Blacktail Deer Plateau How Dare

Ash Paw was angry and she felt it was righteously so. Not only was Ingram throwing his leadership power around like he had solely been the one to come here, deathbringer had irritated her as well. Ingram had promised her she could heal! That she could do as she saw fit with the herbs she held and used. And then, and then he did this.

A soft growl tore from her throat and she jumped up from her small den. Looking around the tidy space she wanted to destroy it. So instead she left the den behind. The girl was in a nearby medicinal den, she was sleeping.

She set on the trail of a nearby weasel. She would gather some meat for both the caches and to sacrifice to atka and sos. She only needed three then, perhaps four, but weasels were abundant here.

ingram has not meddled in the affairs of the womenfolk as they tended to the injured girl. still, he holds firm to his stance. still, he has yet to bring down the sword of who would incur her lifedebt. still, he is smarting from the insubordination shown to him.

that, he would not tolerate.

his path crosses with ash paw's though it is not intentional.

but since it has happened, ingram does not attempt to manipulate it into not being.

you are angry with me. ingram speaks as he draws near, drawing from his own observations and suspicions.

Ash Paw was not upset with him for wanting to take something for things given. What she was upset with was that he disregarded her as if she were nothing more than a flea and allowed deathbringer to do it as well, whom as far as she knew were on equal footing the two.

She met his gaze for a moment, her own blue eyes full of irritation and anger. Then she averted her gaze from his with a tch.

Of course I am. I do not care about the life debt or any of that. What I find offensive is that you told me, promised me that I could do as I saw fit with my herbs, with my healing. Then when I am, you disregarded what I said. Are you a healer? No you're not. Is your precious soldier a healer. No. And furthermore.

She turned back around, looking for the scent of the trail. Since when did any pack mate become higher than myself. Are we all not equal under your leadership, then explain to me why you allow Deathbringer to suddenly make decisions and rules where I am concerned!

She continued to grumble as she searched. And  you could have taken your grievances and his and hers away from me while i was healing. If no one is going to help me heal in the moment, when I am helping someone, then leave me be!

i was not standing in the way of your healing. merely making it known that our help does not come without a price. ingram explains, cloaking himself in a frightening sort of patience that he is not known for. he speaks now, from wanheda, from worheda and the commanders that came from before him. drawing from their presences so close to him in the void. a metallic taste lingers upon his tongue: there and gone like the tang of some forbidden magick.

you are free to heal as you want, but debts: of blood or of life will be paid.

you speak of the injustice of him choosing to ignore you while not considering that you, as his equal, gave him commands in the first place. it is not in his nature to heal. at least, this is what ingram has gleaned from the time he spent getting to know the deathbringer.

it was a double edged sword as ingram cared to see it.

you are not his leader and i did not see fit to make him do anything. if deathbringer had wanted to help then ingram assumes he would've.

the acolyte involves herself when she should not have. i was trying to warn her off, but she, too, had shown a fair amount of insubordination. she is not a druid and has no standing among us until she decides whether she will stay or go. that had been their deal, after all.

the next time i am disrespected by any, i will draw blood. a breath lingers in the air. if i wish for council when i make decisions, i will ask for it.

Ash Paw studied him. Perhaps you were not, but deathbringer was. It was he who called me, if he hadn't wanted to help then why bother calling for me in the first place. And forgive me, but I don't find it cute or even worth my time to ask when i am in the midst of healing. Because when I request something it is because I need it, in order for whomever I am healing to not. She gave a mock glare. Oh I don't know, die. She is a child.

Ash made another soft tch. She didn't care one whit about debts when she was in the throes of healing. Healing was not something you played with.

When there is an emergency I am not given the luxury of time. I must attend to it immediately especially something as grave as what we came across. Thus, yes i bark orders, because i don't have time to ask. Just as if we were in the situation where there was a battle you really don't think that Deathbringer wouldn't bark an order.

Ash Paw sighed. Then so be it. You wish to draw my blood then do so, but I was not being insubordinate on purpose no matter what you may think..

She shook her head and went back to hunting the weasels. She was growing tired of this run around. It was clear he didn't see anything from any perspective but his own. And it would bite him in the ass one day. He forgot that she had drawn blood once before and could do so again if she so wished.

I just realized that Ingram gives her a little longer leash than most lol

she is not a child of basilica. comes ingram's simple reply; cruel and cutting, perhaps, but his truth as he cares to see it. generousity was not one of ingram's strong suits: never really has been. it had begun early, this possessiveness over what was his: in his food aggression and unwillingness to share. from there, it simply snowballed and grew into a whole new monster entirely.

such grevious wounds on a child do not just happen. ingram speaks, then, segueing into his next concern: one that had only hit him after the fact. we should find out how she got them. if there was a predator out there angry that their prey had gotten away: he wants to know about it.

he wants to be able to plan, if he can. a kill of a bear would be a boon to basilica ...and that was a bone type that he doesn't have yet ( for that is where his mind jumps ).

insubordination is insubordination. as a leader, i have to hold my ground. but whether it was taken personal or not was not his problem. it was business. i do not want to keep going back and forth on this. i stand by what i said. there will be no warning next time. for anyone. and if his blood was drawn in the process that was just the nature of the beast.

There were no children of Basilica. And Ash paw was uncertain if there would even be any in the future. The way the nightwife came and went, like some dark figure. Not that she would ever say something to Ingram about it. he'd likely rip her face off.

I will ask her. Though. She frowned. She seems to have lost her voice. Whether that is from trauma of a physical kind or a mental one. I have heard of such things happening, before. Where something so grievous happens that it breaks something inside.

Ash Paw mused quietly, unsure what to think. She also has many scents on her pelt, but I am unsure if that is from the attack or if it is from a pack. I would suggest sending Syrax to scout, but at the same time, if he comes on the wrong end of whomever attacked her.

Ash Paw sighed and ran a paw over her face. She didn't regret helping the girl, but she did regret not having answers. 

Fine. Was all she said. She wasn't about to argue either. And she likely wouldn't depending on the situation. She could handle herself. She didn't think she was that insubordinate all the time, just some times.

a low rumble in ingram's throat is the only noise of displeasure he offers at the new development that the girl has appeared to lose her voice. ash paw speaks that it is something she has heard of before ...but ingram finds this disheartening. he has let whatever small tendrils of imagination blossom into what great beast had done that to her.

what a boon it might be to basilica: meat and pelt and bones: his obsession.

hopefully she will find it soon. ingram says, figuring that there was nothing to be done about it until she did. i will consider it, ingram states. but we do not know what or who has done that to her. though syrax is not a cub and would likely stand a better chance than she fared ...— at any rate we do not know from what direction she came and likely won't until she can speak again. if she speaks again.

which leaves ingram with the consideration of what was to be done with her: she could not be returned to her home if she could not speak it to them. for now, he tucks those thoughts away. it would realistically be some time until she was well enough to make any sort of journey: long or otherwise.

keep me informed of her progress, commands the dreadfather. i would like to speak with her when ...if she regains her voice and is well enough to.

Clearly the male was displeased at her words, but she couldn't help the results of her examination. The girl was not well. Very close to death. She was no longer at the door, now, but she had been treated.

I will keep trying, and there maybe other ways to get answers from her. Sometimes wounds and how a body is looking can give you some of the best answers about the wolf in question. For instance, i bet if we looked at your paws, and fur we may find soil, crushed pine needles, bone dust and cave dust. Just to name a few.

I'll check on her again, and see what I can glean from second hand knowledge.

Ash Paw was already trying to figure out how to get answers. And she wasn't lying there was a lot one could glean from the paws and fur of another. However, being that she was no scout, she would need someone else to put together the pieces she found out, and even then it may not help. Because they could be wrong or more than one place. Thinking of it all, frankly gave her a headache. but she'd do her best.

do what you can. ingram replies; lackluster in the information that ash paw provides him with. he had not, in fact, known that such information could be gleaned from such things ...but as a beast who put his stock and faith in the realm of mysticism this path does not appeal to him. he would not think to consider it. even now, he shies away from it.

i will consult my threadbones, as well. he is not sure what information the voidwraiths could give him: if anything. but when the itch to read them grabs ahold of him it is in a choke hold that he cannot hope to get out of.

i will leave you to your work. there will still other wolves and other situations that he needed to address yet before this matter could truly be put to rest.

Ash Paw held a healthy dose of both scientific knowledge, but also the simple fact that there were unexplainable things out there. So she didn't begrudge him his knowledge gathering with bones. Instead she gave a nod. 

Let me know what they say if you can? I have my own rituals to do if it should come to pass, should she not make it. Though I plan to use all my knowledge to make sure she does.

She lifted her head and finally met his gaze for a brief moment, before returning her eyes away. She nodded. Thank you.

She knelt down after the weasel again.