Redhawk Caldera [m] spring breeze

Mature Content Warning

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: Sexual themes & teenage cringe

Over the week, Seal had established a sleeping place in the Everspring woods.

The night began like any other, and the young woman drifted off to sleep and began a lovely dream.

She was back in Muat-Riya! Dancing, drinking, cavorting…

Seal, a deep voice called to her.

She turned to see the red priest, @Senmut, beckoning her with an outstretched paw. They danced together! In life, her tail wagged as her heart thrummed like a bird’s.

Then, he began to lead her through the chambers… down upon a bed… a kiss! She was below him… and then…

Seal abruptly awoke from the dream and nearly hit her head on a low-hanging branch. It felt like her heart was inside of her stomach. She was so flustered, Seal quickly ran towards Shoalwater lake to take a cold shower.

Bridget had intended to go back to sleep after being woken by nature’s call, but the sight of Seal rushing off changed her mind. She’d been trying to sort out the best way to share her knowledge ever since Seal came to join them, and had settled on taking a few forays into the surrounding lands for supplies. They could talk herbs and uses and the general trade that way.

Now seemed as good a time as any to check in! To see how she felt about that and to find out how she was settling in.

Bridget didn’t rush after her, but gave it a few moments, sensing she was on a mission. She wasn’t one to be easily put off but she also didn’t want to intrude if she was taking a shit or some other private happening.

Which is why she purposefully paused when she drew near, out of sight, but ears pricked for a response. Seal? It’s Bridget.

Seal practically jumped into the frozen water and waded up to her belly. Then, like an ostrich burying its head, she held her breath and submerged her face. The world was quiet beneath the gently lapping water; the cold like knives on her skin. A welcome distraction from the hot and steamy dream she had just experienced.

Seal felt… different… and just as soon as she had wanted to fling the thought of intimacy away, Seal felt herself trying to return to her dream. What were the details? It was so realistic… she could feel her fur, his touch, his…

Blurbub? Blurbub Blururub.

Seal heard someone’s voice. Was Brecheliant a pack full of mind readers? She had been found out!

The young pulled her face from the water and tried to play it cool. “Hi Bridget!” her voice squeaked.

Bridget cracked a small smile at the response. Sorry, if it's a bad time I can catch you later. I just wanted to talk about some training. She approached with an easy gait, pausing a yard or so from the edge of the water. This definitely wasn't how she'd expected to find Seal, especially after a dash like that. Did she somehow roll in a hive of fire ants? Nah... too early in the season for that.

You alright? She seemed alright, so there was more casual curiosity than concern behind the question. She wasn't about to give Seal the third degree, but conveniently, checking up on how she was settling in was part of the goal here too! And at the moment she seemed to be settling in quite swimmingly. Gottem.

“Oh, training! Yes.” Seal acknowledged as she waded back to the shore, dripping wet. Finally, the chill had caught up to her and the young woman began to shiver.

“I’mfine,” she blurted. Seal used every iota of willpower to get her body to cease quivering – to show Bridget that, yes, everything was okay. Toooottallllyyy normal.

Not exactly a witty wolf, Seal could conjure no excuse for her odd behavior. Instead, she merely tried to force the subject on training to shine the spotlight elsewhere.

“I’m verrae excited tae learn from you,” Seal gushed. “Teya told me you ken medicine?”

Mhm. Bridget didn’t hide her skepticism, or the playful look in her expression, but she let the subject drop and moved on. She wasn’t here to harass Seal or to press her into confiding. If she knew kids, they usually spilled it anyway, just not with those they didn’t trust. She was still a relative stranger.

I know a fair bit! I know you were wanting to learn, and I figure we could start with some herblore, once the flowers come. It should be soon. They could start earlier with spoken lessons, but that depended on Seal and her own preferences learning. Bridget had hated learning theoretically at that age. In practice was way easier.

Despite Bridget’s suspicions, Seal was offered a pass (that she gladly took).

Herblore! Yes! A subject Seal knew something about.

“That’d be gran!” Seal gushed as her demeanor changed. She recalled the memory of Dinah’s tour of all the island flora and how interesting it had all been.

“I ken a few plants,” she explained. Seal’s tone was sincere and she did her best not to boast.

“Bridget, do you ‘av an…. um… specialty?” she inquired. “Like, a type of illness or practice you like tae focus on.”

Bridget hadn’t really noticed it before, but there were aspects of Seal’s way of speaking that reminded her vaguely of home. Not directly, but certain sounds were reminiscent of the stories her father would tell, on occasion, of gods and fae and other things. More often than not it had been meant to scare her into behaving, but the fact that she remembered the stories so fondly showed how well it (hadn’t) worked.

She asked a good question. I’m honestly not sure! It’s all so different, but still the same. The part I like is the helping, but it is easier when there isn’t actual danger involved. It was a little bit of a cheat, but she appreciated not losing her patients.

If I had to pick a favorite, though? I think I’d have to go with counseling. It’s less formal, and not really something you can measure. But it’s some of the most interesting because of that. Everyone is so different. She never knew if she should even consider it medicine, though it sure seemed to have an effect similar to illness at times.

It was possible Seal was only interested in the physical side of healing, which would be perfectly fine. Bridget’s lessons in the other had been piecemeal, and a lot of what she knew she’d picked up over time. She wasn’t the most qualified teacher, but if Seal wanted to learn, it would sure be fun to try.

Seal’s cocoa-colored eyes lit up as a new kinship formed with Bridget in her spirit. She felt attached to her new mentor in a way she hadn’t felt with anyone before. Sialuk was, and would always be her beloved teacher… but there was a… gap between Seal’s heritage and the Sunshine people. Would she ever truly assimilate into the Moon Villages and their spiritual, mystic ways?

She did not feel this with Bridget. The way she described her interest, and how medicine and counseling went hand in hand, reminded Seal of her parents. Especially her mom.

“I want tae know more about this,” Seal proclaimed, mind blown. “How does herblore an’ counseling work ta’gather?”

Bridget watched her light up with renewed interest and her smile grew. Her own mentor had tolerated her interest in counseling, but she’d always considered it to be less important. Physical injuries were more apparently dangerous, Bridget had never denied that. But with everything she’d seen, she couldn’t help feeling that parts of emotional healing were seriously undervalued.

Injuries affect different wolves in different ways. Especially traumatic ones. She shifted, unable to help thinking about the loss of her leg. She didn’t get those nightmares often anymore. They’ll recover better if a healer addresses all of the parts of the injury, not just the physical. Fear, anger, mourning, all of it can impact our health in pretty significant ways.

Now she thought of Teya. For instance, when someone loses something or someone important. They’ll stop eating and stop taking care of themselves sometimes. It’s better if a healer can talk to them and help them to see a way forward, if not right away, then over time. So eventually they can see it as something they had instead of something they lost.

Then she shook her head with a small laugh, realizing what she’d said might not make complete sense. Everyone’s different, right? So we just do our best. Seal seemed genuinely interested, which was the most important factor. And she was easy to talk to, a feeling not every wolf gave off. Herbs can help too, with certain issues. Trouble sleeping and the like. But the talking can do more than some might expect.

Seal absorbed everything Bridget said like a dry sponge.

She fell quiet as she digested this information. How emotions and mental state could manifest physical reactions. How herbs could lend a helping hand with the healing process.

So eventually they can see it as something they had instead of something they lost… that line deeply resonated with Seal.

The young woman recalled the incident with the hellcat. She was only a kid when it all happened and had bounced back quickly… but what about Uncle Bronco and the grief Brecheliant felt? Had Bridget been here to support Teya, Bronte, and the others? Seal couldn’t keep the question secret.

“Were you here when Uncle Bronco… when he… when he passed?” She asked hesitantly. Seal had always felt so powerless. Her brown eyes looked to Bridget as if to ask, how could anyone heal that pain?

I wasn’t. But I was close by, and I came back here as soon as I found out. She hadn’t known he was in such a state, though she did not punish herself for it in any way. Bridget knew that if Eljay couldn’t do anything to save him then there was likely little she could have done differently.

She didn’t mention that her plan, before this, had been to join Moonspear. The thought still lingered across at times, but right now, it felt as though Brecheliant still needed her. Perhaps Teya too.

Sometimes it’s too much to heal. When that happens, all a healer can do is try their best. If it makes the pain a little easier to carry, or the day to day even a little better, then it’s worth it. Not every problem has a cure. That might be the hardest thing about this job. The only sure thing is time.

She was thinking about both when she said this. She’d lost plenty of patients at this point in her life, including ones she’d loved. And she’d watched other loved ones struggle through those losses with little guidance on how to make the pain bearable. Every one has its lessons. If she followed this path, Seal would definitely have her own chances to learn from the same experiences. No one in their trade could avoid the lesson forever.

Sometimes it’s too much to heal.

Seal didn’t know quite how she felt about that statement. That some wounds were incurable.

Growing up, no hurt couldn’t be mended. Sialuk, Alaric, Fennec, Kukutux… they all possessed incredible talent. To think there were wounds too grievous to heal? That sometimes there were no happy endings? That a wolf might carry pain forever and pray for time to weaken its bite?

A piece of Seal’s childhood naivety withered, then…. her gaze darkened.

At the same time, it lifted the great responsibility that burdened the young woman. She had always felt anxious to know it all, solve every problem, and get it right – trapped in a scarcity mindset. Yet, now, Bridget revealed there would be, inevitably, some things she would never get right by the nature of their cause.

She took a big draught of air and then sighed. This topic was heavy.

“Time,” Seal agreed as she took Bridget’s lesson to heart.