Turn back the clock

A week and some days had passed since Velox's quite unexpected "arrival" at Northstar Vale. Most of her company was spent with Dawa, who had (somewhat mechanically) explained where she was, who led here, and the main philosophies behind this pack. Because she was mostly limited to the confines of her den, Velox had taken to learning all she could about the pack, and finding herself more and more interested in their beliefs—as if she had much else to do.

Her leg pained her very much still, inhibiting travel, but her cuts and bruises had healed up mostly and might be gone completely in another week or so. If she'd had internal bleeding, she had coughed up what little blockage there was and her body's natural effort had done the rest of the healing (or perhaps it had been the bitter herbs that Dawa fed her daily.) Either way, her main concern now was the lack of weight she could apply to her hind leg.

But true to her strong, resilient spirit, Velox would not let her injury defeat her, or keep her cooped up in a den for the rest of her time here. She had expressed to Dawa her willingness to stay, but had also told her that she was on a journey, and would probably resume it as soon as she was able—the blind leader had expressed no differentiating opinion on the matter and basically bid her to do as she would. Despite her strange lack of emotion about anything, Velox couldn't say that she didn't enjoy the female's informative company, and the nights that she would spend with her were warm and welcoming despite the silence.

For the past few days she had limped just outside the den for fresh air, glad to be scenting a nearby spring on the winding tendrils of air that breezed past. Usually Dawa was there, and sometimes Zombie, and even Xi'nuata at times, but today Velox woke up alone, and took it upon herself to venture outside alone. She hobbled out, still favoring her hind leg from the ground; and on that cool morning she found a sunny patch of earth to lie on her side and bask, several yards from her den.

The morning was never any different than other times of the day. The only variation was the breeze, versus the warmth of midday or the chill of the night. In the den that she had been sharing with the injured woman, Dawa was constantly warm. It was pleasant indeed, but this warmth further warped her sense of time. Every few hours she had been rousing herself to wander away from the sleeping woman - she would eat from a small cache that Zombie dutifully stocked for her, or take a pee break, and sometimes return with a bundle of herbs for when Velox woke. On this morning she was awake a little later than usual - and when she roused to her paws, when she hobbled out in to the morning air, Dawa realized that she could not hear the other woman. There was no breath, no warmth. It was the first time she had effectively felt a sense of panic which gripped at her heart.

Had her charge passed away in the night?

Dawa did not linger long outside of the den, and instead began to root around - blundering in her motions, jerky and awkward, uncaring if she should graze the stranger with her nose or her paws during the search. Dawa could feel as much pain as was necessary if it meant she could find the body - but she couldn't. There was an empty void where Velox had been resting, which served to cool Dawa's rising distress.

She followed the curve of the wall in order to orient herself, and then departed again. A few staggering steps later (as she was very sleepy still), she nearly walked in to the resting figure of the woman. Dawa huffed softly as a biting pain shot through her shoulder, which had touched something, and she adjusted herself so that there was a small gap between them.

"Miss?" Dawa cooed in her flat voice, but judging by the ragged quality of her breathing pattern, the girl's heart was fluttering manically. "Miss is that you?"

Velox was startled into wakefulness at Dawa's stumbling, sudden appearance. She flinched from her injured side to abruptly wind up on her belly, belatedly remembering her pain and grimacing as her body recalled it before her mind had. She narrowed her eyes in pain, but was distracted by her blind superior's words and the sound of her bird-fluttering heart. The pale female had come to realize that touching Dawa first usually elicited some type of unwarranted discomfort, so she was quick to assume that Dawa had touched her sleeping form on accident, effectively waking her as well as sending her own body through its painful and unusual nerve shocks.

Velox wagged her tail gently, forgetting that those milky-white eyes beset above a slender and crooked nose, could not see it. "Yes, Dawa, it's me," she said gently, grunting quietly as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "I came to sleep in the sun—and I didn't want to wake you. You looked very peaceful and too charming to disturb," she explained, bi-colored eyes openly observing the sightless female, small and wiry. Velox saw beauty in even her, with her unnaturally curving extremities, muscle-less frame, and the lack of a distinct personality to speak of. She felt indebted to the uniquely-shaped Dawa; especially since she had spent many nights at her side even though she didn't have to.

She was quiet for a moment, peering around and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sun's glare again. "How many times must I ask you to call me Velox—or Vee, if you'd like—Dawa? Miss makes me feel incredibly old." This seemed at least the third or fourth time.

"Yes Dawa, it's me,"

Ah, good. Although she was not aware of it, Dawa displayed the signs of relaxation. A flat tail, lazy ears, even a look of deference (which turned towards Velox, not that she was aware). Her heart continued to pound but it did ease slightly. Her ears did perk and twist when the woman expressed her desires, and Dawa gave a slight nod, agreeing that the warm sun was pleasant enough - only to freeze when she complimented the leader with such words as peaceful and charming; Dawa did not think these words applied to her very well. The girl shifted upon her paws, staggering a little with the uneven lengths of her crooked limbs. Charming? Yeah, right.

"I was confused," Dawa started to explain to the injured woman, only to flounder with her words and grow silent. This fell in time with Velox correcting her. "Vee?" She mimicked, tasting this nickname which was unlike the words that were known to her; "Rhymes with... Bee." How childish. Dawa snorted softly at this, perturbed more-so by the woman's insistence to forgo propriety and reason than her own little quip. A breath later, "If it pleases you." Dawa bowed her head in acceptance of this new moniker; although it wouldn't be surprising for the girl to fall back in to old habits.

"How are you feeling?" Came her voice, soft and yet mechanical, as she sat beside her current den-mate. Dawa stilled herself, arching at first so that her body was placed at a distance from Velox, and then she took an odd half-step to protect herself from contact in case of accidental touching.

As Dawa started to explain, Velox shook her head slightly, only to abruptly stop when she realized her den-mate could not see it. It mattered not, because the blind leader seemed to be at a loss for words, and fell silent regardless of the pale wolf's soundless protest. She watched the coywolf with vaguely masked interest, like a mother might watch her young children play foolish games that never last into adulthood, and she let her expression represent a warm smile when Dawa tried out the nickname and then attributed it to a rhyming word.

"Bee," she repeated fondly, reminiscent. "I used to call my husband Bee," Velox told her, having before mentioned Brooklyn by name, but not their only daughter's name—having shared only the minimalistic fact that she had been looking for her before her fateful fall into the Vale. "But yes, please call me Vee—it would make me very happy, my dear Dawa."

The perpetually crooked Alpha then asked how she was feeling, and Velox sighed a sound of contentment and relaxed further as she watched Dawa place herself comfortably out of reach of accidental touching—as she knew better by now than to touch the blind wolf without warning. "Stiff, but much better. You've made my healing days very comfortable... I can't thank you enough."

She was quiet for a while, and then quite to her own surprise, she added: "You know I was thinking about my future, Dawa.. and I thought I might like to stay with the Vale. Perhaps invest some of my time in one of your factions, as you've explained to me. I quite fancy being a Monk, I think."

Vee it was then. Dawa didn't move much - or speak for that matter - while she listened to the woman speak. It was clear by her inflection that her husband meant a lot to her, although there was a limited understanding of the term. Dawa did not have her mind sit upon the idea of husbands; the idea that a pair could be more than simple allies could not be fathomed. But she accepted the information, along with the compliment and other words, with a quiet grace. Then, when prompted, she finally rejoined the conversation in earnest.

"I am only doing my duty. All lives are sacred." Dawa recited when she was thanked, swift to respond but quiet. The words fell away as soon as they were uttered and then, when mention of Velox remaining here was proposed, Dawa gave an instinctually driven tail-twist. "Monk. That suits you?" She questioned blandly, before settling her head upon her paws in a prone position. The woman was submissive by nature, at least for the most part. It was hard to continue with the Alpha charade that Dawa felt she was having to play out. "You should meet Tenzin, and perhaps speak with him." Here she perked up, lifting her head and crooked muzzle in case such a howl was indeed wanted.

She was silent but waiting, with white eyes straying across Velox's curved spine.

"All lives are sacred." Velox nodded as she considered this statement as truth, but only belatedly remembered that Dawa couldn't see the motion. She stopped at once but by the long pause she had already taken, she was too self-conscious to verbally agree. It was probably this that had stirred her decision to change the subject entirely.

She looked at Dawa (even though she wasn't quite looking back) and Velox smiled. "From what you've told me, yes, I think Monk would suit me just fine." Her tail began to wag lightly against the ground behind her in slow, musical thumps. Bi-colored gaze lit suddenly at the mention of Tenzin, recalling the name and carefully searching her brain for the source.

"That's the Alpha of Northstar, correct? I think I should meet him..." she drew off pensively, knowing that she originally lacked interest in disturbing the Alpha's duty to simply meet her because remaining here hadn't initially been her main intent. "If I want to stay, I suppose it'd have to happen eventually," she added with a shrug, watching Dawa lift her head and feeling a small trill of excitement travel along her spine.

Dawa barely showed any acknowledgement as the other wolf spoke, but when prompted she did raise her head. A yowling call rose from it - guttural, not at all wolf-like until it tapered on the end. She summoned forth the monk to their company, lingering with Velox only long enough for his silhouette to appear; granted she could not see him, his scent became thick upon the air. Finally, once Tenzin had made himself known, Dawa reversed herself. She headed back to the mouth of the den that she shared with the healing woman, where she would rest until needed once again.

Fading here. Sorry for taking so long / letting this die! I hope Velox returns.