Wapun Meadow Bring it to an end

Āzon sat idly in the field and gazed up at the sky, twitchy ears reacting to rustling of grass and honking avians overhead. It had been about a week since that ambush happened and while his wounds already began the process of scabbing over, they still needed to heal properly before he'd begin training again. It wasn't the first time Āzoniol had been shook around like a damned ragdoll, the only difference was that it wasn't a result of another one of his father's sadistic "Training sessions" to hold authority over his children. A mildly more pleasant experience, but still sucked nonetheless.

The brute snikered to himself at the vague recollection of how she attempted to make Āzon beg for his life — as if pleading for dominancy over him. Such a request was a waste of words towards a wolf more stubborn than a mule. Either way, she'd still managed to knock his lights out — and that just proved how weak he was in his current state. If he wanted to help that girl and any others she might recruit from the mountains create a legion of freedom fighters, fooling around was no longer an option.

For now though, Āzon needed some headspace time to plan out what he was gonna do next instead of jumping into another random fuckfest. He kinda wished that wolf from the seaside were here to look at his wounds again....

Setting:  Early morning. Party windy but no extreme temperatures. All welcomed!

// note to self: takes place before the Nyra drama at the border

His eye was still swollen shut. He deserved it and he knew that, but it was still hard to come to terms with the fact he might never see out of that eye again. Just another weakness to add onto his already pitiful, tiny body. It sucked.

Evien had needed to take his mind off of things. Everything was so chaotic recently, and... sometimes he had to get away. Little walks like this weren't uncommon, though they'd become rarer nowadays than they had been a few months ago.

The meadow was safe. Technically not their territory, but somewhere that Ursus gathered frequently, regardless. Evien loved it, even on the last dredges of summer and edging into autumn. It was beautiful here, and it was where Evien went to be alone.

Except he wasn't alone, today. There appeared to be a massive white figure that existed on these plains with him. A male - he appeared to be spaced out, looking upward, and Evien quirked a brow at the oddity. A small smile stretched his maw as he approached, only noticing upon closer inspection that the man was riddled with wounds.

"You look like shit," he remarked, knowing that he certainly didn't look much better. A soft huff escaped him, a bit amused. "Let me guess - I should see the other guy?" Perhaps this massive brute had done some damage as well. He certainly looked like he could.

Well then, guess solitude time was gonna have to wait.

The brute turned his pale cranium around at the sound of a boy's voice, odd-colored visionaries eventually falling onto a he-wolf of unfamiliar origins. At first, the muscles in his haunches would stiffen instinctually to get ready for a fight or flight response — and yet, something about this ordeal didn't seem too threatening. Not even when he mentioned how Āzon 'looked like shit.' "Don't rub the salt too deep in the wound now, you'll make me cry..." he humored dryly in a monotonous voice, stretching his front legs outward while eyeing the boy suspiciously. Upon observation, the wolf was small in stature and had a pelt reminding him of woodlands. That scent as well — it was definitely local. One belonging to the flora and fauna which surrounded them. If the phoenix didn't know any better, he'd say they probably hailed from a nearby pack, but who could ever tell?

They mention something about 'the other guy' and it was obvious that he meant the pale woman who caused it. "You can say that too, but sadly I didn't get enough bites into the rabid fucker as I needed to. Got pretty chewed up myself." He said with a soft, bitter chuckle while using a paw to feel up the side of his scaring neck.

"Lets cut to the chase though; you here to add on to these wounds or somethin'? I don't remember catchin' your name..." Āzoniol couldn't be too sure about their intentions afterall, even if they did seem remotely freindly...

Oh, perhaps this man would prove to be a good distraction for the healer. Something that could get his mind off of the atrocities committed recently. Of the war and fighting and trespasser. Evien huffed out another short laugh - a breath of air, really - and pitched his weight to one side. "Aw, come on, now. You look like a tough guy. You can take a little salt." And well, from what Evien had already seen. The massive wolf didn't seem unfriendly, or overly upset by Evien's own less-than-ideal introduction.

Rabid? Evien felt a chill run up his spine, though he doubted the man meant actual rabies. He shrugged his shoulders - his own face was testament to his recent fighting. Left eye swollen shut, skin still torn and inflamed. It was improving steadily, but he couldn't open it yet. "Hell yeah, you got chewed up. I don't need two eyes to see that." The medic approached then, appraising the injured man carefully. He wouldn't touch yet, and would try not to invade personal space too much. "Some of these look pretty nasty." He itched to heal. It wasn't like he hadn't had ample opportunity recently, but the idea of healing someone who he hadn't just seen in a fight was appealing to him. Some sense of normalcy.

"Oh, fuck no. You'd be like fighting a fucking bear, and I'm not ready to die yet," he responded to the man's question, still hovering off to the side and appraising the injuries. Nothing a little TLC couldn't fix. "I'd be more likely to help with those wounds. Much more a healer than a fighter." A small smile crossed his maw and he tipped his head to the side at the last words. His name? Normally Evien would share it freely, but he was enjoying this back and forth of theirs. "That's because I didn't give it to you," he hummed, tail swishing once behind him. "And you didn't give me yours, either."

Azon found it rather strange how the male wished to help him with his wounds, even going as far as to reveal his own vulnerability and refusing to fight. As noticed before, this male's scent practically mirrored their surroundings, which likely meant that they lived here. And that being the case, why not chase a lone wolf away from your territory instead of fixing them up? Was there possibly some sort of gain out of this? Perhaps he'd been trying to receive intel from Azon in return for his kind gesture? Well, whatever the case may have been, the pale brute would have to worry about it later. There was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity at making a speedier recovery, ecspecially in the company of an assumed medic — work can begin again soon that way.

"Smartass..." The phoenix rumbled with a grin in response to the small male's little quip. Though he did have a point; a name for a name was only fair between two strangers. "Th'name's Azon. Nice to meet you" He said while standing up slowly and walking over to where he was "So, yer a medic, right?" his chin tipped up when he stopped infront of them to give the male a better look at the bite marks under his neck. "Go ahead and look then, i'm not gonna go ballistic on ya or anything. Just don't pull anything funny..." If they were looking for permission to come closer, then Azon was granting it as we speak — he even winked at them as a way of saying the comment was all in harmless fun.

Only upon closer inspection was the prince able to notice his own injuries. Seemed as if they needed to focus on treating themselves more....

shitty post my bad XD

Really, Evien didn't want anything in return. He liked healing people - feeling useful. It made him feel like maybe not everything he was doing right now was bad. Like maybe he wasn't a murderer, or an accomplice, or a bystander. This was what he was supposed to do, and he enjoyed it. So in reality, the white wolf here was helping him just as much as he was helping him. 

Smartass. Evien huffed out another short laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm more an ass than smart," he admitted, though it was nice to have this banter. Azon. The medic relaxed a bit when the man offered his name, tipping his head to the side. "Evien," he said in turn, a smile spreading just slightly across his maw. "You, too." And for once in a long time, it kind of was nice to meet someone new. 

The man walked over to him and Evien was taken a bit aback by the size of the white wolf. Tall like Fields or Skoll, but broader - perhaps a bit like the man who led the Saints, sans the curled tail and stripes. His eyes were both equally bright, emerald and ruby, and Evien felt his face heat up when the wolf winked at him. The brown wolf scoffed and rolled his visible eye, trying not to look too terribly flustered. 

"Yeah, I'm a fucking medic. Wouldn't offer to treat you if I wasn't." He leaned in to look at the wounds on his neck. Not quite fully scabbed over - he'd need to clean them and find some horsetail or something on the fly. Luckily, the field had plenty growing here and there, and he'd be able to find the herbs if needed. "You're lucky these weren't deeper. Could've been really bad for you," he commented, offering Azon a small smile. "I won't try anything funny. C'mon, we're gonna go to the stream and you're gonna wash them off while I find some horsetail." He nudged the larger wolf's shoulder and turned to head down to the stream. It was a bit overfilled from the recent rains, but it'd do just fine.

This Evien fellow had quite the mouth on him, one could say it was much more foul than Āzon's own dialect, which was compromised mostly of swearwords and rage. Maybe that's why he was growing on him so fast.

The prince hadn't come across another who was this open with the way that they spoke — despite being in the company of strangers and all. There was something about it that made Āzoniol feel more at ease, yet he did have to admit: It surprised him that a word like 'Fuck' could easily slip out the lips of someone so.......cute? No, that word can't be the word, right? One would assume a small wolf like Evien looked innocent from afar — but maybe it wasn't wise judging a book by its cover afterall. Not that he'd be one to complain — Āzon relished every second of their banter.

In response to Evien's examination, Āzoniol let out a loud, almost barbaric sounding laugh from the depths of his chest. "Don't'cha worry. I'm pretty thick skinned. Some deep wounds never bothered me a bit..." He said with a chuff, puffing his chest out to display his white plumage in some sort of "tough guy act". This was a lie, of course; had the wounds been any deeper and Āzon would've been bleeding his balls out dead on that forest floor, rather than being here beside the brown medic. (Not to mention that 'thick skinned' was used in the wrong context. Ignis, you dumbass.)

He turned his attention back to Evien while peering down at him with a returned smile when nudged on the shoulder — which would soon fade at the mention of going to a stream — water. Ever since his encounter with Bronco a couple weeks ago, the pale sire wished to avoid being drenched. If not avoid looking at himself all together whenever he was wet. Āzoniol felt exposed to all things hidden on his skin, and no matter how much he lied about them, it never got rid of the primal fear that was brought with them.

"Alright, I'll go. Just.....just don't watch me while I wash off...." don't look. Don't remind me they exist "Ya peepin' tom....." 

Like Azon, Evien, too, was mostly comprised of swear words and rage. Their conversation felt natural and comfortable, and the healer found himself perhaps a bit too relaxed around the massive wolf. Perhaps a bit too much himself. But Azon didn't seem to mind his language, and instead met it with his own. He didn't seem to be offended or upset, which relaxed something in the young healer. There was no need to worry about feelings being spared.

Amusement lit up in Evien's expression at not only the false bravado and loud laughter, but also the incorrect usage of the phrase. "Oh, I'm sure," he teased in return, scanning over the man with a grin. "A big, tough guy like you? Practically invincible." He chose not to mention that thick-skinned was not typically used to literally mean thick-skinned. Might as well save a bit of his pride there.

At the mention of washing up, Azon's smile faded. That was... perplexing. But he wasn't one to pry too much, so he just shrugged his shoulders in response. "You've got nothing I haven't seen before," he pointed out simply, then gestured toward the water. "Wash up. I'll be back." He turned to leave, but hesitated a bit, flicking his ears back toward the man. "I'd only peek if you asked me to." Perhaps a bit of a risky suggestion, but he felt comfortable enough with this guy to do so. 

Then Evien trotted off, seeking out horsetail. True to his word, he wouldn't peek at the white wolf, instead focused entirely on his job. And fortunately, it was easy to find the stuff, bright green and nourished from the rains. 

He'd give Azon a few minutes, to be sure he was cleaned up and mostly dried off, before he would return. Keeping his gaze up toward the sky, he grinned around the herbs in his mouth. "Can I look now, your highness?" he questioned, heavily laying on the sarcasm this time.

Luckily for Āzoniol, the smaller male did no pry the reason behind his avoidance any further and he sighed in relief. A small part of himself feared revealing such a vulnerable part of himself too soon — what if he drove Evien away with said information? He didn't want to risk finding out.

The brute took a couple seconds to look back and made sure Evien truly wasn't looking, a worried expression of insecurity on his face, and would slowly turn around to head towards the stream. It took a little while to wash off due to how low the stream was — he even had to lie down to make sure his neck was being properly cleaned — but Āzon was eventually able to flush out most of the blood and gunk from his wounds. 

The prince got up and stepped from the water, vigorously shaking his wooly pelt to dry off. He made sure to take his sweet time with it too and might've taken longer than needed. Shake off, check. Shake off, check. Shake off, check. Make sure no water is still there — make sure no skin shows.

"Can I look now, your highness?"

Evien called out to him, and it was within that brief moment that Ignis was snapped out of his obsessive drying. He looked back to peer at him and just as promised,  the brown male was looking the other way — Āzon couldn't help but smile. It was good to know he could be trusted.  "I'll allow it, peasant." He jested with a cheeky grin on his face, walking towards where Evien stood with his herbs. "What do ya plan on doing with these? A paste?"

The funny thing was, Evien didn't mind scars. Ursus wolves were covered in them. He had his own. Scars were mundane and everyday and normal, here. So Azon had nothing to fear with his own - while he may ask where they had come from, Evien would not be frightened or driven away by them.

Finally, the white wolf spoke, and Evien's brows shot up at the remark, a grin spreading on his own maw. "Fuck you. I'm a king*," he shot back immediately, sidling up to the older wolf's side to look at the injury on his neck. 

Gross. It was better now that it was clean, but it still wasn't... ideal.

"Yeah, I'm gonna make a paste. It might sting - try not to bite me," he explained, leaning down to chew the horsetail into a fine mush. He kept a bit on his tongue and leaned in to swab it over the entirety of the injury to the man's neck. Ensuring that it was completely coated in a protective layer of the green poultice, Evien leaned back to inspect his work.

The doctor cleared his throat. "That was the worst one. I'd let that dry up and fall off on its own - it'll protect it from getting dirt and debris caught in the wound so it can heal better, and it'll fight off infection." Simple stuff, really. 

Evien surveyed the rest of the man's body and hummed in thought. "Do you know where else is hurt?" he questioned, tipping his head to the side as he looked up to meet Azon's multicolored gaze. His red side was so... intimidating. But the green seemed almost inviting. It was a weird juxtaposition. 

And Evien liked the look. Of course, he wouldn't tell him that. Yet. But he might've stared a bit too long, before looking away, cheeks burning under his fur.

*original post said "fuck you. i'm a queen." evien is definitely a queen.

He do be a queen tho (sorry this took long, I suck)

Another laugh resurfaced Āzon's chest at Evien's quip, swaying his tail when the brown healer approached his side -- guess you could say Ignis was enjoying the wolf's company more than he should've been. What's more is that there was no need to filter out any blunt wordplay and playfulness when communicating. The words just came out naturally when he was around Evien -- and that was enough to put him in a strange state of comfort.

"I won't, just be gentle on delicate ol' me~" the brute managed to pull out another corny joke, this time with more of a comedic drawl to it, before the stinging in his neck immediately shut him up. Ignis shut his eyes and hissed when the paste was applied to his wounds, but the healer did warn him beforehand, so he just had to sit there and bare with it for the time being.

When the application was done, Āzon let out the breath he held in and shivered as the pain left his body. The prognosis was simple; let it dry and don't touch it. And while this paste felt strange and grainy against his raw skin, the prince still trusted this medic and his work. Evien hadn't done anything to harm him afterall. "A few scrapes from the scuffle here and there, but nothing that hasn't already scabbed over by now..."

As Āzon told him this, he turned his attention back to Evien and was met with a pair on pine-green eyes staring back into his own. They stayed like this for a hot minute -- Āzoniol wanted to ask if something was on his face. Though he turned away before the pale sire could find out. 

"What's th'matter? My mug too ugly to look at for you?" He asked, lowering his cranium closer to the smaller wolf's head-level. If Ignis wasn't so dense (and realized a little thing called "personal space") , he'd probably have an idea as to why...