Larkcall Lowlands what doesn't kill you

The mixture of gratitude and apologies went largely unacknowledged. There was no question that he would have stepped in, for Lorcan was one of his. Perhaps if he had been unsure or distrustful of the man, it would have been an easy way to dispose of him, but the circumstances were very far from that. Similarly, there was no need for him to take any of the blame; both of them had missed the cougar, and seeing as that was what  cougars were good at, Craw hardly felt resentment over it. What mattered was the message they had sent by overcoming the challenge to their authority.

He had accepted the healer's ministrations in gruff silence, feeling the pain but able to distance himself from it enough not to react - except maybe once or twice when Lorcan's rough tongue ran over the wound by his temples. It was all very familiar, being tended to by a submissive packmate after a fight, it all felt... right. Natural. He almost didn't even consciously acknowledge it.

When his command that they finish what they had started was met with meek acceptance and a request to fetch herbs, Craw considered re-iterating his demand that they both finish, but could see from Lorcan's expression that the man felt this was important. So be it. He was supposed to know how to tend to broken flesh, so let him do it; Craw could take his fresh scars to @Morganna for her appraisal, see if she thought that their new recruit had done a good job. It was all just blood and meat to Craw. He ground his teeth as he considered their two options, knowing that it would be watching, waiting. He could hardly let Lorcan go off in search of his plants alone, and nor could he show their defeated rival any weakness.

Unsurprisingly, pride won out over caution. "We eat first. Then we can find what you need - I won't die in the next hour, it's fine. But we do not split up, and we do not let the cat win. What did I say about presenting an image of power?"

Again, let me know if it's not enough! If you want to PP them eating (assuming Lorcan acquiesces) and skip ahead to leaving the carcass to look for herbs, that's fine with me :)

Demonstration post 5/6

Permission to leave @Craw briefly, along with the caribou carcass that they had claimed, was swiftly denied. The impatient flickering of tail came to a sudden halt and fell limply to the ground, as the subordinate quickly realised he would not being heading out in search of medicinal herbs within the next few moments – not whilst his alpha demanded otherwise. It was clear the Craw was much more concerned with devouring the meal that they had fought with tooth and claw to claim, and Lorcan could understand that it would most certainly be a shame after all their efforts to simply walk away and allow the devilish cougar to sneak right back in. Lowering his head, Lorcan turned his body back to face Craw, his ears flattened against his head as he gave a small nod in agreement.

Golden eyes darted down to stare despondently at his blood stained paws at Craw’s reaffirmation about presenting an image of power. It was true, it has only been minutes before that he had told him the whole story about the bear – or something. Charcoal lips twisted as he tried to remember back to the conversation that they had been having before all the mayhem had erupted. Sheepishly, warm golden eyes glanced up to meet his alpha’s sharp yellow stare. “Fear breeds respect.” He answered, voice but a coarse whisper. Shaking his pelt, the subordinate quickly swept his tongue across his lips and then tentatively traipsed forwards back towards the carcass, this time positioning himself at the posterior end of the animal on the opposite side to where Craw had begun to gorge himself earlier.

Still on edge after the cougar attack, Lorcan did not make himself as comfortable this time as he again waited for Craw’s permission to begin eating. As he watched Craw once again dine on the flesh of the beast, the young male - as always - took the opportunity to delve into somewhat one-sided conversation. “I must say, Sir, you certainly know how to fight! Were you always so good?” It was only after the words spilled out his mouth that he internally questioned it was, in fact, polite to ask such things to an alpha. Too late now. Wanting to recover from his potential blunder, Lorcan waited silent for a moment with bated breath before abruptly changing topic. “If we are lucky, I think we may be able to find a plant called ‘Pineapple Weed’ around here.” He stated optimistically, once again turning his attention away from the carcass and out towards the large area of tundra that surrounded them.

Golden eyes carefully scanned the horizon, looking for areas of trampled ground, where the earth was no covered in a mossy shade of green. It was along beaten paths that the plant was most likely to sprout, and with the caribou having passed through the area not many days ago, there was a high chance of finding an area of compacted ground. Minutes passed by as the male continued to search, before finally his eyes narrowed as he focused on an area of muddy brown that snaked through the landscape in the far distance. Lorcan chuffed, he would do as Craw had requested and eat first, but as soon as they finished he planned to head towards the disturbed area that he had just spotted, hopeful that he would find the plant he desired there. It would help prevent infection – as for the deeper wounds Craw had received, they would need to search further afield for plants that could aid with speeding up the healing process.  

(This post was last modified: Aug 26, 2016, 02:47 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Lorcan's acceptance reeked of reluctance and a lack of understanding, but it was acceptance. Still riding a nice adrenaline high, Craw's reaction to his subordinate's lukewarm concession was to narrow his eyes and curl his lips enough to bare the tips of his teeth - but the hostility wasn't really directed at the smaller wolf. But there was a chance that Lorcan's gentle nature had not obscured all of Craw's attempts to teach him, and the three small words hinted that something, at least, had been learned. It would do. Softening his manner a touch, Craw nodded curtly in turn, telling himself to be satisfied for now. Glancing back out at the horizon, and still seeing nothing (but aware of how little that truly meant) Craw twitched back around towards the carcass and stalked back towards it, sinking his teeth back into the warm flesh with a rather more aggressive kind of hunger.

The compliment was unexpected but not displeasing, though it struck Craw as a strange observation to make - though he quickly conceded that, perhaps, being able to look after oneself wasn't such a daily concern as it had been for himself growing up. Some wolves had it soft. While he did not wish for Whitestone to live hard, nor would he encourage them to get complacent. "No," he grunted, his wide tongue swiping over the left of his muzzle to recover the bits of wet viscera that had caught on his fur, "but I learned fast. Some of us grew up rough." He snorted, as though amused by some private joke, but the curl at the corners of his lips hinted at a more amenable manner. The younger man was quick to change the topic, returning to his beloved weeds (what a name for them - hardly sounded useful or appealing) and his optimism that they would find some out here. Was that the kind he needed? Not that Craw's interest was that high - more just a passing curiosity, an acknowledgement of the other's own brand of skill.

Stepping back, licking at his bloodied chops, Craw motioned for Lorcan to eat his fill, aware that the man would probably only stay briefly before insisting on pursuing these weeds. The thought was almost endearing, and encouraged the silver wolf to take Lorcan's line of conversation and spin it back on himself: "Did you always want to be a healer?"

Though appearing more relaxed, he never let more than a few seconds pass before casting his eyes around them, wanting to make sure that Lorcan was able to satiate his stomach without any more nasty interruptions.

Demonstration post 6/6, let me know if you want anything changed :D

Craw seemed to accept his reply, giving him a small nod in satisfaction before he slunk back across to tear aggressively into the rest of the carcass. Lorcan watched, with a hungry lick of his lips.

His superior’s response to his random question was not what he had expected. Surely someone who could fight with such strength and ferociousness as Craw had always processed such a physical talent? Apparently not. This knowledge please the younger subordinate, and he looked up to Craw then with a look of pure aspiration flickering within his golden gaze, wondering that perhaps with enough training he too could learn to fight with such proficiency. A small smile began to tug at the corners of his lips, but then that smile swiftly faded when Craw added to his response, leaving Lorcan silent with nothing but an uneasy frown.

When it was finally given permission to eat, Lorcan didn’t hang around before shoving his muzzle right into the heart of the kill. Lorcan now took his opportunity to begin eating, ripping off large chunks and swallowing them down quickly in typical wolfish fashion, not wanting to hang around and eat at a leisurely pace with the cougar potentially still hanging around.

Russet ears perked up, and golden eyes darted up to meet Craw’s when he heard his question. Swallowing a large chunk of meat with a loud gulp, Lorcan allowed his salmon pink tongue to brush off the pieces of viscera and coagulated blood from around his jowls before replying. “N-no..” He murmured quietly, unsure if the truth would displease the already agitated alpha. “I wanted to be a scout when I was a pup.” He finally admitted, golden eyes swerving to one side to avoid any glares he may have received. Deciding to leave the conversation at that and miss out on the ugly details, Lorcan got right back to stuffing his face with caribou flesh.

Finally satiated, Lorcan rose to his feet and again tried his best to clean the remnants from the feast off his maw, whilst failing miserably. Turning to Craw with a blood-stained muzzle and cheeks, he moved in slowly to lick at his alpha’s chin in thanks before stepping forwards in search for that muddy disturbed area of terrain he had spotted earlier. Once he had spied it, he glanced back to Craw, head tilted to one side in question. “Shall we go and get that Pineapple Weed now?”

Slowly, for now had a very full stomach, the subordinate trotted ahead out across the lowlands and came to a slow halt when he reached the desired spot. The grass had been trampled by the grazing caribou herds, leaving it all dry and muddy. Perfect! Lorcan yapped contentedly. Nose weaving through the air, he breathed in the scents around him and followed the distinctive scent of the weed, then when the scent grew most potent, he peered around in search of the bright yellow bulbs. “Found it. Sir, I’ve found it!” He barked enthusiastically before he snapped the whole plant, root and all, between his jaws and carried it proudly back towards Craw.

Settling down carefully in front of his alpha, Lorcan began to chew on the root to create a paste which he delicately gathered on the tip of his tongue. Then, leaning in close to his alpha, the subordinate gently pressed his tongue against the bloodied wounds in Craw's fur, leaving traces of the thick paste within the wounds. It would itch as it dried, but with any luck, the paste would prevent infection.

(This post was last modified: Nov 17, 2016, 02:49 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together