Phoenix Maplewood admit no guest without a date of departure

@Reek Citali is so impatient. >.>

The calamity that had been the bear was well and gone, but its presence lingered over all of them like a shadow. In Citali's case, it lingered like an itch along her shoulders. The bear's claws had dug in deep. Or perhaps not too deep, but it was deep enough and out of her line of sight so she was being particularly needy over its care. She'd let Reek tend to it because she couldn't see it. Or reach it. Ugh. What a pain. She felt like an invalid. How dreadful.

Nevertheless, her wounds were feeling particularly scratchy. Due to the scabbing, no doubt. Perhaps they were to the point of flaking off which was reason for her discomfort, but as she could not see them she needed a set of eyes who knew healing to confirm her assumptions. Where was that wolf? Impatient she lifted her head and summoned the wolf for what felt like the umpteenth time. She could not sit in the shambles of her garden and wait for him forever.

The bear's attack had wrought more damage to the territory than initially expected. Reek first focused on the injuries and safety of the others, but after that was taken care of he set off to take inventory of the damage. Then, and only then, did the full weight of guilt and disappointment come down upon him. The caches were ruined, sacked; but, the most disappointing loss of all was the garden he had helped Citali create. Knowing that there was a garden to pick from, his private herb cached was severely lacking. Now Reek was left grossly unprepared.

He cursed to himself. There was only one thing left to do. Start over. He prowled around the fringes of the Maplewood in the hopes of finding a useful plant to bring to Citali.  Soon enough, he found a thick clump of chervil. He took his time making sure to not damage the root system before plucking the plant, roots and all, from the ground. Clutching the bundle of greenery with his teeth, he set off towards Citali's ruined garden. Clumps of dirt broke free from the roots with every step and Reek was nearly covered.

He neared the clearing by the time Citali's howl rang out across the Maplewood. Speak of the devil. He burst forth from the brush behind her and voiced a muffled, "Mhm?" before spitting the clump out of his mouth and down to her forepaws.

No sooner had she lowered her head from her summons than did Reek spring forth from the shrubbery. Citali jumped. "Oh good, heavens!" she exclaimed, lifting a paw to her sternum. Her heart had nearly leapt out of her chest. "Don't you ever do that again." She'd not expected him to be so near. He'd startled her. That much was evident from the way she near sprawled upon the ground. Slowly, she sat back up and began to recollect herself. She licked a bit of frazzled fur down and smoothed other places here and there. She did not look nearly so good as she had before, but it was better. It would do.

His offering of plant to her paws did not go unnoticed. When she'd finished grooming, she looked to it briefly before glancing at him. He was trying to help repair her garden and she was thankful for it, truly. They'd need all the help they could get at mending it before the winter set in, but her level of optimism had diminished. She really only had what was left in her dry stores. The rest had been destroyed when the bear stomped her garden...

She tried her hardest not to think of it. Far too much of her pride had been in this place and she suffered for it. The status of her garden pained her far more than any physical wound she could imagine and thinking about it for too long was harmful for her mental health. She looked instead to the herb he provided and noticed the care he'd taken in extracting it. "You remembered..." she crooned softly, looking to him. "Thank you." She lifted the chervil and promptly planted it in one of the small areas she'd been able to restore. It was a start. It was something.

Alas, with the plant properly cared for, she remembered she had something else in mind for him. Citali tipped her head towards the gentle brook as if to ask him to join her while she cleaned her paws of the dirt of gardening. Looking at him, Reek appeared as though he needed something of a bath himself. She glanced towards him and tried her very best to mask her disapproval of his cleanliness. Sucking in a deep breath, she finally allowed her reason for calling him here to fill the air. "Would you mind terribly to look at my nape again? The wound is itching. I can't tell anything of its status." She turned so he might see.

Citali recoiled in the most amusing of fashions. Thankfully, knowing she would take offense to his natural reaction, Reek quickly quelled the laughter that had begun the gurgle in the gullet of his gut.  The grin he sported on his face however, that he could not stop. Nevertheless, his current smile betrayed the inner turbulence he felt.  The past few days had been an emotional drain, but Reek wore his happy mask as always.

Once she had regained composure, Citali examined the plant Reek had cast before her feet in detail.  It was painstaking work, but Reek had learned from the best. No doubt, the plant would have passed her specifications. But, Reek didn't have to wait for her approval for too long. Her response was nearly uncharacteristic for her.  Her delivery was saccharine, sweet.  What?

Reek raised a brow in surprise. "Of course I remembered," he replied, watching as she planted his acquisition in the loose soil. A single plant— the only remainder of a once great garden.  There was so much work to be done. But, not today, no.

Citali had her reasons to call for Reek. Primarily, to judge the extent of her injuries. She moved to the edge of the stream to clean her paws and Reek did the same. He moved deeper into the water, shaking the dirt and grime loose from his pelt before slinking his way back to the shore where he shook his coat dry. Surely, Citali would rather him be clean before he poked around her wounds. "Yeah. Sure," he said, "I'll take a look." He was the lesser of the two healers. his methods, unrefined and almost brutal, but they worked.

Nearing her side, Reek craned his neck around her back to get a good look at the healing gash on the back of her neck. It had begun to scab over, and thankfully, infection hadn't taken root. At least, not yet. "You've been cleaning it right?" he wondered aloud, knowing it would have been nearly impossible to reach. If she hadn't, the wound would need to be reopened.

The loss of her garden left her in a state of disarray. She was frazzled and hopelessly reminded that there was some part of her that was mortal and still had feelings. His gift of chervil had nearly brought a tear to her eye. A bitter sweet thing of which she refused to let any wolf see. She'd not cry. She'd put her energy towards rebuilding and carefully place herself so that she could not be seen while she regained her composure. She needed to find something to be distracted and furious with so she turned her attention to the wound that was healing along her shoulders.

She positioned herself with her back towards him and tried not to watch as he examined her. She failed, she twisted to peer at him from the corners of her eyes as if she might some how see what he was looking at in the reflection of his eyes. With a huff, she realized she was likely scrunching the area up so he couldn't get a proper look at it and she tried to straighten back out and trust in his capabilities. It was true what they said about healers making the worst patients. No doubt, Citali was the worst of them all.

"I've managed the best one can for having been hit in an unreachable spot!" her words were perhaps a bit more clipped if only because she hated to admit she needed help in this one. She didn't wish for it to be re-opened, but she had a sinking suspicion that would be the required course of action. She grit her teeth and looked away. "Do what you must." Permission given, even if she wouldn't like it.

He squinted, straining his eyes to get a good view of the scrunched up piece of mangled flesh. The task however, was impossible with Citali looking over her shoulder to be a back seat healer. He couldn't blame her; if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't have trusted himself either. But finally, she straightened, and Reek was able to get a better view at the wound. While it wasn't life threatening, it certainly wasn't pretty. If left untreated the wound would likely fester.

The location was certainly an unfortunate spot. It was evident that she had tried to clean it out, but it hadn't been thorough. Dried blood intermingled with dirt was matted with the fur on the back of her neck. It would have to be redone. He sighed and pulled away from Citali to slink back into the stream. "Come one, into the water," he said, beckoning her to follow.

Standing in the shallows of the water, Reek looked back to his patient and waited for her to join him in the stream.

He examined it and as soon as he spoke her fears were confirmed. With a resigned sigh, she submitted to the fact that he would need to continue care on her nape and that she would soon be met with a considerable amount of pain. Another deep breath. In and out. Gritting her jaw, she resigned herself to his administrations and joined him in the water.

Though her paws were still damp, wading further into her depth brought a shiver to her spine. The reflex coursed through all of her as she settled in the water and adjusted herself to wherever he best needed him to work. Her eyes turned away, staring into the distance as her body tense in anticipation of his teeth.

She needed a distraction and so, she asked a question in order to start some kind of conversation. It helped that the inquiry was on the forefront of her, and everyone else's (she assumed) mind. "Since I have you here," she started, which was her own personal way of making herself feel better about the situation. "Perhaps you can tell me what led to your rescuing of those coyote children? They've created quite a buzz within the ranks..."

She followed him into the stream and Reek was content to carry out his work in silence. A moment such as this was rare for Ser Talks-A-Lot, but after the events that had transpired in the past few days, namely the bear attack, Reek felt the need to carry on in silent reflection. The mood simply called for it. There was nothing to joke about— no way to make light of the situation.

He began by pulling the tangles and mottled blood from the back of her neck. He had yet to touch the scabbed gash by the time she posed her question. Immediately, he stopped pulling. Part of him expected some reprimand in typical Citali fashion, but it never came, instead she asked why? Something no one else had dared to ask. "I guess, uh— I guess it's not the most popular decision around here, is it?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.  "I left to recruit... the pack, it's been weak for a while, so I went south. I found them down in the plains in dire straights. If I hadn't intervened, they wouldn't have survived the winter."  While it hadn't been a completely charitable case, Reek was content to let the others think it was. It was easier to explain.

"I guess I have a soft-spot for children..." he trailed off. Seeing as it was a suitable explanation, Reek went back to work on the back of Citali's neck. He mumbled a preemptive, "Sorry," and then he reopened the wound with his teeth. The taste of blood filled Reek's mouth. He spit the foul tasting scab matter into the water and rinsed his mouth out in the stream. "What would you have done?" he finally asked after pulling his head from the water.

His work on her nape was more than she had expected. She'd washed in the river the best she could but the way he worked at the tangles suggested there was more there than met the eye, or rather, her assumptions. A sigh escaped her. At least she was getting care of some kind so that wound wouldn't fester and become a bigger bother.

He stopped as soon as she asked her question. Immediately her ears flicked back, swiveling to turn their attention towards him as she awaited his reply. His first question was rhetorical. Since he was no longer working on her nape, she turned to give him a stare that was suggested of a negative response before he began to speak again. At his admission she turned her gaze neutrally towards the trees so he might have access once more. He voiced things she was aware of, but hadn't voiced. Her own efforts to recruit hadn't gone over so well either and she'd met quite a few lone creatures in these parts.

He'd traveled farther than she would have to go look for new wolves. Then again, she'd technically visited the same plains were those puppies were from so it wasn't exactly out of her range. She kept that bit of information to herself as she murmured an amicable "Mmm," and left it at that. His reasoning was his own. The deed was done. She wasn't about to argue the past.

His soft spot for children was definitely not reserved for the sore spot that was her nape. His teeth bit as he offered an apology. She wasn't sure if it were for they coyotes or her neck, but she accepted it for both cases as she grit her teeth and growled as if it would help fight off the unsatisfying instinct of another's teeth against her flesh. Fortunately, it seemed he had finished almost as quickly as he'd started.

"Let them die," she said with a hiss, but that was mostly because a cool breeze upset the rawness of her now exposed flesh. It burned like the dickens, but she appreciated his desire for cleanliness. "They compete for the same resources and do not have the same level of raw power as we do. You can raise them like wolves, but they will never truly be one of us." She was tempted to flop over and rinse the wound herself, but Reek was overseeing her and she was trying to remember that. "Saena mentioned you referred to them as 'investments'. In what way were you thinking?"

He sighed. Of course that was what she would have done. Citali was, above all, pragmatic and oriented towards the small details. The coyotes already were a drain on resources (mostly time), Reek had experienced it first hand. They were his burden the bear after all— the free time he had before had melted away and he found himself as their primary caregiver. While he could see the shortcomings of his decisions, he held no regret. In fact, Reek lived his life without the trappings of regret. He was unfettered and sure.

After all, he had his reasons.  And those reasons remained under lock and key deep beneath his breast.

He held their lives in his paws. Like marionettes, they would one day dance his dance. It was strange to play such games with lives other than his own just for funsies, but it was a game he had played and won before. It was a sickness. It was a gift. "I just couldn't do that Citali," he whispered. Not when there was so much utility to be gained. Reggie, she had a brilliant mind. Sart, she was tenacious. He had seen these qualities within them, and with the proper nurturing hand, they would bear the fruit of his labor.

"Have you given them a chance yet though?" he asked, hoping Citali could approach them with an open mind. "I mean, look at Reggie... She's brilliant.  With a proper teacher, she could be one of the best healers to ever live. And Sart... She, uh, she reminds me of myself."  

He then turned his attention back to Citali's reopened wound and the task at hand. "You're gonna need to let the water run over that," suggested Reek with a downward motion of his muzzle.

"I just couldn't do that Citali." No. No he could not have. That was why they were here in the first place. His mercy was a nobel thing, perhaps misplaced, but there was naught to do for it now unless Saena and Reek mutually decided to so anything about it. She simply followed and did as she was told. Well, mostly. There were things like running that she would only do out of pure necessity.

"Oh, I've met Regina," she murmured, looking to him now that they were at a break in his administrations. "She might be bright, but even if she were taught, what wolf would accept care from a coyote when they are known for their deception?" Another coyote maybe. A wolf would likely be convinced they were out to kill them. "You could raise them. Teach them. But despite all that, they would forever be on the outside looking in." She sighed. "What a sad little life. To be so close and yet always so far..."

Her words trailed with a sense of whimsy as their conversation dissolved into silence. He broke it eventually, reminding her that she would have to rinse it. She reclined more fully into the water and leaned so the he could splash water over it or so that she could lower herself into it, which ever he preferred. At least now she was near certain it wouldn't fester. She could only hope it wouldn't leave a more permanent scar.

"What is your end game, Reek?" she asked again. "What is it you hope to accomplish in keeping them?"

"Down," he muttered, nudging her under as she reclined back into the water. There was little else he could say, Citali had described a sad fate indeed. Suddenly stricken with sadness, the corners of Reek's mouth drooped into a forlorn frown.  No matter what, the sisters were doomed to live their lives as outsiders. They couldn't go back to their own kind, no. Neither would they find hospitality from wolves; none but Reek himself.

While he had done everything to protect them, his efforts had only served to be a death sentence in it's own right.  That he saw— but he would not divert his course. There was still utility in their presence. "I trust her," he stated, knowing fully that he shouldn't. Regipre had already shown Reek that she couldn't trust him, but how could she? After everything she had been through, trust would take time. "But, there's nothing else I can do Citali. I'm just— I just want to do the right thing by them."

His reasons for keeping them around were concrete, but his endgame had yet to set. There were a jumble of ideas that flailed around Reek's head, but they were nothing more. Just ideas. "Does there have to be an endgame?" he asked. The events that had transpired had led Reek to believe that there could never truly be an endgame. "I haven't thought it out that far."

If she hadn't known what it was for, she might have though he were trying to drown her. Alas, she let him lower her so he might wash the wound as needed before she sat back up. As long as it didn't fester or scar too horribly, she could live with the scratch across her nape. She didn't like it, but it was livable. So much more so than the loss of an ear or appendage as had been the case for her pack mates.

An ear turned. Trusted her? A mild look of bewilderment crossed her face as she turned to glance at him. "She's too intelligent to trust," she replied, turning her glance back to the distance. She'd noticed that about the girl. She was too calculating. Too thoughtful. Her own sense of mistrust would lead others not to be able to trust her in turn. And if she were to learn to heal!? She shivered at the thought. Medicine could do as much harm as it did good. That would likely be too much knowledge in the hands of a fearful creature.

"You are welcome to try, Reek," she replied, though her own personal opinion was not so optimistic on the matter. "That's all any wolf can do." He'd put himself in this situation. He'd have to see the rest of it through. "At the very least converse with Saena about it so both of you are on the same page about those children." If they'd not done so already, it was a conversation they still needed to have.

She did not know what would become of them. She couldn't predict the future for them anymore than any other wolf could. She was not privy to glimpses of the future. She couldn't say anything for sure. "No. I suppose there doesn't have to be an endgame," she admitted. Life was too unpredictable for that. "But at the very least, come to an agreement about them between Saena and yourself so the rest of us know what to do about them." As of yet, she'd not heard an official word on the children's status in this pack from leadership. They were present, but beyond that she hadn't a clue.

Alas, they'd been at this healing business long enough. "Is my nape acceptable yet?" she asked, curious of its status.

She brought up a good point. Reggie was a wily one; certainly not deserving of his trust. However, he wouldn't give up on her, and perhaps she could change. The odds of her coming around were slim to none, but he couldn't help but try. There was also the problem where it came to Saena. He hadn't been the best communicator. Hell, he tended to pretend the problem didn't exist when he was around her. Citali was right— he wouldn't openly admit it, but he knew she was.

Instead of responding, Reek continued his work of washing the wound until his task had been completed. "It should be fine for now," he said. It was washed, but he still needed to treat it to stave off infection. "Wait here," he commanded before leaving the stream to make a balm of chervil root for the wound.

-Reek exits-