Bramblepoint This flower is perfect!

@Okeanos!

After his triumphant victory, Black Hat was utterly exhausted. He shambled northwards in the starlight, heading straight for the forest there. Blood dripped from his shoulder for quite some time before it finally trickled to a stop. There was limp in his gait, favoring his injured side. Once the adrenaline had drained from his system, the dull ache really started to set in. The way time seemed to slow at his grueling pace was maddening, but eventually, he made it.

Lightheaded from blood loss and fatigue alike, he collapsed, landing in a heap on the ground with a grunt. Was this forest claimed too? If it was, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was tired, so tired... he couldn't remember the last time the allure of sleep tugged at him so adamantly. Black Hat could feel the world spinning, and he spun with it. Consciousness slipped from his grasp like water through teeth as his body demanded he rest. The darkness got darker, and the world stopped spinning.

Everything as he knew it remained frozen like this through the night and into the early morning. Light returned to him slowly, for he was reluctant to rouse. He became aware of himself again, contracting his muscles to roll over and sit up. But doing so sent wave upon wave of dull yet potent pain up his spine and into his hazy brain, particularly from his mangled shoulder. He groaned again. Nevermind, the ground was comfortable enough. What was the rush?

with ibis away, okeanos feels strangely untethered. they've been parted before, but then, he'd at least been with the rest of his family, who have always been his anchor. here he is a stranger in a strange land, his only companion a traumatized child and a childhood ... reluctant friend. acquantice maybe. he doesn't mind, not really, but it is a little overwhelming to wake up and think oh, i'm not responsible to anyone right now. 

so he lets himself explore, never going too far from the forest, but interested in the surrounding areas, the way grass turns to sand turns to rock and water. he's looking for.. something, he doesn't know. and then, as if some higher being has been listening to him, there it is: a crumpled body, the sharp smell of blood. (excitement would be - well, mean, but okeanos can't help the slight brightening of his expression at the prospect of helping someone).

he rushes to the stranger's side -- leaving a fairly wide berth, understandably, the  badly injured had a tendency to be snappy -- his eyes sweeping over the damage. his shoulder looks raw and clotted; okeanos' flesh twinges sympathetically. "what happened? were you attacked?" he asks, because if there's still danger in the area that seems pressing -- and then, oh, "here, i can help you - can you move?"

A flurry of panicked footsteps neared, and his eyes shot open. He was unfortunately lying on his good eye, leaving the damaged ruby one to peer out at the world. Black Hat could make out that it was a youngster, brown in color, but the rest of them was an unfocused blob. He only realized it was a boy when he heard his voice.

He grunted, far from in the mood to be fawned over. Obviously... Black Hat mumbled hoarsely, rolling his eyes. It was too much effort to explain what happened. If he weren't in excruciating pain, he'd be glad to humor him and weave a grandiose tale of what happened — centered around how great he was, of course. It could wait.

The boy said he could help though, so he answered with a softened tongue. I'd rather not, but I can. What do you need me to do?

the stranger's rude reply doesn't register with him -- he's in pain, his brusqueness is warranted. okeanos licks his lips thoughtfully, inching closer toward his injured shoulder. "are you hurt anywhere else?" he asks, because if there's stuff he can't see, this will be significantly more complicated, "i don't have -- usually i have some herbs with me, but i'll have to go find something." bothersome -- but it doesn't seem like he's about to go anywhere, at least.

before that, though, "do you mind if i, um, touch you? i'd like to get a closer look," he asks, all earnest sympathy and help, his tail wagging nervously behind him.

Another question, to which he answered, Just my left flank, it's not nearly as bad. The boy's comment about herbs confirmed that he was indeed a healer, and Black Hat dryly wondered what deity decided to bless him with such luck, of all wolves. He would've nodded, but the position he was in made that awkward, so he settled for a surly grunt instead.

When asked for permission to be touched, he impatiently answered, Yes yes, don't be shy. I won't bite — not now, anyway. It was dry comedy hour, apparently. He felt quite pathetic just lying there on his side, but there was no point in expending the energy to roll over, not to mention the pain. It was easier to be worked on like this anyway, so he'd live with it.

teensy pp - i can edit out if need be!

he nods, parsing the information absently as he moves closer to get a better look at the man's shoulder. his ear twitches back at the impatience -- earned, he's in pain, okeanos gets it -- but his mouth is set, expression focused. the injury is bad, no skirting around that, though infection is the bigger worry. gingerly he leans over and sets to cleaning the wound with his mouth, careful to avoid worsening it. it is intimate, in the way a nurse cleansing a bad gash with knowing, steady hands is intimate (a metaphor obviously beyond okeanos, given wolves aren't aware of the parrallels between their attempts at healing and human medical professionals, but, well, we're working within limits).

at length he withdraws (assuming the man has tolerated his ministrations, anyway) and hums. "okay, i'm going to grab something," he tells him, "so actually, don't move." with that, okeanos goes in search of what he needs for an indeterminant amount of time i'll gloss for the sake of keeping this thread moving. he returns with a mouthful of garlic, wishing he'd been able to find poppy too, but so goes. he chews it, making a slight face at the stinging taste; around it he says, "this'll help the healing," sounding more like ths'll hel' th'healin', and makes a gesture he hopes indicates i am now going to apply this to your injury, so don't move, please.

PP is fine! I also PP'd Oke a bit.

He grimaced, flashing his teeth when the boy's tongue ran over his wound. But he kept quiet, as he was counting his lucky stars. Black Hat wasn't one to bellyache, anyway. That was over soon enough, and the youngster spoke again. He held his tongue, instead opting to glower at him. His instruction was redundant, to say the very least. He waited for the medic to return for what felt like ages to him, but return he did. The pungent odor of garlic hit his nostrils, and it surprised him, as he'd expected... well, probably anything else. But he was no doctor, so he again said nothing.

Black Hat managed to make out what he said and grunted again, coming across as some feral thing incapable of forming words, at this point. However, when the garlic entered his wound, he groaned and spat, Bloody fucking hell, that smarts! The string of obscenities helped dull the stinging somewhat. He'd picked up the habit over the years, improper as it was. The stinging eventually dulled, and he relaxed somewhat, appearing not unlike a soggy slab of meat on pavement.

perf :D

his patient is receptive (as well he should be), though okeanos supposes he doesn't have much of a choice. at the sudden volley of curses, he nearly drops what he's doing, he's so surprised -- and prepares to jump back, but it seems the man doesn't have a lot of fight left in him. okeanos steps back with a sigh and says, "sorry -- should've warned you about the stinging, but -- it helps prevent infections."

screwing up his face, he adds, "that's about all i can do for now. do you know anything about plants? i can tell you what to look for once the garlic washes off, so you can take care of yourself..." pause. okeanos says thoughtfully, "or if you want to follow me back to neverwinter forest, i have my own supply there." it'd certainly make him feel better -- he doesn't want the poor fellow to run off and make it worse on his own -- but, well, he can't force him, can he? "i'm okeanos, by the way."

Honestly shocked at how well BH is behaving himself, lol.

Not like it would've changed anything... He grumbled, staring blankly ahead. Seeing as he'd have to sit up at some point, Black Hat collected his legs under him and shoved himself up into a sitting position with a grunt, greatly favoring his right leg.

When offered the option of either being brought back to the boy's pack or sent off on his own, he answered, No no, that won't be necessary. Just tell me what I need to know and I'll be on my way. The last thing he needed right now was to be indebted to a pack for taking him in when he'd do just fine on his own. Black Hat, He returned, tipping his crown and thus his namesake.

now that he's adequately addressed the situation, he feels pleased, some cheer taking over his expression. black hat, as he introduces himself, rebuffs okeanos' offer, which he takes in stride. "sure thing," okeanos offers with a smile, "so the main thing is to keep it as clean as you can -- i think it'll heal okay, but if it gets infected, you'll be in trouble. garlic helps with infection, like i just used... um, if it hurts, you can eat poppy seeds, but don't overdo it, they can be toxic." he pauses, thinking about what else might help, and adds, "lavender can also help make you feel better, it's the one that's sort of long and purple." 

the wound otherwise seems relatively straightforward to tend to, so okeanos cuts his list off there. "if it gets worse, i live in neverwinter -- um, i said that already, kind of -- it's not really like a pack-pack yet, but i have supplies i can share." now that the urgency of the situation has past, he's lapsed back into his usual, slightly less focused self: somewhat bumbling, and kind, eager to help however he can.

Thanks for patching him up for better or for worse! Maybe they can thread again down the road. ♥

He nodded as he took mental notes: garlic for infection, lavednder and poppy for pain (oh was he familiar with the latter). He found it somewhat amusing to watch Okeanos fumble with his words as soon as the conversation shifted away from his area of expertise. It reminded him of someone... but enough reminiscing. I'll remember that. He inhaled sharply. Well, I'll be out of your hair now — and these woods. Should find something to eat... Black Hat trailed off into a grumble with a glance over his shoulder. He heaved himself up on all fours, lacking any sort of grace while he did. His leg still hurt like hell, but Black Hat was the sort of frustrating patient who fought tooth and nail to get back on his feet far before his body was ready — often elongating the healing process, to everyone's annoyance.

Turning back to the lad, he added, Good day to you — Okeanos, was it? Maybe our paths will cross again someday. Flashing him an almost sincere smile, Black Hat began to limp his way out of the forest, now in a surprisingly chipper mood, all things considered.