Horizon Ridge Heal the Hurt (Pump)

@Pump

Thistle Cloud woke from her makeshift den and stood swiftly, groaning as her abrasions and bruises hurt as she moved. She was not as bad as many of her pack mates though. She had managed to dig out her den at least enough to gather the plants and herbs she had buried there so she had enough stock to work with. After this disaster though she would need to get new ones very soon.

Today she would tend to as many as she could, she had done a swift patch up job on those that needed it and today she needed to do more. Especially for the acting alpha Pump and she also needed to check on Kennedy at some point.

She nosed around softly digging around looking for just the right herbs she needed. She began to list them off mentally making sure she had them all. Lead Plant for cuts, Milk Vetch Roots for her side as well, Some Bergamot for it's antiseptic uses, and finally some Rose hips to help fight off infection. She hoped this would be all she need and she grabbed some cobwebs to keep everything together the sticky mess would make a good covering for the wound. Normally she would use sea weed to bind as it shrunk once it dried, but the salt though it would heal it would also seriously cause some stinging to the patient and that was something that Thistle Did not want.

Picking her bundle up in her mouth she started towards her new alpha's makeshift home.

ooc: Pump won't be an easy patient, but despite, what she says in the course of the thread, she appreciates the help. :)

Pump had not wanted any help from Thistle cloud at first. She had had wounds before - worse or better - she couldn't remember, but always had been fine in the end. Yes, sometimes it had hurt a lot and the healing process had been slow and unbearable, but she had managed without the help of anyone before. Why would this time be any different? Plus, there were other pack members that had fared worse than her, so, while there was so much work around, she didn't understand, why should the healer take care of her.

Yet she insisted - despite Pump's grumbling, muttering and whining - and in the end she had let her. However, just as much some people feared dentists, Pump feared the arrival of Thistle cloud. This always meant that she would make her eat suspicious plants and tend for the wound that hurt like hell - yes, she understood that this was for the better, but it didn't make the process any easier. If it caused pain, then it caused pain and Pump was sure to avoid, even if it meant doing harm to herself.

She had successfully skipped the previous doctor's appointment and now was dozing off in the warm sunlight, not aware that the "danger" was near.

Thistle cloud knew that some wolves did not like help from others, especially stubborn wolves that had always taken care of themselves. And of course even the most avid of healers knew that some wolves were afraid of healers. After all, it was not hard to be able to cause pain or hurt with herbs as well as to heal and ease pain. Thistle would never hurt another with her herbs, but she knew of wolves that would and could and did. It made her shudder, so she was very use to others being wary and uneasy when she wanted to heal them.

She knew that the acting alpha would fuss and whine and cajole, but she did not care. If she was to be the acting alpha she had to be in top shape to help the other members and Thistle was taking care of all that would let her, even the mysterious Bjorn.

Thistle Came upon Pump sleeping and for a brief moment debated whether or not to wake her, because sleep was just as important in a healing process, but she knew she needed to, she did not want the wound to become infected. She chuffed a gentle "Pump! And stepped back away in case the other woke up angry.

Pump had just had the most vivid dream with a lot of chasing and barking at hares, when a gentle voice interrupted it and woke her up. She opened one eye and peeked up at the healer, whose lithe form was hovering above her. Then she closed it and groaned. "You do know, how to spoil the fun, Thistle," she growled (albeit in a friendly manner). "I had just the hunt of my life," she rolled to her belly and regarded healer with a pointed look, just to make her feel a bit guilty for her actions.

"So, how are you going to torture me today?" she asked, casting a curious glance at the bundle of herbs and then back to Thistle cloud. Today she didn't feel like protesting much to her methods.

Thistle Cloud chuckled, "I am sorry that i took you away from the best hunt ever, but i do not see the spoils of your hunt. She teased kindly, she knew very well the other was dreaming, but it was nice to tease, it also helped to ease any tension there maybe.

Thistle cloud laughed again and said quietly, "I promise i won't torture you to bad I just have a few herbs to apply. Lead Plant, Milk Vetch roots, bergamot and rose hips and cobwebs to bind it. I'll of course let you know as I put each herb on what it is doing and so forth so you know exactly what I am doing. I don't want you to think i'm using the herbs badly. Before we get started, how do you feel? ANy new pains or is it healing slowly but nicely? Thistle cloud tilted her head and began to unroll the cobweb and herbs as she waited for the other to speak.

"I told you already - you jumped in the middle and the hunt was over," Pump grumbled, recalling for the one last time, how many hares she had been about to catch and eat. Too bad dreams couldn't be real sometimes.

"That is what you always say," the wolf-dog countered, remembering the last time and then the episode, where Pied had been pulling out porcupine quills out of her muzzle. She was fine now, of course, but she still hadn't got over the fact that half of her face had almost got torn out in the process. As a whiny patient, she was exaggerating, of course, because those wounds had healed too.

She listened to the list of plants Thistle cloud mentioned and lost the interest after the first few. Pump had never conisdered plants of any practical use and, claiming that they did any good, sounded just as impossible as the Gods/magic things some wolves were into. On the other hand, as much as she wanted to believe that she was tough enough and her body was healing itself, she couldn't deny the fact that the plants did help Kennedy to feel better. Plus - the healer seemed very confident in what she was doing.

"Nah... nothing much has changed," Pump replied to her question and cast a glance at the gash in her flank that was healing slowly. "You don't happen to have any magic stuff that would make it close already, do you?" she asked out of interest and expecting to hear a negative reply.

Thistle Cloud smiled "I am sorry i ruined your hunt, truly. Thistle cloud shook her head in gentle mirth at her temporary alpha's words. Pump was not the easiest patient, but she had much worse, one such was Bjorn the stubborn male still had her ire up in a way that was not pleasant. He just would not listen to her and he was going to end up with an infected wound if he wasn't careful.

Thistle Cloud frowned, "No i do not have anything with me at the moment, but here a little later I can search for some Salmon Berries, it will help to tighten the skin and sinew so that it closes an heals faster. The thing with those though is I need to use them fresh allowed to dry they used they can become harmful. Thistle Cloud stepped forward and poked gently at the wound to make sure that no puss was coming out, she cleaned it a bit.

"Okay Pump first things first, I am going to put Bergamot on it. That will be used as an antiseptic and it will help keep it clean. with that she crushed some Bergamot and put the juices into the wound making sure to cover the entire surface. She then waited for an answer and to let it stop stinging before she added anything else.

"Antiseptic?" Pump repeated the unfamiliar word right after Thistle had named it. "Sounds like something with teeth and quills," she gave her opinion, while watching over her shoulder, how the healer worked. What she found amazing was that it was early spring and still this lass had managed to find useful plants in almost barren lands. There was nothing green right now, except for moss and occasional patches of bilberry bushes. It did seem miraculous and it wasn't that hard for her to believe that the healer had the secret super-healing substance stashed somewhere too.

There was a silence and Pump correctly concluded that she was expected to muster up a response. Since she had been so busy contemplating and wondering, she hadn't felt anything. "Is that it?" she asked hopefully, even though she knew very well that it was not. Thistle had named quite a lot of plants earlier.

Thistle chuckled and spoke again, "Sorry it's something that cleans and keeps the wound clean. That is what an antiseptic is. As Thistle worked she watched for any flinching or pain. As Thistle worked she thought about finding salmon berries. "I'm going to have to refill my stock as soon as Spring is fully here. Most of these plants I brought with me in bundles, it was extremely slow going I had to walk only a few miles a day and return back each time and carry my herbs with me, but I didn't want to leave them behind. It had been hard going for Thistle she would go so far with so many then have to bury those and turn back and carry more, by the time she had made i this far her feet were weary, sore and all scratched up.

She chuckled "No that's not it, but almost I'll add the milk vetch and the lead plant this time make sure it gets fully in. Give you some rose hips to eat and then bind you with cobwebs to keep the herbs together. She pushed some of the rose hips towards her packmate and then continued with adding the other plants and finally with a practiced paw she placed the gob of cobwebs on and smoothed it over gently so that it would hold but not pull on the fur too much. "There you go finished for now.

Two more posts on this one and this healing thread is done and I can save it for my healing co-rank :D

"That does sound like a lot of waste of precious energy," Pump remarked, after she had heard the story of how Thistle cloud had got here with her stash of herbs intact. Walking back and forth just to bring a bundles of plants with you - that was a thing the wolf-dog would have never done herself. She was practical and did not get attached to stuff, preferring to use it while it lasted and, when she had to move on, leaving it behind.

"But it seems that impractical can be good in long term," she added and offered a look of appreciation at the healer. "I will bear that in mind in the future," and with that she put her head between her extended forelegs and let the girl do her job. Pump might have seen a lot in her life and there were little things that would surprise her or catch her off guard, but she wasn't totally "closed" for new things. Everything changed and only those, who changed, survived.

"Rose hips?" Pump lifted her head to sniff at the small red berries. They seemed odd and the wolf-dog had always been very careful around berries. She didn't trust them. "You are sure, these are not poisonous?" she sniffed them again, feeling unsure.

ooc: yay!:D

Thistle cloud frowned not in sadness or reproach but rather in thought. I suppose it did waste energy, but I wanted to have them so I could help others if they needed healing or myself even. Look at it this way if I hadn't brought them, we would be in a very different place right now and many of you may have festering wounds and Kennedy may not have survived. It had wasted her precious energy, but at the same time it was well worth it she thought anyway. She imagined that PUmp felt the same now as well. She could very well understand the whole not getting attached thing certainly.

Thistle cloud gave Pump a glowing smile. "Thank you I tried to help best i could. Thistle chuckled at the look of distaste and worry on her packmate's face. "yes i promise it is not poisonous, it will help to heal you as well as boost your immune system so that you are more able to fight off any infections. All done Pump. She smiled again at her and shook her head and stood.

She looked at her again, and spoke quietly "For what it's worth I am glad that you are leading us right now. I think you will do well, but I really must be off tend to Bjorn and Kennedy.