Swiftcurrent Creek vast

for @Kelsier

The other man agreed to a quick chat—and so Akavir led him away from the drama that was unfurling, a stoical mask setting itself carefully upon the facade of the man as he attempted to keep his bad mood from surfacing too much—what the hell was Reverie thinking?

Tilting his head back to look at the Riverclan wolf, he gave a small nod to the man, forcing a smile to his lips. “Sorry—as you can see, there’s… a lot going on.” He paused, huffing quietly. This wasn’t quite the united front he would have wanted to present his allies.

“Thank you for bringing Lestan home… But what happened? He left, notifying us by howl he wouldn’t be gone long…” Concern did knit his brow then—and his eyes studied the other wolf for more information that he couldn’t get from the actual man in question himself—thanks to Reverie.

Kel was beginning to feel his concern more clearly, now that he was away from the chaos and had some time to think. He was frowning to himself when the man addressed him. Yeah, no worries, A mumble slid in before the dark wolf continued.
His gaze turned more troubled than ever when he asked what had happened, and he made no attempt to hide it. Cat. And fever. Couldn't get a lot out of him. Haven't seen him eat real food, either. Listen, about that woman - Reverie, is it? The name was like a bad taste in his mouth. He hesitated, then forged ahead. He said some things about her. Didn't make a lot of sense. But it was concerning.
You'd know better than I would if he's a danger to her, Kel added hastily. Just was weird. Thought you should know. It was all I got from him.

The frown on the other was not missed—an easy expression given the chaos that had erupted upon the man attempting what he assumed was probably a good deed.

A cat. Akavir exhaled, a light frown pulling at his own features. “Was he at Riverclan healing?” Crowfeather had mentioned they would offer them that resource, but whether Lestan had made it even there or not was debatable.

But… those thoughts were gone from his mind when the man continued—mentioning Reverie. He would have made a comment about how anything regarding the girl was nonsensical—until he mentioned that Lestan might be a danger to her.

Ears pointing forward, his eyes were rapt now, his muzzle canting. “I… What do you mean? Lestan a danger to her?” He hadn’t even considered Lestan able to hurt a butterfly only months before—spare until he had attacked Reverie’s brother.

Kel shook his head. Wanted to come straight here from where I found him in the taiga. Took awhile, though. He's in bad shape, as you can see, He grew nervous when Akavir began to question him further. It was to be expected, but he had the distinct feeling that he was opening a can of worms directly over a whole bucket of them.
Said something about her being - a deer. Or a god. Actually think it was both, His head tilted slightly as he thought about it. His nerves showed in the anxious tapping of his paws as he shifted. And bleeding. At that his eyes darkened. Used to work with wolves with severe trauma, ones who needed help. Former soldiers, victims of war, that kind of thing. Seems harmless enough to me, but that kind of obsession...
I'd keep an eye on it. Could give you some tips on handling it if you want, Kel tried to smile, to be kind. Could even stick around to help for a bit. And now he was mentally kicking himself. He was a fool! All he wanted was to go home, and yet Kel could not fight the guilt he felt over his lack of compassion toward Lestan on their journey. He'd just been so determined to leave this practice behind. Now he regretted everything.

Solemnly, he took in the man’s words and considered them. The ramblings of a mad man, it seemed, and Akavir had to bite his tongue from a caustic laugh—the two now a perfect match, it appeared. His gaze would drift back only momentarily to the direction they had come from the gathered wolves, and a soft sigh escaped him. “Reverie is unwell,” he offered, careful on his choice words. She had confided in him that many had called her ‘crazy’ — but it wasn’t a term he was keen on using, particularly to a man he didn’t know, nor to describe a woman he barely knew.

“She’s flighty. Her mood rises and falls quickly… A lot of her stories and actions are… illogical.”

When the other mentioned staying to assist, it seemed almost too good to be true—but in this moment, Akavir was not above seeking a more knowledgeable source. “If Riverclan could spare you… We’d be in your pack’s debt. But I understand if you need to get back to them.”

Well, that explained a few things. Kel nodded slowly. No worries. Look, I know it seems bad, but I've seen plenty of wolves come back from worse. Once worked with a dude who smeared his own shit everywhere whenever we left him alone. Ended up leaving fairly normal, if a bit twitchy, He shrugged. It was difficult for most wolves to comprehend, Kel had found, so he added: They're ill, is all. But I can help make them well again. Fit for pack life.
And fit to raise a child, He added after a moment of thought, remembering the golden pup they had all been so concerned with. It made sense to him that Reverie was similarly unstable; the obsession was likely mutual, he thought, if she had brought the child to the border only to act wary and tense as if she had been forced there. Best advice I can give for now - be gentle. Try not to argue with their delusions. Tends to escalate things. We don't want any shit-smearing, I assume.

Kelsier had dealt with this before—and Akavir’s tired eye wandered over to the direction of the couple. The man would be gentle—and so he gave a curt nod, accepting that perhaps this man could reason with the pair and help them come to terms with whatever demons they may be facing.

Or, perhaps one or both were beyond what would be expected of them—and then what? He did not know—but what he did know, is Blossom was the most affected right now—and given Reverie’s wild claims and then belligerence at still doing what she willed, despite the danger she had claimed before—she was a wild card amongst them.

He had hunted a wolf down in the marsh for her—had made her bleed. Had bled himself. All from the claims of the golden girl, and still, she traipsed her tiny pup around their borders.

“Okay. Talk with them—see how that goes.”

Maybe, in the end, it would be nothing.

When the discussion had ended with this, Akavir would turn—and soon realize the peril his own family was in at that very moment.

I'll give it a few days. Offer to stay with them. Maybe mention you.
Kel found that the concern of friends and family was often a key motivator for his patients. Or the watchful eye of a leader. He knew dismissal when he saw it, so he nodded once and turned away to settle himself somewhere in the territory. Somewhere along the outskirts, a respectful distance from the center of the pack territory for now.