Moonspear thanks, bathtub barracuda

Since arriving at Moonspear, Aesop had been careful not to make waves. Sure, he wasn't unwelcome, otherwise Charon would have just chased him off. But he felt like he was in a precarious position, and so he had spent his days keeping out from underfoot. That couldn't last forever, and he was getting antsy from the lack of conversation. 

This day he had decided to devote his time to creating a healing den. The skies had opened up early in the morning, and still rain came down upon the mountainside. If he needed to, digging would be easy, the soil loosened and muddied by the rain. He wouldn't be able to gather plants, not yet, but he could at least lay down the groundwork for some proper medical care.

The rain was soothing, although he would likely be reminded of his fall from Nocturne Summit every time the sky darkened. Floki meandered the lower reaches of the slope, enjoying the cooler temperatures that the drizzle brought. His mind wandered and he thought of his nieces, and then of Ragna; he wished that she had come home to Moonspear with him, but he also had to respect her independence. He was at least comforted to know that he was aware of her location, which hadn't been the case for quite a long time.

His paws pressed into the moist earth and he was alerted to a squelching sound that indicated that someone was digging. With pricked ears and a wiggling nose, he approached and found Aesop, who was something of a ghost from his past. He was glad that the former Bay wolf had found his way to Moonspear, despite Charon's misgivings, and paused next to his erstwhile packmate. "Need some help?" he asked by way of greeting.

Hard work would earn him a place in this pack. Perhaps he could work his way back into a position of respect, as he had once been in Stavanger Bay. But nothing would be done without a good deal of elbow grease. Moonspear's lack of a real healer troubled him, and his knowledge of the skill perfectly equipped him to resolve the problem. It would be an excellent way to being working his way into the heart of Moonspear.

Though Aesop knew Floki lived at Moonspear and was, indeed, its Beta, it still surprised him to see the boy (or boy no longer) in the flesh. When last Aesop had seen Floki, the beta had still been nothing more than a child. 

Aesop budged over a bit before resuming his digging. I certainly wouldn't mind, he said. Always glad for the company and an extra paw.

Floki smiled as Aesop shifted, allowing enough space for Floki to begin digging alongside him. He positioned himself carefully, back feet braced in the slippery mud as his forepaws began to pull at the soggy dirt. For a few seconds, he didn't speak, satisfied with the task at hand and the pitter patter of the rain.

"I'm glad you're back," he confessed after a moment. He hadn't ever been all that close with Aesop, but since the older wolf had been there during the formative days of his life, he had looked up to him -- just as many children revered the adults they spent time with. "Where were you?" he asked, his tone curious and lacking judgment.

Aesop had never been as close to Thistle's kids as he'd hoped. Things were getting more complicated just as they were born, and it wasn't long after that he left. Still, it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside that Floki remembered him at all, much less in a positive light. 'm glad to be back, kid. He paused, recognized his mistake, and then ammended it. Damn, sorry. It's a habit. One he'd have to break if all of his leadership was going to be so young.

For a moment he just thought on his answer, watching Floki begin to shovel wet earth out of the corner of his eye. Here and there, he said. I went up north. Further north than here, even. Saw a bit of the world before my retirement. This was the part in the conversation where Aesop should have asked a question, and they'd go back and forth until they were either tired of each other or friends. Unfortunately, Aesop couldn't think of any questions. So he just kept digging, the den now beginning to take some shape.

Floki couldn't help but grin at Aesop's slip of the tongue. Truth be told, he didn't mind being called "kid" -- he knew that the older wolf meant no harm, and besides, he trusted him. He wouldn't have tolerated anything similar from Lazarus, for instance, but since this was someone who had known him since he was knee-high to a grasshopper -- well, he wouldn't protest any affectionate nicknames.

"It's okay," he replied quickly, then fell silent as Aesop began to regale him with a brief description of where he had been. To the north, he said, and Floki nodded as he continued to churn the earth with his paws. They were making slow but steady progress, only impeded by the mud that slid stubbornly down the slope. Still, it seemed that they were working faster than the rain could fall.

"What's to the north?" he asked, after a pause. "Is it cold there all the time?" Floki was a scout by trade, but his knowledge was limited to the Teekon Wilds -- and even then, mostly to the land surrounding Moonspear and extending to the coast. Someday, he hoped to become a real traveler and take a long-term expedition; but at this point, he wasn't yet ready to leave his family and his duties behind.

I don't know how far north in BC teekon is so ??? this post is weird

They digged dug in tandem and in short-lived silence after Florki spoke. Aesop appreciated that there was at least one leader he could diminunize, but took a mental note to call his leadership children sparingly. And definitely not in front of Charon, who hadn't taken it so well last time.

Aesop nodded. To the north? A whole lot of nothin', most of the time. Rocky, not a lot of trees. Caribou up the ass, though I couldn't catch any alone. It was birds and rabbit for me. But the stars were great up there, and there was this shit called the aurora boareels? It was a bunch of colors, but in the sky. That was neat. He shrugged, trying and failing to think of anything else of note. The northern tundra had been pretty in the spring, but an encroaching autumn had driven Aesop back down to the Wilds.

Idk either, but I giggled at Florki! :P

He nodded at Aesop's frank description. He didn't go into great detail, but provided enough information for Floki to form a picture in his mind. The aurora boareels certainly sounded interesting, and he committed the phenomenon's name (in Aesop's accent) to memory. If he ever did have the opportunity to leave Moonspear for an extended period of time, he wanted to see the painted sky with his own eyes.

"Sounds neat," he agreed, then settled back onto his haunches. He peered at the hole they had created. "How much more digging do we need to do?" he asked, tilting his head.

The hole now angled beneath the eave of a rock. It was just large enough to hold one wolf, and that would have to do for now. Aesop could use it as an healer's cache until he deemed it necessary to enlarge the hole. The location was perfect to store his medicinal plants. The rock would keep the rain out, and its location on a slope would keep water from running in. Even better, the lack of trees would provide ample sunlight. Aesop could dry his herbs on top of the rock and then move them right down when they were done.

They were both perfectly muddy. Aesop nearly matched Floki's normal, clean appearance now that he had mud socks up his legs. The rest of him was mud-spattered as well, though. The worst was his underside, where he had kicked the earth up beneath him. Getting dirty was just a sign of good, hard work, though. I think it's safe enough to call this baby done, he mused. Might make it bigger some day, but for now I'm damn pleased. Is there a stream nearby or something? Getting dirty might be an indicator of diligent work, but he had a vain streak a mile wide and didn't want to stay like this too long.

He nodded when Aesop announced that they were done. It looked good enough to Floki, although he didn't yet know what Aesop planned to do with the crevice. Before he asked, he obliged Aesop's request with a nod of his head as he took to his feet. "Not far from here," he replied, turning and padding away from the muddy slope.

Around the curve of the mountain, a small stream trickled daintily from the rocks above. "Here," Floki said, already submerging his own dirty paws into the water. The rain had caused the temperature of the stream to drop, and it felt cool and refreshing against his earth-caked toes. "What are you going to do with the hole?" he finally asked.

Relieved to hear that a bath was in his immediate future, Aesop followed. Slipping and sliding gracelessly along in the mud, Aesop managed to get a little muddier before they arrived. But arrive they did, to a little stream that came from the rocks above. Floki dipped his paws in, but Aesop was not so dainty. He flopped right into the water and began to lick and nibble at his paws to rid them of the mud. The water that flowed away from him was a lovely brown.

I'm thinking I'll start my own herb stash in there, he said. Someday I'll make it big enough to be a proper den, maybe even big enough so I could keep patients in there. But it's good for now. He paused, then wriggled in place a bit, feeling the water work its way to his skin and loosen the mud. Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

Aesop wasted no time in beginning to clean himself, and Floki grinned as he waded in after his companion. He wasn't quite as muddy -- probably because he hadn't been working as long as Aesop had -- but he washed the dirt from his forelegs. He could have gotten away without a bath, since the color of the dirt almost perfectly matched the fur beneath his elbows, but he didn't mind the refreshing feel of the water.

Only once he was happily bathing did Aesop answer, and Floki's ears pricked. "Oh, nice," he commented, then added, "Have you met Judas and Pyx yet? They're aspiring medics; I know they were working on cleaning out my mom's old collection of plants and herbs. Maybe all three of you can work together." Thistle Cloud's den had been in bad shape last time he had visited, strewn with dried out and dead leaves and flowers; perhaps Aesop's new burrow would provide a fresh start.

Gotcha, he huffed once he loosened a particularly large, stubborn clump of mud. Floki directed him to Pyx and Judas, the other aspiring medics. Though a little anoyed that he hadn't gotten there first, Aesop was more relieved that Moonspear had some form of care. I'll be sure to look them up, see how I can help. And see how good they really were.

The mention of Thistle Cloud reminded Aesop that things were not, and would never be, as they once were. Her absence had been notable, as well as the absence of Floki's brothers and sister. Hey, I don't want to bring up, like, bad shit. But where's Thistle? And, y'know, the rest of your family. They'd been overrun with little Lodbroks when Aesop had left the Bay. Where had they gone?

Edited because I used Jorunn's wrong current name, haha!

The conversation took a sharp turn, though Aesop was not accusatory in his tone -- merely curious. And the question he asked made sense; after all, he had been a part of Stavanger Bay before Floki was even born, so he had been well acquainted with the Lodbrok family. It was clear that he was somewhat surprised to find that Floki and Charon were the only ones currently residing at Moonspear.

Floki gave a shrug of his shoulders, his ears fanning out to either side. "I wish I knew where my mom was -- she was real withdrawn for a while, and then one day she just left," he admitted, speaking of the situation with more truth than he had given to anyone else. His previous answers had been sugarcoated, but he didn't feel the need to do so with Aesop. He had given up on speculating as to her whereabouts. "Jorunn -- he goes by Kjalarr now -- he lives up on the coast with a pack called Saltwinter. I'm not sure where Kaylan is, but Ragna's nearby as well. I don't remember the name of her pack," he admitted with a frown. He could only recall that there was some sort of worship that Ragna had mentioned.

Aesop wilted at the news that Thistle Cloud was, by all rights, missing. He hoped that she was well, for she had been a true friend and a good leader. Selfishly, he was most interested in the news of Floki's mother. He had not spent much time with Floki and his siblings when they were young, certainly not like he had with Charon. 

Still, he was pleased to hear that the kids were alright, for the most part. I'm sorry to hear about your ma and your brother, but I'm sure that they're fine. Out having adventures of their own, probably. You kids are tough, he said in an attempt to reassure the beta.

"You're probably right," Floki replied, maybe a little too quickly. He had given up hoping that Thistle Cloud might come back; it could still happen, but it wasn't something he would dwell on. Ever since he was young, wolves had been in and out of his life. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to this phenomenon, and Floki had learned not to hold his breath. Otherwise, he would have gone blue in the face long ago.

He shook his head gently. "Anyway. I'm gonna get going -- go check and see if Charon and Ame need anything," he said with a small smile. "Let me know if you need any more help with your herb stash," he offered as he turned to go; he was happy to continue to assist Aesop if necessary.

Aesop smiled in gentle support. Floki was still young, despite his position. It must have been difficult to lose his mother, even if she was not dead. Suddenly (and Aesop hoped he hadn't driven Floki away with the all too personal line of questioning) Floki announced that he needed to go. 'course. Tell them I say hey, he rumbled. Once Floki was gone, Aesop lost interest in digging further, it was large enough for now, and he was enjoying his bath all too much.