Dragoncrest Cliffs The wave crashed in, now the dream is dead

Battered and bruised, Etienne made it to the sea. The Gyrfalcons from the keep had protected their brood with beak and claw. They had torn into the seaborn with sad eyes. And he had almost welcomed the pain. He had even thought of boldly throwing himself from the cliff, but he hadn't.

Blood on haunches, blood in fur. Ear tattered. He stared straight into the abyss and laughed. There was nothing left for the seaborn. They had all left or died or broke. And he had not, why hadn't he. Why didn't he leave? Why did he hurt and hurt.

He howled loud and feral and grief filled. He howled for his mother, for his sister, for his auntie, and he roared at the sea. How dare she take and take and take. His granme told him. She told him.

'ER SAID YOU TOOK AND YOU GAVE. BUT YOU AIN'T BEEN GIVIN' JUST TAKIN AND TAKIN! YOU 'AS TAKIN' ENUFF!

He tore into the wounded shoulder tearing out tufts of his own fur, his own blood and skin, and tossing it into the sea. Tears streaming down his face.

Dere you take dat an' you leave my loved ones alone. You take me next time. You 'ear me! You take me!

Etienne moved boldly foward, tossing his body into the sea over and over again. But she didn't take. She didn't take the sea boy. She gave. She gave her tears to his wounds. She gave her salt to his own. She soothed over his shoulders and his head.

And then he lay spent at the edge of the beach. The water racing up to touch his toes and back down again. And he closed his eyes. Wishing she'd take him, but she never took that which she gave. And Etienne had been a gift, and he hated himself for it.

She waited for the fog to burn off in the July sun this time before heading off to hunt. The woods were decidedly less eldritch for it, though as midday approached, clouds scudded in to smother the sun. Preoccupied with her insistent search for small game, Pie didn’t particularly notice besides a small dip in temperature. When she finally looked up from her task, the air had grown quite gloomy, with the threat of rain heavy overhead.

Her scalp prickled seconds before a howl ripped through the air. Tiuttuk turned her head so fast, it audibly cracked. The howl died down only to be replaced by a distant bellowing that made the Ostrega’s ears flatten to her head. She pictured that same creature that had haunted her mind the past few days and very nearly scurried back to @Sobeille’s grotto.

This time, she marshaled her wits and marched forward, albeit cautiously. She came to the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach below. There was a wolf down there, sprawled in the sand near the water’s edge. In fact, the surf struck him with each wave that climbed up the shore. If he was ill or injured, he was at risk of being dragged out to sea and drowned.

Treepie realized her pulse was racing. She sent up a call for Alaric, hoping the healer was in earshot. She then sent up a second call, for the ears of the stranger below. “Can you hear me? Do you need help?”

His sensitive ears didn't fail him when a howl raced down to him. He shifted, ears perked forward. He lifted pain filled gaze and searched. A wolf in pretty colors draped in the small shafts of light. His tail wagged once twice just in greeting. But his head fell back to the dirt. He could no more struggle up to her even if he wanted too.

He wiggled further into the sand. The cool easing the burn of his wounds and the sun. He saw the storm coming, but he didn't move yet. He couldn't

He didn’t respond, though he did react. Treepie watched as he lifted his head, his eyes searching. She waved a foreleg to help him spot her, setting it down as his tail made a single movement before falling still again. Then he slumped, shifting a little in the wet sand before the rest of him stilled too.

Her heart in her throat, Pie scoured the nearby cliff face, looking for a way down to the beach. It was a good thing she’d been born and raised on a mountain, because she eventually just began climbing despite the sheer angles. It took longer than she would’ve liked, though eventually her toes hit soft sand. She immediately broke into a run.

The grains grew damp, then wet, beneath her feet. Her paws dug gouges into it as she slammed to a halt beside the prostrate male. Tiuttuk reached toward him, though didn’t quite touch him. She sniffed instead, smelling the coppery tang of blood. Her yellow eyes assessed the various contusions littering his body, her brows raising with each passing second.

What happened to you? she asked quietly, though there was a more pressing matter to address. Clearing her throat and moving to stand closer to his anterior, Pie lowered her head a little to say, We need to get you further up the beach. The tide’s coming in. Do you think you can stand? Or maybe crawl?

The youngling waved at him. He did not return the greeting the second time. He was too tired. Too spent. Mind barely holding together.

The girl was like the mountain goats he had seen when living in the hollow. She climbed angles and rock face. Did she not know of the way to Sapphique the hole in the cliff?

Many tings be 'appenin' but dese be from de Falcons. It be okay. Some Aloe an' sage for pain and infection. I be rite as rain dere.

De tide does not scare me. I was born by de sea. But I unerstan'

Etienne shifted, the girls worry outweighing his own discomfort. After all always a healer. He did not wish to cause another discomfort. He pushed upwards. Holding himself tiredly. I kin walk. Dere be a 'ole in de cliff face

Treepie must’ve misunderstood him. Did he say falcons? Her lips parted, though the stranger moved on to talks of painkilling salves. He insisted the tide didn’t bother him, though he agreed to walk clear of the encroaching surf. Pie had the distinct feeling he was doing it for her sake more than his own. She stepped back to give him room to rise, her mouth opening and closing.

When he began shambling inland, mentioning a hole in the cliff face, her eyes darted ahead, then flicked back to his face. She rewound and replayed everything he’d said so far as they walked slowly toward where the sands sifted at the foot of the cliffs.

Did you say falcons? she finally blurted, thinking idly of Wyvern. Falcons did this, Pie continued, stopping to wave a paw toward his wounds, to you?

Each step pull3d at the wound in his shoulder. The one he had made further bloodied and torn with his own teeth and claws. But he imagined admitting that would probably make him seem crazy. Maybe he was?

A soft warm chuckle and he nodded. Yes dere be falcons on Falcons keep. Over dere.

He lifted his head searched the cliffs and motioned the general way with his snout.

Dey don't be normally bot'erin' but I probably scared dem.

She gawked at his cavalier reply. She had never know a bird of prey might be capable of damaging a wolf so badly. Pie had come to really like Wyvern’s presence in her life, though this gave her a newfound respect for her feathered companion.

He continued walking and she hastened to keep alongside him. Treepie eyeballed the nearing cliffs again, spotting the hole he’d mentioned. She wasn’t much of one for caves, though she didn’t say anything about it as they approached.

Instead, she said, I’m Pie, by the way. What’s your name? And where are you from?

She had a sneaking suspicion, especially as she compared and contrasted his speech with Sobeille’s. But Treepie let him answer, idly wondering what else had happened to him, besides the falcons.

Etienne did not blame the birds. He had been nesrvtheir nests. He had scared them. He had been reprimanded for it by beak and claws.


I be Etienne. I be born of C'acal in de 'ome of queens. Sapphique. But I be traveling since I be young. Always come 'ome dough.

He was from Sapphique, at least originally. Sobeille had mentioned many names, particularly just the other day when choosing ones for her young, but Pie couldn’t quite remember relational specifics. Therefore, she didn’t know if Etienne was a brother, a cousin, an uncle… or if he was trusted, for that matter.

I heard what happened to Sapphique. I’m sorry, Pie said with genuine empathy. I’m friends with Sobeille, she explained in the next breath, then paused there to gauge his reaction to her companion’s name.

They stepped into the cave and Treepie frowned thoughtfully. It was much closer quarters than Sobeille’s grotto, which she’d grown used to over the past week. Perhaps it was odd for a mountain-born wolf to mislike caves. Tiuttuk just didn’t like the sense of feeling cornered, or the possibility of a single escape route being blocked. She swallowed.

She fixed her eyes on Etienne, trying to focus on their conversation rather than their surroundings. Up close now, she could better see his injuries. Pie realized Alaric hadn’t come or responded. He must be too far away to hear. It was too bad; Etienne really looked like he could use the attention of a trained healer.

Etienne and Sobeille had gotten along. But they were not as close as they could have been. That was in part because of Etienne leaving. Something he knew Sobeille may blame him for. But he always came back when it mattered. He had gotten help when it was needed even if he'd failed.

A sad noise came from deep within his chest. Lyrical and soft and lonely. the sea be takin' more den 'er be givin' as of late.

He felt her studying him. You not need to worry. I can 'eal myself up. I'm a 'ealer 'ave been for long time

Even healers need a helping hand sometime, she argued, but if you think you’ll be all right, well… I trust you know best.

She lapsed into silence then, thinking. Etienne hadn’t really reacted strongly to Sobeille’s name. And as far as she could recall, Sobeille had never mentioned his name… or the names of any male relatives, for that matter. Perhaps she wouldn’t want this man near her or her children. The only way Pie could find out for sure was to tell her about this meeting.

In the meantime, she decided not to mention Sobeille or her offspring, although it felt a little wrong to keep this information from Etienne. It just wasn’t her secret to tell, even if Tiuttuk wasn’t certain it was a secret at all. Better safe than sorry. She doubted the pups’ mother would fault her for exercising caution.

Are you staying nearby? I can’t stay here long, though it doesn’t feel right, leaving you in such bad shape. If you tell me where you plan to be, I can at least consult with Alaric and one of us can come check on you, Pie said. And I’ll know where to come find you, should Sobeille want me to bring you to her, she added silently.

A small smile, gentle and kind, sad. They did, but they were not often given. So many people took healers for granted. He wondered if this one had ever thanked a healer who had healed her? Or had just taken it as the thing that their healer did?

Etienne listened and nodded his head. I am used to bein' alone. But mine cousin can find me, if 'er wants too. I won't go far for now.

And he wouldn't though part of him thought of Cambria and Anselm. He wondered after them both. Worried after Anselm more, because Cambria he knew where he was.

His words assuaged some of the guilt. Treepie nodded, a slight frown pulling at her lips. Etienne said he was used to being alone, which was no way for a wolf to live. It did not sit well with her at all, leaving him here all by himself and injured besides.

But Tiuttuk had no choice. Sobeille and the pups were her priority. They needed food, so she needed to return to her hunt. And whatever part of her wanted to bring food to Etienne too must be quelled. Every single scrap of meat she felled needed to go to Sobeille.

I hope to cross paths with you again soon. Until then, take care of yourself, Etienne, Tiuttuk said with some reluctance, moving to step out of the little cave in the cliffs.

She stood in its mouth and peered back at him for a long moment. Drawing in a deep breath, Treepie then tore her eyes away, squinting them slightly as she emerged in the grayish daylight. She set her sights on the same cliffs she’d descended earlier, keen to retrace her steps and resume her hunt, preferably before any downpours began.