Lounging lazily on his side, still working to catch his breath, Lorcan sprawled out comfortably upon the stones which had remained warm beneath the last few rays of sunlight. Tilting his head back, the male reached across to tug teasingly at a stray strand of Inna’s ebony fur before he eventually settled his crown upon the ground to gaze – albeit upside down – at the gentle bubbling water of the stream as it flowed past them.
A contented sigh was breathed past his charcoal lips as he felt Inna’s warmth settle up against him. After giving her a moment to get herself comfortable, his golden gaze broke away from the water as he repositioned his head, tucking his chin in towards his chest as he enabled the raven to get a better look at the irritable patch behind his right ear. The feeling of her warm tongue stroking through his fur worked to relax him and the male soon found his dark lashes fluttering shut, tempted to drift off into a pleasant sleep with the soft trickling sound of the stream playing like a lullaby in his ears.
Lorcan barely heard her utter his name, lost in the bliss of the moment, it was only as her tone grew awkward that his dark lashes fluttered open and a confused frown slowly formed on his brow. “Hmm?” He mumbled, still not quite fully aware of what was going on. “C-crawing?!” He said a bit louder, his frown deepening as realisation slowly started to settle in. “What do you mean?” He grumbled sleepily as his paws gathered up underneath him to push him up – somewhat unsteadily – to stand.
Shaking his pelt out thoroughly, trying to recompose himself after being so relaxed, his golden eyes then glanced across to meet the deep orange eyes of the dark female as his tail flicked anxiously behind him. “Are–are you trying to say I have fleas?!” He asked in disbelief, lifting his rear leg up to balance awkwardly in order to give his ear another mouth-wateringly good scratch, as if to prove her wrong.
It took a moment for her to catch her breath which gave Lorcan the chance to get himself more comfortable. The last rays of light filtered through the forest around them and the sound of the bubbling stream surrounded them. Inna couldn't imagine a better way to end the day except for a quiet grooming session with the man she loved. She nipped at him as he tugged on one of her furs that had stuck out from her coat before she licked it back into place. The quiet of the area they were in would have normally left her with so many thoughts she wouldn't be able to calm them. Being there with Lorcan after their game of chase those thoughts had not crowded back in.
As he breathing slowed Inna moved in close and settled herself against him. His warmth the comfort she'd been needing a lot more of lately. He repositioned his head giving her better access to the offending spot behind his ear. Inna didn't waste anytime as she went to work too hopefully relieve him off the irritation there. As she worked and the spot became wetter she saw something that was rather off to her. Small black or brown things crawling across his skin and through his hair. This was something he certainly needed to be aware of and by then she had stopped her grooming of him.
It was of course rather awkward to tell him that he had little bugs crawling on him which came out in her voice as she spoke telling him of the problem. He didn't seem too concerned until she mentioned the crawling, “Yes, crawling,” she stated and then he wanted to know what she meant, “Like like black bugs crawling through your fur.” She wasn't sure how much more plain than that she could get. Once she said that she was up next to him not wanting the bugs whatever they were to get on her. She would never be able to find them in her black pelt.
He was soon up asking her if she was trying to tell him he had fleas. The word caused something to click in her mind, “That has to be what they are,” she stated her mind still not really catching up until he lifted his leg once more to scratch behind his ear. Without warning In raised up on her hind legs just before he forepaws made contact with the tawny healer and he went backwards landing with a splash into the stream. “How could you bring fleas around me, around our daughter?” She questioned him from the shore as she paced, “You're not coming out until they are gone,” she ordered with a nod.
A single brow raised in disbelief as Inna confirmed that she had indeed seen something crawling through his fur and then his brows furrowed as she described the culprits in greater detail. His heartrate quickened then, suddenly feeling repulsed as he began to realise exactly what is was that she was referring to. Fleas?! Russet ears pressed back in horror as Lorcan looked across to Inna, not wanting to believe her, before he lifted his rear leg up to scratch at the itchy area again.
He’d barely raked his dull claws through his fur to scratch when Inna reared up and suddenly pushed him, sending the agouti male tumbling backwards with considerable force over into a deeper area of the stream. With thunderous splash, Lorcan plummeted into the frothing water, his slender limbs flailing wildly as he instinctively scrambled to catch his footing.
Slowly rising up to stand, his fur now slicked back, wet and dripping, Lorcan shot a seething glare across to the dark wolf who now paced frantically at the water’s edge. “What did you do that for?!” He barked, half choking on the water that trickled down the back of his throat, as his muzzle wrinkling to expose a flash of fangs and a dark scowl formed upon his face.
With an angry thrash of his tail and a huff, the bedraggled-looking male stomped his way back onto dry land, not caring if he should splash Inna in the process as he skulked past her. Making sure to position himself a few metres away from the stream, Lorcan gave a thorough shake of his pelt – showering the surrounding vegetation in the process – before planting his rear on the ground to sit beneath a tall cedar tree, water still dripping from his spiked fur.
“If I do have fleas, as you say, then applying some cedar oil to the area would have been much more effective…” He hissed, golden eyes sharp and angry beneath the shadow of his furrowed brow as he glared across at the woman who had been so keen to cleanse him of his apparent parasite problem.
Her experience with fleas was limited to hearing about them, she'd never had them herself but she knew they did bad things especially to pups. Her kind had gone to Oksana which had led her to act so rashly. She had to get the fleas off of him, he couldn't go near Oksana until they were gone. Then her mouth dropped open as she suddenly realized she'd been laying against him and right near where she had found the flea, how many more were on him? Did any get on her? What if she took them back to Oksana? Or he did? All these thoughts raced through her mind which led to what she did next.
Not even giving him a real chance to continue scratching his ear Inna had pushed him into the water. She watched as she tumbled into a deeper part of the stream before beginning to pace asking how he could bring those filthy creatures near his family. She also let him know that he wasn't coming out until they were gone and she fully intended to make him stay there. She could not have the bugs near her daughter and there was no doubt in her mind that was exactly what she had seen crawling on him.
She watched still pacing at the shore as he got to his feet and as he stood there it was very clear he wasn't happy with her. She'd never seen him look as angry as he was just then, even when they had their argument that led to their estrangement. “How else are you going to get rid of them than a bath?” She barked back at him, “They have to go Lorcan. We can't let Oksana get them.” Her gaze softened a little as he seemed to be having a little trouble but hardened right back up when she saw the frown he carried across his maw.
She had meant to keep him in the stream long enough for the fleas to leave his coat or die. Even moving to step in front of him but the thrash of his tail, the huff, and the look he gave her as he splashed his way out of the stream droplets of water coming to land in her pelt. She stepped aside allowing him to pass not wanting to incur anymore of his wrath. She watched as he moved away from the stream and shook his fur of the water before sitting down dripping wet.
“Are you doubting that you have fleas?” She question as she came toward him. He'd also spoken of a remedy for his situation. “Well if you think that will work better than we should probably do that,” she added as she came to stand in front of him. Whether it made him even more angry with her she tried to dry his face.
Inna might as well have been barking at the trees, because Lorcan was having none of it. Ignoring her retaliatory comments, the dripping wet male stormed past her in a rage, ears flattened hard against his crown as he did so in an attempt to block out the sound of her voice.
Shaking away as much of the water as he could, the male moved to sit beneath the canopy of one of the many cedar trees which were in the area. Golden eyes stared at the ground angrily as the chill of the evening breeze began to bite at his skin, made worse by the sopping state of his fur. Clenching his jaw and moving his tail forwards to wrap protectively around his paws, Lorcan did his best not to shiver as droplets of water continued to fall from his fur.
In response to her question, his golden eyes flashed up to meet her gaze through the growing darkness – offering her nothing but a sharp glare for a few heartbeats. He desperately wanted not to believe her because he did not want to believe it himself. However, despite his impromptu soaking and the cool chill of the wind, the itch was beginning to return. “No..” He grumbled, giving in to the urge to have another scratch at his ear, just to admit it to himself that he did, in fact, have a parasite problem.
The male’s body stiffened as Inna moved in closer to stand before him, ears pushing further against his skull in avoidance before his shoulders sagged in defeat. He remained still as she leant in to clean off his face, his frown softening as his golden gaze dropping to the stare at the damp soil which had formed in a large patch around him.
The warmth of her tongue sweeping against his face was not enough to stop the chill of the wind sending shivers down his skin. The bridge of his muzzle wrinkled as his limbs began to tremble, unable to fight off the instinctive process any longer. “W-we wi-will need a sssss-strip of b-b-b-bark from one of these Redcedar trees to extrrrrract the oil.” He stated, clearly implying through his stuttering that Inna should be the one to retrieve it, as he motioned towards the trees which surrounded them with his eyes.
They'd had their arguments and disagreements but this felt different than it had in the past. As he stormed past her in his rage at what she'd done she wasn't worried he’d run off somewhere and not return. She watched as he walked past her toward one of the nearby trees having not responded to anything she'd said. She did not pester him for a response not wanting to make things any worse than she already had. Perhaps she had acted a little rashly.
She hadn't moved from her place next to the stream as he shook the water from his coat and sat under the tree. She was a little worried about approaching him knowing he was very angry with her. He truly was in a sad state that caused her expression to change from in of irritation that he would bring fleas home to in of concern and sympathy. Being that she did feel bad for his current predicament she still had to think if their daughter.
His words however brought a question, was he doubting he had a problem? She started to step toward him as she waited for his answer but stopped with forepaw hanging in the air. For a moment it stayed there until she finally putting it down not making another move toward him. Would her question go unanswered but it didn't as it seemed he'd resigned himself to the fact he did have a flea problem. As if to confirm it he was scratching again at his ear which meant that the dip in the stream had not helped.
Throwing caution to the wind Inna approached him coming to stand in front of him. She did however keep a close eye on him in case he was so angry with her but it seemed that wasn't necessary. Taking it a step further she started to clean and dry his face which he didn't stop her from doing. She hoped it would help but he was so thoroughly soaked through she wasn't sure much would help at this point.
He mentioned cedar oil would rid him of his fleas to which she suggested that they put it on and see if it helped. She felt his nose wrinkle as she continued to clean his face before he spoke telling her what needed to be done. Her gaze flicked to the tree behind him as he told her they needed the bark. His stuttering did not keep her from understanding him but it did make her feel a little worse. “I'll get it,” she told him quietly before placing a kiss to his cheek and a bump to his chin. She then moved off to pull some of the bark from the tree behind him with her teeth. Once she had a good sized piece in her jaws she brought it back around and dropped it as his feet. “How do I get the oil from it?” She asked him head canting to the side.
Dark lashes fluttered shut in acknowledgment when Inna offered to retrieve some bark from the red cedar trees in order to treat him. His expression remained stoic, jaw clenched uncomfortably, even as the dark woman leant in to place an apologetic kiss on his cheek. He was not ready to forgive her just yet, not whilst he was still made to suffer – soaked and shivering – out in the cold darkness of the evening.
He watched her curiously, tail still wrapped tightly his body as it quivered against the chill of the wind, observing as she moved to step behind him to strip a piece of bark from the trunk of the tall cedar tree which he sheltered under. Russet ears perked forwards and his golden gaze blinked down to inspect material she placed at his paws with interest for a moment before his attention focused back on Inna and her question.
“Ch-ch-chhh-chew it..” He stuttered, voice shaking from the violent shiver which rattled his slender frame. “..into a paste.” He continued, as he shifted down into the dirt and curled up tight in a feeble attempt to keep somewhat warm, despite his wet fur. Tucking his muzzle into the thick fur of his chest, he tried to breathe some warmth against his skin as he waited for Inna to create the medicinal paste.
The more he sat there and shivered looking so miserable the more she felt badly for shoving him in the stream. It was clear that as she kissed his cheek and got no response back that he was still upset with her. So she would do what she could to make him feel better. He'd instructed her to get bark from one of the trees nearby so that they could get the oil from it and that would get rid of his fleas. She was a little unsure about her doing the gathering but she had collected plants with him before and she trusted him.
Choosing the tree that he was sheltered under she grabbed a piece of the bark with her teeth and pulled. It took a few tries before it finally came loose with a cracking noise. With it in her mouth she returned to stand in front of him and dropping the bark at his feet before asking how they were to extract the oil from the piece of bark she had gathered. She watched as he inspected what she had brought and waited for his answer to her question.
She was to chew the bark in her mouth, she gathered from his stuttered speech. As he laid down and curled himself up to keep warm Inna laid down in front of him and tore a piece off using her paws to hold the wood still as she broke a piece off and began chewing. As she chewed she found the bark to have a strange Woody taste like nothing she'd ever tasted before. Inna chewed and chewed for what seemed a long time before she finally felt like the bark was in a past form. “With oo I oo with it ow?” She asked trying to speak around the gob of paste in her mouth.
Lorcan remained curled up at the base of the tall cedar tree, tail curled up tightly against his body, paws folded in and his muzzle tucked firmly against the thick fur of his chest. The cool chill of the wind still snaked through his fur damp fur, causing the occasional shiver to rack through his body and his hair to stand on end, as he waited impatiently for Inna to create a paste out of the cedar bark she had collected.
A frown still pulled at his brow, more out of discomfort than anything, and his golden eyes closed as he moved to cup his pale forepaws around his nose in an attempt to keep warm. Russet ears were the only thing that remained focused on Inna as she lay there beside him, perked toward the sound of her incessant crunching and chewing.
At the sound of her muffled voice, Lorcan lifted his head to look at Inna, his russet ears pressing back sympathetically against his head as he imagined the awful taste she must have been experiencing just then. “Apply it to the affected areas.” He stated quietly, without a stutter now that he had managed to get his shivering under better control.
Swatting the itchy patch behind his ear with a single forepaw, Lorcan shifted to lay his head down flat on the dirt before him and perked his ears forwards to give Inna better access to the flea infested area. “You might want to ch-ch-check elsewhere, just in c-c-case.” He whispered, another shiver running through the length of his body as he lay there, keeping as still as he could manage.
After receiving her instructions on what to do with the bark once she had retrieved it Inna took some into her mouth. The taste wasn't so unpleasant at first, like chewing on a stick. As she continued to chew and the bark started to break down the taste became worse. She wrinkled her nose a little at it but didn't spit it out continuing to chew.
As she did that all she could do was watch as Lorcan curled himself in a tight ball in an effort to keep warm. As soon as she'd taken care of his flea problem they would have to work on getting him warm and dry. He looked extremely miserable as she lay there with him. He was still shivering but it seemed a little more under control. It was every so often that she saw his body trembled with one.
Her jaws had started to get tired after chewing the bark so much but she finally had it to the consistency that she felt would be a paste. That was when she asked though distorted by the paste in her mouth what she should do with it. His response was to apply it to the affected areas which at this point she only knew to be his ear.
She kept the paste in her mouth until he was in a better position for her to apply it. She got up close to the place behind his ear and spit the glob out before using her paw to rub it in. “Have you noticed any other itchy spots?” She asked as she finished rubbing the paste in. Inna then began to check him over for any other areas that might need some of the paste. “Will what I have applied get all of them? Even the ones not near your ear?” She asked curiously.