Edit: pushed forward a few days! Non specific as to how far so you can say if you wish, Vienna wouldn't have been keeping track really anyway ^^
The evening of the second day, however, she had woken fully, though she did not move at first. Her sides flared with every breath, but it was the bite to the back of her neck that pained her most. Had she known what a hot brand was she would have described the feeling akin to having one pressed into the space between her shoulders, even when she lay still. When she moved, though, it was unbearable, sending waves of nausea through. She spent a few more days like this, Amekaze coming at times to do what she could but for the most part isolated. And she was perfectly fine with that. The pain was rough, her spirits were low, and she wasn't fond of the idea of meeting a packmate in such a state.
Currently though nature was calling, and in order to alleviate herself she needed to make her way outside. She wasn't about to go where she was, she had her pride still. Besides that she could use a drink, a fact that would make the viscous cycle begin again.
Carefully keeping her head low, she raised herself up, doing her best to move her torn sides and neck as little as possible. A sharp inhale accompanied the motion, but she managed it, and gingerly she shuffled her way outside. She didn't need to go far, thank goodness, for the mountain had many streams and one lay right by where she currently rested. It was also fortunate that stone took so much longer to wear through than soil, as there was no bank for her to contend with.
When she had finished, she lowered herself carefully to the ground, laying her head gingerly on her paws, never raising it above shoulder level. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, not that she minded. Her head was pounding and her energy wasn't te greatest. If there was one thing Vienna hated more than being angry, it was being miserable. Yet her current state could hardly have been described as anything else.
After meeting Amekaze and being accepted into the pack, Mallaidh had a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She was able to sleep somewhere safely, rest her body, work on healing the wound on the inside of her leg, and get her energy back up to par. Soon, she would have to begin working on her whole purpose for being accepted but until she could go more than a few hours before every bit was drained from her, she was of little use. Each moment was extended significantly with the rest and the healing but she still had quite a ways to go.
On this day, however, she had stretched her legs when she woke and made the decision she would push herself a little further than she had before. She would search for a place for storage, find a nearby water source, and begin the perfect reserve for her herbs and medicines.
On this day, however, she did not expect to run into a wolf as banged up as Vienna.
The scent tickled her nose. Another wolf. That wasn't the strange thing. The scent of blood, of healing, of infection. Amekaze had mentioned she had stepped in when needed but the details were not as clear. It didn't exactly smell like fresh blood, the diluted copper scent in the air telling her that much, but she wasn't going to let it go. Her silver eyes scanned her immediate area before she noticed moss growing on the north side of a tree not too far off. She ripped several sheets of it off after inspecting it, and carried it in the direction her senses led her.
When she found her, she was resting near the stream, and Mallaidh adjusted her posture slightly and dropped the moss from her mouth, letting it land in bundles at her feet. She cleared her throat to draw attention to herself but she didn't want to startle any wolf that didn't care for uninvited company.
The clearing of a throat brought her drowsing mind sharply to the present, and upon seeing the stranger she almost stood of instinct. Remembering last minute, she loosened tense muscles, instead shifting carefully so she could see clearly who it was that approached. "Hello," she said, voice cautious and soft but not unfriendly. She wasn't not in the mood for company and it wasn't like talking hurt much more than breathing did. "You are new here? I'm sorry for not greeting you properly, but I am not feeling the best." Har har. As if she couldn't tell.
She cursed herself when she didn't pay enough attention to the wolf, that she was sleeping more than resting, and catching her more off guard than she attended. Her face crinkled into a wince when her comrade made an effort to stand before dropping back down. Her head lowered in response, tail dropping lower than before. Mallaidh wished she had reduced her posture sooner but she offered a weak smile in apology.
You don't have to apologize. I should have let you rest and come back but I thought you could use some help,
she offered, her smile widening a little. Her muzzle dropped and she touched the moss with the leathery skin of her nose. I could make a dressing for your wounds that would help encourage a quicker healing.
She wanted to offer an herb that worked as an antibiotic but she didn't, not yet; she didn't have any in stock. In fact, the moss was a last minute find before approaching. Mallaidh would make the extra effort to find it for her but in the meantime she could help clean it up and keep it from gaining anymore infection.
My name is Mallaidh, by the way.
"I would appreciate the help greatly. I'm afraid I don't had skill to take care of things myself." Not, she though, that she would be able to if she did have the skill. They were in inconvenient places. Her sides perhaps.
"It's nice to meet you Mallaidh, and not only because of this." She indicated the moss with a smile. "My name's Vienna."
Mallaidh smiled a little awkwardly when the wolf brushed off her interrupting. She let it linger and even nodded when asked if she was a healer. Well, sorta. Not officially, I guess,
she explains with a flip of her tail. I was the healer in my former pack and I still retain everything. I just lack the supplies right now.
She'd explained to Amekaze her skill set and had successfully landed herself in the Sunspire. Now she only had to prove herself and this wolf was her first real chance. She had no real idea what her rank held but higher than she and that was all that mattered.
I'm glad to be of some use. I usually have antibiotic herbs but I've not began my search. If I come across them, I will bring them to you. And things that help alleviate pain,
she explains, feeling herself ramble for some unknown reason. She bit her tongue for a moment, picking up the moss and going toward the edge of the stream. Once she drops the moss there, she turns her head to glance back at her pack mate. It is nice to meet you, Vienna.
She tries to clear her mind with the newfound silence as she dropped some of the moss in the water, hooked by a rock jutting into the river. She was able to leave it for a moment before turning back to Vienna. If you don't mind telling me, what is your history with the Sunspire?
she asks before turning to focus her immediate attention on the moss and letting it soak and wash away the dirt for several minutes; a plant resistant to water needed as much time beneath it before she dug her claws into it.
When asked her story, Vienna had to think a moment. "My story here? I've only been here a few months, so there isn't too much to tell. I'll give you what I can though." She turned her gaze back to the river, trying to put the timeline together. "I came here to these lands following my brother, Jace. I suppose I got lucky, stumbling on the lands he had claimed, but luck does favor me sometimes." She smiled at that. It may seem hard to believe, given her current state. "He had just left his former pack along with the former Alpha of the Sunspire, Ferdie Von Pelt. The pack was young when I arrived, but already there was trouble. Jace's former pack was led by a woman named Fox, a particularly... strong-willed individual who decided Jace and Ferdie's new claim was a little too close to her pack lands. The two packs were in a pretty heavy conflict when I came, and I even got to see some of the action. Not a huge fan of fights, but they are hard to avoid when strangers come and mark your borders." She laughed softly, carefully.
"Anyway, Fox left the Creek and things seem to have settled down. We just stay away and leave them be and they do the same for us. I met Fox a couple weeks ago, we had an interesting conversation." It had been somewhat enlightening, hearing the other side. "Aside from that, I've spent a lot of time outside the borders since coming. Exploring and mapping the surrounding territory mostly, but also meeting new wolves and learning about the packs around us. Until now, of course." Now she was grounded for a while.
As she finished, she turned her attention back to Mallaidh. "So, what's your story, if you don't mind me asking? You don't have to answer, I understand some don't like harping on the past, but I do love to hear about new places and wolves." Her ears tipped forward hopefully, but she was beginning to feel drowsy.
In fact, under the gentle ministrations of the healer, she didn't hear much of the answer if one came. Instead she drifted off, something that often happened these days.