Swiftcurrent Creek wild inside

Maybe he would’ve ended up back this way of his own volition, though it was presently an injury that forced his hand. Limping and weary, the yearling bit his lip as he finally reached the borders of Swiftcurrent Creek. He slouched to a halt to catch his breath, nose twitching as he sifted for any trace of @Etienne’s scent. His heart skipped a beat when he caught it.

He thought of howling but continued chewing his lip, eyes drifting over the bare treetops. Winter was nearly here. He had survived one on his own before and he could do it again, supposing he could beat this infection. But Cambria could feel his determination flagging as he pictured Etienne’s face in his mind’s eye, easily crowding out any thoughts of the Redtails at all.

It was not often Etienne wondered to the borders. He was not a guardian by any stretch of the imagination. Did he know how to protect himself if he must, and others absolutely. Especially after the incident with Glaukos he had learned, but it was a last resort for him.

But he had been traveling outward to gather herbs for any sicknesses especially among the young come winter time. So it was with surprise and joy which quickly morphed to worry when he saw Cambria.

Cambria! You be 'urt. He clicked his tongue and moved closer to inspect, at thr moment his concern outweighed anything else and he very quickly crowded the man.

Wut did you do? 'Ave you had any care for it? ' ow long 'as you 'as dis?

I am assuming based on the description it's an open would that is infected? Is it visible? How big and deep? And I can edit of course

Your assumptions work perfectly! I’ll describe it more in the following narrative. :D

The sight of Etienne’s face snatched the breath right out of Cambria’s lungs. Immediately, two violently opposing emotions rose up within him. On one hand, he felt such overwhelming fondness, he never wanted to be apart again. On the other, he felt such overwhelming fondness, he knew he should hightail it out of there just as soon as he consulted with his friend about treatment.

Eti, he said, his voice slightly strangled as his feelings clashed and warred. Struggling to maintain a businesslike composure, he cleared his throat and answered, I took a stumble while hunting in some rocky terrain and managed to fall against a particularly sharp one. It’s not deep but I think it might be infected?

He held out his left foreleg, putting the gash on display for Etienne’s assessment. It was perhaps four or five inches long and rather shallow, though it was crusted with drying pus. He had tried cleaning it immediately afterward but there had been a lot of debris in it. Something must’ve gotten left behind.

It’s really painful to the touch, he murmured, eyes flicking up and catching on Etienne’s face. I know you’re busy, with a pack to look after, and you owe me nothing, Eti. But I would appreciate any help you can provide… Cambria trailed off, thickly swallowing the words, “Because I’m afraid.”

Etienne was so focused on the wound. He noticed nothing else. Not the way Cambria’s voice was strangled. Or the breathless quality to his words. Non. He was oblivious when he should have been the first to notice. He knew those feelings well. And normally. But there was a wound. That was his focus.

Eti clicked in his throat again. O' non you not be worrying your 'ead about dat. I be takin' care of it. It probably 'as piece in it.

Etienne lifted his head and looked sround and then motioned for his friend to follow. We be goin' to de river. Dere I be cleaning and get dey dirt from it. Bind it up tight and give you someting to eat for dey pain and infection. .

Belatedly, Cambria realized he hadn’t answered all of Etienne’s questions. He gently set his foot back on the ground as the healer reassured him. His words soothed the jagged edges of fear in his heart even as the sound of his voice stoked a fire in it. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it.

He had no desire to argue with Etienne, so he simply said, Okay, and readied himself to follow. It happened a little less than a week ago, by the way, and I did my best to clean it. Guess it wasn’t good enough. Cambria huffed a dry laugh. Anyway, thanks, Eti.

As they strolled deeper into the territory, the yearling made sure to stay very close to Etienne—not hard to do—and mind his posture. It felt a little strange, like he was trespassing, but maybe they didn’t mind guests. He didn’t think the Redtails would have entertained them, but Etienne couldn’t be more different than them.

That prompted him to share, Redtail Rise is gone. Well, I guess the rise itself is still there, but the Redtails aren’t, unless something had changed in the past month. They didn’t have a healer anyway, he murmured, frowning as he thought of Redd for the first time in a while.

Etienne did take a moment to loose a small howl for @Akavir and @Arlette. So they knew he was helping someone heal and then escorting them back out.

He returned to the task at hand. I be cleanin' dat. Gonna 'ave to be seein' if anything be inside it.

Etienne's face morphed into a smile.It be fine. I glad I can be 'elpin you. You did good. Sometimes dese tings just 'appen no matter 'ow careful you be.

A tilt of his head. o' I be sorry you be losing your 'ome. You be wantin me to talk to Akavir or Arric? Dey be leadin' 'ere.

The sound of Etienne’s euphonious voice made Cambria’s heart beat faster. It stirred memories of their very first meeting, when his wretched cries had drawn the yearling’s attention. Whether he was tearing out his own heart or merely passing along perfunctory messages, he really had a lovely voice.

Yes, Dr Etienne, Cambria demurred when the healer repeated his plan, one corner of his mouth turning up in a tired grin at the inside joke.

It slipped from his face when Etienne offered his condolences and then, in the very next breath, offered to summon his leaders. The implication was obvious and almost stopped Cambria in his tracks. Those warring emotions swelled inside him again, part of him wanting so badly to agree while the other insisted he should run away at the earliest opportunity.

I— he began, brow furrowing when he realized he was at a loss for words.

He took a few moments to gather his thoughts, signaling his need for such with a beseeching glance. He trod beside Etienne in pensive silence, listening to the various variations of his own voice shouting at him from separate corners of his mind.

Cambria suddenly let out a long sigh, shoulders sagging a little as he asked, Can I be completely honest with you, Eti?

Etienne began to work to flush out the wound. Inspecting it with golden eyes. cleaning small pieces of dirt from it. The pus. He didn't have many herbs handy. Except some sage and rosemary,which he crushed up to put on it. It wasn't a great antiseptic, but it worked in a pinch. Their musky scents wafting upwards.

Dis be sage and rosemary. Not dey best for infections, but de be 'elpin for now.

Etienne lifted his head and met Cambria's gaze when the man seemed at aloss. And he didn't speak. Etienne felt bad then. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything. After all being displaced was probably hard to handle. And Cambria maybe having a lot to deal with.

He furrowed his brow further and nodded. O' of course. Wut you be wanting to tell me?

Cambria did his best to hold still and not make too many faces as Etienne began tending the wound. It really hurt, though, so it was difficult to avoid grimacing. At least he managed to remain silent; nary a cry of pain slipped from him. He wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt the man or his work.

They smell interesting, the Dragonling noted when the healer applied sage and rosemary. Almost… appetizing, he added with a puff of laughter.

He knew Etienne wouldn’t mind his candor. Cambria could go full bore and admit his feelings for the other man, though he shied away from that idea for several reasons. Besides, that wasn’t really what he planned to say, at least at this particular moment.

I’m not sure pack life is for me. It was really fraught most of the time and then they all ended up drifting away in the end. It that’s how it works, what’s the point? Better to just rely on myself. I don’t think I ever want to join another pack, he admitted.

The way his two-toned eyes bored into Etienne’s face, it was almost as if Cambria was hoping for a counterargument. Maybe the healer’s experience was different and he could tell Cambria about all the upsides of living with others. Or maybe he would just corroborate the Dragonling’s findings, sending him off to his solitary life after patching him up.

Etienne couldn't help the small chuckle that left his maw at the way Cambria screwed up his face to keep from making faces.

I sorry I not be laffin at you. I be laffin at dey way you tryin' so 'ard not to make faces and you make dem worse den.

Etienne nodded his head. You can use dem to season meat as well. It not be 'urtin' you. Give it a different flavor. Actually might keep sickness at bay even.

Etienne listened and frowned in thought. I will not press you, because i learned dey 'ard way dat you 'ave to make your own c'oices, but dey offer remains. And not all pack life is bad. You 'ave a nice place to curl up for winter. You make some good friends. And if you 'ave a good leader, it feels safe and comfortin'. Akavir is broody and a little 'arsh, but 'e be good wolf. At 'is core.

Etienne did not insist, though he mentioned a few reasons why pack life wasn’t so bad. Cambria listened, though he felt a little crestfallen. Yes, those things were nice… until they disappeared. And though he might not have described Mulherin as harsh, exactly, he had certainly been broody. All of the Redtails had been rather coldblooded.

I thought I’d spend the winter with the Redtails, he murmured, but they’re gone. They were strong once but they fell all the same. What if the same thing happens here?

When it seemed Etienne had finished tending him, Cambria gently slipped his leg free and stepped back to shake out his coat. It wasn’t particularly necessary, more of a way to recalibrate himself. He looked down at the healer’s handiwork, then his mismatched eyes drifted upward to land softly on Etienne’s handsome face.

I appreciate the offer, the Dragonling said, quiet but earnest, the “but” dangling from his lips. Rather than voice it, he inhaled rather sharply and said instead, There’s something else, and then paused.

Before he walked out of Etienne’s life, this time for good, Cambria decided he may as well throw all his cards on the table. It could make his decision harder… or maybe it would make it easier. It all depended on how Etienne fielded the confession now tingling on his tongue.

I like you, Etienne, as more than a friend. If there was any chance you might be interested too, well… I know you’d be worth sticking around for. But if you don’t feel that way—which is fine, of course—then it’s best if I make my own way in the world. Either way, I will never forget your friendship and care, Eti.

Etienne was not a wolf that tried to change the mind of others. Not because he didn't want to share or keep them safe or what have you. But because he knew sometimes that led to hurt feelings or anger if pushed. And he did nto want to be seen in those dark colors.

Eti tilted his head. And perked an ear forward. Well no one really knows wut may 'appen, non. All we can do is 'ope dat dis does not 'appen. Dat dey stay strong. And if dey don't we pick up de pieces.

Etienne felt as if there was something coming that he was not going to either like or know how to handle based on the way Cambria looked at him and the way he said there is something else. And boy was he right. Etienne did not know what to say at first. He worked through this. The heavy emotions. Another wolf liked him. Him. Etienne quiet, healer Etienne. A wolf in teh back drop. A wolf that wore a dead woman's face. A wolf that cried and railed at teh drop of a hat. A wolf that loved another. And there was the rub.

Etienne studied Cambria for a second, as he worked through what to say. Cambria was handsome. His eyes were pretty and he had always been kind. Could there be something eventually perhaps, but Etienne had not thought of him in this way and thus he could not say with sound truth that they would be fine.

A soft smile. Sorry i find I am a bit speec'less.

Etienne cleared his throat. I cannot answer dat, not because of any bad tings, but simply because i Did not t'ink of dis trut'.

Etienne hmmed softly. I cannot promise you anyting. I do not know you dat well. And my 'eart still belongs to anut'er. But 'e 'as made it clear dat 'e does not love me. But if that changed, could Etienne stay with another? he couldn't answer this either.

Etienne furrowed a wolfish brow in thought. if you are willin' to let me get to know you better. I am not adverse to dis. I cannot promise more dan dat for now.

He smiled gently at Etienne’s apology, which wasn’t necessary, but Cambria did not say anything. He gave his friend a moment to work through what he wanted to say, trying his best to ignore the tightening in his own chest and stomach. He let out a slow breath right as the healer continued, then held it without being aware through the entire rest of the man’s rejoinder.

Now it was his turn to collect his thoughts, all while his stomach did somersaults. Cambria felt so many things at once: slight dejection, that Etienne had not even considered him before; deep sympathy for the man’s plight with unrequited love; and a fierce flicker of hope that he knew he probably shouldn’t entertain. But could he even help himself?

He wanted to give Etienne this—he wanted to give him anything and everything—but the Dragonling forced himself to pause and consider. He could be setting himself up for the worst disappointment yet. Even worse, Cambria could be breaking his own heart. But as his two-toned gaze rested gently on his friend’s face, he discovered clarity in a compromise.

I know you’re worth waiting for, he said in a low voice, and of course I’d love for you to know me better. I want to know you better too. He paused, drawing in a deep breath. What if I stayed in the area and we met up on a regular basis? We can just focus on getting to know each another without anyone making any commitments or promises they may not be able to keep. We could… He halted again, reaching for the right word and finding, court. Cambria amended, Well, I could court you, if you’ll let me, Eti, smiling gently through his flush.

Etienne was unsure what to do in this entire situation. And he felt vulnerable and also guilty that he could not give a straight answer. That felt unfair.

Etienne warmed beneath the praise. He would argue he was not worth waiting for. He was simply a healer. A healer who couldn't even save those he cared about half the time.

Okay. A soft little shy smile. Unsure where to go from here or what even to say.

I will let you. A nod. Etienne was unsure now. What if Cambrian got to know him and he hated him or worse still what if he fell again and this one also left him.

Cambria swooned a little at the shy smile that crawled over Etienne’s face. How he wanted to kiss it. He didn’t, of course, though he returned it with one of his own. His cheeks pinked with warmth beneath his pale coat as he regarded the healer, a sort of giddy disbelief threading through him as he realized he’d told Etienne how he felt. And he hadn’t been rejected!

Cool, he said on an exhale, then laughed a little. Think I’ll start by hunting for you… as soon as I can, Cambria said, acknowledging his injury with a light shake of his leg. Thank you, Eti, not just for this, he continued in the next breath, wriggling it again before gesturing toward the man himself, but for… this.

Now that he’d been cleaned up and treated, Cambria supposed he shouldn’t loiter in the creek’s lands. He wouldn’t be joining their ranks today, after all, tempting though it was to just give in and stay near Etienne. No, this approach was better, he thought. There was less risk, yes, but also less pressure. They could take their time feeling out their connection.

I should probably get going, he sighed through a small smile, but I won’t be far. I’ll stay in the area, Cambria repeated, and come see you at least once a week, if that’s okay with you.

I probably can’t keep up with weekly threads but you’re welcome to reference his visits behind the scenes if you like! :)