Moonspear the i in team

attn: @Seal @Njord @Chenoa @Tullik and anyone else who might be in/near the healing den!

Sialuk made her way to the den of healing, herbs wrapped in a very old, very worn rabbit skin that she had brought with her from the spine. It was wearing thin in the middle, and she knew it would likely need to be replaced sooner rather than later. Her stomach swung back and forth with each step, the telltale sign that she was a mother, new. Inside the den were many patients, and she peered into the old, hollow log. Gently, the healer set her herbs to the side and began to divide them into smaller, distinct bundles.

Let’s say this is before Seal and Njord are moved back to the family den

Seal had never been in so much pain in her life. Every night she woke in a cold sweat, hurt and afraid, but thankfully her Ma’mi, Da, or Sialuk was always there to help ease her back to sleep. Sometimes Orca as well.

For a few days, the girl was disoriented and confused. She could have never imagined one beast could be capable of such strength, evil, and violence. It hadn’t been deterred matter how much she ran, screamed, or fought.

Every time she began to recount that day, Seal would start to cry. She had come so close to dying. Da too!

She watched her father as he slept. Seal had never thought about the old scars on his face or why one ear didn’t stand up straight. Now, she understood he must have fallen under the knife before.

Awake with her thoughts, Seal was caught off-guard when Sialuk entered the healing Ulaq.

Sialuk shifted her gaze to Seal, seeing the girl start at her entry. The starwoman smiled, continuing her work. The others would receive their treatment once they woke. Seeing as Seal was already awake, it made the most sense to care for her first. After she had successfully organized the medicines, she picked up Seal's bundle and carried it toward her in her mouth. The taste was bitter, unpleasant, but Sialuk was far too used to the flavor to notice. May I? she asked, gesturing toward one of the harsher wounds on Seal's body. It had been recently cared for, but Sialuk knew it would not hurt the healing to give Seal more of what she had. It will bring hurt at first, but healing, soon, she assured the girl.

Seal’s big brown eyes met Sialuk’s. The sound of a large gulp telegraphed the young girl’s nervousness, but she managed to be brave and offer a small nod. She fully trusted the healer, who was more like an aunt.

She looked at the variety of herbs her leader had brought, but a small wince of pain caused Seal’s visage to flinch when she shifted to a better position. “What is it?” she asked tentatively – part curious and part fearful of the good-hurt to come.

Sialuk leaned in to look, trying to judge the severity of the wound and whether or not it was red or puffy. It seemed to be none of these things, which meant the care Sialuk and the others had been giving was working well. As for the herbs, Sialuk set them on the large, flat stone in the tree and began to grind them with her paws against the smooth rock, slowly breaking them down into smaller and smaller pieces.

This one is called dandelion, she said, showing Seal the dried yellow flower beneath her paws.

Seal admired the serene benevolence and beauty of her leader. Sialuk, a skilled healer, unraveled the herbs and ground them with a practiced hand. The girl was awestruck by her dexterity.

Dandelion.

Seal filed away the plant’s name and image into the library of her mind.

Sure, Seal was earnestly interested in plants, herbs, and medicines. But, more than anything, to be totally invested in the present meant her thoughts couldn’t stray to darker places.

“H…how will it help?” she asked. A renewed brightness sparkled in her eyes.

Sialuk knew that she had once been in Seal's place. She had watched anaa work with herbs and with skins. The starwoman—only a girl then—had been endlessly fascinated with her mother's work, and it was what had led her to her current path in life, mending others and making them whole again. Not only in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense, too. She sensed now that Seal sought the same things. She was, after all, a budding naturalist. It was not a difficult jump from that path to one of medicine. Having a young pupil beneath her was something Sialuk had dreamed of for quite a long time, and seeing Meerkat's own daughter begin down that path brought her great joy, even if the circumstances were not ideal.

Dandelion herb keeps the fevers away, Sialuk replied, continuing her work until it was ground into small, dried bits. I will put it on now, or... Seal was old enough now, and this would be a good practical lesson, even if she did not wish to become a healer for others. Put some on your tongue, she instructed, then press it to the cuts. In this way, Seal could become more in control of her own healing and tolerance for pain, without Sialuk needing to guess how much pressure to put upon her wounds. The starwoman backed away, giving Seal enough room to practice this new art.

Seal physically balked when Sialuk proposed that she, herself, should take a swing at applying the medicine. It was the first of many responsibilities to come – a new chapter of life and learning. She was old enough and capable but, still, a little voice inside her head tempered her usual enthusiasm.

Information was easy to absorb, but practice was a different beast.

Can I do it? She wondered rhetorically, uncertain. The hellcat had certainly knocked her confidence down a couple of pegs.

Despite this, she took some of the medicine Sialuk had prepared upon her tongue. The herbal taste was bitter, but what was worse was the sting that came when she applied it to the wet flesh of her wounds.

A small, reactive cry yelped from the child. Then, tears began to bead in the corners of her eyes.

“S-Sialuk,” she sputtered. “I did something bad.” The hurt had unlocked a closed door. A secret she could no longer hide. “I-I ruined a gravesite. I dug up bones… of a wolf! Two wolves! I didn’t realize that… I chewed on their legs!” The confession came rushing out like water broke through a dam. “I think the spirits are very angry with me… the hellcat... Are they punishing me? My Da? I tried to fix the gravesite... I made an offering, but...” Though her parents weren’t spiritual, it was common knowledge that Sialuk and Moonwoman had a close connection to an other-realm.

Sialuk observed as Seal began to apply the poultice, and the starwoman smiled at Seal's expression when she tasted the bitter herbs. When she yelped, the medic tensed for a brief moment, but it seemed only a passing pain. It would have happened even if it had been Sialuk's trained self doing the application, and she relaxed a second later, her eyes softening on Meerkat's daughter.

The girl began to speak, slowly at first, then more quickly and fervently. Seal confessed that she had angered a spirit—disturbed a grave—and Sialuk looked at her with unease. She had not known this thing, but now she wished that she had as soon as it had happened. It is difficult to put such a thing right, but it can be done. When you are well, we will make amends with the spirits. The seer made a note to consult the bones when she returned to the ulaq. The spirits would guide her to set things right.

The stern look on Sialuk’s expression made Seal want to crawl into a hole and never come out. It confirmed the magnitude of her mistake… even though it had been an accident, to disturb the sleep of the dead was a serious matter.

Feeling quite low, Seal stared at her toes. Sialuk’s response was no easy fix either. That was the trouble with growing up… the silver spoon was traded for a spade to shovel yourself out of the hole you had dug.

A difficult thing. With teary eyes, Seal wondered how difficult would it be.

But there was a ray of hope, even if it was small. “O-okay,” Seal agreed. Maybe it would be better to stay hurt… then, she wouldn’t have to face the angry spirits again.

wrap here and have another one soon?

The medicine now pressed to Seal's wounds, Sialuk was satisfied that she would be without infection for another day. When your father wakes, press the dandelion into his wounds, she instructed. Show him you have learned a new thing, and he will be proud of his daughter. The starwoman would not speak of the horrible thing Seal had done to the spirit anymore. Not until it was time to call upon the young girl and put her back into the good graces of the ancestors. That time would come soon, but first, she needed to be well.

yeah!

Seal forced her mind to turn back towards the task at hand, even if her lipline was puckered into a wobbly frown.

“Aye, I will, Sialuk,” she accepted as she turned to face her wounded father who slept in the ulaq’s corner. He will be proud, she thought to herself as an earnest smile rejuvenated her wilted expression. At once, Seal began to work.