Duskfire Glacier powder your nose, paint your toes

Lane poked her head into the medicine den, wondering if @Calida would be found resting within. The new recruit had been more mobile lately, and so it was possible she was out and about, stretching her legs.

The sun was hanging high above the glacier, its glare mostly obscured by thin cloud cover. Lane typically mixed an herbal tea for Calida around noon, so her patient would know to expect her.

Nearly a month had passed since Calida's brush with death, and she was healing well under Lane's care. She still wasn't one hundred percent, but that didn't discourage her; today she'd finally started exploring, albeit nothing more exciting than her immediate surroundings. When Lane arrived, Calida was gone - but she'd show up just a few minutes later.

"Lane - hi," she greeted the alpha with a dip of her head. "How does the day find you?"

The medicine den was empty. Lane entered and dropped her moss ball onto a stone situated at the rear of the den. The moss ball rolled into a divot in the center of the stone. Lane pressed lightly on the moss ball, expelling the hot water it contained. She'd just collected it from Frostfire Ridge. The divot filled, becoming a bowl of hot water sunk into the stone. 

Lane was crushing poppy seeds and feverfew greens when Calida arrived. The new recruit had watched Lane complete this process several times now that she'd graduated from the heavier anti-inflammatory medications and began taking the herbal tea once a day. 

"Hi Calida," Lane answered. "Oh, I'm good.." she said distractedly. Disingenuously. When she finished grinding the herbs, she looked up at Calida. Really looked at her. She looked better. She'd gotten some exercise, and was clearly on the mend. Perhaps she was ready for the truth. 

"Well.. truly, if I'm being honest... I've been better," Lane admitted, meeting Calida's gaze apologetically.

Lane seemed distracted as she prepared Calida's herbal tea, and she did not press as Lane worked. Calida herself had never been interested in herbs or healing, but it was interesting to watch, at least. When Lane spoke again, giving Calida an apologetic look, it was to retract her former statement. Uncertain, Calida asked, "What's wrong?" She wasn't up to date on current pack matters, being so new and on the mend. She knew, at least, of  the deaths of Wintersbane and Tzila, having gone to their funeral - and it made her wonder if that was the reason for Lane having been better. She assumed they were close, having been packmates. Even so, she'd wait for Lane to speak - better to hear it from her, in case it was another matter that was bothering her.

Lane dropped the herbs into the warm liquid on the stone. The tea began to steep, and Lane let out a long sigh. 

"The herd of caribou that sustains this pack... it's gone. Disease swept through the herd and wiped it out in a matter of days." Lane looked grim. This was not the first time Lane had delivered the news, but it wasn't getting easier. 

"Issorartuyok and I think our best course of action is to leave the Glacier, and to settle the pack somewhere new." At least Calida hadn't had enough time to form an attachment to this place-- it seemed unlikely she would argue with Lane on that front. 

"Of course we want you with us, if we move, but I know it does change things." Calida had agreed to join a stable, stationary pack after all, and now Duskfire Glacier was anything but. "If you had second thoughts about joining up with us, I would understand." Lane watched the tea continue steep, and she stirred it intermittently. Even if Calida decided to depart rather than face an uncertain future with the pack, Lane intended for her to be in tip-top shape when the time came that she needed to travel.

Calida frowned as Lane explained the pack would have to move soon, and she was silent for a few moments, mulling over everything while Lane stirred her tea. Calida did not have any attachment to the glacier, and in fact, was certain she'd prefer to live in another area; she had a great love for forests and mountains, and, despite her recent accident, still loved water.

"Where will the pack move to?" she finally questioned, looking back at Lane. "I do still plan on staying, at least through the winter." She liked Lane and Tuuluuwaq well enough, though she'd not spent time with anyone else in the pack. She could see herself staying, at least for a while - in her eyes, she was in debt to both Lane and Tuuluuwaq, and she would see her debt paid before - or if - she left.

"I don't know," Lane answered honestly. "Issorartuyok is leading a scouting party as we speak. I believe that the plan is to scout the Sunspire Mountains first, and depending on what they find, they'll move east into the Valley or west into the Flatlands." Calida could probably catch up with the scouts if she was interested in joining them, but from a medical perspective Lane thought Calida could still use some more recuperation time at home and needed to get back into the swing of things slowly. 

Lane wondered about @Meerkat, off scouting alone, trying to sort out her feelings for Issorartuyok. Would the young scout even return? When Lane was Meerkat's age, and her own heart had been broken by her crush on Rye, all she had wanted to do was run and keep running. It had been torture to exist in the Glacier, seeing his face every day and smelling his smell everywhere. If it hadn't been for the pups in her belly and her promise to their father, Wintersbane, she would have disappeared into the wind. 

"It's done," Lane spoke of the tea. She used her claw to draw out the feverfew greens and deposit them on the stone, beside the makeshift bowl of tea. If a sudden headache came on, Calida would have the leftover greens to consume. 

Every time she used this knowledge, Lane sent a small, silent thank-you to Kukutux, who had taught her the art of hot-water medicine called saiyu. Lane hoped that she would be able to find another source of hot water wherever the pack ended up.

Mountains? Calida's deep green gaze glimmered. "Can I go scout the mountains?" The words tumbled from her maw before she could stop herself, and Calida felt herself flush - she was very glad that she had fur. "I just..." Calida sucked in a deep breath, then continued in a rush, "This whole laying around and healing this is driving me insane. I think I'm okay to travel - I'll take it slow. Er... maybe Tuuluuwaq could come with me? Make sure I don't... fall off a cliff or something." She coughed, then snickered, but stopped quickly as it made her head throb.

When the tea was done, Calida dipped her head in thanks, then edged nearer. She lapped at the contents of the stone bowl, grimacing slightly; the taste of the herbs was bitter. Then, she ate the greens, as she'd been experiencing headaches lately. They were nothing horrible - she was tough. She always had been.

Of course, at the first mention of the scouting party Calida was ready to hop on board. Once a ranger, always a ranger-- Lane knew this much from her own experience. 

Lane lifted a brow, appearing slightly bemused as she considered Calida's request. "It's not the best idea, medically speaking. But I won't stop you if you're dead set on going." Some small part of Lane hoped that if Calida had a hand in selecting the pack's next location, then she might choose to remain with them after the spring thaw. 

Lane's pulse quickened at the mention of @Tuuluuwaq, and her chest squeezed as a rumble of something ugly and possessive took hold of her emotions. She did not like the idea of Tuuluuwaq off on a lark with another woman, especially right on the brink of mating season. Lane had lost her heart's desire to another woman last season, and she'd be damned if she would allow it to happen again. 

"I need Tuuluuwaq here," Lane said softly, offering what she hoped was a convincing expression of regret. "With Issorartuyok and his young fighters off scouting, our borders are vulnerable." It wasn't not the truth, Lane told herself. She couldn't let all of her guardians go wandering off. 

"Let me call out to my son, Veteran," Lane offered, "He would be delighted to come get you and show you to the group. He's also turning into a crackerjack little botanist-- He'll be able to scrounge up some feverfew for you, if you need any on the road."  

Maybe if they were off adventuring in the mountains, chasing after a gaggle of children, Issorartuyok's and Calida's eyes would turn to one another. @Issorartuyok was in need of a wife, and from what Lane had gathered things weren't going too well with Meerkat on that front. It couldn't hurt to toss Issorartuyok and Calida together and see what came of it... right? 

If only Kukutux could see Lane now, spinning her own web not unlike the one woven by the master matchmaker.

sorry for the delay/shortness! muse/desire has just tanked and the whole system is struggling to find the inspiration lol. also tagging tuuluu just for reference?

Calida's spirits took a very sharp nose-dive as Lane said @Tuuluuwaq would need to stay here, and it was made even worse when Lane offered one of her sons to accompany her and show her to the others; Calida was feeling the first seeds of friendship take root - was it friendship? Or something more? - for Tuuluuwaq, and she was saddened that he could not go with her. She wasn't keen on the idea of travelling with, well... a child, but she had to think.

She didn't want to be stuck in the den any longer, so she decided she'd suck it up, and go with Lane's son. Biting back a sigh, she said, "Uh... sure, that'll work. I guess it'll be good... I usually need the feverfew anyways." She was well on her way to being healed, if only those annoying headaches would abate for good. Calida offered Lane a smile. "So... when can I go?"

Feel free to post travel threads, pp and/or tag Veteran. You can also just skip the traveling and post Calida with Issorartuyok's group of scouts. It's not the worst time to have low muse, since Calida is technically away right now. I'm fine with whatever you want to do, even if you want to just have all of Calida's and Veteran's interactions be behind the scenes.

There was something about Calida's agreement that seemed hollow, but Lane could not put her paw on exactly what bothered Calida. Was she disappointed that Tuuluuwaq could not join her, or unhappy to play pupsitter to a child? Or both? Lane was not a great reader of emotions, and so she often settled with just taking words at face value. This is what she did now. 

By way of answering Calida's question, Lane lifted her voice into the air, summoning Veteran. When the howl was finished, she turned to Calida. "You can leave with Veteran as soon as he arrives, if you're feeling up to it. I think you'll get along well," Lane reassured her, in case this was a point of anxiety for Calida. She remembered Calida mentioning that she was not often around other wolves. 

"Safe travels," Lane would wish Calida in parting. She would then leave the ranger in peace, so she may get some rest before she departed.