Emberflame Ridge Aftershock

At his playful jab, Wildfire paused in her chewing to level him with a playful glare. She then spat out the moistened hunk of bark and replied, "Is this where I say touché?" Her nostrils flared in a silent snort, since actual laughter would hurt too much. "I was actually a naturalist when I was little. A warrior too. Neither of them suited me as I grew up, though, and I was never very invested in what Rave was doing." Wildfire shrugged gingerly. "I have mad respect for the field but I'm now a hunter and scout through and through. And I'm too busy getting hurt to fix myself, much less others," she quipped dryly.

Feeling she had done enough chewing, Wildfire now eased very carefully onto her belly. She gasped when the position sent bursts of pain through her midsection, then rolled slightly to rest her weight on her right elbow. That alleviated some of the peculiar pressure on her insides and she let out a long, low sigh. Hopefully the combination of rest and Warbone's remedy would help with the pain, else hunting would be particularly difficult. And there were no handy stockpiles when you were a lone wolf.

That made Wildfire squint thoughtfully at her caretaker, remembering how he had shared his meal so easily the last time, and now his time and knowledge. She felt suddenly indebted to him. She already intended to consider his offer seriously, yet this situation made her feel like maybe she owed him. That thought made her chest hurt in a way that didn't have anything to do with her busted ribs. She had joined Moonspear because Charon and Floki had helped her and look how that had turned out. The yearling swallowed thickly.

Just because she couldn't necessarily offer her loyalty didn't mean Wildfire wasn't extremely grateful. "Warbone?" she said quietly, trying to grab his attention as he peered about the willow grove. "Thank you for helping me today. I owe you one." She tried to keep her tone light, yet there was a gravity to her goldenrod gaze.