Otter Creek wolves of the calla

@Indra

relmyna had finally gathered the courage to depart blackfeather, but did so hesitantly — it took several tries before she was able to depart the borders. her turquoise eyes filled with fear as she glanced back along her shoulder, but soon she set her scarred muzzle to the frozen earth and began to range. she would not go far; the scent of water called her. it was as if relmyna suspected she would be caught out angrily for leaving, though she was aware it was well within her rights.
as she drew near to the forked creek, now flecked over with thick ice, relmyna became aware of a metallic bitterness slipping across the remains of her tongue; the tyro drew herself up and blinked quickly at the haze that had suddenly spread itself weblike across her vision. panic welled in her belly — the cold abruptly ceased to touch her and soon thereafter, her small body thudded dully to the snow-covered creekbank as she spun down into a blood-tasting blackness.

the river indra had come to know in her childhood now had a new sheath of firm ice splintering across its surface. grey snow and blue ice that spread in small crystalline formations,  the water below dark and gurgling. the bank she stood upon was a heap of snow and stone, and the first few feet of the river were formed like a thick, knobbly glacier. indra stepped over the ice carefully, lowering her muzzle along the surface looking for a weak place to puncture when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye.

something about the wolf's presence seemed unsteady; the red wolf lifted her head and studied her carefully. she would have hailed the wolf then, were it not for the sudden sinking motion that pulled the stranger out of view and down into the creekbank. indra felt her body twitch in mild confusion and inaction; for a few seconds she was not sure what to do before a natural sense of concern overcame her.

"hey!" she called from across the river's bend, pacing along the ice to identify the safest place of egress. one thick sheet of ruptured ice, mostly clear for the frayed white edges, looked safest -- with a suck of air and several leaps and bounds indra forded the river and sprinted towards the downed female. "hey!" she repeated as she came upon the prone form, her brow wrinkled with concern. her concerned deepened into puzzlement as she saw the disfigurement the female bore across her skull, and the sinister gleam of her exposed and dry teeth made indra recoil in shock. if she was unlikely to touch the female before, she was even less likely to do so now and instead she settled to snuffling snow from the ground with her muzzle and flicking it on the wolf's muzzle. "wake up!"

of what she dreamt while she lay there, the tyro would not know, but with a halting gasp she came awake, snowflakes flecking her eyelids from where it had been flung. the dear gentle visage of a reddish woman swam into view; beautiful features twisted with worry. fear leapt in the tyro's heart — she knew not this wolf. and so she gathered herself to her feet with several unsteady emotions, staggering away from the stranger.
much to her chagrin, relmyna was not able to keep her footing; her angular haunches descended heavily in the snow, and she hung her head from its ragged neck, peering sideways with a deep shame at her unwitting companion.

the wolf that woke before indra somehow seemed more terrified than her; incapable of helping relmyna, indra only watched in horor as the wolf wheeled away from her and nearly immediately lost its footing in an ataxic sweep of limbs and white snow.

there were only a few things that caused such disorientation in wolves; sickness or death. like the patched female indra found herself reeling from her unexpected companion quickly, as if fearful of fang or rebuke.

all the same the wolf that shifted in the snow, unbalanced and lacking command, appeared genuinely ashamed -- an aspect that indra did not expect a dying wolf to carry. "are you ok?" she asked, immediately feeling stupid for even asking. wasn't it obvious the angular female wasn't?

the bell of the other's voice sounded; relmyna closed her turquoise eyes on her deep shame and swallowed before giving a small, sharp nod of her muzzle. so long as she was able to escape this place back to the confines of blackfeather, she would fare well. but the worry of the other was apparent — at length, the tyro lifted her head and gazed at the other, letting the twist of her muzzle become bare below the haunted burn of her colorful eyes.
she had sensed the girl's revulsion, and understood it well — perhaps the other would find her so hideous that relmyna would at last be left alone, to her own mind and devices.

relmyna may have canted her muzzle in silent affirmation that she was okay, but indra remained dubious. there was so much about her that seemed off -- and not just her lack of coordination. indra cast a worried glance about them, peering along the snowridden landscape as if inwardly calling for an adult.

"i.. i don't think you are." she contested, her brow furrowed again as she resumed standing on all fours and walked up the small rise that precipitated the river's edge. "do you need help? are you going somewhere?"

she wished very much, suddenly, that she was possessed of the strength to rally, to drive off the young wolfess and her gentle, pointed worry. relmyna shook her head again, stumbling this time to her feet and keeping them. she wanted no help; she wanted no creature to expend themselves tending her bony wastes. 
and yet the throb in her skull had returned; the tyro paused in her steps and turned toward the girl. what good was she to blackfeather if she could not even return. presently she lifted a trembling paw and gestured vaguely in the direction of the wood; if this child wished to accompany her, so be it. relmyna did not wait to move off, choosing her steps gingerly.

indra felt at a loss - this wolf was clearly unwell, yet indra could detect faintly her misgivings with assistance. she remained silent as the wolf lurched away, though she followed her actions with a still concerned gaze. when the ragged female paused and turned about to face indra again, indra quietly took steps towards her, halting at her flank as she gazed in the direction that relmyna had pointed.

the woods. indra had no love for their corpse-splattered borders, and found it sickening that anything, even her comrade, could have sprung from such a gloomy place. she was hesitant, but still willing to help -- she would offer a shoulder for this female to lean upon, or even offer to half drag her there herself -- if that is what the tyro wished.

a curse was upon her, and relmyna would never forgive herself if by some fluke, this youngster contracted it. however, she kept her pace slow, more for herself than anything, a veritable maddening shamble through the snow. and while shame burned beneath her ragged pale fur, the tyro knew she must regain some semblance of strength, if only for the sake of her own ironic vanity.
presently she paused to shake out her sparse ruff; had she a tongue, relmyna would have passed it nervously along her dry lips. as it were, she glanced shyly in the direction of her youthful guardian in inquiry: what is your name?

indra had her reservations about returning relmyna to the woods. she felt immense pity for the wolf, wondering if she went back out of duty or simply fear -- she did not for a moment believe anything good sprung from such dimly lit mires. it caused her distress to imagine whatever had inflicted those wounds on relmyna was possibly in the woods, and as they trudged closer her steps grew shorter, her limbs dragging along the powdery snow with heavy conscience.

she caught the glance that relmyna posed and at first knew not what to do with it -- yet she could tell there was a spark of interest in her eyes that she had not seen prior. they were almost by the borders when indra stopped, shaking her head firmly. she turned to the female and crouched beseechingly, her tail low as she implored her companion: "do you really want to go back?" she hissed under her breath, casting skeptical glances to the forest that loomed ahead. "could you have a better life, away from whatever did that to you?" her voice stayed hushed, but there was a sharpness to it: "you could come with me, indra, and be safe. from whoever did that to you. come with me - i could help you. my sister could help you.." (okay, laurel helping was debatable, but still).

of course, it did not occur to the red-furred wolf that perhaps, this woman did not need the help of a silly little girl at all.

relmyna's stride lengthened even as the youth's did not; she rounded to face her companion in weary surprise, her ears pinning back with surprise. her unlikely guardian's words flickered hotly into the cold air, and the tyro listened with growing anger. what could she do in the face of blackfeather? the limits of the forest were clear; relmyna did not know if she would be again admitted if she departed the dark woodland. 
to be needed once more, to have such demanded of her, even though surely the girl meant well, relmyna's countenance adopted an expression of igneous disgust; she gave a sharp shake of her muzzle, seeking the other's visage. she had nothing to offer, scarce even to the forest she had not abandoned even after
there was a a boy
relmyna's hard eyes closed with a strangled moan of pain as lightning lanced through her skull; breath coming faster, the ragged tyro wasted no time in trotting for the borders and whatever dubious relief lay therein.

indra's words incited a vile expression in relmyna's face. there had been few expressions indra had ever been responsible for drawing out of strangers, and disgust was one of them. the expression was ugly, and terribly new -- indra stepped back in shock, slightly wounded that the female could be so quick to spurn her.

she bit her tongue as the wolf closed her eyes and winced. indra had learned her lesson, and said nothing even as a groan poured from relmyna's disfigured muzzle. she watched perplexed as the female trotted quickly into the woods. there was nothing more she could do.

with a sad frown she watched until she could see relmyna's form no longer -- and then she made for the valley.