Firefly Glen no treble

Ostrega Foothills - Maybe a @Holland but anyone

Heading to the base of Moonspear, Toad had a light skip to her step as she wandered through the foothills. She took note of all the rodents that popped out of their silly networked holes. It had been quite some time since she had actually ascended the mountain, though she often heard the howls of visitors and residents alike. She wondered how Sialuk was doing, wondered how big she and Hydra's batch had gotten.

Toad decided that she had enough time to stop and try for a prairie dog or a vole as a gift to her other leader. There was enough bad that was afoot that surely, Hydra the Fierce could use a little boost.

Not once, not twice, but three times Toad positioned herself as carefully as possible. She waited until one of the critters would venture out of its hole, and she launched herself at it. This not only didn't work, but the third time, she tripped over a rock and got a face full of dirt. Standing up, Toad spat and lolled her tongue uncomfortably, licking herself to try desperately to clear it of bad-tasting filth. She had a scrape on her leg where the rock had hit, but she didn't notice.

Suddenly, everyone was getting hurt. What was this, piss off Holland-day? Week? Month? There was no shortage of wolves who accidentally got injured, needed help or just were stupid. He had been out in the Glen, gathering what little the frost hadn't killed when he noticed the woman. At first, he didn't care to approach. She was busy stalking something so he kept well out of her way.

But when she fumbled and eventually tumbled, he bit back an annoyed sigh. "Are you okay?" he says, placing his meager bundle on the snow and approaching her. His medic's eye was trained to look for things... The woman looked uncomfortable and he noticed almost immediately the scrape. But it looked more red than bleeding profoundly. Still, he waited for her answer.

For all he knew, she could tell him to fuck off.

As Toad recovered, she found an unfamiliar voice calling out to her. Oh yeah, she answered without looking, shaking her head and spitting the remainder of snowy dirt out of her mouth. She reached out her leg to observe the scrape, but it was quite minor. Happens all the time, right? When Toad looked up, she saw that it was a pseudo-familiar face she'd seen at the most recent rally. His face was marred — an uneven stare found her. She remembered his coat pattern, but not... his injuries.

With a wag of her tail she greeted him, smiling and pretending she hadn't just embarrassed herself. I saw you before, but I don't know your name. I'm Toad Amelia, she said with a nod.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if he was a bachelor. She now constantly had her eye on the lookout for men who might fit her list of 'wants,' always remembering what Meerkat had told her about putting herself out there.

"If you aren't paying attention" he does not skip a beat "then yes." It then logically may happen all the time. Holland squinted slightly as she quickly introduced herself. Toad... Amelia? What, was he supposed to call her by that whole name? Why was she called Toad did her parents not love her or something? and Amelia? It made no sense to him.

"Holland" he responds though after his initial confusion. He glances down at her leg. "I can take a look, if you want. I am... the pack's medic, unofficially" he gives a nod. True, it does not look too bad... but you never know. And he may not have a fancy rank yet, but he liked to think he could be counted on so far as a medic. As he waited, he raised his eye to her face again. Though he wasn't sure if he should look directly at her or away...

Some ranked wolves didn't like to be looked at.

Toad narrowed her eyes. Was he...talking down to her? While she didn't bother responding to the unnecessary comment, it certainly left a terrible taste in her mouth that wasn't related to the dirt. Her nose twitched.

☑ over two years (probably? scars like that weren't normal on youngsters..)
☑ tall
☐ kind

Toad frowned. Just her luck that the first man that was closer to her age in the pack was also "kind of a jerk" as Wraen had put it. Yet, maybe she was wrong. He did offer to take a look at her leg. She shrugged a bit, sticking her leg out. I think it's fine, she said, although I don't know about 'the' medic. Dhalia knows quite a lot. She didn't particularly love when people just assumed that were "the" thing. That would be like Toad saying she was "the" hunter when really all of them pitched in, especially those like Bronco who specialized in it.

I do a lot of hunting for us, so these kinds of bumps and scrapes are things I'm used to, she added, offering a small smile to Holland.

"Good" he is not perturbed by not being the only medic. The way Keres explained when he first met her was that the Glen lacked one. He assumed no one else knew how to fix things around here that wasn't with teeth. "I will seek them out then." He didn't give a shit one way or the other; all these wolves came to him so far. Or he had been in the vicinity when they needed help.

He crounches down to her level as she extends her foot to him. Uttering a few words to himself in his native tongue, he proclaims that it may need to be cleaned. That was it. There was a scrape but the wound did not bleed. "It will be raw and uncomfortable for awhile - try not to get dirt in it" Holland proclaims softly "else it may get infected, bleeding or not."

Another hunter though... He was reminded of Lunaria telling him the same. "I would clean it - in a stream or creek. Or just your tongue." He straightens.

Holland's cool tones relaxed Toad somewhat as he knelt down to her. He spoke in a different language, which might have been attractive had she known him to be a nice person. As it was, she assumed he probably said something snarky and rude under his breath in a language she wouldn't be able to understand. With pursed lips she waited for the doctor's diagnosis, and after a moment, he gave it. Oh, she said, eying it as though expecting the scrape might get infected immediately.

After he'd finished, she looked at him for a moment, looked at his one unnerving red eye for a split second before focusing back on the scrape. Toad leaned over and licked at it profusely for a few moments, clearing it to the best of her ability of dirt. Good enough for me! She grinned, tail waving as though she had just accomplished something great.

Have you been up the mountain yet? Toad gestured with her head toward moonspear's famous peak, tilting her head and looking at his curiously.

He had misgivings that it would be that simple, but he was not one to force his opinion on anyone. Just give advice that he hoped would be followed. As much as he wanted to cringe at her quick licks at the scrape, he made sure to really keep track of her movements for as long as they were together here.

If he was a forward man, he would have asked to examine it again. Examine the scrape, maybe clean it in the streams he knew flowed throughout the glen... "No" he says, tearing his eye from the scrape and looking at her straight on. She may be unnerved by his features but he did not care. He discarded vanity long ago, accepting the way he looked like.

"I suppose you're going up there?" he bit back a sigh. Didn't he just say to be careful? Mountain paths had their fair shake of loose dirt and stones. "I'll go with you" Holland volunteered, still wishing to make sure she was not limping.

Holland looked at her straight on. The intensity of his...everything made her mildly uncomfortable, but she kept the guise of a smile going anyway, looking away. Yup! She said brightly. She had been looking forward to seeing the old crew once more. Some of the Moonspearians had come down the mountain on occasion to say hello, or even for the more serious conversation that had been held regarding Simmik's kidnapping. Toad wanted something a little more light-hearted.

Sure, yeah, tag along, she answered gladly, not realizing he meant to babysit her and ensure her health. She started moving forward along the hills, this time ignoring the rodents she knew were underground. Instead, she decided to ask Holland about himself like a good neighbourly wolf should.

So you're a medic. How'd you find yourself at the Glen? She tossed her head toward him expectantly.

Her movements were better than before. Holland tagged behind, allowing Toad to lead the way to the mountains. That way, he could indirectly keep his eyes on her injured leg without the woman feeling like a burden in any shape. He may be prickly, but he would keep his vow to this pack. He would ensure all of them were up to shape.

"Keres" he replied to her words, lifting his eye from her leg to look at her. "I had wandered, entering this land with no plan. She found me, told me where the Glen was" he wanted to shrug like it was no big deal "I came to it. Osiris... accepted me." Toad would surely know who these wolves were - she lived with them. Longer than he had.

"Are you... part of the family in the Glen?" he would ask quietly, dropping his gaze.

Though she wouldn't admit it, Toad's opinion of Keres dropped a bit when he mentioned that she had guided him here. Although it was no doubt useful to have someone in the Glen who had some medical expertise, especially since Fennec had left, she liked to think of Glen wolves as friendly and neighbourly. Holland didn't seem to be either. She supposed it was probably true that these were qualities only she really cared about. Perhaps an unfriendly doctor was exactly what they needed.

That was kind of her, she noted. Toad honestly didn't know much about Keres other than her abilities. She had clearly done them an incredible service by looking into Simmik's disappearance. She was everything Toad wasn't.

Sort of, she said, smiling a bit and glancing toward him. I'm not an Ostrega like Osiris, but I'd say everyone's sort of "a family" here, right? It was a nice sentiment, but she knew blood meant a great deal to others. I'm Meerkat and Bronco's great aunt, I found out recently. My nephew Phox and niece Towhee are in charge of Redhawk Caldera, her smile widened as she spoke of her relatives. They had done very well for themselves and she was quite proud to be part of the family, even though everyone else was far less excited about the relation.

She didn't like him.

From the curt way that Toad had remarked about Keres, Holland could pick that up. He didn't know what she expected out of him at first glance, but it had dropped considerably. She moved onto the other topic, answering his question, quickly enough. Not enough to linger. Not enough to share an interest.

And he found he didn't care much for her either. Though it wouldn't be open, it wouldn't be apparent. Holland would be polite until given pause. He would be courteous in his way until proven wrong to do such a thing. "Hmm" he uttered mostly to himself, listening to her go on about her family. He didn't have family here.

And he didn't really want any to follow him anyway. She mentions another pack. Probably another sister pack like Moonspear... He was quiet, his focus dropping slowly but surely. She was fine if she could talk. Maybe he should just leave... "What is Redhawk like?" except he felt it would be rude. All things considering.

The rolling hills spanned a fair distance, but so long as Toad occasionally watched her feet, she travelled easily over them. She was sort of pleased that Holland wanted to tag along, but figured it would be a good thing for him to come up the mountain to meet Hydra and Dirge and whoever else. She thought it likely since he was pretty new that he hadn't been introduced to many of Moonspear's residents. Maybe he'd fine good company up in the mountain air.

When he asked after Redhawk, she went right into it, more than pleased to talk about family and the legendary Redhawk Caldera. Oh it's just fantastic, she broke into a great smile, one that would have been a cheerful grandmother to shame. She swung a pleased glance to him, her eyes lighting up further with a loving glow as she spoke of the place she had come to the Wilds to see. When I was little, my older sister Robin used to tell us these stories about it. If you can imagine a mountain, but you took a big scoop out of it and filled the middle with water, that's what a caldera is. But this one's... it really is gorgeous, you just have to see it, her tail was wagging about, suddenly forgetting whatever had bugged her sensibilities. She wiggled a bit as for walked, rather like a child excited for a first hunt.

If she'd been wiser, she might have understood he was probably asking about the pack rather than the land it sat on.

"I see."

Yes, he had been asking about the pack. Not the setting it resided in. But he wasn't going to point that out. Perhaps this was an introduction course to the real meat of the talk. Toad would trail off, though, and Holland bit back a sigh. He'd have to talk to those pack wolves if he wanted to know about them, he supposed.

"How much farther?" he asked her, not even grieving about the walking. He was a strong, able bodied wolf considering his scarring and half blindness. This walk was nothing compared to the grand traveling he had done. But he didn't want to leave prematurely. He may not like Toad, but he wasn't going out of his way to offend her.

He seemed quite disinterested in everything she had to say, which did the rare action of disheartening her. She couldn't help but drop her pleasant expression, replaced with a small, dead frown. As they entered the forest toward the base of Moonspear, Toad was surprised that he asked what distance they might have to travel. Like a pup, he grew impatient, and her frown transitioned to something more straight-faced and stern.

Pretty far. Usually it takes me almost half a day to get up where I'm heading, she explained, no malice in her voice. You really don't have to come with me the whole way, but it'd be good for you to meet Hydra, she suggested, the thought bringing a new smile to her features.

She wondered what Hydra would think of medic Holland.

He had better things to do than escort her, true. Already he didn't much care for Toad Amelia, and given an out he'd be out. Holland didn't make the mistake that others made; constantly being around people you didn't like. It was a stupid reaction, throwing yourself at them and expecting a different reaction.

The definition of insanity...

"I can meet her another time..." Because meeting Hydra was not in the cards. She only wanted to show him the mountain. He was not prepared to meet any alphas. His fur was unkept and sweat dripped from his ebony coat due to the effort of moving to check on Toad.

He would somewhat 'meet' Hydra at the meeting called anyway. She wouldn't approach him. She wouldn't acknowledge him, but Holland preferred it. Osiris was the one who accepted him into the Glen, not Hydra. If there was bad feelings about it, Osiris would not have in the first place.

Excuses died on his tongue as he slowly moved away. Toad was fine, so there was no reason for him to be here any more. "I'll... see you around." he utters before going back the way they had come.

exit!

None of it particularly surprised her, although it had been a long time since she had been flat out rejected. It probably should have bothered her more than it did to have a person like him, a medic no less, decide that she wasn't worth his time. He'd seemed so very intent on travelling up the mountain with her. She wanted to believe that maybe he just wasn't up for a day trip, but it seemed an unlikely cause for his change of mind.

All right, see you! Toad answered, pleasant as ever. As soon as he was gone, she couldn't help but internally rejoice that he no longer had his weird, unnerving gaze on her movements. No longer did he study her with a precise and cold eye.

So much for Firefly Glen's one eligible bachelor.