Whitefish River I am sometimes more doubt than man

@Speedy

It was difficult for Dragomir not to be depressed by his circumstances. He couldn't get up and walk around or seek out company, which would have been a wonderful distraction from his fears and his insecurities following his abduction. He couldn't even get up to void his bladder by himself. He felt like less than a child in those moments. When he felt detached from himself he couldn't feel anything or do anything about it, but when his mind was more clear he was embarrassed and humiliated by his own inability. Sometimes, when he was feeling more resentful of his ailing body, he would attempt to drag himself around, but that seldom ended well.

Today was one of his most lucid days since arriving in Kaistleoki. He watched a spider scuttling over the blades of grass between his paws, feeling the slightest stirring of a desire to pounce on it, but it was only a hint of interest compared to his usual rapt attention when it came to chasing and hunting things. Besides, it wasn't like he could do it anyway. It was probably a blessing that he couldn't seem to summon any excitement for anything to him. At least it felt real, though. Some days, nothing felt real, not even him.

Swiping his forepaw over the grass and sending the spider tumbling, Dragomir sighed and lifted his gaze to the trees, hopeful for any sort of distraction from the dull aching of his legs and sides.

She and Emrik often took turns watching over the pups so that the other could take a break or get food, and it was her turn for a break. Speedy emerged from the caves and into the sunlight, a collection of plants and bark held gently between her jaws. She wondered how much longer they had before the cherished warmth of summer left them to give way to the less desirable cold of winter. She didn't come out of her den to sunbathe, though; she wanted to check on Dragomir—tend to his wounds and see that he was doing okay. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for him to be unable to get around on his own, and the healer hoped every day that he would soon be healed enough to start working his way back to walking. 

She trotted to the thicket where he stayed, dropping her mouthful on the ground near him as she moved closer. Hello, sweetie, she greeted softly. How are you feeling today? She knew it was hard to stay positive when life seemed so against you, so she tried to be a source of warmth and security for him in the hope that it would help heal his mind some.

That distraction came in the form of a certain brown-furred healer. Although she was a stranger to him, Dragomir always felt at ease with Speedy around. She reminded him of his mother but without some of the baggage that sometimes came between him and his well-meaning dam. Speedy was warm and caring like Aurë, smelled of herbs and soil like Aurë, but lacked his poor mother's more melancholy tendencies, which helped to ease Dragomir's mind when she was around. She was easy to talk to despite them not knowing one another well, which was more than Dragomir could say for most wolves upon first meeting them.

Speedy came with more plants today and a warm greeting that made him feel a little like rolling his eyes in embarrassment—he wasn't a sweetie, hello!—but he couldn't bring himself to jest that way. Not even his family had coaxed much humour from him lately. Isilmë was the only one who could come close and even she struggled to bring a smile to his face. Hello, he greeted, polite but lacking any sort of vigour. A little better. I don't feel like I'm not really here today. There was a spider ... But then the fresh aroma of her plants tickled his pink nostrils and he asked, wriggling his nose gently, what's that?

She smiled warmly at him, glad that he seemed to be feeling better even if he still seemed somewhat dejected. Oh, a spider? she replied, glancing around them. He seemed interested in her bundle of plants, and her face brightened; she never minded explaining why she used various plants, and she took it as a good sign that he expressed interest at all.

She separated the plants into to piles and then arranged each pile so that each plant was grouped apart from the others in their pile. The healer pointed her nose towards the larger pile first. These are the plants I use for the poultice on your wounds, she explained. She moved her nose over a bright green plant with needle-like leaves. This plant is called horsetail; I found it by the river. It's really good at preventing infection. She hovered, next, over a small collection of yellow flowers. These are marigolds; I find them all over the territory, and they're good for infection, as well as helping some with pain. The last group in the first pile consisted of three greenish brown tree leaves. Speedy moved her nose over them and continued. I got these leaves from an oak tree, and they also help to prevent infection. Speedy looked at him, pausing so that he could ask questions before she continued on to the other pile. It was quite a bit of information, and she didn't want to overwhelm him and make him regret asking.

Dragomir's face may have been an expressionless mask as it was often was lately, but he watched with meticulous and rapt interest as Speedy carefully plucked each plant from her main pile and sorted them into smaller ones. When they were all mixed together in either her pile or in the forest where they grew, Dragomir couldn't tell the difference between different kinds of plants, but set apart like that, he could see that each one was unique.

Dragomir understood most of what Speedy told him, but there were some words he simply didn't know. He didn't realize the paste she used on his wounds was called a poultice, though perhaps someone had told him that once and he hadn't really listened; he didn't know what an infection meant. He decided to start there. What's an infection?

And then, because it seemed like all those plants did mostly the same thing, why can't you use just one of them?

Her mouth twisted a little in thought as she tried to find the best way to answer his first question. An infection happens when the wound isn't kept clean or dressed with plants, she explained. It causes the injury to become swollen and even more painful. If left untreated, it can even cause fever and death, she added. It was an important subject and one she didn't take lightly whether she was teaching or treating. 

That's a good question, she said first in response to his second inquiry. I like to use multiple plants to make sure I come at the wound from all directions. I've noticed that some things are more susceptible to certain types of plants than other types, and I always like to include something that will help a little with pain as well. She waited again, ready for him to ask more questions.

The boy listened carefully, still not completely understanding, but doing the best he could with what little background he had. An infection sounded like it made wounds worse, so it was important to cover them up and keep them clean to avoid it. That made sense. What's fever? he asked next, licking his lips nervously. Was he asking too many questions? Abruptly he felt like he should already know the answer to all of these things and became self conscious about how little he really did know. At least he knew what death was.

Except not really. Having never experienced it, he couldn't truly understand.

The rest of what Speedy said, he was able to piece together with the information she'd already provided. Unbeknownst to Dragomir, his eyes had lit up as he next concluded, so you use lots of plants to help chase away the infection? Like ... a pack of wolves attacking prey?

Fever is the body's way of helping fight an infection. It makes the sufferer hot to the touch even though they'll feel like they're too cold. But even though it has a purpose, you dont want to let a fever go on for too long, which is where herbs and keeping the wound clean can help. She paused for a moment and then decided to add: Sometimes, an internal sickness can cause fever as well; that's always more difficult because there's not an actual injury to treat. Depending on the sickness, you can offer herbs to eat and try keeping them hydrated. This helps support the body as it fights off the illness. She had given him a lot of information, so she paused to wait for more questions.

He compared her using multiple plants to a pack of wolf attacking prey, and Speedy grinned. So smart! Yes, exactly, she said excitedly. Sometimes it takes a group effort.

What a strange thing the body was. It had defense mechanisms Dragomir would never have thought of on his own, and yet those same defense mechanisms could be its undoing in the right circumstance. The cytokine release from the body that kicked the immune system into gear was also capable of sending it into shock, shutting down its organs and killing its host. Medicine was a delicate balance … and it would be quite some time before Dragomir was able to understand all parts of that balance.

That's cool, murmured the juvenile, impressed with Speedy's knowledge and ability to heal alike. He didn't think he would be able to just pick a bunch of plants and pit them against some wolf's infection and succeed. That's where years of practice came in, he guessed. How do you know what plants work best together? He was still thinking of it like a hunter. You had your chasers, your ambushers, your big hitters … how did you know which plants served which purpose best?

And, lingering unspoken on the tip of his tongue, a second question: can they not work well together?

Speedy nodded and smiled. She thought it was cool, too, among many other things. His next words turned her expression thoughtful; it was also a good question. Trial and error, mostly, she answered. A lot of healing is learned that way, unfortunately. You learn the most by understanding what you did incorrectly. At least, that's how it is for me. She hated not being able to properly help someone, especially when it caused them more suffering as a result. Luckily, her mom had taught her quite a bit, but she was still always learning and searching for better ways to do things. And of course, she still made mistakes.

Would you mind if we fade or conclude this thread? Since a lot has changed and Dragomir and family have left the pack! :(

Speedy more or less answered Dragomir's second question by answering his first one—if it was possible for things to be done incorrectly then it stood to reason it was possible for plants to work poorly together. How funny, to think nonliving things like plants could work well in a team. Or fail to work well in a team. Tying it back to hunting only made it that much more interesting to him.

Can you teach me more sometime? Dragomir requested, feeling a little sheepish and weird about asking. He could just ask his mom. She'd been a good healer once, hadn't she? But he was strangely hesitant about asking her, whereas asking Speedy came with relative ease.

Yeah, np!

I would love to teach you however much you want to learn, she answered with a tender smile. She loved teaching her craft, and Dragomir was a good student so far. For now, though, you should get some rest, she suggested. He still had a fair amount of healing to do. She picked up the poppy seeds and placed them at his feet. It's about time for more. She assumed he was still in quite a bit of pain. She would stay with him until he fell asleep, if he wanted, assuming he took her up on her offer for more pain control. And if he didn't want her to stay, then she would take her leave for a little while, coming back eventually to check up on him as she often did.

He nodded slowly, a silent agreement with both statements. He didn't necessarily enjoy the way the poppy seeds made him feel when he awoke after taking them, but they doused the pain of his wounds enough so he could sleep. They kept the nightmares at bay, too, which was a welcome side effect.

He obediently leaned forward to lap the seeds up, then placed his chin down on his paws and closed his eyes. It was easier if he didn't try to fight it, he found.