Wheeling Gull Isle healing

@Padma - forward-dated to the 11th of April

She had been resting on the island for a few days, the salt spray of the ocean and the call of the gulls an ever present fixture in her life. Her new life. The only one she could remember. Being put on bedrest gave her plenty of time to lay around and strain her memory for slivers of a past life, but nothing ever came to her. She’d give up for a while and then return to it again after some time had gone by, but even after giving her brain a rest, it made no difference. She remembered nothing. Only flashes of a storm, being dragged under the waves, feeling so close to death, and then… waking up here.

She had begun to notice the faint scents of other wolves here and there, but none that were fresh besides her own and the fading scent of Brisbane, the man who had saved her and helped with her injuries. At some point, there must have been others living on the island, but they were long gone now. That was good. That was very good. Because this island was hers now. If any long-lost islanders came back to claim this place, they’d have to go through her. To hell with her shoulder. She’d fight regardless—and probably die—but it was worth it. This island was her home, and she was its master, and no one would take it from her or lord over her.

She’d found a pool of fresh water, churned from below by and underground river. This was where the forest came from. She stuck close by, partly because she couldn’t move much and partly because this was probably the only source of freshwater on the island. For now, she would remain here, in the shade of the conifer forest, healing from her wounds and listening to the birdsong and the sound of the waves.

There was no rhyme or reason that persuaded the girl to venture toward this wayward island. Merely the notion that she had neve been on an island provoked the impulsive action to swimming he distance. Roughly shaking the salty water from her pelt, Padma could feel the coarseness that clung to her fur, the sand and salt drying against her reddish fur.

Feeling the need to wash herself off, Padma wandered around looking for fresh water. The small forest taking up the majority of the island seemed like a good place to start. These trees had to be growing somehow. Amber eyes caught the sun glistening off the pool of water, approaching softly, she missed the other woman lounging in the shade.

She smelled the female before she saw her, her head trained in the scent’s direction. She saw movement between the trees and watched alertly. She was incredibly aware how vulnerable she was right now, what with her shoulder out of commission until it healed as much as it was going to heal. If she got up now, she would risk tearing the wound open all over again. She prayed fervently that whoever was nearby was friendly and not out to attack a downed wolf. She watched as the female appeared through the trees and… turned her head as that female moved… straight past her? Had she not seen her laying there?

“Oi!” she called, and then whistled to get the female’s attention. [Oh my God, Strand, what are you doing. Are you trying to piss off another random wolf? After you just said you were vulnerable right now? Wow okay.] All thoughts for her own safety went out the window at the idea that she had just been ignored. “What are you doing on my island?” she demanded, her pale golden eyes hard and even as she stared at the girl. She felt slightly more confident about this confrontation because this girl looked even younger than her. She could certainly take a pup, even a nearly-adult one. [Except you can’t cos your shoulder is wrecked omg.]

Oi! Startled her from her determination, turning her head she could have hit herself for missing such an obvious lack of skill. Turning away from the water, despite wanting a bath, she faced the prone woman. “Your island?” Padma snorted, she hadn’t found a pack scent when arriving, nor could she see any other wolves around.

Tilting her head to the side, amber gaze narrowed on the wound along her shoulder. Taking a few steps closer, but remaining at a safe distance, Padma took sniffed out her scent, memorizing it.

The girl turned towards her, startled. Strand was feeling proud that she’d managed to startle her, but the girl’s words pissed her off. “Yeah,” she said, loudly. “My island. The sea swallowed me and spit me out here. The sea will not kill me so easily. I already fought off a man who would have taken it for himself.” This was a lie. That was not why she had fought the man, and she didn’t think he’d wanted to take anything from her. But she wasn’t going to tell the girl that. “So it’s mine,” she concluded, sneering at her. “You got a problem with that?”

Some voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to shut. up. before she got into another pointless fight, but she wasn’t about to listen to that voice and be deemed a coward by some pup younger than her. She was the boss here, and the girl would accept that or she would leave.

Her curiosity only rose as she keeps talking. A smirk settling on her lips, as she tilted her head in the opposite direction. “The sea swallowed you? What it didn’t like you so it sent you back?” Padma had never heard of such a story, but was intrigued.

“And who was this man? Did he do that to your shoulder? I hope you look better than he did, that looks like it hurts.” Settling to hear the story she lowered herself in to a seated position, her tail swishing with excitement as she waited to hear the tale. Her childish antics poking through her normal reserved and weary façade.

Being slightly vague on the fight details because the thread’s not finished yet.

’The sea swallowed you? What it didn’t like you so it sent you back?’

The sandy-colored female snorted in amusement at the questions. “Yeah, I guess so,” she admitted. “I like the sound of that. Maybe it didn’t like how I tasted,” she mused. “Maybe I was too strong for it.” She grinned, enjoying the idea that the sea had hated the way she had tasted. She was too spicy for the ocean to handle. Or maybe had too much lean muscle and not enough fat. 

The darker-colored girl wanted to know about the man who had attacked her. “He was a ghost,” she said, trying to make the story more interesting. “Pale and… he talked to himself. Talked to someone—I can’t remember their name—that wasn’t there. Also mentioned… a trench?” She shook her head. “I don’t remember exactly what he said. But he was freaking me out, and he threatened me. Said… someone would get me too, or something like that.” She stared out at nothing, remembering looking at the man with the wide, wide smile—too wide. His mismatched eyes staring into her soul.

She shuddered. “Well, I couldn’t just turn my back on a crazy guy like that. What if he attacked me when my back was turned? So I attacked first. Gaze him a good bite on the muzzle, but he got my shoulder in his teeth.” She motioned with her head to her shoulder which was healing slowly but still didn’t look too good. “He fucked it up pretty good, I can’t walk on it. For now. Anyway, he ran off after we fought—I musta scared him off, right? Heh.” She chuckled. “Some guy came by later and helped fix me up a bit. I’m stuck laying down for a while so I don’t open the wound back up, so… that’s that.”

She had discovered that she enjoyed talking, and looked up at the girl to see her reaction to the story.

She was blown away! What a story! As the woman continued speaking, Padma was more and more entranced, stars were practically sparkling in her eyes. “Wow! What a story!” The lanky girl had thought she had some interesting stories about her travels since running away, but this this was next level.

“I’m Padma Morningside, it’s nice to meet you.” A grin was still splayed across her snout, and her tail wagged, thumping against the ground. “I’ve never met a ghost before, you must have been scared!” Padma would surely have been scared, just as scared as she had been when Dio had told her about the mountain cat.

She grinned at the girl’s words. It seemed she had impressed the youngling—which was something that her certainly not happened with the ghost. He’d only laughed at her attempts, which had embarrassed her and pissed her off. Well… he would get what was coming to him if they ever crossed paths again. (Or, you know, he’d just kick her ass again).

’I’m Padma Morningside, it’s nice to meet you.’

She felt cold all of a sudden at the girl’s words. This was the part where she was supposed to introduce herself, but she didn’t know her name. Didn’t remember it. Didn’t remember anything. “I’m…” Stranded on this fucking island. Stranded… “Strand!” Her tail thumped with joy that she had been able to think on her paws like that. Well… she wasn’t standing, but you get the idea. Strand, she repeated silently. Yeah. I like that. It sounds cool. 

Padma mentioned the ghost again and Strand shook her head. “I wasn’t scared,” she said. I didn’t have time to be scared during the fight. “Okay, it was kinda creepy when he was talking to no one, and he gave me this smile like something was seriously wrong with his mind, you know? But I wouldn’t say I was really scared.”

She paused, then, and looked Padma over. The girl seemed joyful and eager and Strand had a sudden idea. An inspiration. “Hey. So what are you doing out here, anyways? You lost or something?

The girl….Strand? Cool name, if a little weird. Padma mentally shrugged that had met her fair share of oddly named people.

“He sounds crazy! Good thing you were able to get rid of him.” He sounded like the kind of wolf that Padma readily avoided, and was overjoyed that he was no longer around.

“Not lost, just curious.” She shrugged for real this time, “I saw the island from the shore, and it seemed like a fun idea to investigate.” Shaking her pelt she again felt the dryness and itch against her skin from the salty water. Taking a moment, she lifted her hind leg and scratched at a particularly itchy spot behind her ear. “I guess the sea didn’t like me either, it didn’t even try to eat me.” Grinning at strand as she returned to a sit.

“He was crazy,” the newly-named Strand agreed. “And I don’t want any crazy wolves on my island. But you…” She looked Padma over, grinning. “You seem nice.” Butter her up first, compliment her. Then maybe she’ll stay when you ask her.

Strand watched as Padma scratched an itch behind her ear. It made the wound in her shoulder itch and she was annoyed that she couldn’t reach it. But… well, she knew if she started scratching at it that it would just make it worse, so maybe it was good that she couldn’t reach it. At least the fact that it was itchy meant that it was healing.

“So, uhh…” She hesitated, too afraid to come straight out and ask the girl. “You got anyone waiting on you somewhere? A family or anything?” She held her breath, waiting for Padma’s answer. She was afraid the girl would tell her she had to be off soon, and then Strand would be left all alone on her island again. She would never admit it, but she was lonely out here.

Padma’s grin widened at the compliment, “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” She had no idea where this confidence was coming from. Padma wasn’t normally one to make pleasant conversation, but she found it easy to talk to Strand. So comfortable was she that Padma settled further into a prone position. Enjoying the way the sun beat against her pelt.

Her grin faded slightly, losing its hold of her eyes. Trying to pretend all was well she pushed the grin to remain, even the fake imitation was better than nothing. “Nope.” She cleared her throat, “I umm, ran away from home a long time ago. I haven’t seen anyone in my family since.” To emphasize the point she shrugged. “What about you? Where’s your family, I’m sure they must have been worried when the sea swallowed you up!” Padma didn’t know what a family connection felt like, but she assumed a family would worry. Had her family worried about her? She didn’t even know who had made it out of the fire. Maybe she didn’t have any family left…

Wow, emotions.

Strand was deeply affected by Padma’s short tale about running away. She was more affected than she wanted to be. She couldn’t remember her own family. The sea was her creator and her destroyer. It had taken everything from her and spit her out on this island to begin again. But she ached to remember just a glimpse of her mother or father. Did she have any siblings? Had she been happy growing up? She desperately wished she knew the answers to these questions. She flinched when Padma asked about her family and kept her eyes on the pine-littered ground. Would she tell her or make up a story? Telling her would make her seem weak. But Padma had been kind so far and did not seem the type to revel in the weaknesses of others.

Strand sighed heavily and kept her gaze averted. “I remember nothing,” she whispered. “The sea stole my memory, my old life, when it swallowed me. All I remember is waking up this damned island.” Her voice was slowly rising in anger and passion. “The first wolf I meet in my new life is a crazy man who’s torn up my shoulder!” She was yelling now. “And now I’m stuck here, alone, until it heals enough that I can leave! And who knows when that will be!” She was breathing hard and her shoulder ached with every heartbeat. “I didn’t deserve this,” she ended bitterly, squeezing her eyes shut.

The smile faded slowly realizing that her new friend had no recollection of her past, Padma felt sorry for the other girl. Padma could at least remember her siblings and mother and to a lesser extent her father. She knew that they had loved her at some point, for a time anyway.

“I’m sorry Strand.” She lowered her amber gaze, and her ears lay flat against her hear. “No one deserves to forget their family, especially someone as nice as you.” Padma tried to cheer the pirate up. “I know nothing could replace your family, but if you want….” Padma hesitated, unsure if this was a good idea or not. Or rather if Strand would even like this idea, “I mean…. I could stick around… for a bit.” Leaving herself open to rejection, Padma turned her gaze away. Admiring the pool of water and the sun shining across its edge. “Besides then you don’t have to worry about anymore crazy people! I’ll protect you!” The grin was back in full force.

Strand turned her face away from Padma when the girl apologized. “I don’t want your pity,” she said through gritted teeth. She regretted saying something so mean, but she was still trying to act tough despite her complete breakdown three seconds ago. Her ears perked up at the girl’s next words though. “You… you’d stay here with me?” she asked, looking up at her again. Despite herself, her tail wagged behind her. “I would love—I mean…” She cleared her throat and tired to act tough. “That would be cool. Yeah. You could stay here if you wanted.” She glanced away from the girl and then peeked back at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

’Besides then you don’t have to worry about anymore crazy people! I’ll protect you!’

Strand snorted. “You, protect me? Nah. I’m older than you! I’ll protect you!” She gave Padma a big grin to show that she was joking around.

Over looking the slip of the tongue on Strand’s part, Padma beamed back at the cream-colored girl. She hadn’t belonged anywhere since leaving home, and now she had a person to rely on. Giving a laugh at being protect she nodded eagerly, “You can only do that when you get better!”

Rising from her spot Padma padded closer, finding the distance between them farther than was required now that they had an alliance of sorts.

Last from me! Feel free to wrap up!

Strand shifted uncomfortably when Padma got up to move closer to her, a slight frown on her face for just a moment. But then she brushed the feeling away. Padma had proven herself to be a kind and gentle girl, with enough fire in her to give some of it back to Strand. The sandy yearling figured that wolves like Padma were wolves she should have on her island. She needed them complacent enough to do what she said, but not so soft that they couldn’t hold their ground at all against her words. Overall, Padma had impressed her. At the front of her mind, she still thought she was better than the girl for being older and somehow more experienced from almost drowning and losing a fight against a ghost. But in the back of her mind, she knew she and Padma were really equals and it wasn’t fair to treat her new friend like a commodity.

Padma told her Strand could only protect her when she got better. Strand grinned. “True enough,” she admitted. “But that means I’ll need your help. I can’t move around too much with this bum shoulder so I’ll need you to hunt for me and stuff.” A bit of nervousness entered her voice. “If… that’s cool with you?” She wanted to be sure and strong but didn’t want to push her friend away by being too bossy, so this was her compromise.

“Obviously! I’ll help however I can.” To thrilled with the acceptance that Strand had offered, Padma didn’t stop to think about the bossiness of her new friend. No right now, this was perfect. She wasn’t alone anymore, and suddenly she realized just how lonely that had been. Wandering alone wasn’t any fun, but this was perfect, now she had someone to adventure with!