Sleeping Dragon a quiet procurement

Lucani checking up on @Cirrus! Hope you don't mind? :)

Walking tall and with purpose through the morning light, several long plants emerging stylishly from the side of her teeth, Lucani quietly tracked down Sleeping Dragon's Omega-captive. Given his injuries and his lowly status in the pack, she wagered he would not be far from where she last saw him. The healer knew his wounds were on the mend, but that wasn't quite good enough. Without frequent care, they could permanently damage him — and a crippled wolf was an asset neither to Sleeping Dragon nor to himself.

Of course not! :D

With a good couple of cracked ribs, and a cleanly snapped front paw, Cirrus had no chance of escaping. For now Heda wished he stayed within or extremely close to the cave, under surveillance. Cirrus had no objections. He found the pain was lessened when he lay extremely still. His ribs were easing up now, but he was concerned about his leg. Cirrus currently sat in the entrance to his cave, peering out at the sunny day. He edged out of the canopy so that he could catch some of the blessed rays of sun; his cave was cold at night.
 
Unable to twist back on himself, Cirrus’s fur was now matted and dirty. He smelled no contagion on his leg though; Lucani was good. He spotted her now, heading towards him with a superior air, trailing something from the sides of her mouth. Storm wagged his tail and lowered his stance immediately, now used to his prisoner status. Company was worth any level of embarrassment at what he had to do to obtain it.
 
Storm called out eagerly on her approach, to ensure she was indeed coming to him and not simply sauntering past; “Lucani! I pressed my toes and they didn’t hurt!”
His leg still did though but small victories were all he had.

Thanks~ ^____^

Cirrus announced his thoughts on the matter before she'd even arrived to ask them. She didn't have a problem with this, really. Lucani was not a proud wolf, so as long as he had respect she was fine with him. As she approached, she was reminded of what a strange-looking fellow he was, what with his long fur and doglike ears. She was curious about his past life, but hadn't yet had a chance to speak to him about it.

That's good, she replied first of all, laying down what turned out to be five leaves from an elder tree. She had better remedies to use on him, but the healer had been explicitly told not to spend too many resources here. So these would do for now. Why don't you tell me how your ribs and leg are doing.

[size=xx-large]Lucani was one of the kinder wolves, or at least one who showed some interest even if it was only in his wounds and how they were healing. Cirrus watched as she laid out some leaves, his tail wagging. He was caught in a spiderweb – prisoner and injured, he could do nothing but rely on pity. It was not in his nature to be proud (although his vanity was wounded by his inability to clean himself properly).[/size]
[size=xx-large] [/size]
[size=xx-large]“My ribs are… not so good. I can’t bend properly still, I have to lie down with them straight, but that hurts my leg if I stay like that too long. It’s easier when I lay flat on my side.” Cirrus’s liquid brown eyes gazed between Lucani and her herbs. “How long do you think my leg will take to heal?” He was no healer, but he knew the ribs would take less time than his appendage.[/size]

It was a valid question, but Lucani could not provide an exact date — nor could any healer. If the break is as bad as I think, it'll be at least another month until you're able to walk properly — and even then it'll be with a limp for a long time. You have to be patient, she instructed coolly. Her Alphas had restricted her use of herbs on the male, so easier-to-come-by remedies would have to do. Time, for instance, and water.

These are elder leaves, she explained, picking them up again and lying them down by Cirrus. You can lie on your side if it's more comfortable, but lie on these. They have medicinal properties; they'll cool any remaining inflammation and will aid in the bone-healing process. But most of all you have to keep activity to a minimum, and keep well-fed and watered. Not easy for a wolf at the bottom of the pecking order, but those were her instructions and she'd ensure they were easy to keep to.

Vague 'cause I don't know how other threads will go.

The prisoner had become Magpie's latest obsession, and a source of great internal conflict. She had been held against her will in her youth, and had starved herself in rebellion against it -- that she was now part of a pack that used the same barbaric tactics made her sick. And yet, she wanted nothing more than to be in a position in which she could breed freely. As advisor and Beta, she would not quite be there yet; but she would be closer, stronger, in a position that would grant her the ability to collect followers more easily. She had warned the commander that this was not likely to be her final home, and so she had little concerns about defecting when the time eventually came.

But the captive. Was all that she could gain worth abandoning her conviction? Could she convince the Heda that this was not the way?

She approached the cavern, a rabbit in her jaws; she could at least feed the prisoner and be kind to him, as Summer had done for her, while she puzzled out what to do. The sound of voices stilled her at the entrance, and she took a few steps back before dropping the meat. "I brought food," she announced, though she did not specify for who.

Cirrus slumped visibly further towards the floor at her words. A month – he couldn’t wait that long. If he wanted to be come useful, he needed to be on his feet and walking. Not hobbling around like a wounded fledgling dropped from its nest. He didn’t say anything, however, as Lucani moved on to chastise him on his impatience. He supposed it wasn’t her fault. It was Goliath’s fault, all of this. Cirrus’s petty mind could not attribute his poor position to his own behaviour.
 
Her tone was brusque and not gentle, but Lucani gave him something to sleep on. Her actions drew gratitude from him in waves, and it was all he could do not to sob at her paws. “Thank you,” he managed hoarsely, and then he turned his face so she could not see the tears in his eyes. He busied himself with carefully standing up and shifting the leaves so that they made a nest where he usually lay at night.
 
Cirrus heard another approach. He could tell from the scent of her that she was the same one who had lingered last time. He bristled unintentionally – unsure why she was so adamant that he required two guards. He managed to flatten his fur and compose his face, turning slowly back to face her and her meat just as she backpedalled a bit and dropped the meat. Cirrus’s dim brown eyes gazed out at Magpie sorrowfully, where she lingered on the threshold to his den. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for doing Heda’s bidding. He wasn’t sure if the food was intended for him, but as before he began to drool without meaning to. He licked his lips softly, keeping his posture low, waiting for Lucani to speak as she was his superior and he had no interest in alienating those who provided him with some form of care.

Hers was a particular type of care. Lucani lacked any kind of sweetness that might endear others to her in a motherly kind of way — no, she was not motherly — but she had a caring instinct. And it manifested itself on a number of levels. The first was of course the desire to cure ills and mend wounds, an instinct intensified by lingering guilt at having abandoned her previous pack (albeit for good reasons). The other level was deeper and more personal. She wanted to encourage the weak and help the ascending ascend. She wanted to hear their stories, and guide them to greater chapters. She did not dote or croon or melt — and so she did none of this when Cirrus seemed to wilt at her methods.

She ensured he'd lain down correctly on the elder leaves, but looked up at the scent of food and the arrival of a pretty face. Lucani's eyes lingered on it (the face, not the food) for a moment before she said, thank you — perhaps you can spare some for our... hostage? Captive? Victim? guest.

Now there was a new figure of interest upon the scene, one that Lucani had not encountered before. My name is Lucani, she introduced herself to the bright-eyed hunter.

*tail between legs* :<

She did not know of Cirrus' internal spite towards her approach, but if she had, she would not begrudge him it-- Magpie had been in his position, once, and it wounded her greatly to be on the other end. She did not think of herself as his captor, though there was nothing else she could be to him. She merely looked over him for a moment, a pained sadness in her eyes, though the set of her jaw and posture remained resolute. After a heartbeat, she looked to the other woman, her head and shoulders dropping in acknowledgement of rank. Whether or not the other was truly above her or below her mattered not, at least not in this particular moment; for Magpie's mind was focused solely on the male's plight.

"Guest," however, caused the Corvidae to snap her full attention on the healer-- Lucani. She remained quiet for a moment, mind churning to sort through the meaning behind the chosen words. Did the healer support the idea of captives, or not? Did she mean it to mock him? Or did it mean nothing at all...? Despite herself, the dark woman's brow furrowed in consideration, as she replied gently, "It is intended for him."

I was on absence Emalee don't worry! I am glad you joined though :D

 
It was apparent that Lucani was more interested in the newcomer than himself – her body turned to take in the dark wolf as though Cirrus was merely a sidenote. Which, he supposed, he was. It wasn’t lost on him, however, even in his self-depricating state, that Magpie’s eyes lingered on him rather than Lucani. Half a hope rose within him, but he could not know whether her interest was in his unusual appearance rather than his predicament.
 
He didn’t react to Lucani’s description of him – he knew what he was, and he was surprised she had minced her words. Their new companion appeared more contemplative. Her verbal response drew another glimmer of hope up from his heart until it rested in his warm brown eyes. He didn’t know her name yet, but she only needed to give him half a measure of pity and he would be hers forever. In the face of Lucani’s caring but passive demeanour, Cirrus latched onto this newcomer like a puppy to a loving home. He dared to stumble forward a couple of paces, sidling carefully around Lucani without looking at her, his eyes latched on Magpie’s muzzle and the gift she had brought him.
 
Once he was within a pace of Magpie he stopped, tail curled beneath his belly, his chest nearly touching the ground in supplication to her kindness, pity, or whatever else it was – the name of the emotion didn’t matter, only the action.

Hehe yes, all good. <3 I'm gonna duck out of this thread, but pls continue without me~ I shall stalk happily. :3

It was true that Lucani was now more interested in the female than the male, but, in turn, they seemed more interested in each other. That, she'd always found, was to be expected. Lucani was not an interesting wolf — she was the interested one. The questioner, the listener, the follower, the carer. Content on the outskirts... and moved a little by the nameless female's purposeful offering to the injured Omega.

And so Lucani stood to leave, knowing Cirrus was safe with this one. Don't forget to rest well on those elder leaves, she said intently to the lad, and then — good day to you both. Polite and innocuous, the healer was gone, leaving what she privately hoped might be the first semblance of an unexpected friendship.

Too late, Magpie realized she had failed to introduce herself to the healer; for after a few distracted moments, the black-and-white female discovered that she and the captive had been left alone. A relief rippled through her, though she took care to keep it from showing outwardly. Who knew what fate awaited those that sympathized with prisoners...? She felt for the male's predicament, but the Corvidae was only out to look after herself. Her agreement with the Commander was tenuous enough, and she did not intend to get herself killed by pushing boundaries.

But they were alone, for now, and the woman intended to glean what she could from him. She needed to be clever, for as long as they were both within the bounds of Sleeping Dragon, their conversation could be overheard by anywolf.

Remaining silent, the woman sank to her haunches in a perfectly-postured seated position; and she gazed down upon him. Meanwhile, her insides were churning— this was so wrong, and it was not lost upon her that she was behaving just as the Sunspire wolves had, if not worse. In truth, her captors had been as kind as they could, and here she was deliberately attempting to scare a prisoner into revealing information.

Hailing back to the tales so often told by the Corvidae on long, hot, summer nights, she told him, "You may eat when you have confessed."

The black and white wolf settled into a perfect seat, like a statue of a wolf solidified with ice. Cirrus stood drooling in complete discordance, his weedy body trembling with… something. Nervousness? Excitement? Hunger? Eyes fixated on the beautiful wolf before him – he didn’t notice Lucani leave, for his world had become Magpie.
 
When she spoke he yearned to confess. Storm cast about his mind as he sucked back in the drool lingering on his lips. He could not understand exactly what she wanted him to confess to. All of his crimes from birth? The one which landed him here seemed the safest bet. “I-I trespassed, and that is wrong.” Storm stuttered out his words quickly, for he felt the few moments of silence he had taken to think it over might have painted him in a bad light “but a bear might have killed me if I had stayed outside the borders.” Again the half-truth came easily, one of the few things he had clung to in his prison. Goliath no longer seemed to be around to deny this fact, although Heda seemed less than inclined to believe the bear had literally chased him over the borders.
 
“It was brown. But I was wrong.” Storm added again quickly with child-like eagerness to provide her with what she wanted, mixing up his sentiments and turning his eyes onto the meat between them. Was his confession worthy?

She did her best to remain impassive as the male cleaned saliva from his jowls, her stomach churning at the pathetic display. Her opinion of the situation had changed with the realization that this creature had accepted his captivity. Magpie had been acting in previous interactions, but no longer-- she still did not approve of holding captives, but this one would garner no personal sympathy. She listened to his explanation, for that would prove useful, but the dark woman was no longer interested in prying further information from the broken male. So desperate for food, he was like to tell her anything he thought she wanted to hear.

She bowed her head to lift the rabbit in her teeth, then flung the carcass unceremoniously at the male's feet. Without delay, the Corvidae stood and set off deeper into the territory. Magpie loosed a sharp bark for a guard to attend the cavern, though she doubted the captive would be going anywhere.