Heartleaf Creek when the high road caves in

@Veho Here, have some mange!

Oula marched along the bank of the creek, her head held high with steady determination even though her inner resolve was crumbling. She had seen no signs of the female she was looking for, no one she ran into knew anything of a white, blue-eyed she-wolf, if they even bothered stopping to humor her questioning. She could have turned back and gone home, but how could she face her pack as such a failure? Not only had she failed to avenge her packmate's death, but she wasn't doing too well living by herself. Hunting always came as an afterthought to her mission, the tuck of her empty belly apparent under her short summer pelt. Sleep as well eluded the Whitebark female, for the few hours of rest she forced herself to take during the night were filled with worry of wasted time, or more recently, an obnoxious itch.

Oula briefly left the stream-bank to roughly press against the rippled bark of an empress tree growing along the shore. She scraped her flank as she slowly walked forward, lingering as she reached her back haunch and swaying back and forth to scratch the skin on her thigh with vigor. It helped the incessant itching, but the relief was short lived. As soon as she pulled away, it was back with a vengeance. The grey and cream female snorted with irritation, head swinging as she looked back to inspect her thigh. She winced and breathed sharply through her teeth as she looked at it. The fur was missing there, leaving a large bare patch of skin. She wasn't sure whether it had fallen out from all the scratching, or if it had come out on it's own. Even worse than that was the scaly grey skin that covered the area, inflamed red patches scattered throughout. She had no idea what it was, and it had only gotten worse over the past few weeks.

Eventually, he would like to return to the Mountain of Dire. Not only did the young man wish to see @Belladonna again, but it had been an excellent place to converse with his Ancestors. He'd yet to select a place closer to Grizzly Hollow, but he had faith he would find an appropriate setting when the time was right. Perhaps more importantly, he had noticed the presence of white pine around the mountains, and wished to collect some to bring back to his medicinal cache. It might help @Borden in the coming months, when cold weather would plague aching joints – in general, it was important to have a painkiller on hand. This task would be easier if he could befriend @Titan and ask the other aspiring healer to help him ferry more of the plant back to their territory, but he'd not had a chance to speak with the younger male. He had no idea if the other wolf would feel threatened by another medic, or relish the idea of sharing and learning together.

Of course, he'd never know if he didn't speak with the man, Veho scolded himself. He'd have to approach Titan soon enough.

But for now, he was making a slightly shorter trip, a bit further north as he scooped out trails and foliage. The male did not have anything particular in mind, only something he was unable to find in the southern half of the forest. What caught his eye was bushels of white flowers upon the shore of Heartleaf Cree, something he recognized as yarrow. The cluster of large, white flowers had an auroral quality, reminding him of a sunrise over freshly fallen snow. Not only was it a beautiful flower, but it could cure a multitude of ailments, and the young man decided he would gather up this prize to bring back. He was halfway through his collection when he realized he was not alone, a sharp gasp catching his pivoting ears.

Picking up his head, he glanced over his shoulder, realizing there was a female on the opposite bank of the shallow water. "Hello!" he called across the slow trickle. "Are you in need of assistance, friend?"

A voice called to her and Oula jolted in surprise since she thought she had been alone. Her rounded face turned towards the source as her attention fixed on the male that stood just across the creek, her rounded ears cupped towards him and sage green eyes quickly sizing up the wolf. The damp black surface of her nose twitched and nostrils flared as she tried to catch his scent, but the wind wasn't on her side. She noticed his silver pelt was clean and silky, and his matching eyes just as vibrant; it was obvious to Oula that the male was well taken care of. She thought he could have been a very fortunate or skilled loner, but more likely than that was that he was a pack wolf. More wolves could mean more help in her quest... And as if reading her mind, the next thing out of his mouth was whether she needed assistance.

"Yes, actually, I am." She said with a pleasantly surprised smile. How lucky would she be if this male knew anything about the wolf she was looking for. She turned to face him with her left side angled away from him, taking care to hide the odd patch on her leg from view. She wouldn't get the help she wanted if whatever thing was growing on her scared him off. "I've been looking for somebody since spring, but I've been unable to find them yet." Oula admitted. She looked slightly distracted as she resisted the urge to keep scratching at the itch. "An outlaw." She added as an afterthought.

Offering the woman a gentle wag of his tail, Veho lifted his head to scent the air. The wind favored him today, the breeze brushing by the wolf on the opposite side of the crick before tickling his moist noise. It became evident she was a loner, if not slightly under the weather. Of course, he had made this assumption upon her sudden, sharp breath, assuming the stranger to be injured or something of the like. He was about to inquire what ailed the woman when her query took him aback. Ears quirked forward, and he bobbed his head. "Give me a moment, friend, and I will come right over. A bit easier that yelling across the stream, yes?"

With a smile, he turned to gather up the yarrow he'd plucked, slender stalks held gingerly in his mouth before he splashed across the stream. The water came up to his knees, and the wolf's knees snapped high, helping his wide paws navigated the gently moving water. As he surfaced upon the shore, Veho dropped his bundle a safe way from the gentle waves. "I will do my best to assist in your quest, my lady, though I am a medic, and not much of a detective. But if I know anything, I am happy to share," he rumbled, dipping his head again. It occurred to him them that he'd yet to introduce himself. Honestly, he was raised with better manners! "I am Merlin, of Grizzly Hollow, and I am at your service, friend."

Merlin, he thought to himself, a dreamy smile slowly crossing his face. Merlin, kingsman, brother-in-arms. Merlin, everything he's wanted to be his entire life.

Oula waited patiently as the male crossed the stream towards her, unable to help the quizzical look that crossed her face as he lifted a bunch of plants and took them with him. It seemed odd at first but once it became clear that he was a medic, it made more sense. She backed away from the water to give him enough room to stand.

Oula's brows rose with interest at the male's introduction. She tucked his peculiar name, as well as "Grizzly Hollow" in the back of her mind. Was that all? Where was the rest of the pack name? Did he have no pride in his battalion? In any case, their healer seemed more of the friendly sort. This was already off to a much better start than the skittish wolf she had met up north.

"I am Oula Whitebark, sent by the 4th Battalion of the Thunderfang Regiment to capture a fugitive." Oula introduced herself with militant efficiency, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head just as she had been taught. Keeping perfectly still was much harder than usual with that infernal itching, however! Her brown ears flicked sideways for a second, betraying her discomfort.

"I don't know her name, but she has a distinct appearance; pure white fur and bright blue eyes. Any information you have on her whereabouts, or anyone who might know of her, would be greatly appreciated" Oula explained, skipped over the fact that she had volunteered, or rather, begged to hunt this woman down. With just enough stretching of the truth she wouldn't seem quite so pathetic. One of the pack's experienced guardians would have no doubt found the rogue wolf within days, and here Oula had been out for months without a single lead. Going back empty pawed wasn't an option, they would laugh and laugh and she would be assigned back to pupsitting duty. If she couldn't track down this single wolf, there was no way they would let her be a guardian.

"It is my pleasure to meet you Oula!" the male greeted the stranger heartily, his pale gaze bright was he studied her excellent posture. She must be a terribly important wolf, he decided, if she was sent so far to capture someone dangerous. His tail wagged once as he bobbed his head out of respect (and perhaps a wee bit of awe), though her twitching did not go completely unnoticed. Now was not the time to inquire, however, as the soldier had questions for him, and the wolf was forced to rack his memory. While a name would have been nice, a vivid description was equally as useful, and the medic hummed softly as he tried to recall all the wolves he'd met since entering Relic Lore.

While he had met several wolves in his time since arriving in the forest, none of them fit that description. "I've met a white wolf, but her eyes were quite brown, I'm afraid." That, and @Piety hardly seemed the sort to be running from the law. The fragile girl seemed much more likely to crumble in the face of adversity, rather than rail against it. Allowing a soft whine of consolation, Veho raked his mind for anything he might offer the woman to aid her. "I will spread the word, back in my pack. If you are interested, you might talk to my alpha, Gaheris. He is a noble man – if he hasn't seen your fugitive, perhaps he would have other advice for you." Or perhaps @Rook would even welcome her into the pack – they were a bit short on the fairer sex these days, and she seemed like a fairly capable wolf to have come all this way on her own.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? I realize I haven't been of much help – but you seem a bit uncomfortable, if you'll excuse my boldness. I am a medic, remember. Perhaps I can assist in some other way?"

Oula had to hide her disappointment when she learned that Merlin had not seen her quarry. She simply sighed, a tight expression pulling at the corners of her lips. Yet another dead end. How long could she go, how much forest could she walk through before she could be sure she had exhausted every possibility? It was possible the woman had simply died, her body rotted away in the summer sun and Oula would never know. It was possible that no one here had even seen her, and that there were simply no answers to be found. It was a harrowing possibility that her journey had no end. The male made a soft whine, but Oula did not want the pity.

Oula's small ears had steadily slid towards the side of her head as she thought of all the ways this could go wrong, but they perked right up as Merlin mentioned that he could mention her search to his pack. Even more enticing was the thought of speaking to his leader. Her sage eyes lit up, normally such a task was designated to the battalion's diplomats! Maybe speaking with such a high ranked wolf of another division would at least earn her some respect if she was forced to return without accomplishing what she had set out to do.

"Yes, if it's at all possible, I would greatly appreciate having just a short word with your leader." Oula said with a nod and thankful duck of her head. His question that followed caught her a little off guard. She didn't think she was too bad off... A little bit thin, sure, and that rash... It couldn't be that bad, was it? And if Merlin was a healer, what could it hurt for him to look at and tell her it was nothing? "Hmm, maybe... If you could just take a look at this rash I have? I might have run into some poison oak and not noticed, it itches something awful." She said, slowly and cautiously turning to display the scaly naked patch on her leg.

"Yes, of course. Gaheris is a busy man, but I am sure he would spare you some of his time in the name of justice," the male replied heartily – it was evident how highly he thought of the alpha simply in the way he spoke. His tail swayed behind him and his eyes little up, little twin moons against tawny rings as a tiny smile played at the corner of his lips. Rook would help if he could, and he was certain the pack would keep an eye out for this woman if he alerted them of her. After a moment, he tipped his head. "Would you mind if I ask why you pursue this woman? It would be important to know if she is dangerous." It went without saying that he would not put the other wolves in harms way. If Oula was clever, she probably realized that most packs had puppies this time of year, and while the medic would never betray such sensitive information so easily, he did hope the woman had enough sense to realize as much.

After a moment, she finally indicated to the area that was bothering her. Veho couldn't help his soft smile – he had heard it when she gasped, and he had seen it in the subtle twitching. As a medicine man, he had been trained to look for the small, subtle things in other wolves, who'd hide things out of pride or perhaps selfless sacrifice. Regardless, he did not criticize her, only creep forward slowly to not cause alarm until he came across the hairless patch she spoke of.

The male hummed thoughtfully, eyes narrowing slightly. He'd the scaly skin before, only once, when he was still an apprentice under his former mentor's watchful eye. It was not the same burning red of a rash, nor was it that tender, swollen skin. "That is not a rash – not one caused by plants, at least. It is called mange, I'm afraid," he sighed, twitching his nose once as he refrained from touching it. He did not want the itch himself, after all. "It's contagious. I suggest you bed in a different place every night and avoid touching anyone until the itching stops. If you have a moment, we can find a hive with honey – it soothes the itch, and heals the skin."

Little did he know the sticky salve actually smothered the tiny mites responsible for the condition – but the medic knew it worked, and was easy enough for a wolf to obtain the cure.

Oula frowned slightly as she recalled exactly why she was after the she-wolf in the first place. As with most other things she was very measured when she spoke. "She is very dangerous, unfortunately. She attacked Ro-" Her voice wavered and she stumbled before quickly correcting herself, "-one of my comrades guarding our borders without provocation, killing him. Needless to say, if you do see her I would be very cautious."

Oula kept her eye on him as he inspected her little bald spot. His diagnosis was more exotic than she had expected. "Mange?" She grimaced, "I thought that was something only coyotes got." Oula would have preferred the poison ivy, at least that wasn't contagious. The healer's proposed treatment was also odd. A hive, with bees? She was skeptical, to say the least. She trusted that as a medic Merlin was the expert, but how to obtain the hive, and thus the honey, would be a challenge. It seemed risky to her, and hoped that the man had some trick in getting the sticky gold. At least Oula wasn't in a rush, given that she still had no leads. Wandering around looking for bees would be not much different than wandering around looking for white wolves.

"Sure, if you think it will help," Oula said. It would be quite dishonorable to be traveling on behalf of her regiment as a mangy wolf. "I do hope you have a trick for getting a hive down, else you might have something else to treat," She said with the steady tone of someone serious, but it was evident from the spark in her pale green eyes that she was joking.