Bearclaw Valley roti

recovering mosskeep.

This place that the bear-worshippers claimed to be their home appeared to be anything but that.

Snow-covered pathways of what could've been a patrol network lined the valley. Having been led partway by Arielle, she was left at some point to her own devices. Thus, she found what looked to be a well-hidden room.

It wasn't by sight that she'd discovered it, but a malodorous smell creeping out of a copse of trees, which themselves looked lifeless with frost.

Stryx dug at the entrance until it gave way and dared to peek inside, which brought some surprise. It was not a patch of rotten saplings but a small cavern — with walls lined with sordid collectibles.

Aventus scaled the gentle slope up to Mosskeep's main entry. In the summer, this would be carpeted with soft moss and fed by trickles of water from the spring within, but in winter it was all barren and white. It blended into its surroundings and looked nothing like the inviting medicine den Evien had meticulously cared for. Having spent a considerable amount of time there in his youth thanks to Nyra, though, the Bruin-jaw found it without any trouble.

He thought perhaps he would find Arielle within, tidying up the natural shelves, but it was empty. Herbs that had long since rotted filled the air with a cloying stench. He thought it might be nice to clean out all this rubbish for her so she could start fresh, and that was exactly what he meant to do.

The problem was that he had hardly begun to pick up the wasted materials when Stryx's paws broke through the snow and dirt at Evien's hidden second entryway, spilling light into the cavern along with a grey-stippled face. Alarm caused Aventus' hackles to lift, and subsequent affront kept them spiked. This was Arielle's medicine den.

What do you think you are doing? he demanded to know.

She could see very little in to the hole that had formed, and moved to make it bigger to accomodate. Perhaps weasel her way in. Before Stryx could get far, she saw movement inside — as well as shafts of light, cluing her in that this was not the only way to enter.

There was someone inside, and their demand made her withdraw temporarily. She called back: I smelled rot, and herbs. I was going to clean it up. They were of the same mind, not that Stryx was aware.

Another punch came through the snow, widening the hole by a scant margin. The skeptic poked her face in again and it wore its usual scowl.

You going to stand there, or help?

The face disappeared and light spilled into Mosskeep. Aventus squinted in the gloom. He learned a few things about Stryx just then: she had a fine nose, leading him to believe she was a capable tracker; she was meticulous enough to want to clean up the rot; and, when she next spoke, he learned of her commanding aura.

Aventus wasn’t too impressed by the implication that he was doing nothing, but made no mention of it as he padded over to the caved in entrance she was excavating. This was the smaller of the two entryways, but had its uses. Evien had kept it as his own private door, frequently using it to check on Aventus in secret during his time recovering here. He thought Arielle might use it in the same way.

And who are you? he asked as he struck dirt from the inside, crumbling the edges of the hole until it was large enough for the she-wolf to squeeze in.

Soon enough there was a scratching sound from inside. The strength of the boy's scent fumigated the area and Stryx, working from her own side, was focused on her task.

As the dirt came away she got a look at the wolf on the inside and took a proper interest for a second or two. He had a question.

She moved to follow the corridor of the secondary entrance before answering. Stryx. Resident physician. She wedged her sharp shoulders in and when she was within the confines of the medicine hold, shook the dirt from her shoulders.

Then she took a look around with the thin light lending some aid to her old eyes. There was a lot of stuff lining the walls; it looked as if a pile had formed of some of the foul bits, on the floor, lending Stryx the understanding of what the dark wolf had been up to.

When the hole widened out, Aventus stepped back to allow Stryx space. The title she bestowed upon herself made something ugly snake through his belly, but his expression showed nothing of it. That is Arielle, he corrected at once, the only indication that he found her title to be too forward. Are you here to learn from her? She is an excellent caretaker.

If he was not so biased, he might be able to admit that Arielle was self-taught and, as such, could benefit from a mentor who knew what they were doing. She coloured his world and swam in his veins, more lately than ever before, and it would be remiss of him to let Stryx proclaim herself in the Bruin-heart's place.

Aventus. Bruin-jaw, he added in an offhand manner. Ursus had a healer before Arielle who used this place to house patients and medicines. It has not seen use in some time. All readily apparent from the spoiled stores within. Aventus padded toward the wall, where rough outcroppings in the stone served for shelves. The leaves scattered on the surface of one were largely dry and blackened with age, but the damp had seeped through some. Do you know if any of this is usable?

The boy was defensive.

He lacked trust in what Stryx said, which was fair as they had just met, and when he - Aventus he called himself - gave Stryx some of the history to this space she was only half listening. More caught up on the insinuation that she was the student rather than the teacher in this scenario.

She would let that go. He'd see her worth eventually. Stryx was abrasive towards most people, however, even she knew when to pick her battles. Fighting with the locals wasn't on the agenda.

It has not seen use in some time, Aventus explained. Stryx nodded, peering from one shelf to the next, from one cluster of hanging herbs to another.

Do you know if any of this is usable? She made a thoughtful noise.

Then she began to pluck at some of them. We'll have to check for rot. White fuzz, or sometimes blue. If the leaves don't hold a shape but are tarry and black, they're gone. A few pieces of the collection looked more like stiff mud until she touched it, and it came apart to the touch.

Some of the pieces hanging high and away from the damp floor looked promising, so she collected these in to a separate pile for study later.

White and blue fuzz or tarry black ones. Got it. Aventus shuffled away from the first shelf to the next, where some manner of dried flower was stored in a cluster. When he tried to pull one free, the whole lot crumbled to dust.

He turned and swept them to the floor with his tail, taking the opportunity to steal a look at this new physician. What made you choose Ursus? he asked offhand, moving on to the next shelf, a little higher up. Here were more leaves. Aventus managed to recover a handful of promising ones and collected them in another pile alongside Stryx's.

They worked for a time in silence. Stryx looking between different hanging clusters or piles along the shelved walls, or peering at the piles that Aventus added to; sometimes she would pluck something he had laid down, but not often. Most of the collection was either too dry or too wet with no middle ground. Either way, useless.

She clucked her tongue softly, thoughtfully, until he asked his question. A well preserved series of leaves with crystals of ice just forming, had caught her eye. She became curious of these little shapes and answered while focused upon them.

I was hungry, she said. It was a simple transaction made at a desperate time in her life, but Stryx was not ashamed. This place was the first I came upon. I wouldn't have made it to another. Anywhere else could've suited her better, come to think of it, but Stryx was a survivor. She could handle a little bit of fanaticism for a full stomach.

Aventus found nothing else salvageable among Evien's old stores. He busied himself with removing the debris from the stony shelves and collecting them into a pile. He would need to find some way to transport them out of Mosskeep later so they didn't taint the spring water trickling through the cave.

You are honest, he noted. Many wolves cited being charmed by Merrick or intrigued by their lifestyle. Some of those, like Æsilfír, might be telling the truth. Most were lying. Aves didn't sense any dishonesty in Stryx, though, no tells in her expression or bearing to suggest she was being deceitful. She was hungry. She wouldn't have made it to another pack.

When you are no longer hungry, will you move on? he wondered, padding over to the streaming water now to sniff for signs of taint.

She was honest — often to a fault, according to her betters. Stryx had spent enough time on this earth walking on eggshells to be the perfect physician and was through with it. When she needed something she was up-front about it and usually that did the trick; the world worked better for her once she'd grown a stronger spine, and now she couldn't help herself.

No, she answered, watching as the young man investigated the water. I made a deal with Merrick. My word is my bond and I cannot break it. Stryx sounds a little bit grim as she explains this. She isn't bothered by the people she's thrown her lot in with; her exasperation is rooted far deeper than the present.

Without explaining herself further, Stryx began looking around at the work that had been done by the pair of them. Rotted bits of plant matter were piled in a soggy heap, while the good stuff remained intact on separate piles further along. It would take time to organize these back upon their shelves. The ruined pile could be buried somewhere nearby and if luck was on their side, something might grow from the mess that they could use.

I will dispose of this, she mentions with a nod towards the pile of rot, and began to remove it in chunks, either by grasping for the more solid pieces or by shoving, pulling with her forelimbs; it might leave a slick green path behind, but that would add to the ambience of the place.

Stryx conducted herself in a businesslike manner. Aventus suspected she never said more than she precisely meant to. Once more, he had the sense she was being completely honest. She had a simple reason for being here and an equally simple dedication to her vow. He wondered if this would change when she learned the heart of Ursus.

The water was as cool and clear as the days when Evien tended the cave. No indication that the spoiled stores of Mosskeep had affected its water source. Aventus was relieved. He didn't know the first thing about purifying water.

Stryx busied herself with removing the rotted and dried out vegetation. Aventus almost offered to help, but sensed that perhaps this was a task she would prefer to do alone. Everything about her screamed that she was particular about how things were done. He would only be getting in her way.

Arielle likes to use moss, he said. I will go and gather more to dry for her. Unlike most foliage, it could be recovered with relative ease in the winter, especially being so abundant around Mosskeep. Mostly, he just wanted an excuse to leave Stryx to the more delicate work.