Wild Berry Meadow Maybe I'm the one who's changed or the one to blame

Two years since this entire dance started.  More than one since their encounter... her first, and only, since Rian.  Sometimes she wished things were different and she could find distraction with one of the many men who were obviously interested.  Not seriously, but fuck.  Things would be easier.

She wouldn't wait.  She'd given Teya a choice and her friend had made it, and there was no reason for Bridget to assume she'd change her mind in the future.  Things would be easier if she did move on, find another who interested her and remove the awkwardness she felt stirred between them every time they were together.  The only trouble was that this was easier said than done.  When was the last time she'd even felt a hint of that?  And had it reciprocated?  Teya.  Fuck.

Two years was a long time.

Bridget snapped a few berries off of a nearby branch as she brushed past.  Truth was that she was out of practice and that, combined with her limited options and zero desire for a family, made her a real... is there an opposite to catch?  Miss? She chortled to herself.

Dusk was starting to hit the meadow and she'd need to head back soon. She loved summer nights most out of about any time, though, when the air began to cool and the air hummed with insects. This place was a practical heaven for them, with all the fruit, and Bridget was constantly flicking them away as she strolled through. She'd wait to see the fireflies before she turned around. There was no real reason to rush home.

i couldn't resist

castor had noticed some kind of tension in bridget as she became more familiar, though what it was he couldn't say. maybe she was naturally like that. maybe he was misreading. but he'd always thought of himself as perceptive, so he didn't think twice about acting on gut feeling and trailing her out of the territory when she went.
he didn't follow her immediately; the sun was beginning to sink when he reached the meadow where her scent was fresh. he approached in silence, offering a friendly chuff to announce himself and a few swings of his tail.
hey. mind if i join you? i'm sure i could find my own corner of the meadow, but yours looks nice, he greeted her with a smile, trying to give her an easy exit if she wanted to be alone. he figured a semi-chaperoned exploration of the meadow would be a good enough excuse to alleviate any awkwardness.

Speak of the devil. It was flattering herself a little to think of him among the interested, but he was attractive and, from what she could tell, nice as hell. Maybe in another life she was straight and happily mated. If she was, maybe she was lucky enough to have caught one a bit like him.

Not so lucky here. Bridget smiled at him and nodded. Suppose I can share. I think I remember saying the lake was far enough, but I guess I can't blame you for getting a taste for these. She flicked a berry at him, then chuckled.

She was glad he came, either way. It was good to have a little company that wasn't rife with uncomfortable silence for once.

she was charming, wasn't she? castor brightened with a barely-concealed smile as she flicked a berry at him. he caught it, showing it off between his teeth for one grinning moment before he ate it. the berries weren't why he'd come here, and bridget likely knew it as well as he did, but he was content to continue the line of conversation for a moment.
it's certainly nice to smell something other than fish, he joked, stepping nearer to take a berry of his own from a branch. you know, i never did get to ask why you helped me. i didn't exactly make the best case for myself. he glanced at her with a curious tilt of his head. not that i'm ungrateful. i would have understood if you hadn't wanted to take the chance, though. ignoring, of course, that he would be dead in that case.

Nice. She shouldn't have been surprised when he caught it but she definitely was. It reminded her a bit of the game she'd concocted for herself while playing with one of Maia and Eljay's pups. Was probably a whole other challenge, though, when you weren't tossing for yourself.

Everyone's always surprised, it seems. Makes me feel like what I do is all the more important. Bridget replied with a light laugh. Then she took a breath and let a beat of quiet pass. It was hard to understand why so many she treated seemed to think they were only worth the treatment if they had something to give.

I took an oath, when I agreed to train. If a wolf needs my help then I give it. If I chose not to, and something happens, that outcome is on me. It's something you have to come to terms with if you want to become a medic. She looked at him. If I hadn't, and you died, I might as well have killed you myself. That isn't something I can just live with.

She wondered how many other healers out there operated that way. She would have guessed most, but from the way so many had been surprised, she was starting to think she was the oddity. She was glad to have had the mentor she did if that were the case.

Not sure what you mean by taking a chance, either. She didn't see the chance in any of it. How would saving him have ever resulted in a bad outcome? At the time she hadn't know him, but withholding treatment based on that criterion felt less like caution and more like paranoia.

she reminded him of himself. or, rather, a past version of himself. once upon a time he'd been hell-bent on saving the world, too; that was why others had chosen to follow him.
you might have liked my pack, he smiled, gentle and a little sad. that kind of thing is what we were founded on. our neighbors were... more wary. not without good reason. sometimes it is a risk, especially when you're taking in as many wolves as we did.
he shook his head. it's a special kind of heartbreak, to be forced to cast out someone whose life you worked so hard to save. a little ridiculous, too. we only had about three rules, all just fancy ways of saying don't be a dick. another smile, this time with humor to it.

It did sound like her kind of place, and similar to her home. Though in the end her home hadn't suited her quite as well as she'd liked... and she thought maybe that there were places that did it better. At least in her eyes.

It's important to know when the saving stops. You can't always help someone who doesn't want to be helped. I'm careful to always remember that all I can do is my best. No wolf can fix everything. She was glad she didn't struggle with this as much as some others did. A part of her wondered how Eljay handled it.

Her mentor had told her the dangers of letting perceived failures weigh on her. Healing was an inexact art and she'd lost patients before. Hell, she lost Ibis and Tambourine and Wraen before she'd even had a chance to help.

I guess I'm just careful with what I let break my heart. She said with a lighter tone and a playful wink. Castor was easy to talk to and she appreciated that he came from a place with shared ground. Brecheliant is pretty similar. We may not have the rules written down, but I think it would be pretty hard to get booted for anything less. Sounds like a nice place to grow up.