Hideaway Strath A strangled cry

all welcome to encounter Hemlock on her path through the Strath! Or stop by the den!  

 

The children so far had not perished - still, Hemlock was not happy nor excited about the prospects ahead as they were by no means safe. Children died all the time but she needed to be certain that these did not. She would not betray the trust placed in her by her leaders. She had gathered some colts wood for the sake of helping the children - not only @Lotte and Arturo's but also the little one she was now the Shepard of. With a low chuff  the healer popped her head into the birthing den. "This will help the little lungs breathe easier."  Truth be told, she wasn't worried about them for much other than breathing. Roarke was a fighter, though Ceallach slept soundly most of the time she'd seen him, and Mallaidh seemed just a firey as her first born brother it was Erilys she fretted over. The little one had struggled, and it was for this that she laid the herbs down before Lotte. "Eat this, and it will go to the pups through your milk. I am still foraging for more borage to make sure that you have enough milk for them."  She explained before she'd made her retreat, answering any questions presented before she plucked up the other little bundle of herbs and departed the densite.

Briefly she stopped to hunt down a little rabbit, it was not fat but the hare still would be enough to start the process of shifting her charge from milk to meat. Errands ran, Hemlock made her way back towards the King Sequoia to the nest she'd set up nearby. She wanted not only to be close to her family it also provided her an extra level of security. No doubt the sentries would be most active there, in the heart of their woods. 

While she had only entertained the notion of birthing children briefly, it was in her nature to nurture. This did not remove her from her call as nurse, and while @Sirius was not her own as she entered the little nesting den she'd made for them she still nuzzled and licked over the pup as if he was her own. "Oh little wildling, you will not like this, but, it must be done." She chewed the coltswood up along with some of the meat and carefully hid the herb into the pile she offered the puppy. Hopefully he would want to eat so she would not be forced to push the herbs on him. 

Though he still tired very quickly, Sirius was no longer on the brink of death. His lungs were hampered by stringy, yellow phlegm - easy to tell by the rattle in his breaths and the hacking cough that often produced small piles of the bike substance for Hemlock's inspection. These episodes were often accompanied by bouts of tantrums from the greyling boy; his frustration and over-exhaustion from the prolonged illness had turned his energy (previously outlet by his adventuring) into a whiny and misbehaving kind.

But when Hemlock arrived on that day, he bounced toward her offering with his usual, cheerful gait. "Mamamamama," he chattered at his caretaker, wondering if she'd brought Olive with her, this time. His ears drooped when Olive did not appear, but his ropey tail was soon wagging once more. He was getting used to her absence, and Hemlock was good company, anyway.

The boy ate, ravenous as ever. He missed nursing very much, but those memories would soon fade as well.

He ate with a gusto, bringing a faint smile to the red wolf's face. He didn't seem to outwardly notice the herb at least so far, and so she was pleased. Hemlock took to her stomach, watching him with bright green eyes as she took note. He seemed to have perked up, although she still panicked mildly when it came to his coughing fits even if so far they hadn't been overwhelming. He still managed to get the muck out of his lungs and that was encouraging. "Good boy," Hemlock cooed with a wag of her tail. "You will see your mother soon, dear heart, I promise. Once you're big and strong." The words probably meant very little to him, but, it was a comfort to offer even as he requested his mother and not the strange woman who could not give him milk. 

"A few weeks, things will be different. We will have much to explore and learn about, " Hemlock continued in the same gentle tones. True to her word she had not spoken ill of Dakarai or Olive to their son, only offering the promise of their reunion once Sirius was older and stronger. She refused to offer anything else to the boy - no other false truths or words, even if she did not know where the boy was. 

Though Sirius couldn't say very many words, he could recognize quite a few. "Mother" was the one he knew best, and when Hemlock said it, he knew they were on the same page. She was cool like that - Sirius liked her. Even though she never really answered his questions.

"Mamamamamama mamam," he went on, his tail weed-whipping the grass behind him. What he really meant was, "Isn't my mom really pretty? Mom is magic. Have you met her?" - but Hemlock would never know. All that came out of his mouth was babyish chatter, but Sirius was intent on having a conversation, and expected an answer from his caretaker.

The sweet little babbling did not deter her and Hemlock took a seat and then laid herself down, inviting the boy to curl closer to her if he chose. "Your Mama," She began, letting out a little thoughtful hum. "She and your father are traveling," She decided upon. "Exploring." It was a far more romantic term and Hemlock was doing nothing but providing them a kind notion by not telling such a young child the truth - even if he wouldn't understand it. "And you, my dear, will hear all these stories of where they've seen." Because they would no doubt have tales to tell their child once they saw one another again. If they saw one another again. The realistic part of her realized that it might never happen - they could all perish in the trek across the mountains. 

"I may get you some honey." She said with a happy tone - the smaller amounts of honeycomb might make his cough less and it would help mask the herbs she had him eat. It would be good for him, no doubt, and she wanted to ensure that he survived to see his parents should the opportunity ever arise. It seemed that Sirius was growing tired, and Hemlock set to bathing the boy as he snuggled down into her to sleep again. Soon, he was resting, and the woman rested her head over his small body.