Moonspear nightmares

Attn: @Meerkat, but anybody is welcome. :)

Sialuk was bedded down under an overhang on the edge of the rendezvous site. It was the only reliable place to keep dry for a little while, as the opening sloped downward and kept the water from creeping in. It wasn't very big, unfortunately, as only she and Saviguk could fit in here. They both slept soundly, and Sialuk dreamt vividly.

It wasn't rain that fell, but something was buzzing everywhere around her. She howled for somebody. Something told her she was looking for that small red cub she'd dreamt of once before. She did not show, but another wolf did. He was silver. They exchanged greetings. It was so odd to be speaking, especially when Sialuk did not understand why she would wish to see fire. Then, there was a flash of pain in her eye.

The raindrop awoke abruptly, blinking several times as she felt the strange ghost sensation of pain in her eye. She was breathing heavily, but Saviguk still slept soundly beside her. Sialuk watched him for some time, wondering if he dreamt of things like this, too. He did not seem to be rousing, and once her heartbeat slowed, Sialuk ducked out of the overhang and into the rain.

She did not mind the rain as much as some of the others did. Perhaps she felt a kinship with it because they shared a name. Each one was her essence; it was as if she could be everywhere at once. Dull yellow eyes scanned the rendezvous site, but she didn't see anybody close by. Unperturbed, she set out to look for her parents, hoping they might be up for giving her a lesson on something or another.

The days passed in a rainy blur, each one filled with action and adventure. Before Meerkat knew it, she and @Bronco had been living on the mountain for nearly three weeks. That meant it was almost time to make her first trip back to the copse to visit. There was so much she wanted to tell Towhee and the rest of the family about her stay here. And she wanted to hear how things had been going with them since her departure.

Deciding she would go in a day or two, with her older brother as her escort, Meerkat decided to spend today doing the usual: running up and down the mountainside. She was getting much more suited to her high altitude life these days and knew most of the pack's main landmarks by now. Bronco had mentioned spending some time at the rendezvous site the other day, so she decided to check it out. Her younger cousins might be there, an exciting thought.

Ignoring the rain, as always, Meerkat arrived at her destination with a spring in her step. Her warm brown gaze scanned the terrain, quickly locking with a pair of dull yellow eyes. They belonged to a smaller pup she didn't recognize, her white coat flecked with cream. A grin broke out on the adolescent's face as she approached, wriggling tail slicing through the rainfall as she greeted, -"Hiya!"-

An unknown wolf greeted her, although Sialuk noted that she smelled a lot like Bronco, the wolf who had given her a hunting lesson just the other day. When this other wolf spoke, she did a strange dance with her limbs as well, which intrigued Sialuk. Seeing as speaking really wasn't on her agenda, she mimicked the motions as best as she could, likely botching it. There was a decidedly friendly and upbeat nature about the creamy girl who had greeted her.

This energy quickly made its way to Sialuk, who wagged her tail and brightened her eyes. She was glad this wolf was nothing like Mira, who had come at her with fury and anger. She did seem young, but not nearly as young as the little raindrop.

Feeling playful now, Sialuk pressed her elbows to the ground, but left her hips raised in the air as her tail whipped droplets of rain back and forth. She growled lightly, then yipped to encourage her new playmate into a tussle.

The pup signed the word right back at her, which surprised a delighted laugh from Meerkat. For an instant, she wondered if it was possible she knew ptero? But then, her sign had been more of a crude mimicry than anything. That was fine, Meerkat would be more than happy to teach her!

At the moment, though, the smaller pup seemed more interested in playing. With another laugh, Meerkat stretched forward to mirror her playful bow. She wiggled her rump and patted her forepaws on the earth, inviting her newest friend to attack first.

The slapping of the wet earth was all the encouragement that Sialuk needed before she dove in to gently bite at Meerkat's chest. Small growls and yips accompanied her actions, and the girl was so thankful to have another playmate around. She adored Saviguk, but learning to play with others was a drive she had, and having even more peers her age would help her learn how to deal with those beyond her immediate (and extended) family.

Like many moments in her life up to this point, meeting Meerkat would form a happy memory, good for healthy development in such a young mind. Not that she knew the particulars of such things, but Sialuk had known mostly peace during her time on this earth. Mira was the one black blotch on all of that, but hopefully those negative memories would be outweighed by good ones like this.

The little girl pounced, her snowy white snout poking Meerkat in the chest right before she sank her teeth into her. It was only a pinch, though Meerkat let out a loud whimper just to encourage the younger puppy and hopefully make it more fun for her.

-"So ferocious!"- the juvenile observed with a smile, ears twitching in response to her playmate's savage little growls. Gently, she raised a forelimb to bat at the smaller pup, freeing herself so that she could take a backward hop.

As she dropped back into a playful bow, egging the little fighter to make another attack, she suddenly realized they hadn't exchanged names. So Meerkat pulled a nickname out of thin air as she coaxed, -"Come at me, Lil' Ms Fierce!"-

"Ferocious" was not a word often used to describe Sialuk, as she associated it with true fury, but she was happy to be given a new adjective. Her mother had referred to her as quick and inquisitive, but ferocious always seemed like a word better suited for her brother or Mira. But maybe word of her defeat had gotten around, and the other younger wolves knew not to mess with Sialuk anymore. She would be okay with it, if that were the case.

The encouragement was welcome, and it riled Sialuk up further. She darted and dodged as much as she could, nipping at Meerkat's legs whenever she was able to. This was the kind of playtime she adored most, even though watching her mother with the plants and dried fish was entertaining, too. They were two very different kinds of entertainment.

Meerkat knew there were two roles in a fight: offense and defense. Her knowledge pretty much ended there, though she at least understood that she was playing defense in this particular playful spar. It was so fun, watching little "Fierce" attack with all her might, and at first, the older youth didn't bother deflecting, fielding or reciprocating the attacks very much. But it occurred to her that she could learn from this too, so her focus shifted a little.

Somewhere during the onslaught, she turned a shoulder into "Fierce's" attacks, putting a little force into it to push her backward. Meerkat did it gingerly, not wishing to topple the littler pup. She then went for an attack of her own, finally, her teeth snapping in the direction of that tiny white tail.

Sialuk hadn't been expecting the push at all, so when it came, being the klutz and accident-prone child she was, her body did a full barrel roll and a half. She barely had time to figure out which way was up before Meerkat's teeth snapped down on her tail. Whether it was because of the angle, the trill of playing, or because Meerkat didn't know her own strength, Sialuk yelped loudly, quickly pulling her tail free.

It hurt more than she felt it should have, and she winced as it moved around. Not knowing this was the case, her poor little tail now sported a fracture that would leave an odd kink just before the last few inches. Not that it deterred her too much. The Sigma went right back in for another round, jaws chomping on whatever they could take hold of.

The loud yelp made Meerkat's heart stop in her chest, or at least it felt that way. Her jaw fell slack, releasing "Fierce's" tail as the pup sprang away from her. Now her heart began to race, worrying that she'd accidentally hurt the younger puppy. Or perhaps it was simply an act, part of their impromptu game?

Or it was a trick! "Fierce" took advantage of her panicked state and launched another attack. Still not sure the smaller wolf was actually okay, she made no move to defend herself; all her attention remained upon "Fierce" and, specifically, her tail. She didn't see or smell any blood, so that was good.

About the time Meerkat's brain deduced that "Fierce" had apparently cried wolf on her, the pain of her teeth registered. She looked down to see her right foreleg in the littler girl's surprisingly powerful jaws and now she did smell blood. "Fierce's" fangs must've broken skin.

Although her instincts compelled her to shake off the little menace, Meerkat didn't dare risk hurting "Fierce" for real. Instead of yeeting her, she lifted her free foreleg to press her paw gently against the pup's pale face. "Leggo, Fierce. I think I'm bleeding," she coaxed.

The smell of blood only fueled Sialuk's attack. When Meerkat pushed at her face, Sialuk's growls grew louder and meaner. Her animal brain had taken over, and no logic floated about in those puffy pink folds of her still-young mind. She bit down harder now, her sharp teeth sinking in further. This was about the time that Meerkat did yeet her off and Sialuk gained some sense of what she'd done.

Looking on in horror at what she'd done, Sialuk flattened her ears against her head and whined apologetically. What had come over her, anyhow? Remembering something her mother had done when she and Saviguk had accidentally drawn blood, Sialuk quickly looked around for the herb Kukutux had used. It as a common one, although Sialuk did not know its name in either the common tongue or her mother's.

There! She spotted some just a few paces away. Working quickly, she pulled it from the ground, chewing on it as she'd seen her mother do several times before. It probably wasn't the best job, but she inched her way toward Meerkat's leg, hoping the creamy girl would allow her to apply it there.

Her gentle cajoling seemed to have the opposite of her desired effect. "OW!" Meerkat cried out as she reflexively snapped her foreleg after all, both actions entirely involuntary. But her sense of self-preservation eclipsed her fear of harming "Fierce," who flung backward and subsequently released the tawny youth's limb.

There was a row of bloody, jagged puncture wounds. Meerkat stared at them for a beat before "Fierce's" whimper snared her attention. Her lips parted to say something when the white pup began scrambling around, gathering up some greens in her mouth before inching back toward Meerkat.

"What're you doing?" she wondered, noticing "Fierce's" repentant crouch. "It's okay. I'll be all right. You just got carried away 'cause you're Fierce," Meerkat reassured with a wobbly smile.

The creamy wolf didn't exactly accept the medicine, but she hadn't declined it, either. Sialuk wondered if she didn't understand what the plants were for. Not everybody had such excellent teachers. To try and demonstrate, Sialuk opened her mouth and pushed out a small amount onto her own foreleg, smoothing it out there. She still had a mouthful of the stuff, and it covered her teeth when Sialuk smiled back up at Meerkat. She bounced her gaze back and forth between Meerkat's eyes and her small wound, hoping her new friend might make the connection.

It seemed "Fierce" hadn't simply chewed and swallowed the greens. Well, she had chewed them, as she now spat a cud of sorts on her own foreleg and began to spread it around with her nose. It finally clicked what she might be doing and Meerkat's eyes widened in surprise. She had seen Eljay and Weejay do various things with plants in regards to illness and injury, but "Fierce" was so young!

"I'm impressed," Meerkat said, returning the little one's smile as she tentatively stretched out her wounded foreleg. "I guess it's only fair that you fix what you broke," she quipped with a wink. "Hey," she added, still keeping her limb outstretched, "what's your actual name? I'm Meerkat."

Ever asked a little kid their name, and they just hide their face? :P

Sialuk beamed when Meerkat stretched out her leg. Gently, as she'd seen her mother do a time or two before, Sialuk applied the paste of plant and saliva to the small puncture wounds. She was sure her mother would have done a better job, but Sialuk was reasonably proud of the work she'd done. The raindrop had never had a patient before, but apparently watching her mother all this time had paid off.

Meerkat had given her name, and Sialuk balked, pulling away now that the makeshift bandaid was on. Without her mother, father, or brother here to speak for her, she suddenly felt very hot. Sialuk shook her head from side to side, then bolted away. Speaking was not on the menu today.

B'awww.

The mixture stung a little but Meerkat did her best to suppress her grimace. She sucked in a deep breath, then released it, bearing through "Fierce's" treatment. She noticed the younger pup didn't answer her, though that wasn't particularly surprising, as her mouth was busy.

But something triggered her abruptly, causing her to pull away. Meerkat blinked, looking down at the green smear on her foreleg, wondering if "Fierce" was finished and what had prompted the sudden retreat. When her eyes lifted again, she was gone.

"Fierce...?" Meerkat called after slowly climbing to her feet. The rain suddenly began to fall harder; perhaps this had caused the pup's hasty exit? Meerkat blinked rainwater out of her eyes and stood there a moment longer before deciding she should seek shelter before her gooey bandage washed away.