Hushed Willows another day of sending o2, o2

caregiver
private thread
 @Memory
for whenever you have the time
set a few days after this thread

 

Today her mission was to visit their newest member, well, the newest one she knew about. Memory. In her grasp was a small bungle of herbs she had gathered as a welcoming gift for a weary traveler, and thanks to the fire fairy and her sister she was stocked up on dried pelts of small and large varieties. This one was of a squirrel, a perfect size to carry a few things that might be needed. She knew asking for help was embarrassing to some canines so she always wanted to help ease such feelings by giving them the low down on simple herbs and a full check up when they first arrive. Now all she had to do was find said wolf, the scarred warrior, where could he be?

He had wandered the territory, taking in the sheer beauty, the sensation of peace that seemed to emanate from the very ground and trees around him. Wildflowers had made a thick carpet, and he couldn't help but smile as he made his way through the territory. Awenfen, Hime, and that whole cursed valley far from his thoughts. This was the home, the paradise, he had been looking for. 
But with no longer being allowed to take up arms unless it was absolutely necessary, he felt...listless. he needed a purpose. 
Being Idle was something he definitely was not used to. 
For now, he currently was busying himself digging out an old Badger Sett buried under a tree, to be his den.

The sound of digging drew her to his location, ah there you are! It would seem he was making an older, smaller space and fixing it up to be his new home. For a moment she just watched, unsure how to announce her presence without startling him. She could get closer but dirt would surely stick to her downy fur, did she just stand here until he noticed her? how long would that take? She ended up getting a little closer but angling herself to the side of him she knew had his good eye and intact ear, she could see his broken amber wings flutter in her mind as he dug with determination and strength. A sharp cuffing could came from her lips as she tried to get his attention, would that work or did she need to find another way?

Years of training had made him a very difficult wolf to sneak up on. And even more difficult wolf to startle. 
He was aware of pawsteps behind him and bristled, relaxing a bit when she moved into his view. 
He paused, backing out of the hole, and turned to her as he shook the dirt from his pelt. 
"Sorry. Hope I didn't hit you...Im used to having to get dens dug quickly. Can I help you with something?" 
He noticed something rather odd. Both times he had met this particular shewolf, she had stared fixedly at some point above the middle of his back. At first he hadn't thought about it...but for her to do it twice? 
"Is...is there something on me? You keep staring at my back and shoulders. Don't get me wrong, at least it gives my face a break...but it's..odd." 

He was sweet, gentle in his words in hoping that with all his digging that she had not been hit with the spray, she shook her head with a smile though some dirt clung to her front when he had shaken himself off. She took time to set down the pelt wrapped bundle before speaking. "There is not need for apologies, you were simply working." She had not realised he had asked her why she was here, if she needed anything. Her mind's eye saw his tattered wings and she would only think of how cruel it was that someone would do such a thing but this musing was finally noticed by an outsider, someone who did not know this quirk of her.

"Oh.. um.." she looked away shyly as her pale cheeks began to tint with embarrassment, this was a silly thing to explain but when he spoke of his face she gave a soft gasp. She looked back at him, the blush burning further. "You are beautiful, dont say such things!" if he could see her wings they would have vibrated with embarrassment and conviction, ".. and um.. I.." oh how could she say this, how to explain! Her eyes dropped again as she moved her paws in a nervous habit. "I.. daydream a lot.. and.. I see.. everyone's.. wings.. their fairy wings.. if.. they were to be real.. that's what I keep staring at.."

He still isn't sure he likes females. His whole reproductive life he had chosen males, after all, and then Awenfen had ensnared him. But after what happened at Porcupine Ridge...
And she was endearing, that's for sure. 
He chuckled at her flustered reply. "Deidra, is it? Deidra, I have been called many, many things- thief, scoundrel, cur, killer..." He blinked as though trying to scare away a bad thought. "But no one has ever called me beautiful. Especially recently." He gave a wry smile, appreciating the compliment. 
She seemed nervous, and for a moment he wondered if he had pointed out some mental flaw. But she explained, eventually, and it seemed to be some Spiritual quirk. 
He smiled and laid himself down, settling into the fresh earth. 
"Oh? And what do my wings look like?" He asked lightly. 
"When I was young, every wolf where I grew up...us pups used to imagine everyone had magic. It seemed so real...My mother could make plants grow. And I...I used to pretend I could too...just make these amazing poisonous thorns just burst out of the ground. We all had powers...or, at least it seemed like it." He gave a short, wistfull laugh. "And then I was forced to grow up. You can't use non-existent magic when you're fighting for your life every day." There was a note of sadness in his voice. He had forgotten how to imagine, how to play, how to.....he had forgotten what magic felt like.