Grizzly Hollow The Doctor is In

Rook caught Wacipi's gaze and he assured her with a nod, even as both Titan and Veho went to work. He watched as they proved their worth, becoming invaluable as a pair in Rook's eyes as they questioned and inspected their patient. He even took special care to note just how Merlin handled it all without even having to touch her. A rather sappy, infatuated sort of smile overcame him but was gone as soon as the lighter-coated medic asked him and Titan to accompany her to his riverside den.

The Leader quietly stood up from his place off to the side. His tail took to the air in a high wag, his ears turned forward to express his keen interest in helping out as best as he could. "Of course," he answered to Merlin, lifting his left paw to dismiss him altogether so that he could have the paste or ointment ready for her when she arrived. "Go on ahead, we'll catch up in a bit." He sought to catch Gawain's gaze, hoping he would be willing to help, to walk on Wacipi's other side in case she needed the support.

"From here, it's not too far," he told her. "Even at a slow pace, we should be there in no time." He came to stand at her side once more, "Ready when you are? We can discuss pack ground rules at a later date, whenever you're free; the most important thing right now is to get you settled and all healed up."

Titan felt the stares of his comrades settle onto his dark fur. He glances upwards to see everyone looking at him as if he had two heads. Well everyone spare for Rook. The Lyall seemed to not realize what was strange about Titan licking Jynx's wound, but Veho and Wacipi seemed to be unhappy with him. Titan stopped and wrinkled his nose in annoyance at them. Elettra had once told him that sometimes washing an open wound in water could make a wolf even more sick somehow. It was rare but it sometimes happened, especially if the water had something dead in it further up the stream or river. "Fine do it your way." He said a little peeved at their negativity. He sure as hell wouldn't wash an open wound he had in water.

Wait a second Titan... Stop being an idjit... She doesn't have an open wound. It's just a sprain inside the leg. Cold water will help with swelling and nothing bad should get into it. Idjit.. Idjit.. Why are you such an idjit.. Now you look so bad.. He bashed himself inwardly before looking towards Rook and getting up to head to the stream with them. "Sorry I'm a bit distracted today. A little tired too. Didn't mean to make you guys feel weird." He sighed the apology while that black head lowered to sniff at the ground. He wasn't really lying, Titan had not been getting a lot of sleep lately. Pushing himself to make occasional trips to Secret Woodlands then getting back quickly to keep an eye on Borden, always worrying about Danica and Daniel, and doing regular scouting activities to look for herbs and gather them had the black wolf worn ragged. It was a miracle that he hadn't fallen apart already.

“Do not think anything of it, Gawain,” the older medic replied softly, dipping his head in a brief display. He had not meant to embarrass the swarthy male, he’d only been perplexed by the alternative medicine on display. The moonlit wolf knew well that his version of healing was not the only one in the world, nor was it the ‘best’, or the ‘only answer’. It would be ignorant to regard it as such. There were things to learn from Titan and his brand of practice, as he hoped he had information and knowledge he would be able to impart on the budding medic as well. Learning was a critical part of life, as far as he was concerned.

Once the small group agreed to the plan of action, Veho bobbed his head and turned, loping out ahead of the others to prepare the appropriate concoction. It would probably take the threesome a few moments to get down to the water anyways – hurrying Wacipi while she was injured would be a poor choice – but he wished to be ready as soon as the female had arrived. Pain was pain, no matter how trivial or great, and the silver wolf wished to assist her as quickly as possible.

Fetching the arnica roots from his den, the male trotted down to the riverside. There he found a flat rock just outside the water, placing his plants down there. Picking up a paw-sized rock in his teeth (and it was held gingerly, for he’d known a wolf to break a tooth mishandling a stone such as this), he crushed the root as the water gently lapped up onto the stone. After several minutes, the roots had become a pulpy, gray paste, ready for the application. Lifting his head, he waited for @Jynx to arrive and settle in the water. “Once the water has numbed your leg some, let me know. I can apply some of this paste.”

With Rook assuring her that it was not a long ways off to the river, she nodded gratefully. Good. The less time she had to spend walking around awkwardly on three legs like this the better. All she wanted was for the chilling touch of the river water, and then a nice private den in which to rest, and heal. Frankly, at this point, she didn't even care where she was, be it the CedarWood forest or not. With weariness beginning to creep at her facial features and into the glare of her eyes, the young woman was about to stand, when Gawain seemed to protest towards her comment. Yellow eyes blinking, she looked at him in a mixture of silence and confusion. What had gotten over him? Couldn't a supposedly skilled Medic such as himself see that the skin on her leg was unbroken?

But just as soon as he had spoke, he apologized, albeit not directly to her. She shrugged her shoulders lightly to herself, letting the moment roll off her back. Yes, it was true that many a time when a wolf was stressed, their mind clogged with other pressing matters, that their thinking wasn't always perfect. She didn't hold it against him, understanding that every once in a while, the most clear headed thinker could slip up. She had done it herself too, on a few occasions. Sparing him a somewhat concerned glance, she remained silent before rising to her paws, mindful to keep her injured one off the ground. "Lead the way." She addressed Gaheris, following him, while positioning her body between his and Titan's, should they feel the need to assist her. Merlin she watched for a moment as he veered off somewhere to fetch the necessary herbs. Just as she had been informed, the trip to the river was short. But it was still not in the least bit pleasant. Her muscles in all three good legs burned in protest from the over extended use, the pain in her ankle reduced to a dull, persistent throb. Not one to complain, Jynx only focused on getting to the riverside as quickly as possible. There would be time to rest soon enough.

When the sparkling crystal clear water of the river came into view at last, she breathed an audible sigh of relief. Merlin was already there waiting for them by the bank. Leaving the sides of her two escorts, she took no hesitation in stepping into the soothing waters, however cold they may be. Carefully, she watched her footing, making sure not to awkwardly step on any loose pebbles or other debris. She only took a few steps before the water lapped at her ankles, and then she settled down on her right side, so her injured leg was exposed. After a few moments, the water began to do it's job, the cold creeping up through her flesh and numbing the affected area. "I think that should about do it, my leg feels a little numb now." She gestured for Merlin to come forth and do his job, applying the paste as needed. Once that final phase of the treatment was over, Jynx closed her eyes, appearing both exhausted and relieved at the same time. Now came the tough part...waiting for her injury to heal, which would take time. Once given the all clear, she allowed the trio to show her to an empty fox den, just within earshot of Merlin's medical den, but isolated enough to give her the rest and privacy she needed.

-Fade-

Rook waited for her approval to continue on beyond the borders. As best as she could with the young Leader's aid, Wacipi ventured in Veho's steps along with Titan's additional assistance. By the riverbank den, the Lyall allowed her to do as she wanted. She left his and Titan's side and made for the creek, gingerly setting her hind limb into the water to chill and numb the pain.

For a while, the masked man could only watch as Veho did as his profession required him to do. Then, as needed, he also overlooked as the two Medics helped her towards and into what was once a fox hole not too far away from where the duo stored the last of the summer-borne herbs. Once settled, he gave them each a nod of his mottled head and a quiet bid goodnight.

As much as he wanted to remain, he knew better than to bother Merlin when duty called and the grayscale healer would need his wits about him if and when Wacipi required his attention. To the new recruit of Grizzly Hollow, he extended his welcome and blessings with a silent smile before taking his leave. Through the evergreens he went, with each footstep taking him further and further away from the three subordinates. He would be cozied up with Quil and Tomen soon enough with his worries laid to rest with the quell of the restless itch in his limbs. Between Veho and Titan, she would heal up well and it would be a long while yet until he embarked on another long trip beyond Grizzly Hollow.

(Rook exit.)

Put down now Titan couldn't find it in him to smile and be peppy like his usual self. They headed to the creek, with Titan creeping along beside Jynx in case she needed extra help. In the end she was well enough to get there without much help from him. That only drove home how useless he felt right this moment. He watched how Veho made the pulp for the arnica closely hoping to learn form the elder healer. Somehow he had missed this lesson while learning from Elettra and Xetor. Or maybe they had taught him but he had forgotten? It was entirely possible. Titan couldn't remember things well without repeating them over and over again. Actual practice doing something, like making a paste of arnica, would only stick in his head if he did it more than once or twice.

A glimmer of happiness shone in his eyes as Jynx spoke about her leg becoming numb in the water. Maybe he would get to help now?

Again his hopes were dashed as Veho moved to apply the paste to Jynx's leg. Titan sighed while trying to put to memory how Veho had made the paste. He wondered if the arnica actually worked better than goldenrod in this case, or if either plant would have sufficed. They were lucky that the meadow was close enough to gather both herbs from. Titan didn't know any other place where the plants might grow. He knew the kind of environments where they could be found, but just not the places in lore to find them. He wondered if packs on the mountains had some other herb that might be useful for this kind of treatment since they couldn't be close to a lowland meadow.

Once everything was done Jynx left them and headed for her own little den. Though why she didn't want to share the warmth of the main den near someone else he couldn't understand. "Have a good evening miss." He bid her farewell before lifting himself to his paws and following Veho to wherever it was the male had to go.

The other males had done a fine job making sure their new pack mate made it safely to the river. Her limp was not so severe that it should have hindered her ability to make it to the river eventually, but having others about to make sure she did not struggle was always preferable. After all, what sort of medics would they be, allowing Wacipi to flail about on her own and make the sprain worse? Nodding to the woman, he motioned for her to approach the shallows. She need not swim, only to rest in the icy waters for several minutes. It would not be immediate, perhaps it would even hurt worse for a moment or two, but in the end, the numbness would take that limb (and the others as well), easing what pain the sprain had caused.

Once she was ready, Veho puttered over to the woman, tail swinging behind him easily as he dipped into the water. The new recruit was a fine patient, he was pleased to find, even when the method was as uncomfortable as a bone-deep chill. As she stood, the medic applied the paste as quickly as possible – it would harden atop his nose if he let it, and he didn’t want his new pack mate to suffer more than absolutely necessary. Fortunately, the process only took a few minutes. Once done, he took a step back to admire his work, and offered the female recruit a bob of his head. “That should do it,” he decided with a small smile. “We will need to reapply it daily until you are feeling better, but otherwise, I think with a little rest, you will be right as rain.”

Offering Jynx another smile, he allowed the other pair of males to escort her to a place she could relax on her own, not too far from the medicine man should she require his assistance. While Veho did not expect she would require him outside of the paste’s application, he would never make himself inaccessible to his patients. Once she left, he offered Rook a bob of his head as well, a tiny smile warming his eyes as the alpha took his leave, as well. The man had his family to tend to, after all. They could catch up at a later date.

That left Veho and Titan hovering about – the older medic waded back into the water, dipping his snout below the chilly waters. As he blew bubbles from his black nose, he used one paw to scrape off the remained of the paste, scrubbing and dunking several times before he was satisfied. Resurfacing, he trotted to the bank and shook himself out, casting an eye over his companion. “I was going to pull out some more arnica root for tomorrow,” he explained, glancing once at the medical cache. After a moment, he peered back at the blue-eyed boy. “Would you like me to show you how to make the paste?” he asked, tipping his head to one side. “With a river, you can use it without having to use your mouth. Much safer, that way.”

“Of course. Given, this method only works if you have a source of water nearby, but as long as we remain with Grizzly Hollow, and Grizzly Hollow remains beside the river, I don’t think it should present much of a problem,” Veho murmured, the smile spreading from his lips to his eyes. While he would not consider himself an actual teacher, he did so enjoy exchanging information about healing, techniques, and a variety of plant life. Inevitably, there would come a day that Titan would have something to share with him, and it would serve no one to snub the man now and hinder his knowledge. They were on the same team, after all – there was plenty of room in one pack for two medics.

Motioning to the small makeshift pedestal, the wolf picked up a small piece of root that had fallen during his initial task and placed it back on the relatively flat stone. “Flat is good,” he explained, “though not necessary, it will make the task of crushing this up into a pulp much, much easier. If it is not flat, your pieces get stuck in all the different crevices, and you get much less paste for all the effort you put in.” Glancing at @Titan once to make sure the swarthy male was still following the instructions, he sought out the paw-sized rock he was using before. He touched in once with his nose and began to clarify the second step. “You need a rock to grind it up. The only way I have ever been able to do this is holding it in my mouth, so it is important you find a rock you can grip comfortably. A slipping rock can chip a tooth – I’ve seen that, and there isn’t anything a medic can do for that except numb the pain. Also, it is very important not to swallow the rock, for I’ve not a clue how one would be expected to remove that, either.”

Leaning forward to demonstrate, he held the stone gingerly between his teeth and began to crush the small root again, twisting his head in a circle motion every time he pressed down. It wasn’t fast, nor was it particularly easy, but it did a good job of changing the texture and consistency of the root into something much more workable, and something that was much less dangerous for the wolf who was preforming the healing act. Once he was satisfied, Veho gently dropped the rock back on the ground and worked his jaw for a moment. Nodding to the stone, he hummed. “You see how the water laps over the surface of the rock? It is important it has a small barricade, that large waves don’t rush in and steal away your root entirely, but you want a small amount of water to be able to join the pulp. It makes it into more of a paste, and this you can scoop up on your nose to wipe on the spot required on your patient. It can be a bit awkward, I suppose, depending on where you need to apply it, but awkward is much better than dead.”

Humming softly, he glanced back over at Titan. “You need not worry about earlier. The only way we can ever get better is practicing. Would you like to give this technique a try?”