Hideaway Strath i watched the work of my kin, bold and boyful

also for my healing homies. (@Arlette/@Dove/@Hemlocke/@Vein if anyone would like a thread. :3) set right after this moonlight casted upon sinner's skin (wolf-rpg.com)[/url]]thread.

The willowish waif was not so wounded that she felt her life might be threatened by blood loss nor by the extent of the damage rent upon her flesh. It was strenuous to walk on her injured paw, however, and she knew the wound needed to be cleaned and bandaged lest it fester and become corrupted. Such an infection could kill her, or worse: rot away at her paw until an amputation was required. It was necessary that she move, and hastily too, but it was slow-going as the halfbreed limped towards the stream. 

When she'd finally reached her destination, the gypsy was quick to stumble to the water's edge and submerge her foot in the icy shallows -- her lips parting in a silent gasp as the cold seemed to penetrate deep into her bones through the ragged flesh, needling and numbing her paw. Aerin accepted this wholeheartedly, the appendage aching considerably by this point. It even helped to distract her from the dull pain of the bites that were clustered around her throat and nape. 

Debilitated moonstones cast about her after a moment as she withdrew her hurt foot from the water -- not wanting to leave it in the frigid creekwater for too long -- in search of a patch of dry snow to powder it in, to keep it from freezing. She limped away from the shores of the river in her hunt for medical supplies, knowing she would be hard pressed to find any herbs in the dead of winter -- especially after the blizzard that had raged in the month before. Still, she hoped she might find a bit of moss to thaw and use as a bandage of sorts. 

I'm going to assume this is after the tragedy thread as well and they know each other, if that is not let me know and I'll adjust it

Vein wandered along the edge of the steam sometimes there was an algae that was poisonous that would grow and he liked to be aware of it's presence just in case some unlucky being might partake in the algae, on purpose or by mistake. if he were aware of it he could prepare for it.

And though he'd like to pretend that was why he was wandering the water's edge truthfully he found the sound of water soothing. As he wandered almost aimlessly he caught the scent of blood, something he was very practised and keen to scent. He could run right into a bear and not scent it until he was on top of it but one drop of blood had his senses on high alert, he was like the shark of wolves when it came to blood.

He picked up the paced and found the exact spot where another had lain for a time possibly soaking an injury he criss-crossed the area wishing he were more adapt at following trails, soon though he came upon the source of the blood and called to her His gasp was audible as she came to her side

"Aerin" his deep rumble was also and worried almost a whine, which was incredibly out of character for him, he never felt this worried about another before. He snapped his emotions into check and looked over her body noting each wound and scenting for any infection, something else he was thoroughly trained for, though these wounds were far to fresh for that "What happened My dear. Lay.. Rest.. Let me take care of you" He looked about for a soft place for her to lay though he didn't want to take his eyes off her his need to assess her injuries paramount.

The once-slave flinched, habitually, at the sound of another -- defensive and wary as her thin shoulders tensed and her hackles raised. She relaxed upon hearing Vein's voice, turning to watch him approach with her head lowered submissively and her ears pinned. Despite the wounds, her whip-like tail gave a few spastic wags, feeling safe for the first time since Whrist had attacked. She pressed her lips to his temple soothingly as the winter goliath bent to sniff at the clotting wounds around her throat, hoping to soothe some of his worry.

The midwife settled clumsily on the ground, favoring the paw that the shadeling had crushed in her jaws. "I vas attacked by another Saint. Vhrist. It is nae so bad though, I vill be okay," she promised in a tired rasp. It warmed her heart that he was so concerned for her but she had suffered from worse injuries before. They stung now but pain was momentary.

that's fine, we can assume they know each other by now.

The white pelted male closed his eyes enjoying the sensation of her touch despite her situation as she withdrew his eyes opened and he rumbled low in his throat, it was an unconscious act as he lifted his gaze as if to cast about for the offender. If he were not such a low rank himself he might have tried to go and exact some retribution.

"If it were later in the year I'd have more on paw to help treat these wounds" He gritted his teeth and grumped then sighed heavily. "I can help ease that pain and also speed up healing with Comfrey and I know there is a small dried stock pile in Gaia's alter," With a critical eye he looked over each of her wounds assessing them for how deep and ragged, the Comfrey did speed up healing alright, however it did so in such a way that it could trap infection in the wound and infact make the outcome far worse, he was unable to make eye contact with her as he bared his worry "I don't want to leave you here, but I also don't want to have you aggravate your paw, just to soothe me." Vein looked in the direction of the Caves

"I can return quickly enough.." He didn't like the idea of running either, such a waste of energy and effort but for her, for this pale angel, he'd found he'd do much worse. He moved forward one step, waiting for her permission to go or stay.

The waif nodded at his words, rising to her feet ungracefully and limping to follow alongside him. "I vill just come vith ye. I 'ave begun sleeping in ze caves sometimes...it is nae so bad." Likely she would have continued to sleep in the woods but it was necessary to sleep in the Chambers now that Vein had shown her that they weren't the scary, pitch-black depths of her nightmares. It was warmer there and her thin coat was not well-suited to the cold despite being half tundrian. As the weather continued to lighten and the temperatures began to rise with spring's arrival, she would probably return to the woodlands and dig an earthen den. She would need the privacy when her own heat came anyhow, to hide away from any males who might be drawn by her scent or any females who might want to drive her out to secure their own progeny's future.

The Saluki kept up a slow, hobbling pace at his side. She found she could put some pressure on her paw but tried to avoid getting it dirty again as she hopped along -- occasionally leaning on the nanuk's broad shoulder. 

Vein kept his pace to match the pale angel easily he made sure he never hurried a single step of hers. Offering his shoulder and neck as much as he could. He didn’t feel the need to fill the air with pointless jabber, like he might with a stranger, he just enjoyed the amicable silence and each brush of her body against his.

This was the only time we wished he were some sort of two legged form; so that he could carry her instead of just pacing by her side. Though he forced himself to remain relaxed so as to not alarm his travel companion, More often then he’d like to admit his thoughts returned to this unknown Whrist wolf and how she dared spill sacred blood with no rhyme or reason.

Once they arrived at the caves he made sure to be just in front of her so he could ease her descent and be there to land upon if she needed it.

He guided her unhurriedly to the alter like rock that sat like a beacon above the Luke warm lake. His voice broke the quiet “I’ll need closer look I can’t use comfrey unless I know there will be no infection, May I touch the wounds? gently I promise.”

He was looking for reassurance as he looked into (her eyes) her pools of liquid color, he was almost hypnotized by the way the green played against the opal, the pigments almost alive in their own right. His voice became hushed almost reverent  “If I get them to bleed again then clean them thoroughly… I can staunch the bleeding with Yarrow powder and then make a comfrey poultice to speed healing.” His voice slowly returned to it’s natural rich timber as his passion for healing bubbled to the surface “Fast healing on paw wounds are especially necessary, But I would be honoured to bring you food until I am satisfied your paw is healing well enough.”

He grumped tensing as he spoke, “That other wolf knew what she was doing if she wanted to make sure her target would suffer”

For a prolonged instant, the irisvar was so swept up in the golden pools of Vein's gaze that the medicine man's words almost didn't register. When they did sink in, the healer grimaced and  leaned back against the Altar with a hiss of pain. She could reach her paw, which she drew close and bent over. Diligently, she took to lapping at the wounds on her foot -- pain lancing through the appendage as the sticky blood clotting them closed broke and fresh beads of crimson welled to the surface. The gashes and bites around her neck were inaccessible, at least to her, but she was sure Vein could help her with those.

Once the injuries were reopened and bleeding again, the patient slowly shifted and stretched to lay down on her side where the wounds wouldn't be sullied by the mossy top of the Altar stone. She tried to arrange her battered body so that she was as comfortable as possible, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the redoubled agony stinging at the raw flesh silently with her brow rumpled. "That is kind of ye," she murmured, wanting to refuse and insist that she could fend for herself but knowing she would be incapable of hunting for at least a week. There was always the communal caches of the pack but perhaps that was what the priest meant, that he would bring her food from the Saint's stores -- or maybe he had a knack for hunting as well as medicine. 

She hummed softly at the mention of Whrist, opening her eyes as she whispered, "I donnae know if she knew vhat she vas doing at all. It vas like she vas not there anymore...like she vas possessed by a spirit."

As Aerin began to clean her wounded paw, Vein took up two owl skulls in his maw and brought then to the hot springs; These skulls were specially prepared to hold liquids without contaminating them. He returned with both one after the other careful not to slosh the water in his haste.

Then the white healer moved to his portable caches and drew out the few remaining Plantain leaves he had. He was unconcerned that these where his last because in the late spring and all year from then on until winter this leave was readily available and common, sometimes findable even in winter if one dug into the snow.
He placed the leaves on the rock and proceeded to roll and crush them under his paw being sure not to mulch them just to crack them and get them to release their juices, he used this as a kind of disinfectant

He watched her wincing each time she shifted uncomfortably and again he wanted to go out and teach this whelp a lesson but he did not dwell it long. Once she finished and had he carefully moved closer and tipped the contents of one skull over her wounded appendage, Careful not to allow any splash back and allowing the water to run over the ground and away. He set the empty skull aside  “I’d like to apply a Plantain leaf to your paw for a few minutes, and if you would allow me I would attend to the wounds on your neck.
Once that is taken care of I will make a Yarrow powder to stop all bleeding and Comfrey Poultice so that it will heal in days rather then weeks”


He waited patiently for her response, not willing to rush things as he had with other wolves, He wanted to earn her trust and would not break it lightly or at all if he could help it.

The doe's argent gaze flickered after the medicine man's methodical movements, watching his preparation of the medicines with a keen eye despite the echo of pain singing in her blood. When the titan of snowfall moved closer, her wispy auds piqued with interest as he explained the procedure though silently she wondered if the plants would have the bite of stinging antiseptic against her flesh. Still, she nodded her consent after only a moment's thought -- trusting that the shaman's extraordinary practices were sound. 

info on Yarrow if you are interested  If I'm rushing to much let me know and I'll change it

The pale healer picked up the plantain leaf and smoothed it over her paw pressing it’s moist leaves gently with his tongue, his tongue being more sensitive to the pressure then his nose would be, there would be no stinging with the leaf that would come later with the powder.

He left the leaf upon her paw and shifted above her neck deftly, carefully grooming the area swallowing any scabs he found rather then taking the time to spit them, he worked as gently as he could giving her a moment anytime he felt her shift uncomfortably and once the wound was clean and bleeding freshly he inhaled, he hated seeing her hurt. He picked up the rapidly cooling water from the hot spring and tipped it over her wounds flushing the last of anything out and worked on applying the plantain leaves as he had for her paw spreading them tenderly along her wound.

“Are you ok Aerin?” He rumbled softly looking into her eyes scared he had hurt her in some way, he sighed softly before moving to make the powder

He had moved things to his liking in the alter not bother to consult with the other healers, mostly because he barely knew them. In this case he knew where to quickly find some dried Yarrow. He brought it to the altar and it’s nice flat workable surface. Vein moved quickly to his tools and found his circular rock and held it positioned over the yarrow then he began dropping it over and over again onto the dried Yarrow leaves until he had made a powder. This required a lot, of pick up the rock; hold it high above the yarrow; open maw; drop rock.. repeat. 

Once he had what he considered a sufficient amount of Yarrow he set a raven skull below the alter and very carefully swept the powder into the specially prepared skull it too was filled with amber to make a bowl and the inside of the beak smoothed to make a natural spout giving him the ability to pour powders with great precision.

He's picked up the skull as gingerly and as a mum would her newborn pup, then carefully carried the skull over to her and lay down next to to the injured white angel, this is the part that worried him.

His rich rumble was filled with the anxiety he felt “I’d like to pour this into the wounds, it’s will staunch the bleeding and the chance for and infection to set in however it will sting for few moment before the numbing effect takes hold. I do not wish to cause you more pain but this and then the comfrey poultice, I’ll make is the fastest way to allow your body to heal.”

He showed her the powered content in the raven skull, staring into the depths of it as if he were willing the powder to never cause discomfort even tough it’s job was to remove discomfort shortly after use and to fight infections with it's natural antiseptic enzymes

you're fine, sorry for the wait. muse has been low with medical concerns. <3 btw a H-meno'ob is a Mayan term for a healer/shaman.

The waif held still as best she could, spindly limbs tucked neatly beneath her and the swan's curve of her sweeping neck turned aside as Vein picked at the wounds she couldn't reach, finding it was not such a difficult task. The needling of his teeth nibbling, the stinging stabs as the tiny bits of scab were plucked clean, were muted in comparison to past pains. She bore it silently, waiting patiently for the H-meno’ob to finish his work on her nape. "It's not so bad," she reassured the gentle giant when he had finished pasting the plantain leaves on her wounds. The selkie reached up momentarily, stretching her skinny muzzle so that she could flick her tongue soothingly over his chin. She settled back against the rock as he moved away, watching with curiosity as the pallid titan worked. 

"I am nae denying that yer vork is amazing...an' I am very grateful," Aerin murmured lowly, reluctant to disturb him. "But I 'ave never seen 'ealing like yers. Most 'ealers -- myself included -- vould simply smash or chew some goosegrass or 'orsetail fer ze vound before wrapping it in cobwebs an' giving ze patient some chervile. 'ow an' why did yer people think to use ze methods ye do?" She asked, wondering where such healers might come from, where they had learned such revolutionary methods. 

"I vill be okay," Aerin tried to reassure Vein with a smile as she said it, though she felt her muscles tensing as she smoothed her features into an expressionless sort of mask -- determined not to let on how much pain she was in, no matter how bad it stung. 

He offered her a smile, “Not all my work is so complicated, The comfrey poultice will be simply chewed leaves but I will not worry about cobwebs since if I lay here with you I can watch the poultice and reapply when necessary," He frowned just a little bit as she spoke of his training though he’d gotten it out of his system mostly he still missed his mother and thoughts of his training brought her to the fore

Carefully Vein lifted the leaf over her paw off and set it aside, He scented the wound carefully he was content the wound was clean, after ward he carefully picked up the raven skull and poured the powder directly and precisely over the wound very quickly the bleeding should stop. The stinging would only be a moment to two a he was worried probably for nothing,  he would then repeat the process with the wounds on her neck using every bit of powder.

He busied himself looking for the comfrey and brought it over to Aerin and set it across his paws giving the yarrow a moment to work. “You know about my past and the two-legged ones? My mother was the one whom taught me she she knew,  My training comes from a time when healing needed to be thorough and fast and for wounds that are far worse then any mother nature can normally throw at us. At least not without that ‘kind of intervention.’ I also had a knack for figuring things out, though at first I had to guess at some herbs and what they could do.” He chuckled softly though there was not much humour in it “I did not lack for patients.” He stared down at the comfrey then nodded at it. “Once I prepare this, I’d like to apply it directly to your wounds the sooner I get this on you to sooner you body will begin to heal. I will apply it right over top the yarrow.” While waiting her answer Vein picked up the comfrey and chewed it carefully making sure not to have to much saliva and he also made sure swallow the poultice he was making. He shifted the poultice on his tongue to ask her a bit about he because she barely knew about her past. “What about your training? How did you learn to became a midwife or anything else for that matter. You said you were a slave?” He went back to working on the poultice carefully, his ears tipped to catch her sweet somewhat Russian lilt.

Will delete if desired! 

---

Sleeping, or, lightly napping...
And then she woke, smelling fresh spilled blood.

Quick to follow the trail, Nyra coincidentally(?) first got to the site of the incident, seeing blood spatters on the ground. 
With a concerned rumble, The Overseer dutifully sniffed Aerin's scent from the tangle, as well as...Whrists??? 
To get confirmation, Nyra ran to the Chambers and came in with a dust-spraying halt, right as Vein was getting ready to head out, it seemed?
She gently shouldered past the Shaman and looked at Aerin, banged up as threw Selkie looked.
"Who did this?" 
Was it Whrist?

The Saluki felt guilt needle at her heart with piercing puncture wounds, ashamed that she could have so callously reminded him of the home and family he had lost in his war against the two-legs. It had not been her intention to remind the shaman of his mother but she was all the more appreciative for Vein's skills knowing what exactly it had cost him to gain such knowledge. It made it all the more precious in her opinion, making her even more determined to commit everything the medicine man knew to memory. For now, she tried to soothe the sting of his past without disturbing the burning powder he'd so meticulously poured into her gashes and cuts -- reaching to touch her raspberry nose to his ankle, breathing in the soft, green scent of the comfrey draped over his pale paws. "I am sure yer mother vould be proud of ze 'ealer ye 'ave become, of ze vork ye 'ave done."

It was her turn to share, it seemed, the silence lengthening between them as Vein took to working the comfrey into a paste with his jaws. Her starshine orbs trailed out to the pool of sapphire water, the surface catching the early rays of the sun that had followed the dawn of Whrist's attack as they trickled into the caves -- which seemed ages ago, even now as she rested with Vein tending to her injuries. "Aye, I vas," the once-druid agreed softly. She had been many things, long ago. "I vas trained by an older voman, a cutvife. 'er magic vas in ze creation of babes, she vas renowned fer 'elping even barren vomen -- or those who could only give life to twisted pups, or stillborns -- birth 'ealthy litters full of children." 

"She took pity on me. I think she knew zat it killed me to vork as an infiltrator. I vas nae made to be a mindless soldier, killing innocent vomen and children vithout a thought," the sylph soughed, the words a haunted rasp by their culmination. Before she can turn to Vein and read his face for any shock or disgust at this revelation, it's not everyday that you find out your girlfriend is a former assassin after all, Nyra strides onto the scene and draws her gaze with alert curiosity. 

"Ah," Aerin shrinks slightly beneath the ire in the woman's dominant posturing, even if it's not meant for her. Her cottony ears pin to her skull, throat bobbing in a silent gulp as she glanced towards Vein momentarily for guidance. "Vhrist," the whisper of damnation comes only seconds later, the timid halfbreed far too submissive to hold out for long.

The healer shifted and crawled to her side, so he was in reach of her body and her wounds, As Aerin began her story he spread the paste he made along her paw. “We do what we must to survive” he rumbled softly, no judgement in his tone just complete acceptance. He had to get up to get more comfrey to make more poultice for her neck wounds when the large wolfess whom was not to far from his own size boiled in upon them and shoved him aside.

He did not shove back as much as he did not give way even an inch when she tried to shove him,He watch as Aerin shrank and he had had enough, there was no reason that this pale angel needed to be harassed any further today.  His rumble was dangerously close to a growl though, it was not a growl, he’d not growl at a superior.  No matter if he agreed with their actions or not

He shifted pointedly and yet somewhat gracefully as he placed himself between Nyra and Aerin even if he had to stand over top of Aerin to do so.  Though his body oozed protective menace, He looked down at the ground, so as not to be threatening toward his overseer, still holding the comfrey in his teeth he whispered far more calmly then he felt “Whrist… apparently she lost herself, Aerin will be Ok, I will make that so. You might want to check Whrist’s wounds and send her to me if need be.” His words were not a order just a calm suggestion we would treat Whrist if need be. despite his feeling toward her.

He waited calmly for Nyra to leave protecting Aerin with his bulk, not lifting his eyes not trusting himself, not to get into a staring match or offending the overseer.

Nyra had no anger toward Aerin. Only anger in that someone would hurt the Seelie at all.
Blatantly ignoring Vein's protective demeanor for the moment, she came closer as the equally large brute put himself between herself and Aerin, which earned a very quick baring of teeth and a clear warning growl. 
Listening to Vein's murmurings, Nyra took note of his averted gaze and therefore, slowly, smoothed out. 
She'd let it go for now.

"Aerin, I'm not mad at you at all, I'm only angry that another packmate attacked you." She explained with a much calmer tone than she had come in with.
"I smelled the blood and my desire to protect went into overdrive. I'm sorry I came in so angry." Nyra explained with a sigh, hoping this would help correct her volcanic entrance.

The healer felt her heart's quick marcato kick into a racing, frantic rhythm as the two -- who could have been related if not for the differences in their whitewashed features -- postured and bickered nonverbally over her, feeling a coil of guilt twisting in her stomach for having caused such a ruckus and drawn so much attention to herself. Her rosebud nose extended first to Vein, her muzzle brushing along the foreleg that straddled over her prone form protectively -- the much smaller halfling veritably overshadowed by the shaman's immense bulk -- in a soothing manner though she couldn't deny that her heart warmed to see that Vein was willing to protect her so adamantly. Then she reached to Nyra, stretching to touch her nose to the woman's chin in a display of submission and understanding. 

"It's okay. I'll be okay too," the sighthound murmured, dulcet tones rasping and comforting as she attempted to stifle the last vestiges of tension between their leader and her fellow Specialist. "Vein 'as been kind enough to patch me up," and here her soft words were accompanied by a bashful dip of her hoarfrost crown, moonstones falling to the mossy stone beneath her as she again nudged the ice-bear's leg -- this time in a grateful gesture. 

The over large white brute slowly came to life, from his frozen state he shifted uneasily at first then her decided that the threat was past but he still did not let Nyra get between him or Aerin again. He nodded to Nyra then moved deliberately and with no wasted movement to get the Comfrey and begin chewing it into a poultice.

He allowed the tension in the air to slough off him and his presence was just a quiet amicable one. He was skilled in dropping his own emotions so that his patient’s could just focus on calm.  He didn’t have anything further to add to the conversation so he focused on continuing to and finishing his treatment of Aerin’s injuries. Something he could fix.

As the Seelie reassured her, Nyra slowly relaxed with another exhale. 
Turning to Vein first, the Overseer commented "I trust you'll keep her safe." Then to Aerin, "I'll talk to Whrist. See what's going on." 

With that, Nyra turned and left to go find the wraith. 

---

last from me here! <3

we can try and wrap up with Vein's next post if that's cool with y'all. :)

Aerin merely dipped her head, mouthing a silent 'thank you' before the golden-eyed Overseer slipped away. The herbalist watched Vein work silently after Nyra had gone, lulled into a sense of security by his soft scufflings and the neat precision the bloodletter toiled over her injuries with. When the bloodstained male seemed finished, the halfling tilted a wan smile up at him -- her head falling back with the motion. "Thank ye," she whispered softly, ears pinning with gratitude as she stretched to touch her raspberry nose to his chest in the barest of brushes.

"Vould ye mind 'elping me to my sleeping spot? It's not so far.." The midwife asked hesitantly, straggling to her paws unsteadily with the hopes that he wouldn't mind assisting her in hobbling over to the place where she usually curled up when she found herself too bone tired to stay awake any longer.

Vein watched Nyra leave with heavy lidded eyes his thought’s his own, He licked the top of the altar to remove any traces of the poultice from his tongue and perhaps he just liked the taste of rocks now and again. He touched his paw to the spot he had licked and smiled ruefully before words filtered to him.

“I would love nothing more” he rumbled as he moved to her side and allowed her to lean on him and take the lead. “I could stay close by tonight to make sure you don’t catch a chill” He planned on staying as close to her as she would allow him, his bulk could offer a fair amount to warmth even if he was not directly touching someone

The pale doe's timid gaze of moonlight moved from Vein to the direction that Nyra had disappeared in, wondering silently if perhaps there was some rivalry or conflict to be found betwixt the two white wolves with gazes crafted of sunlight. Perhaps it was nothing more than the blood-streaked shaman feeling overprotective of her in this state -- a notion that again sent her fractured heart aflutter like the wings of a startled bird. 

Aerin found it easy to lean on him as the bloodletter's shoulder was offered, her body aching and throbbing -- still winter-weary and thin from living alone all those months as she hunted after Aliroth. Besides, the larger wolf was sturdy yet plush due to his huge but soft build, warmer than she'd expected despite the fact that they had touched before. The sylph's wispy auds lifted of their own accord at his words, a shy smile blooming over the ivory taper of her slender muzzle as she turned just so to show him that she listened. 

"I vould like zat," she answered simply as her silver optics refocused on the path at her feet, lest she tumble on her unsteady legs as they limped slowly along. Her alabaster tail swept in lazy but wide strokes of joy, soft tufts of the bottlebrush appendage tickling against the duo's hocks and hindquarters inadvertently as they moved together.