Iridescent Lagoon after every sunny day

Bliss.

That must be the only word that could describe Veho's current state. No matter how scary joining a pack for the first time had seemed, Grizzly Hollow had been nothing short of a delight. Borden, though perhaps a touch off, was a pleasant enough alpha. @Rook was an absolute delight, as if there were any doubts. He hadn't much contact with the other members of the pack, though he had little reason to, and less reason not to trust any other wolf marked with the Lyall's scent. He'd simply been busy – he had an entire den to organize!

First it was digging out space for supplies, then it was flattening the floor of the small hideaway, and that was followed by acquiring a few, soft pelts to line the dirt with. He'd no idea if he'd be helping patients here – it probably depended on the severity of their ailment – but should anyone ever need to take up residence in the medic's store, he'd want to offer them whatever comfort he could. On top of all this, there was learning the borders, strengthening them with his own scent, and hunting to add to the pack's cache. Normal wolf things. Normal wolf things he'd never done before. It was like being a child all over again, only with all the wisdom of the world at the very tips of his paws.

All the same, his heart felt so light it might have floated away if not for his sternum to hold it in place. Gracefully the male floated across the forest floor, chasing the river south of the pack borders in search of plant life that preferred a damper habitat. The Iridescent Lagoon offered just the location he sought, and soon he found one of the items he sought – Hellbore! It would not grow within Grizzly Hollow's land, he knew, so the man gingerly began to pluck the small, bushy stalks from the ground, laying them in a careful pile as he worked diligently along.

While Veho had not been expecting company, nor had he been seeking it, the twitterpated young man was not at all opposed to the notion of another wolf joining him – even if said wolf seemed to be having a veritable temper tantrum. That, or it was very large, but one glance away from his growing pile of hellbore made it quite obvious that the latter was not the case. For a moment, the medic remained quiet, simply observing the female as she splashed around the lagoon without a care for who or what she might be disturbing. After the briefest thought of ignoring the girl, for she clearly did not call out to him, despite no attempts to mask himself, the Hollow wolf cleared his throat before he spoke, not wishing to startle the loner.

"Hello there," the medicine man called, not moving from his pile of herbs. He did not want the stranger to feel threatened – his intentions were anything but to harm her. "You look like you are in need of assistance, friend. My name is Merlin, I live nearby," he hummed, only realizing after that Rook had suggested his packmates not give out their names so freely. Heat rose to the male's cheeks, but he well couldn't take it back now. The traveler was so used to introducing himself to anyone he met – it would require some training for him to break the habit. Regardless, the damage was done. It was best he see what his new acquaintance suffered from.

"I am a healer, friend. You look like you might need a bit of help from a wolf like myself, no?"

Attached? Veho's ears swept back at the notion of someone assaulting another wolf – one young, small, and clearly on her own. She was no threat to anyone. Even if she was of the less savory sort, perhaps caught stealing, or inciting another wolf, it really was untoward to cast injury upon anyone, really. The male sighed softly and shook his head, wondering what exactly drove a wolf to such actions. But that, that was a thought for another time, when someone wasn't actually in need of his particular talents.

"I will help you, friend. Of course I will help you," he hummed, mildly surprised there was any ever doubt. But that thought was discarded – clearly the female was feeling a bit skittish around strangers. She had, after all, gotten herself into such a predicament in the first place. The Grizzly Hollow subordinate approached the edge of the water and motioned for the lone wolf to join him. "Come, to the shore, please. It's much simpler to inspect on the dry earth," he explained, taking a few steps back to give the vagrant her space in case she required it.

As she brought herself out of the lagoon, Veho cleared his throat, and spoke again. "Can you tell me your name, friend? And explain what happened, perhaps? The more I know, the better I will be able to mend you, you see." Already, his mind was racing, his silver gaze searching the area for suitable painkillers. If there was an infection, he would need a different plant. If there was more than one injury sight, that would change his entire plan.

Indecision danced across the young woman's face as Veho drew closer, requesting more information to properly do his job. He could only assume the vagrant had never needed the talents of a healer before, and found the entire process strange and confusing. But his patience won out, in the end, and after several silent moments, the younger wolf offered the requested intelligence with no further prodding. Rewarded the woman with a smile, the healer bowed his head gratefully, starting to shuffle towards her injured limb. He began to look for a bite, but saw little evidence of the savagery of teeth this far away. Of course, it would never do to touch her without permission, and he cleared his throat softly.

"Karima? Would you mind, perhaps, moving a bit so I might get a better look? Would it offend you if I touched it? I would like to see how deep the bite is, and if there is any chance of infection."

There was also the very slight possibility that this 'strange man' had contracted The Madness – Ancestors help Karima if that were the case, for he knew of no possible cure. In fact, even Veho would be forced to abandon her, something he would almost never consider of any patient, were it not for @Rook and the rest of his pack back at home. But he was hopeful she would have mentioned the man's other symptoms, were that the case, and was just indeed a territorial male who'd been a bit too trigger happy.

“I’m afraid I do have to touch it, my friend. I promise I will be as gentle as possible,” Veho reassured his patient, waiting until verbal permission was given before approaching the injury any further. And this, my friends, was why it was exactly why it was so important to wait for the injured party to consent to treatment – clearly this loner was fearful, and simply brushing up against her would send the woman into a tailspin. Such reckless activity could even lead to further injury if a man wasn’t careful.

Carefully, he pressed his cool, moist noise closer, sniffing the wound for that telltale sickly sweetness. Finding none, he gave a soft nod and brushed against the fur before pushing his nose into the skin for but a moment. Pulling away, he spoke. “Fortunately for you, it seems your bite has started to close well with no infection – there is no heat, and it smells clean. You have done a find job caring for it yourself thus far,” he praised Karima, taking a few steps back to smile again at the woman. It hardly looked liked a bite – it could be an old wound, or not what the woman claimed it to be, but her life was her own business, and he would not pry into her private affair or how she’d gotten the injury in the first place.

“As I cannot see any reason to disturb the wound, I might suggest some hellebore for you. It will help with the pain, and is found in this sort of area. Does that sound acceptable, Karima?”