Moonspear Keep Burning, Little Star

Forward dated to February 3rd. @Acrux & @Argent.

 At the healers ulaq, tucked within the depths of the hollowed tree, Elentari lay with her son. With the assistance of Sialuk and Maggak, she had taken him there, for his wounds to mend. She had laid out her special black fox pelt, just for him, to rest on. Infused with her scent. The comfort of cured meat and long stored herbs.

Nothing could compare to her own presence. The warmth radiating from her thick winter coat. The plush softness of the inky black draped over her frame. Many loving, gentle caresses of her tongue, or the sweet hum of her voice in a soft spun song.

Her son was in a bad way. His wounds were deep. It made her heart quiver, seeing every laceration marring his beautiful granite fur. His blood...her blood, still crusted to raw flesh. A hot, stinging stream of tears trickled down her cheeks. Her beautiful, sweet boy, tattered from a senseless attack.

Elentari never left his side. She only stepped outside to relieve herself or grab a bite to eat from a close by cache. When she was not sleeping, curled close around his frame, she kept a watchful vigil. Or gingerly tended to his wounds. Whispering comfort into his ear.

With her she had on hand a plentiful supply of medicinal herbs. Chamomile. Lavender. Marigold. Nettle. Poppy seeds. And of course, moss and cobwebs wrapped around the deeper of the wounds. She monitored her son often, changing the dressings when necessary. 

Psychical wounds healed. Mental one's, took much longer, if they ever healed at all. She glanced outside to the daylight. Her mind went to Argent, imagining his horror on the fate that had befallen their boy.

The thought that he had not provided for his family as he desired to lay heavy on his heart—and thus—the man drug what he hoped would be a fine meal for two growing children and their mothers to the healing ulaq. His original thought was that it would be shared among his family in their own home... But Sialuk had informed him something grim had occurred, and now he hastened to visit.

He paused as he neared—and then—the scent of blood offered justification to his fears of what could happen while he was away and the silver wolf instantly dropped the meal, his paws bringing him to the entrance of the enclosure.

He stopped—was this now an unwelcome intrusion?—his heart hammering—the words of his now deceased mother darkening his mind in that moment.

He took a hesitant step forward—and it was the time Elentari seemed to gaze out to the daylight, and he found his breath catching in his throat at the shadowed darkness that surrounded her not only from the depths of the den, but from something that seemed to haunt her.

“Ele…” A scarce whisper. “What happened?”

the weeks of recovery had been long. they'd been taxing, for both him and those who cared for him. above all though, they'd been painful. the initial treatment upon his arrival back to the spear had not been met with any resistance, mainly due to the lack of energy he had to offer. 

however as wounds mended and he regained some spark, he'd pressed against certain herbs that burned upon initial placement. he knew his mother and any others that tended to him meant well, but he resisted in a similar way to a child fighting the inevitable vaccines.  

though the most draining part of his healing was the inability to do much of anything. he'd been kept to strict bedrest, and while he did not wrestle against this, there was some spirit lost to the healing ulaq that he did not know if he'd ever gain back. 

despite his mother's constant presence, there was a loneliness he could not place. a frustration that burned. it burned for the girl who hurt him, and it burned because he could not doing anything about it. maggak visited when she could, alaric stopped by to check-in every now and then, anaa was off venturing. and yet the most he could do to interact with them without experiencing a restricting soreness to his neck, was chat about all that they'd done in the passing weeks. 

he wished to be beside them, and yet...

sleep was common company, even now he slumbered while cradled in the warmth of his mother. it was only at the unexpected sound of his father's voice that he was pulled from his dream. a few weary blinks tugged him from the void, a paw raised to rub tired eyes.

The shadow of the very man who graced her thoughts, materialized now, outside the ulaq. She saw his hesitance. The way his eyes settled worriedly on her. And his voice, tight with anxiety.

Acrux stirred faintly at her side. She loosened herself around him, but did not rise to pull away. Her voice broke in a choked whine. Wracked with hurt, as if feeling her sons pain indirectly. 

"Argent. Our son...he was attacked." She tried not to let tears spring to her eyes as she looked down to the tired, bruised form of Acrux. "If it wasn't for Maggak, Alaric and a girl from Brecheliant..." She trailed off, shaking her head at the unthinkable. 

"We have been tending to him around the clock. Alaric had gone to Brecheliant to sort things out. We were told his attacker was one of their own. A youngster, who from what we can gather, ran off."

The exhale of his breath stirred only a pain in his chest as Elentari confirmed the details Sialuk had given him. His pale eyes swept from her beautiful face as movement from his peripheral vision was caught, noting the sleepy movement of the boy as he rubbed a paw to his tired eyes.

His chest all but cracked, and he preened closer, nose coming down to graze against his son’s crown—the scent of the boy calming him momentarily before he placed a kiss gingerly to Elentari’s cheek.

“Shall I look for them?” It was hard to keep the threatening tone from his words—particularly when a sliver of venom laced his voice.

Skipping Acrux with permission!

She would not rouse Acrux. She could see that their son was still very much exhausted. Rest she knew, did wonders to heal the body. 

Her uplifted blue eyes absorbed Argent's reaction. Read through all the emotions flickering behind his stare. She tilted her cheek into his touch, for one of comfort and affection. 

"The girl of Brecheliant has vowed to search. Alaric too. The word has been spread wide, of that I am sure." She left the ball in his paws. "If if will settle your heart, then go. After his body recovers, I think I shall look for a tutor to teach him the ways of self defense. I don't want our children, or any future children to be blindsided like this again."

tossing this in here to wrap up acrux in this thread!

vision blurred as he rubbed the corners of tired eyes, the figure of his father hazy but distinguishable. he saw him so little that the very sight of the man offered up a few delighted beats of the boy's tail against the earth. it brought forth a warmth sense of self worth that despite his father's dedicated pursuit of the bride price, that he would stop to visit during the boy's time of recovery. 

the words exchanged between parents was not heard as he faded back to the blanket of slumber. he snuggled into the comfort of his mother as the whisper of words lulled him to a dream. a dream to a time when he was older, and when he too could hunt for a bride price.

Wrapping this up!

Elentari would leave Argent to choose if he were to search, or not. He surely had been hard at work fulfilling the bride price. It was up to him if he wanted to put in even more effort to go forth looking for Acrux's attacker. She would be here, by their sons side while wounds healed. He would be safe, amongst family where no one could touch him.

Weariness crept to the corners of her eyes. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her mind foggy. Distantly, she wondered how long it had been since she last slept. She had been so dedicated looking after her boy that she hadn't put aside much time for herself to rest. Should he wish, Argent may join them inside. The pull of sleep was too tempting. 

She gave in, curling herself tight around the slate form of her only son, resting her head alongside his in an ever present touch of comfort.