, she might have grumbled at Arlette for coming so close, but presently, all she could do was a weak whine; anything much louder would have caused more pain along her right side where Arric had smacked her. She moved one paw closer to the woman, as if to invite her in for a rare moment in which she sought some affection.

With two fast flashes of her teeth, she indicated the man, who often earned a show of her teeth whenever she caught his eye. She reached to gesture toward her ribs with her nose but yelped, to feel a jolt of pain go through her side. She lay her head back down and sighed softly. No matter how she held herself, or how she lay, her ribs ached. There was no end to it, and it made her miserable.

The curious child did really seem to be off her usual pattern as she seemed to want her affection this time. Arlette was almost a little stunned. The girl never really wanted any sort of hugs and kisses. Something that Arlette wished to give her, but she had refrained from. The girl sported some claw marks, plus her ribs seemed to be hurting. Arlette offered a brief lick over the top of her head.

She smelled Arric on her fur, and that she showed her teeth was enough go a hint. "I see." She didn't think Arric would hurt her out of malice. It must have been a spar? Or maybe they did have a conflict? Arlette moved her nose closer to the scratch marks. She started to lick them clean, in case there was any debris in there. "Well, you don't have any littermates or wolves your age to practice with," she sighed.

Arlette had a small cache close to her den. She took out the dried poppy flower and opened it. She licked up one seed and then brought it to Cygnet. It was like when she was little and she fed the girl. She offered the seed to take. It was only small but it would help with the pain. "Your ribs are going hurt for awhile," she admitted to the girl. Arlette wanted to check if they were broken, but that would probably be painful so she refrained. "Any other hurts?"

She wasn't being babied or coddled; Arlette had no ill words to say of the man, and no anger came to her eyes when she pieced the story together. As far as Cygnet could tell, Arric was getting a free pass in spite of having injured her; she could only hope now that he at least suffered as much as she did. Knowing Arlette, she would tend to Arric too- and the thought of it made her scowl. 

Cygnet had never seen another wolf her age or size. The only wolves she'd known were the adults she lived with now. They had tended to her well, but she lacked the social experience of getting to actually play with other children. She might not have wanted to- but it would likely have done some benefit for her to learn. 

Too late now, she thought; and she shrugged. There wasn't anyone her age, and unless one wandered in from the wilds, there wasn't likely to be. No siblings could come from parents who did not exist. 

She trusted Arlette blindly, and took the seed, swallowing the tiny thing down with a flick of her tongue. She found it impossible to believe that something so small might remedy her pain, but she was willing to give it a try. She hoped it would be fast-acting; she would be slightly disappointed. 

Questioned about other pains, Cygnet's features softened, and she sighed. She had no way to confess that her ego had been completely shattered. And she had no way to confess how she felt about losing to Arric- and how much she dreaded his presence in her life now that she'd lost to him. She felt troubled, and was surprised to find that emotions welled within her, and made her feel profoundly sad. Dry-eyed, however, she set her head down and shrugged listlessly. It wasn't like Arlette could prescribe something to make her happy anyway.

Arlette was glad to see that the pup took the one seed. She would soon feel a little more tired. Hopefully it would also help with the pain in her ribs. Arlette continued to lick the wounds clean of the younger female. As she was not only a medic she also figured that this loss might also have some mental aspect to it. The youngster had been living the single child life, with all the pup privileges. Never having to compete for food or any other things. Perhaps the only thing she had to compete with was her attention. She sometimes gave that to Arric as well.

The pale caregiver stepped back and saw the pup sit there with her head down. "I know you don't speak a lot. But I do," she offered. "Perhaps you can find some comfort in my words, Cygnet." Arlette offered her a softer smile. "Life as a wolf, it is not always highs, or successes. You can see it with hunting but also in communication with other wolves. Sometimes things don't go as you want or like. Sometimes you fight with someone, expecting to win, but you don't. It hurts. But you can also look at the fact that you probably learned a thing or two. Next time you remember the pain you feel now, and that makes you wiser, and stronger the next time you try," she spoke, words wanting to be inspiring for the child.

"Though, wanna know a secret? A good cry helps as well," she hummed. Arlette quirked a corner of her mouth in a little smirk. "Now, do you want me to fuss over you, maybe even cry out all your frustration? Or do you want some space?," she asked. It seemed that this time the pup might lean to the first option, but who knows maybe she was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. "Tell me, and I will see if I can do that for you."