the one to set you free

Whatever ill had befallen him, Barristan felt infinitely better this evening. While he had attempted to get out and stretch his legs, something had infiltrated his brain and made him constantly dizzy. He assumed his equilibrium was effected, otherwise he would've dealt with the nausea and light-headed feeling just fine. But when he stumbled all over his den on top of feeling sick and light-headed, Barristan could barely make himself eat the food his friends brought him occasionally.

As a result, he was rather skinny and weak. He felt better, however, because in the first time in many weeks, he had been able to eat a small squirrel and keep it down. He was still a little light-headed as he carefully strolled along a well-worn and safe path, trying to strengthen his legs and lungs after his long confinement. Barristan didn't know how he had fallen so ill, but he was thankful that he was on the mend. Dusk was quickly approaching as the sun descended in the sky. The sick wolf slipped to his haunches as he watched the sun set, feeling the cool air work through his lungs.

Two Face and Saga were presumably off on their respective missions. Koontz still wanted to send out at least one other scout, most likely Curran, though she hadn't had the opportunity to set that up yet. Nor had she found the time to schedule her own visit to the pack living on the mountain directly southwest of the plateau. She would probably ask both Yildun and Ray—her most trusted pack mates present and accounted for right now—to hold down the fort while she was away for the day.

After performing a perfunctory patrol, Koontz wound her way into the trees in search of something to eat. En route, she caught the scent of one of her least familiar pack mates: Barristan. Evidently, he'd been under the weather a while, which explained why she nearly never saw him. His scent certainly corroborated this fact. Brow furrowing slightly, the Alpha female changed course to track him.

"Barristan, hello," she greeted him when she found him, looking dilipidated but somehow energetic. "How are you feeling?" she asked, hanging back a few extra feet in case he had anything contagious. Koontz couldn't afford to get ill, especially as the pack's sole leader and hunter.

He was not long alone. Koontz found him perched carefully among the pines, looking out across the lands that stretched as far as the eye could see. When she stopped to speak to him, Barristan noticed that she kept her distance. He didn't blame her. Whatever sickness had found him wasn't pretty, though he was happy to say that neither Yildun nor Julooke had become ill, despite their visits.

The tawny wolf nodded his head to his alpha, righting himself so that he wasn't lounging in front of her. "Much better, thank you," he said with a small smile, glancing toward his young alpha. She seemed genuinely interested in him, even though she didn't know him beyond their brief meeting at the borders. He hoped to remedy that soon. "I want to apologize for not being more active, Koontz. Sickness can blindside the healthiest of us." With a shake of his head, Barristan continued. "Once I regain my strength, I hope to contribute and make up for lost time."

He reported that he was feeling much better. The Alpha female's tail wagged and, heartened by the news that Barristan was on the mend, she took a few steps closer. She then mimicked him and took a seat, hoping he didn't mind if she borrowed a few minutes of his time.

"I understand," Koontz said. "Hopefully we'll have a Skullion—a pack medic—someday," she mused. "I don't want to bother you about pack duties while you're still recovering but, as soon as you feel ready, we could talk about where you might be most useful in Dragonwatchers," she suggested.

Since that topic would most likely wait until a later date, Koontz ventured down a more personal avenue. "I don't know very much about you yet. Will you tell me a little bit about yourself?" She tilted her head. She didn't care what he told her, just that he gave her a little bit of insight into who he was.

As she listened patiently, she couldn't help but think of the companions who'd joined with him. Only two others from that original party remained. Yildun and Julooke had been understandably upset over the others' departure but both were doing pretty well now. Now things seemed to be looking up for Barristan too. Maybe Koontz didn't have the same number of members as before, yet she was almost certain that those still with her were the best of the bunch. And quality always mattered over quantity.