Sleeping Dragon spooks come out for a swinging wake

@Portia!

For some reason Freyja felt sore. She wasn’t sure if it was how she had slept or if it was the impact of the hunt yesterday against the goose-- all Freyja knew was that she had a problem and Portia was the wolf that he could aide her. The pain thrummed dully in her in her left forelimb, high up near her shoulder.

Pulling herself from the family den, Freyja limped into the bright light with a frown upon her face. She hobbled over a few paces from the den’s opening and turned her direction towards the large boulder that marked the Caretaker’s den. Whimpering lightly, Freyja stared at a distance. If Portia did not stir from her den she would call for the multi-toned wolf. But, for now, she wallowed in her own misery and willed the other quietly.

But Portia was always in her den! And when she was not, she was not far. The patchy Skayona always found time for organizing and restocking, and such a task required a lot of sitting at home and working-- something she did not mind. Though she loved and longed to stretch her legs, the act of remaining in a single place and working on a task often helped keep her calm and not so restless-- surprisingly. 

It was with great fear that she went to the mouth of her den after hearing Freyja's whimper. She moved quickly and stared only for a moment before padding swiftly to the girl. "What happened, hun? What hurts?" she asks, already beginning to prod at the child with her nose.

Despite her lack of attempt in attempting to lure Portia, the female happened out of her den and onto the scene-- almost as if it were fate. Turning, Freyja looked to the pack’s healer with a pitiful expression, whining again as if to usher the female over. She watched on as Portia did this, her eyes wide and her frown deep.

When asked what was wrong, Freyja looked to her shoulder. “It’s sore,” she offered plainly. She wasn’t a far of anything that slowed her and felt uncomfortable and this pain definitely fell under both of those categories. “Uncomfortable to walk on,” she elaborated, turning back to Portia. “I’m not sure if it’s how I slept or from hunting, but I want it gone.” Her expression grew expectant and she waited, knowing that Portia would have the answer she needed.

"Well did it hurt at all while hunting? Do you remembering it hurting when you landed or leapt or something? Or did you just wake up with it?" she asked, her tail swishing as she prodded still at the child's shoulder. She moved her head back to view Freyja as she answered, her ears angled forward. 

As Porita attempted to pinpoint the moment in which the pain began, Freyja reflected on the past 24 hours. She recalled her hunt and how smoothly it had gone. Obviously, her hunting would have been affected with any sort of pain. In her mind, the previous day was ruled out of her speculation. It was in the midst of her retracing that a sudden pain snapped her pack to attention. "Ow!" she yelped, perhaps a little dramatic in comparison of her pain. It was more of an annoyance than anything-- something that would surly clear with a days rest-- But, Freyja was unexperienced with injuries. 

With a frown still on her face, she re-shifted her attention to Portia. "Pretty sure it was last night," she anwered, anticipation for the Medic's answers lingered as she looked up at Portia.

Portia's eyebrow raised quizzically when the child yelped, studying her before sniffing carefully at the shoulder. "You're fine," she pressed, smiling at Freyja calmly. "Probably just slept on it wrong, is all. I can give you something for the pain, but it'll go away on it's own, hun," she added, her tail swishing. She would probably give it to her anyway, since Freyja was still young and the thought of an injury certainly didn't sound appealing-- even such a minor one like this-- but she waited for a verbal confirmation nonetheless.

With the Medic’s diagnosis in, Freyja felt the weight of her concern leave her body as she exhaled. It seemed as if her pain could have been far worse-- given Portia’s reassurance-- but Freyja did not even flirt with this thought. Instead, she looked at Portia sheepishly, her ears lowering slightly and a faint smile crossed her lips, as if to show her embarrassment. “Ah,” she replied quietly. “How long does it take to heal?” Would she be able to be hunt anytime soon?

"Well," Portia said with a shrug, tilting her head to ask the child to follow her into her storage, "It depends on the wolf, anywhere from a day to a week, usually... but it gets better as it goes on, hun, so I wouldn't worry too much about it." She moved her nose around the herb storage for a bit, nosing at skulls and hollowed out stone-bowls, her tail flicking thoughtfully. Between her teeth, she grabbed a strange looking thing-- a yellowish-pinkish color and placed it carefully across the large, flat stone she'd dragged in there a long time ago. She made a face and stuck her tongue out playfully at Freyja, tail still waving slowly.

She smacked her mouth a few times before settling down, her tail sweeping across her feet. "Bitter little thing, ginger is, but go ahead and eat that, it should help..." she trailed off, smiling. "I've got some blackberries, if you finish that up," she added, hoping the treat would keep the child from hesitating. 

The Medic’s words brought more relief to Freyja and with her nerves calmed, she nodded. Thankfully it did not seem like this pain, though discomfort was really the correct term to explain the sensation in her shoulder, would last very long at all. Perhaps she would even venture to go and try and hunt after this.

She remained silent as the spotted healer slipped into her den and, soon enough, she reappeared with a mystery root. Looking from the root and to Portia’s reaction, Freyja felt her heart freeze momentarily in the presence of the other’s discomfort.

Without taking a bite, Freyja looked up to Portia suspiciously. She wanted nothing more than to avoid eating the ginger but knew that eating it was for the best. So, then, without another word, Frejya reached forward to quickly gobble it up.

Her eyes watered instantly as an odd sensation flared upon her tongue. It was dissatisfying, to say the least, and Freyja looked to Portia helplessly. “B-Blackberries?!” She croaked, her vision becoming foggy as the horrible sensation overcame her.

Portia giggled softly as the goufa hesitantly ate the herb, quickly scooping up a stone-bowl of the tart berries from a hollowed out hole in the wall and placing them before the child. "Eat as many as you want," she offered, tail tapping the ground. It had always been her favorite thing to watch children take medicine-- especially for the first time. And ginger had such an awful taste. It was simply amusing, and it obviously did no harm. 

"You know, some medics put sweeter herbs overtop bitter medicine so it tastes better... but they only do that for babies, and I knew you were old enough to handle a lil' bit of ginger, hm?" she added, feeling that it was solid logic. Truthfully she was just almost out of said sweeter herbs-- and though she loved Freyja, a little bitterness wouldn't kill her. 

When freyja was invited to eat as many as she wanted, she lunged for them quickly and gobbled them up. Just as Portia had promised, they quickly quelled the sensation. She took some time to herself, blinking rapidly, as she allowed the berries to work their magic. They did their part in due time and soon, as Freyja felt recovered from it all, she gave herself a stern shake and then turned to the medic.

“Yes,” she replied, somewhat shaken from the ginger. She was sure that this was not baby stuff when even she could barely handle it. Even with the terrible taste of ginger forever embedded in her mind, she was quite impressed that Portia always seemed to have the right answer for everything. “Have you always been a medic?” she wondered aloud, her gaze growing inquisitive.

Portia nodded. "Just about," she replied, tail flicking. She watched the child, just making sure she didn't have any allergic reactions or anything. So far so good, so she continued speaking-- because anyone who knew Portia knew how much she loved to talk. "Actually, I was probably a bit younger than you," she said thoughtfully, squinting and staring at the wall of the space as if she was trying to see something that wasn't there. "My mother had the flu, and she was the best darn medic I'd ever seen. So she told me to go get some herbs for her... told me what they looked like, how to mash 'em up for her... and, oh child, I don't think I'll ever forget how thrilling such a little task was." Her lips curled into a small smile, because it was true. The excitement she earned from talking about any sort of plant was often considered a strange quirk, but Portia would never apologize for it. She was high on life-- and saving the lives of others, and her extensive knowledge of herbs and plants would be the only thing that could keep some of them safe. 

Freyja sensed the passion that thrived in the medics words and such emotions brought a smile onto her face. Her tail wagged suddenly and she bobbed her head. “I know that feeling,” she replied with a gentle fondness to her tone. “Did your mother live in the den that you live in now?” She was unaware that Portia was not of Drageda descent.

"Well, hun," Portia said quietly, smiling weakly, "I'm not sure who was here before me, but it wasn't my mother. I was born far, far away from Drageda." Her tail tapped thoughtfully against the ground, studying Freyja to see how her face changed-- if it did. "I left home a long time ago," she added as a second thought, still curious what Freyja would make of all that.

With Portia’s news given, Freyja quickly felt a mix of emotions brew within her. Despite the fact that she was more than happy that Portia was now amongst their ranks, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had left her family behind. She frowned as she attempted to get a wrangle of all of this information, her tail curling around her forepaws as she thoughts. “Why did you leave your family?” Though she had her own thoughts on the matter, she wanted to hear what Portia had to say about it.

Portia shrugged. "Not all families are as loving as yours, hun" she replied, brows furrowing. Her own tail curled around her paws, green eyes passing off of Freyja for a brief moment. Her mother wasn't a terrible person, by any means, they just had a clash in interest... multiple, clashes of interest, that is. And while she did miss her sister, it was her decision to stay behind with a man-- something Portia was only beginning to understand recently. Shaking the thought from her mind, she gave a wider smile and said, "And besides, Drageda is all the family I'd ever need."  

Portia’s answer took an unexpected turn and, to this, Freyja frowned. A sympathetic expression fell upon her features and soon, Freyja was truly reassured in Portia’s loyalty. “It is,” she agreed softly, offering a smile. “And we’ll always love you.” She meant every word that she spoke. They wouldn’t be where they were today without Portia and she was a crucial core member of their family. “How did you come across Drageda?” She wanted to know more of Portia’s past, just like she was learning of how Sleeping Dragon came to be.

Warmth flooded the woman, relief and joy spreading from Freyja's response. She bent down, gently pressing her nose to her cheek before sitting back up. "Well I wandered and explored for nearly a year by myself, and one day I just came across the territory... It was pretty darn hard to get to, which is why I was so drawn to it, but I just haven't been able to leave since then," she told her, smiling. She left out the part about her starving and almost dying from being on her own for so long-- that wasn't entirely the point. 

So it had been with a sense of strength and determination that Portia had been brought to them. Such a thought brought about a stronger fondness for the spotted Medic. As she was nudged, Freyja leaned into it and offered a quick kiss to the other’s cheek before she pulled away and it was as she faced the other she smiled.

“Was this before I was born? It seems like you’ve been here forever,” She mused, ever on her quest for knowledge.

Portia smiled, her tail tapping the ground. "I got here the day after your birth... I didn't get to see any of you for a while, but we came to Drageda about the same time, hun," she told her, ears cupping forward slightly. "Hvitserk was sick one day, and I gave your mother and Heda herbs to heal him-- and I think that was the first time anyone in the pack trusted me with anything," she added jokingly, though it was true. She was sure that Thuringwethil was wary of her that first day, especially since she'd come to the pack so weak, but the dark wolf had treated her with a certain respect since that day-- or at least with a hint of trust.

She listened to what Portia said, quickly finding herself caught on some key information that she provided. “What was wrong him him?” she asked with an edge of concern, unable to recall when Hvitserk had been sick.

Portia shrugged. "Just a cough, very common in puppies. Nothing to worry about now," she said, adding the last bit with a soft smile to make sure she knew that it truly was nothing to worry about now.

She sighed with relief, happy that her brother's sickness had been nothing more than a cough. She wagged her tail in response and relaxed visibly in wake of the news. Though her curiosity had been somewhat satisfied, she hungered for more information. “What have you learned about Drageda since you’ve been here?” Freyja had learned much about the culture, but, she wanted to know if Portia knew some things that she didn’t.

"I learned some words," Portia said quietly, thinking hard. Not that she hadn't learned, but everything had morphed into her every day life, and now that she had to recite all her Drageda knowledge she was almost forgetting which one was normal or not. "Though," she added with a smile, "You've learned from the best, so you probably know far more than me." She shifted where she sat, ears flattening and pricking as she thought. "I know some ceremonies... and I know there is another pack-- Trigeda, I believe, where a lot of our members have gone. And I know that your parents, Thuringwethil, and a woman named Rebekka are the only wolves in the pack to be of true cultural descent," Portia paused though after she said this, smiling a bit brighter, "Except you all-- you four were the first litter to be born here."

She was pleased to hear of how much Portia had learned in her time amongst Drageda’s ranks. Out of all the information presented Freyja was the most interested in what words the medic had learned. “What words?” She asked with a smile.