Qeya River Ikayuak

sulukinak did not call out; she followed the same path as when she first came to the qeya, seeking the rocks along the shallow portions out of habit. her path — and subsequently the path of @Kekoa should he follow doggedly behind — was partially masked by the water.

my uncle is called cen. she shared, her voice low and almost conspiratorial despite it not being a secret. there are others here too, but i have not met them yet. i hope his sickness did not spread, but — maybe. that would mean more work, and a longer stay.

well, they were here now. granted most of what sulukinak said of cen's illness was a lie — to her, it did not matter what the injury was, whether flu or fever, or broken limb, or anything else. a healer was needed, a healer was gathered.

she sought the scent of @Sun Eater and soon enough, vanished from sight among the trees.

Kekoa did what was required; remain close enough to follow, but far enough not to be a threat. He couldn't help but be bothered by the mention of other's. He had agreed to help their uncle, not a whole pack.

He questioned if he would be able to do much at all. He was young and unexperienced - Kekoa was no healer. He understood the medicines needed to keep you safe from a minor illness, however if these wolves were gravely ill it was likely that he would only be able to provide temporary relief.

Kekoa was never known for being gentle - he was much more suited to delivering wounds than he was healing them.

tags for ref!

sun eater had hunted for @Senka. "i send for healer," the kaskae had told her, but elaborated on nothing else.

@Ksura was given the same message, along with a heavy indication that perhaps sun eater had rethought keeping sheep killer here among them so long, and that soon he should prepare to leave for the coastline.

@Anselm too was informed of sun eater's machinations on the front of the healer, and a cool-eyed hunger was reflected on the man's face; maybe he took would be sent with sheep killer to the saltworld.

sulukinak had come and gone. it was he who stepped from the shadows now, looking hard at the boy with his single eye, the rasp of his voice equally harsh as he asked, "you healer?"

He did what he could to hide his discomfort in the face of the stranger - however he did drop his head in attempt to show respect; clearly he had learned something from his scuffle with Pepper. "I was told that wolves were sick."

"The wolf that brought me here helped me, so I'm returning the favour." If a healer was what they needed, then he was a healer. He had come this far; there was no sense in backing out.

When he pulled herbs from the cache he had done so with the knowledge of one ill wolf; if there really were more he would have to hope that he had enough.

it would be some walk to the caverns from here; as soon as assurance came that this stranger knew plantlife, sun eater grunted and jerked his head for the other to follow.

"one who bring you. she is blood." quite belatedly did he recall that he had not informed sulukinak of the new name beneath which he ran now — but this did not matter. his single eye guttered for a moment with a threatening light. "you call me sun eater."

the glower held for a moment, then faded. the caribou man walked on. "i fight for land. come here, ask 'where are leaders?' they attack!" he hooted, hoping to regale the stranger as much as himself. "me. and three of them. i fight. i say again, 'you have no leaders.'" then two say it will be them, and they fight!" 

sun eater chuckled coldly at the remembering. "that is how stone crier is hurt. leg. not stand well. not walk."

He couldn't help but be impressed by the story - the fascination clear on his expression. To have done such a thing, he wondered what else the wolf in front of him was capable of.

An injured leg, he had spoke of; Kekoa could handle that much. Wounds were much easier, he thought so at least.

"How many are injured?" He asked, following after the one-eyed wolf. "Do you want to keep them all alive?"

sun eater was not sure what to make of the question, and so only nodded. "keep alive. three hurt. one hurt bad. stone crier. you see first."

the tall woman was up in the snow-caves, and sun eater winced as he climbed the first of those steps. "then sheep killer. hurt," vaguely gesturing to one shoulder. 

the single eye glinted. "you stay? what name?"

"My name is Kekoa." Would he stay? He wasn't sure yet. "I'll return my favour to your kin, then we'll see." That seemed like a fair answer; he wouldn't outright turn them down when he knew so little.

A strong leader was promising, but a pack so weakened by battle was not something that he was willing to settle for. If they healed well, his mind may change.

But then again he wasn't sure how long he was willing to play the role of a healer for either.

what sunniness existed between them evaporated in a single icy grin from the one who had eaten that glowing spiral.

kekoa. he would not judge them again.

"not kin." his stance was proud. "belong to me now. give this word after i win." and he would not let this lore go uncorrected; there was no family for sun eater here. his son was upon the coast, his son and —

nothing more was said until they had come to the mouth of the denplace, and sun eater called now to sun crier (@Senka). "spoke truly," his voice animated with pleasure and self satisfaction. the slate eye landed on kekoa. "go when she ask for you."

she had only just escaped tangled dreams. in the cold air around her is the scent of the expected. sun eater, food, the mud paste he kept applied to her.

there is something new and for a moment her heart lurched in fear — not of sun eater, but of her. as if something had crawled free of her dreams and out into the flesh.

sun eater had spoke of a healer, she could heal — her lips licked over with an uncertainty. she begged her pulse to not roar so loud in her ears, to let her hear.

her eyes searched for the face of the healer — come. she remembered in a tired haze of the nearby stashed herbs. she did not reveal these yet. knowing she might bargain with them.

im happy to jump into another thread as follow up so this can get out of people's threadlogs if they want <3

He did as he was ordered and approached when he heard the call. He was unsure of what to expect, having to push back his anxieties to keep his usual demeanor.

"You're hurt?" A silly question, but Kekoa supposed that it was a good place to start if nothing else. He needed to establish the situation before anything could be done, after all.

He had come expecting a sick uncle - not a pack recovering from war.

i don't mind either way <3 sunny out so y'all can continue if u want!

stone crier; he surveyed her for any worsening. her voice was soft, and as the younger wolf began to question, he turned.

he wished to speak in lanzadoii, tones tired from the boasting and the calling; he stepped off down the ridge and was gone to find his kin.

she did not know if she'd rather sun eater be here or the healer.

healer. ha! if he was such, why did he ask silly questions? she wanted to test her teeth against him, but she knew that was not her. it was the pain, it was the exhaustion.

are you truly a medic?

there was a required air of suspicion around her words.

No, he wanted to respond - but his nerves would not allow him to be truthful. "..Yes, though I had been told that there was only a single sick wolf." He said, briefly glancing back to where he had been led from. He hoped that the knowledge that he had been misled would provide some context as to why he was so underprepared.

He remained frozen in place, nervous to step any closer to the other.

he was young. he was soft.

she imagined sun eater might have him for lunch.

you know things for pain? you know how to build strength in lame leg? if he did not know these things, then she might be as good as dead with or without him.

He knew enough. He would be able to help, he was sure of it - he refused to be useless. "I do - I took some berries that may help with it on my way here."

He seemed to perk up once he realized that he could help, yet kept his head lowered so as to keep himself polite.

He had been lucky this time, he thought. If he was going to be here for long it may be a good idea to track down the old man and his healer friend.

tell me of them, she swept out to offer him the space alongside her.

the first medic was killed — did she tell him that as fact, threat or warning? i have found things she stashed. you tell me their uses if you know.

she could be a patient if she must, but not without barbs around her heart for safety.

not sure what all was left, just that i had permission to say she found them! figure we can play it safe and assume medic basics maybe :D

He joined her after a moment of hesitation, dropping the bundle he had been carrying to show her the berries he spoke of, using his nose to push a few towards her.

"Where are they? I'll tell you what I know." He likely would not know the name's, but he may know the use.

The mention of a murdered medic unsettled him; what had they done to deserve such a thing?

sounds good!

between her back and the wall was a stash. carefully she brought these things forth between them. allowed him to examine them however he wished.

but her attention was on these berries. how many? she had started to eat them even before his answer.

"I have another small branch I brought along - don't eat them all right away." He responded, a hint of firmness appearing in his tone for the first time.

Moving his own herbs aside, he moved to look over what she had brought. Nothing too extravagant, but it would all be of use; though he was glad to see cobwebs.

"I can treat smaller wounds with this - I'll have to go find more for anything extreme."

don't eat them all. but eat how many? she slowed herself after four and waited to see if even that might have been too much.

i do not think it is broke, but i do not know if it will mend strong. she confessed this to him only because of his status as healer. i do not think it will strengthen if i lay here forever.

He gave a small nod, moving the remaining berries away from her. If it was not broken, then that made things easier. "It'll get stronger with time." He responded.

"Can you walk? Wading through water can help sometimes."

That was what he had seen required of those with healing limbs, at least.

not by myself, i do not think.

she knew it would hurt. she also knew it would get no better if she stayed here being tended to. further more she imagined those who cared for her currently would grow tired of it, would sense the lingering weakness.

it would hurt to walk, to take these first few steps. it would hurt even worse to be left aside.

help me up. she was determined.

He blinked at the other as though surprised, but soon moved to assist her. "We don't need to go now if you're tired." Kekoa was beginning to feel soft, yet he couldn't help but worry for the other. He could worry about his ego later - it was not going anywhere.

"How were you injured, anyways?"

He couldn't help but be curious.

now. when the berries give strength.

if they numbed the pain, she would not know how bad it might hurt to walk. granted she might also not know if she overdid it. a risk to be taken.

then she fixed him with a grin that spelled trouble more than humor. how much were you told, medic?