Broken Antler Fen brass devil

He's looking for @Bridget but he doesn't have to find her. Anyone's welcome!

In the days following his encounter with Sarnai, he couldn't stop thinking about her... not about Sarnai, but Bridget. Her lavender eyes haunted him in the best of ways. But it wasn't even really her looks that truly enchanted the boy. It was her skills. He wanted to be like her; he wanted to help people. He really wanted to help his mom in particular and Caracal knew, he just knew, Bridget would have some answers.

Leaving Towhee asleep in the Hobbit Hole again, he trotted down the mountainside and crossed the borders with nary a hesitation. Since he wasn't going to see his dad specifically (though he definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing him too), Caracal didn't feel bad about heading out alone. Sure, he knew his mom would probably want him to bring along a buddy but what Towhee didn't know couldn't hurt her. And he was trying to help her.

When he found the borders, Caracal kicked his heels together and stood tall to send up a howl. He then primly took a seat, his posture very formal as he waited for someone (hopefully Bridget) to show up.

If he ever came clean with it, Bridget would have some pretty disappointing news for Caracal... but skills she had to spare, and she absolutely loved teaching. She wasn't amazing at it - she tended to get pretty impatient with the talking and preferred to show more than tell, but hey. Both were valuable!

Caracal's call got her curiosity piqued and she was quick to respond, sending up an answer and loping towards him on the borders. Hey! she called as she got within earshot (and sight range) of him. Something wrong? Wait, don't tell me - this is just a social call. She laughed, tickled by her own wordplay. Get it? Call... because... shit. Anyway. Still chuckling, she waited.

I'm gonna assume they eventually got around to intros, lol.

"Bridget," he breathed when her voice called out to him in response, letting him know she was on her way. When she materialized a few minutes later, he said her name again, equal parts enthusiasm and reverence. "Bridget! Hi!" He forgot all about formalities and leaped to his feet, body wiggling.

He went still at her question. "N—" he began to reassure when she cracked a joke. Caracal didn't get it but he laughed anyway. "Nothing's wrong. Well," he went on at her expectant pause, "maybe there is? I'm here about my mom. I figure, you helped Sarnai and maybe you can help her? I can't figure out what's wrong with her. She says it's nothing, but..." His face twisted, demonstrating exactly how he felt about that: Towhee was full of shit.

Bridget was surprised to hear why he wanted help. Don't you have a medic of your own there? She asked affably, then hurriedly tacked on an explanation just in case. Don't get me wrong! I don't mind helping. Just seems odd, you coming all the way here. She didn't give too many shits about trodding on Fennec's territory, but in-pack help was definitely more convenient. Besides, who better to help than Towhee's own kid? Unless it was something she didn't know about.

I'm flattered, though. What seems to be wrong? It didn't sound super urgent from the hesitance Caracal had and the denial Towhee seemed to be giving, but Bridget wouldn't mind having a little more info. Sometimes some pretty tough shit could start relatively benign, and if it was something Fennec couldn't help with, she was willing to give it her best shot.

Bridget raised a valid question. Caracal felt a little self-conscious when she used the word "odd," though he hastily explained, "There's nothing wrong with her on the outside. I've checked a bunch. She's just not... acting like herself. And," he added, saying the next part a little slowly, "Fennec's been... weird lately too. She's the medic. I can never even find her anymore," and he missed his best buddy, Killdeer, but that wasn't relevant right now.

He took a breath, wondering if he was making any sense, then drove to the heart of the matter. "She sleeps all the time. She used to hang out, or go on patrols, and do all kinds of other things. But now she barely leaves the Hobbit Hole. She seems really sad." Caracal stopped there, fidgeting. He wasn't sure he was explaining well but he reminded himself: that was why he was here. He didn't understand what was going on and hoped Bridget might be able to figure it out with his clues.

Fennec? Weird? No fucking way. Bridget thought uncharitably. She never would have called that. Look, they'd been cordial last time she stopped by, but she was still itching to snap the smug look off the other healer's face. Fennec was lucky she had a fuckin cool mom.

Bridget dismissed that without comment and honed in on the description of Towhee's situation instead. She had her share of experience in a few avenues of healing and mental shit came with the territory - she knew what Caracal was getting at and had seen it before. Maybe she didn't quite have enough experience to add "Therapist" to her list of titles but she was getting pretty damn close.

It would have taken way more ego than even Bridget was able to summon to assume she could do more about it than the woman's own pack. An average of about two days spent in each orher's company didn't lend towards that kind of connection, saved life or no. She did think carefully on what kind of advice she could give Caracal to help, however. It was a sensitive subject to discuss and approach, especially with someone's relatively young kid.

I wouldn't worry too much, okay? Sometimes things are just... a lot, and that can make someone more tired, and sadder, than usual. You could try seeing if she wants to do anything with you, even just walks. Otherwise just knowing you have her back is probably huge help itself. Bridget smiled, though slightly more sedately.

Nothing had seemed off last time she saw her, but again, Bridget didn't know a whole hell of a lot about the other wolf. She wasn't sure the type of actions that would help cheer her up and maybe lift her out of her funk... but this wasn't the sort of things herbs could really help with. Not the kind Bridget was willing to hand out, at least. Hopefully that advice would do - it was the best she could give.

The first few words of her assessment were definitely reassuring. He was too young to think overly critically, so he took them at face value. If Bridget said not to worry, then he wouldn't. At the very least, he'd try his best, plus do the other things she suggested.

"What about food?" he questioned, thinking of Sarnai. "Will bringing her food help? She isn't eating much." Caracal wondered if she'd even eat anything he brought her, though maybe that was the issue: perhaps she just didn't have the energy to get it herself and needed him to fetch it. That was something he could do.

That can help too. Food and company can do wonders sometimes. It was a good idea, and it would help him to feel useful and burn off some energy in the interim too. Having anxious kids hanging around likely wasn't helping much, and maybe Bridget was even helping by putting them to work. She had a good internal chuckle at the thought.

Probably what Towhee needed was to talk to one of her more trusted friends in the adult-sphere, and Bridget was sure someone out of that little welcome committee she'd encountered would do the job. Short of Fennec, the rest of them had seemed fairly decent. Bridget didn't say as much to Caracal though because some things, she figured, a kid really didn't need to take on. She didn't want to imply he wasn't up for the job, but she didn't imagine Towhee would hand it off to him regardless. (And sincerely hoped not.)

If you do, and you feel like it, tell her I said hi. Alright? But I'm sure you'll have it handled and she'll be back at full force in no time. Whether you like it or not. She tacked on that end note with a slight teasing tone and a smile. The fact that he was here unaccompanied was a hint at how much freedom they had right now. She recognized it well and had taken more than enough advantage of it to turn both her parents white.

Those were two things he could provide. It would take a bit more effort and resourcefulness to procure food—he wasn't exactly what you might call a successful hunter yet—but Caracal knew he could manage. And he felt a lot better, with some ideas for next steps, actual things to try out to help his mom feel better.

He opened his mouth to thank Bridget when she said something that caught him a little by surprise. "Wait, you know my mom?" he blurted instead. He'd seen her once, when he'd come out of the Hobbit Hole to grumble at the crowd there, but only now did Caracal make the connection. "Oh! Oh, you were..."

Though he could remember seeing here there and possibly even making a face at the intruder at the time, Caracal could not for the life of him recall what had been going on that day or why she'd been there. To his credit, he'd been more than half asleep at the time, concerned the commotion would disturb his ailing mother.

"Wait, how do you know my mom?" was the next question out of Caracal's mouth, even more affinity and wonder on his face as his eyes brushed over Bridget's.

Right, of course he'd want to know that. We did a bit of traveling together recently. She answered, glossing over the entire thing casually. Bridget didn't do what she did for favors or praise, she did it because it was her job. Harping on the lucky breaks for clout wasn't her style, and running across her had been more Towhee's luck than her own.

We're more new friends than old, if she'd call it that. Bridget added with a small laugh. But pass that along, alright?

Oh, he thought at the frankly anticlimactic explanation, when it hit him: since when did his mom travel? Caracal wanted to demand more of an explanation, yet he didn't want to offend Bridget by seeming skeptical. He opened his mouth, then shut it, deciding it didn't really matter much. He would rather have Bridget's favor than more details.

"Sure," he said easily when Bridget asked him to pass along her regards. Caracal sensed it was about time to go—and he really should get back to check on the wolf in question—but he hesitated. He liked being here with Bridget for more than just the assistance she could provide. But he also didn't know how to articulate or express that, in part because he also didn't quite understand it.

"Well... guess I should get back, 'specially if my mom needs company," the young boy said with a little gleam in his eye. "Thanks again, Bridget!" He really did feel a lot better for his visit and his beaming smile said it all.