Blacktail Deer Plateau a leaf on the wind

@Blue Willow =D

Rolling on his back, Dante squirmed, back twisting in the dirt as he tried to get an itch plaguing him halfway down his spine. Growling with annoyance he rolled once more, then sighed with relief as he finally hit the spot. He was well aware of the picture he probably made to anyone passing by, a fully grown male wolf wiggling like a pup in the dirt, but that itch had been driving him insane half the day. Finally, though, it was gone. Rolling to his paws, he stood, pelt covered with leaves and dust. Chuckling at himself, he shook, trying to get most of the dirt off. A fine picture he would make to any of his new packmates should they come upon him now. Not that he thought they would mind; they didn't seem the type.

Turning, he pulled a few leaves that had gotten tangled out of his pelt, then looked back at his tail. A burr seemed to have gotten stuck right near his tail. Shoot. Turning around, he went for it, but wasn't quite flexible enough to reach it and almost lost his balance to boot. Resigned, he sat. That's what he got for playing in the dirt.

Blue Willow was traveling around the borders after having seen to Peregrine's leg. For the most part now that she had seaweed she didn't have to check on him as often, she did so anyway. She did not want the swarthy male to want for company. She was well aware that he was frustrated at having to sit still so much, being as active as he had been. She stopped in mid stride as she studied small dust clouds going back and forth in the air. She froze watching trying to figure out what the heck it was and then a wolf rose up from the depths of the ground like some demon from the ground. Though she was certain he wasn't a demon or from the ground. She watched as he tried to get what looked to be a burr from his tail and a snort of a giggle came from her maw. Finally fearing that he really would hurt himself she strode forward only stop short again as he sat to his haunches. He was the male Dante if she was not mistaken, she had not met him of course, but his name had been brought up in passing. She smiled and spoke quietly Do you need some help? Those burrs can be murder and then they just gather little followers like the absolute monsters that they are. She smiled again waiting for an answer.

Seems someone had been witness to his little ritual. Slightly red under his fur, Dante laughed. "I hate to bother you but I'd be obliged if you would. The little bugger is a bit out of my reach, as you probably saw." He eyed the burr as though it had personally affronted him. "Tricky blighter."

Then he looked at the fem who had so kindly offered help. "You are Blue Willow, correct? I don't believe we have had the pleasure of officially meeting." He had seen her around but there were many in the pack whom he had never spoken to. It seemed like everyone had other things to be doing, especially she, considering she was not only Alpha but also healer. With Peregrine's injury he imagined she was kept pretty well tied up most of the time. "What brings you out on this beautiful day?"

Blue willow chuckled and walked over and gripping the burr in her teeth she pulled it out and depositing it near the edge of the forest. She turned back and looked at his tail There you go I believe you can sit better now. She teased him gently, allowing her mirth show through. It was no small thing to get burrs in your fur they were awful to get out without help. Don't feel bad I've had burrs before much more than that and it was indeed terrible to get them out. Blue nodded Yes I am blue Willow and you are Dante yes? it is a pleasure to meet you. I am just out and about patrolling and looking for herbs as I am a healer first and foremost. She smiled then she was not afraid to admit that she preferred healing to well anything really. She did not shirk any of her responsibilities of course, but she would heal before she would do something else.

"Thank you." He looked back with relief at his now burr-free pelt. He grinned good-naturedly at the teasing... it was well merited and in good spirit. "I haven't had many since I was a pup; fell into an entire bush once." Well, more had been pushed. His half-sister's doing. She hadn't had much love for her half-siblings, though now that he was older, Dante could understand why. He didn't agree with her treatment of them- they had been only pups after all- but they had stolen away her birthright. She was bound to be a little miffed, at him especially.

"You are correct, the pleasure is mine. And somehow I feel the trade suits you. Would you like any help or company?" Dante had liked the look of this wolf when he first saw her and felt no differently now. She had a kind face and a gentle voice, both good indicators of character. The fact that she professed herself a healer only cemented his opinion of her. She was one he would like to count among his friends, if she felt the same. "Are you searching for anything in particular?" He hadn't grown up among healers but he had pretty sharp eyes. He didn't know the names or the uses but if she described some he could at least help her look.

She smiled at him You are welcome. She chuckled at the figure that painted across her mind's eyes as he told her he fell into a burr patch as a child. That much have been awful for you and your mother She figured it was his mother that had to clean his pelt of the offending burrs. Her own mother had cleaned hers more times than she cared to admit. thank you and I am always willing to have company. I am looking for some stinging nettle and aloe vera today.Stinging nettle is green leafy plant that grows like small tree with white prickly hairs on it. You can use it for internal bleeding among other things. And Aloe is a green plant that looks a bit like a snake with ridges it has multiple branches as well, it is good to soothe open wounds and such.

He chuckled also, remembering the day. "My sister actually. My parents had the firm belief that if you didn't live with your mistakes and help yourself out of them, the lesson wasn't learned." It wasn't a bad mantra, really, when you didn't take it to the extreme. "Tarin helped me on the sly though." He wondered briefly how his sister was doing. Probably raising pups and enjoying life in her new pack. At least that's how he liked to imagine it. Perhaps one day he'd stop back in. He wondered if Peregrine would allow that.

"I will keep an eye out for those. Assuming you know best, I'll follow your lead." He would fall in step beside her, for she probably knew where it was better to look for such plants. He hadn't mapped those details out yet, though he was beginning to get to know this place better. "What made you decide to become a healer?" He asked, curious as to what influenced her decision. It was a pretty selfless thing, devoting one's life to learning how to help others.

Blue chuckled My parents were not that way, well my mother was, however my father spoiled me, while also teaching me. I am largely the way I am thanks to him. Blue did not know what it was like to have siblings close to you. In a way she was envious of that, if she were to ever have children, she would want more than one at a time or close together, if there was a case like her parents and she only had one at a time. Blue smiled and motioned for him to follow her. This way then sir. She flicked her ear back to hear his next question and smiled, she always enjoyed talking about her family and what they had done. She had no shame of it. My parents were traveling storytellers and healers, and they taught me their trade. This is the first pack and home, I have ever been a part of and had. We would go from pack to pack offering our services and in return we would get a warm place to sleep and larger game. It was just my parents and I you see, so we could only hunt small game, especially since they were older anyway, when I came along.

"He must have been a great father. You don't seem to have turned out too badly," Dante jested, grinning at her. If she was envious of his siblings, he in turn was envious of her relationship with her father. He wondered what it would have been like, to have a parent that actually cared about more than size or strength. To actually be proud to claim you father and talk about your parents.

"It sounds like a hard life, but a good one also. Wandering is lonely and dangerous, yes, but it also lets you experience all walks of life and meet all sorts of interesting wolves." He had enjoyed the meeting new wolves the most. "I bet you picked up a lot of different practices too, traveling like that. Each place probably had different plants and knowledge. Though the hunting is troublesome. Tarin and I couldn't take down more than a hare for a long time when we left."

Blue Willow smiled both in happiness and nostalgia as she thought of her father briefly wondering where he was. He is one of the best. She chuckled at his next words, granted she was proud of who she was, however there was always room for improvement as with anyway. there is always room for improvement. She shot him an ornery grin jesting back, thought it held partial truth. She nodded as he spoke, it had been hard at times, other times it had been amazing. She held a wide range of knowledge in many things, there had been roman legionnaires she had met, there had been bloodthirsty wolves, and meek wolves. There had been monogamous relationship packs and polygamous packs, really there were so many wide range that it was amazing. yes it was both amazing and troublesome, I did learn a lot. I also found a lot of different cultures and wolves. There are some that freeze my blood and there are others that make me laugh to this day. In a way I miss it, but I am content and happy here, I want to start my own legacy. Whether it be simply as a healer or more. And yes hunting was oftentimes difficult, but lord blessed my father with a prowess that is otherworldly at times.

He returned her ornery smile with a genuine one, then went back to searching the ground for their target crop. As he did, he listened, enjoying hearing her talk about a life that was so different from any he had heard about. He knew there were nomadic wolves out there but had never met one who had lived that life.

Dante himself recalled the first time that he ever caught a deer unaided. It was a small one, regardless, yet at that moment he had felt completely grown and strong in his independence. He and Tarin had eaten well that day. Since then he had learned strategies that had let him pursue larger game, his size aiding immensely in the take-down. True it was easier with a pack, but not impossible. Her father must have been more skilled than Dante, however; he doubted he could have hunted for himself and a family. Shortly after they were fully grown they had come across the Highland pack and Tarin joined, leaving Dante to continue alone. He didn't really have to worry about any but himself, so it did not matter that most of the time he had to settle for lesser prizes.

"Otherworldly indeed. Though your healing fits that description as well, at least to a simple soldier like me. Seems to me your legacy is already starting. After all, you've helped so many of the pack with your knowledge." He wondered briefly if he'd ever have that sort of impact on the lives of those he was quickly beginning to care about. He could only hope. Suddenly those thoughts disappeared, though, and he quickly trotted over to a tree. "Look!" He smiled happily. "Is this one of the plants you were looking for?" The plant had hairs but he couldn't be sure.

Blue thought about hunting, and frowned slightly. She was not a very good hunter, really. Again it came back to her healing, she had spent so much time learning the healing ways, she had forgot to pay attention to other lessons. Granted she could hunt and she did, she just wasn't great at it, like Peregrine. Her father on the other paw, he was a wonderful hunter.

Blue smiled a bit shyly, Thank you, I have not healed that many truthfully, just a fair few. Blue was very glad to be a part of this pack, she was also very proud of herself and what she had accomplished thus far. She held the title of healer, she was an alpha now. All things considered, she had done well for herself and had accomplished much. However, she also knew that she could always improve, you could always improve. One can always improve, and healing is something you never know everything about. It is a trade you study for the rest of your life.

Blue ghosted forward and sniffed at the plant and with a smile she nodded Yes it is. She studied it and very carefully grasped the very bottom, sure to not touch any of the stinging hairs on it.

In my chronology I have this post happening after the story one ^^ if you don't want that, let me know and I can edit!

Dante nodded. "That is true." He frowned. " I would love to have a skill like that. To be useful in ways that don't involve violence. I suppose I've never had the chance to learn." He smiled. "But I suppose I've learned something today. I never knew that plant could be useful, I've always avoided it." Perhaps one day he could be useful also for something other than harm. Protection was important, but something about this place drove him to strive to become more, to improve himself and not settle back on the easy route. He didn't think he had the memory or nerves for healing, but maybe he could find something else.

He could sing her praises all day, but something told him that the sweet she-wolf, like he, was uncomfortable with flattery. So he redirected the subject, bringing up something he had been curious about. "By the way, I really enjoyed the story that you told the other night. Where did you learn it?" It had been strange, the rhythm and voice unlike anything he had ever heard.

yea that works for me :D

Blue smiled at him and said quietly I can teach you some things if you like, enough so that if you are ever in battle you can at least keep yourself or another alive. Until a healer comes along. Blue knew that healing was not for everybody, but then she spoke again on her father. My father was one of the best warriors you would have ever imagined, at least so I've been told he never showed me, I did see him fight once and I never want to see it again. However, the thing is that my father later became one of the best healers I've ever had the privilege to meet under my mother's tutelage. So, don't sell yourself short if you were, you can do anything you put your mind to, of this I promise you.

She chuckled Again my mother and father taught me. They were traveling story tellers and healers. I was raised a gypsy child, and traveled pack to pack to pack offering our stories and our healing. I could tell you countless stories, that was a legend of one pack, of how the first wolf learned to cry. She smiled at the bitter sweet memories that assaulted her, it had not been an ideal life, but it had been a good one, and she would forever be thanking her parents for the enriched lifestyle they offered her.

"That would be wonderful. I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you, Blue Willow." He shook his head. "Your father must have been a wolf of very many talents. No, my sister had the head for herbs and the like. Our pack may not have valued her, but I did more than anything. You actually remind me a lot of her." He thought of Tarin, with her low tolerance for violence and love of helping others. "I think you two would have gotten along very well." If only she had continued this far with him.

He laughed at the slight obviousness to her answer. "I probably should have guessed that, shouldn't I have? It threw me off a bit. It was strange to hear a story in which the gods play no part." In all stories of his youth some sort of deity had a hand in the outcome, no matter the tale. He supposed that whoever made the stories hadn't wanted to give offense by omission. Whatever the case, it had made her story stand out to him. The story must have come from a place with a much different belief system than his own ancestry.

you are welcome. She nodded her head at his next statement. Her father was a wolf of many talents, he could hunt, and fish, and fight, and heal. He was not an expert at all of them, but he was adept enough in them, that he could be considered a veritable jack of all trades. my father is very good at many things, and that is terrible, healing is often not seen as a strong trade, but it is what keeps us alive in the worst of times.

Blue laughed I know stories with gods perhaps I’ll do one of them next time. There are so many stories out there begging to be told. She had no god or gods to which she paid tribute to, she paid tribute to all of them and none of them, it was just how she was. She did not have one single belief system, and she truly believed that all belief systems were a part of each other somehow.

"Those who don't appreciate it do not understand it's worth. It really is too bad." The sad thing is, he had been one of them once. When he was young he would have judged Blue Willow just as harshly as his father for he believed in the wisdom of the fight, nothing more. Lucky thing, growing up.

"I would like to hear the stories of the gods of whom you have heard." Dante did not know whether or not she believed the stories, but he did. He liked to believe in the gods, up there watching over their charges and twisting fate. True, in many of the stories their touch was cruel and their influence dark. They were obviously wildly blown out of proportion, but were not all stories based on some measure of truth?

Blue chuckled and spoke softly Yes well even so I would take care of those who didn’t believe it was worth it. It is the right thing to do regardless of how the other feels about your worth. It was true she would heal who ever needed it, even if they cursed her with every breath. She may need to go cry a little after it was all done, if the words spoken were a bit harsh, but she would never let that certain wolf see her break. She was far stronger than most gave her credit for.

Blue perked her ears forward; she knew so many stories she would have to decide which one would fit best. Well I can do that, but it may take me a day or two to think of some, I know so many I have to go through and figure out which ones would be useful for you. She tilted her head hoping that was okay. If he wanted a story right now, she could certainly come up with one, from deep within her recesses.

Dante nodded. Therein lay the difference between wolves like Blue Willow and wolves like his father. It was as simple as that. Some did what they did because it was right, others just to get ahead. Dante wondered sometimes what sort of wolf he was turning out to be. He hoped the former but feared the latter. Sometimes he wondered if he was running so hard from his fate that he was, in fact, only bringing himself closer to it. If one does something for the good of another so that they can feel better about themselves, isn't that really just for their own gain in the end?

That wasn't something he wanted to get into now, though. It was one of those questions he didn't think would ever have an answer. Instead, he focused back in on the conversation. "You don't have to think of one now. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around," he jested. They were, after all, packmates, and Blue Willow's position made her rather hard to miss. "Some stories are better for the wait, after all." Besides, today was beautiful. He was sure that there were more constructive things for her to be doing than keeping him entertained with stories. Best save that for a dreary day when there was not much else to be done for it.

Blue smiled at him, she had no real selfish desires other than to find a mate, and have her own children, but even that she put on a back burner if she was asked too. And she worked so hard to heal everyone else, sometimes she wondered if she would ever have that, because she never gave herself the time to find someone, there was sweet stolen moments at night between her and Atticus, but they were not often and she was okay with that, she was alright with moving slowly, but if she moved to slow, would she forfeit that. She shook her head, oh well such things happened and she’d just let things go at their own pace, besides she wanted to make sure there was love before she settled, she would not settle for less than that.

She looked at him softly, Dante would you like a story now? I don’t mind telling you one really I don’t. She would be more than willing to give him a story, after all it wasn’t asking for much. It was just a simple story, she could tell stories in her sleep.

She really was too sweet. All of her duties, everything that she was dealing with, and still she had the time to offer to share stories with him. He wondered at it. "I wouldn't say no, but only if you have the time! I'd hate to keep you from more important things." He hoped she realized it wouldn't offend him at all if she had to go now. He wasn't the type to take offense nor to think that he needed to be top priority. In fact, his top priority was usually to try and take as little time/effort from others as possible. He hated to be a bother.

This was especially true with wolves like Blue. He felt that she was the type that would fall over backwards trying to do something for someone else if she felt it was what they wanted or needed. This was why sometimes it made him uncomfortable to be around wolves like she; he hated when others felt like he had expectations of them when he never really did.

Blue Willow chuckled and dipped her muzzle and now to just think of one. I will gladly tell you one just let me think for a moment. She frowned in contemplation as she went over all the stories in her head, all those she knew and all those she had been told and would tell in time. She chuckled then and nodded I know what I shall tell you.

Blue willow spoke quietly Okay this is a tale of a wolf named Achilles, and it is a sad story, but one to make you realize that you should never try and change fate it could end up killing those you love in the end. Achilles was a brave wolf, his mother was a wolf nymph and she decided that she wanted him to be immortal to all wounds a brave warrior. There is said to be a river in the underworld, called the river of Styx, if you are dipped in it and you keep your sanity, you come back up and you are impenetrable to all wounds. So his mother her name was Thetis. Now Thetis had heard that her son would become a great warrior but he would die young, and she decided that she did not want this fate for him. So she smuggled him into the underworld and dipped him into the river Styx as a pup. When Achilles came out of the water he was able to withstand anything and not die, there was one flaw however and that was his back paw, where his mother had held him, it was a small spot, but none the less it was a spot that could be wounded. Now Achilles went on to become a great warrior, but neighboring pack found out about his small spot and they attacked him there and he died, as he bled out. The only spot on his body that could be torn. And that my friend is why you do not mess with fate as his mother did.

Dante's ears were alert and he watched her, eager to listen. When he heard the name he smiled, for he knew the story of Achilles. However, she told it differently. In her story the moral was not to tempt fate. When Atrix had told it, the moral had been to trust nothing but one's own claws. Never depend on another to keep you alive, for only you decide whether you are strong enough. He enjoyed her version much more.

"A fine tale and a wonderful telling. You have a gift for it, you know." He thumped his tail appreciatively on the ground behind him. He felt like a pup again, for he could have listened to her tell stories all day. If only, but he was hardly so young now, and one of the curses of adulthood was the responsibility it brought. "I hate to keep you any longer. I know you still have more herbs to find." He said, looking towards the sky. It was somewhat hard to tell how much time had passed under the cover of the trees. "Perhaps another time we can meet up and I could give you a story in return?"

Blue could not have asked for a better audience. He listened well and he paid attention and he even smiled in some parts. The thing with a story was that it could be told in a number of different ways, and it meant something different to each story teller or chronicler. She was going to be happy to hold that title as well as Caretaker and Healer, all three she was suited for she thought anyway.

She smiled and lowered her eyes in shyness Thank you, it was our livelihood I had to be good at it, or we may not eat that night. So my father taught me the best that he could as did my mother. She looked up at the sky too and nodded her head in agreement and then gave him a small smile Gladly I will share a day of nothing but stories with you. It is a plan. She grinned again and with one last look she continued on to search for things she needed.