Lost Lake This New Life...

Steel winced as he stepped on his left front paw and a sharp root poked into the tender unhealed pads. He growled to himself at the pain. An ever-present reminder of the landslide that had caugt his leader in it as it rumbled to the ground far below. All had turned out well, but he had shredded all of his pads on the unforgiving terrain as he made a mad dash to save the white fae.

Athena saw something in him and despite his uncaring and angry attitude, it meant something to him. She alone had any meaning to him. The others were only mattered to him, because they mattered to her. He had no physical attraction to the white fae, attractive as she was, she just... mattered. He had no reasoning of why and didn't want to figure out the crazy chaos of his mind. For now he just dealt with the unfamiliar sense of loyalty to another.

As he continued on patrol and another branch attacked his raw feet, he growled and grabbed the root thrusting up from the ground, snarling visciously and ripping the section from the ground. His anger was directed at the unsuspectiong root when he knew that it should be directed at himself. He should take himself to see Chantille and have her heal him, but he'd been on his own so long that he had just bore the pain. Now his feet seemed to be getting worse. He would have to seek her out or he'd soon be no use to his new pack or himself. Having made the decision, he nodded his head to no one and his stormy blue eyes glittered as he move on in his patrol.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 05:30 PM by Steel.)

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Cold shivers ran over her spine. The autumn wind was unforgiving for her wed body. Her once so white coat was now dyed in brown. She was cold, had few scratches and bruises but she was alive. Her heart was still pumping blood through her veins. Kyrie looked cautious behind her back, after the accident she continued to jump by every little sound. Her body wasn't only shivering from the cold but also from the shock..

Rain poured down since autumn had stood before them, waving summer goodbye. Rivers came out of their bedding, floating their home. Luckily not catastrophic, no one was wounded by the sudden river water just they lost some of the caches and their herb stock. Who would have thought that days after that even the mountains would give away. Kyrie bit her lip while she walked through the path of dirt. Searching for herbs, smelling a fimiliar old scent, coming into the mountains and now a landslide. Some God was on her side, or was it luck, because she had not been taken down with the brown stream of mud and stone. Just avoided it by a hair. The girl praised herself lucky with the speed her body owned. And now, how to get back? The scent she tried to track down and had brought her into this mess was already washed away by the rain. Turning back was impossible, the way she came was destroyed by the stream. Kyrie swallowed the sour taste that dominated her mouth as she thought about the mess. Mountains were a unknown area for her. Never, ever in her life had she been in rough terrains like this. Not in her old home, what was just a huge world of green, nor in her new home what was placed in the willows.

'What should I do.' Her wailing voice lost in the wind. If she couldn't find a way out of this place the pack may be worried. They may even go searching for her! No way they couldn't do that, it was too dangerous. Kyrie didn't now how high the chance was for a other landslide but the risk alone was making her pale. Her nose sniffed the washed air. New scents doomed out of the earth but their was a interesting scent. One that belonged to a wolf. Her heart actually missed a beat. Wolf! The urge to run after the scent made her paws tickle but she had to walk slowly. Praying the wolf would walk slowly too in these circumstances. 'Wait, Sir, Madame?!' She shouted to the wolf. Would he/she wait?It was hard to identify gender by a smell that was still cover up by rain and mud. In her head she whispered a prayer. Please wait for me.

Soon after making his momentous decision to ask for aid from another, a voice carried to him on the wind. His initial instinct was still to avoid all others, but he tamped down the urge to melt into the shadows. He was a part of the pack now and Athena would expect him to respond to one of their own and defend angainst another. Reluctantly, he turned his head in the direction the soft, pleading voice had come from. It was unfamiliar, but that meant little since he wasn't close to any of his pack mates. He'd only ever conversed with Chantille, the healer and that had been...odd.

Putting his nose to work, he quickly detected the unfamiliar scent on the wind. He had never come across the scent in his patrols, so it was a stranger then. Instantly, his hackles raised and his stormy eyes darkened to midnight blue. He hurried the last few steps to find a small dirty and scared looking fae looking in his direction. Her obvious fear did little to ease his aggression. This was his job, to patrol and protect their borders and she was dangerously close to a viscious attack. "What?" he all but growled at her, still looking larger than life and angry at the world.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 05:30 PM by Steel.)

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Chunks of dried mud swung in her fur while Kyrie tried to catch up to the stranger. There was this wolf in blacks and whites. So he had heard her. Her relieve would be gone soon as the girl came closer. Two dark blue eyes stared at her with more aggression than she was used to. Automatic she made herself smaller, slowly taking a step back. The growl thrown to her side wasn't very welcoming. Stunned, surprised and fear was mixed all together, it made her head spin. Kyrie had never been treated so cold. Not in quarrels, just never. The kind-hearted fae averted her eyes in unease. What should she do? She had never been in such situation before. The chunks of earth began to bother her even more. The girl could not see how mud had taken over her body but she could feel the extra weight while walking. The nasty feeling of not having washed for days. Normally she didn't bother but than she could have washed it off all at once in a stream. Meeting strangers, especially this grumpy one, while she was so dirty. Kyrie wished she could wash off everything or better, just not be here.

Again she had to be strong. The white she-wolf tried to relax more, if she was scared how should react. 'Do you know the way out of the mountains?' She had been quiet all time long, now she used her voice in front of him she could hear her own insecurity. Daring Kyrie met his eyes. Would he get angry and snarl at her? Kyrie wondered if he was willing to help her at all, he could just turn around deciding to ignore her. She hoped not but in this case it didn't look good for her. 'I'm Kyrie nice to meet you.' She gave a slight nod, would he give his greetings back. Ah, it was nerve-racking, why had he growled to her. It was not like she got lost on purpose

Steel was at a loss. The girl seemed terrified by his manner and he couldn't blame her. Social graces were not his forte' and his shredded and infected feet did not help his mood in the least. She cowered down before him, at least reassuring him that she had no intentions of misconduct while he was around. He was to protect the borders, but she hadn't actually crossed over them yet. This was actually his first encounter with a stranger at the borders since joining Poisoned Path. He'd been prepared for a scuffle or even an outright battle, but this frightened and filthy fae left him confused. What was he to do with her?

She finally squeaked out a question, barely meeting his eyes and introduced herself. He was not a wolf of many words and the urge to leave her high and dry was strong, but an image of Jade from so long ago flitted through his mind, summoned by the small timid fae. He would hope that someone would help his sister if she still lived somewhere on this endless earth.

Steel took a small step towards her, staring at her with stormy eyes, as if to see the truth of her situation. There was no trickery. She was lost and needed help. As he put weight on his foot, he sucked in a wince, showing no outward sign of weakness, but the scent of his own fresh blood wafted up to him. The bloody root had opened the wounds again... Ignoring the pain and the scent, he answered. "Steel. Keep going west." He tipped his head westward in case she wasn't sure of her bearings. "Follow the sun." His voice was deep and scratchy from disuse, which made him sound just as disgruntled as he appeared.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 05:30 PM by Steel.)

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What would he do? The changes that this wolf would help her out seemed slim. His whole living was giving off warnings. The blue eyes were the most scariest, Kyrie had never seen such eyes full of wild power. Losing herself in his gave felt like she was taken by a hurricane. No emotions she could clearly read except the unwelcoming attitude. Breaking the eye contact her amber eyes looked at her paws. She tried to not let her fear smell by the stranger. There was nothing to be afraid of, he wouldn't do anything to her. She did nothing wrong, just asking the way. She did nothing wrong and he wouldn't attack without reason. He won't.

'Steel.' What? Amber eyes looked up taken by surprise. The rough voice did not go into a snarl or a growl. It was still not very warming but, it was a good sign. Honestly a bit relieved she gave off a little smile. The time meeting a more.. cool person but it looked like it would pack out well for her. 'Keep going west.' He.. West? Her head turned around but the wrong way. Steel's head tipped to the sun. 'Follow the sun.' Of course, West. Kyrie could slap herself to not forget something so simple. Wait, Steel he just helped her. Her head turned to see the grey male but a metal scent rang all bells. Blood, from where? Source of the smell, a paw that was not hers. 'You're wounded.' She simply said softly. Would he.. just as payment for his help? 'May I help you? With the wound?' Kyrie carefully watched in his eyes again. Would he accept?

He gave a soft snort as the fae turned her head eastward first, then westward with his direction. If there'd been even the slightest doubt about her being lost, she'd just squished it. Well, at least she would be on her way now and he could get back to business. She seemed surprised that he'd offered any assistance and to be honest, he was himself. It seemed the only wolves that were able to break through his stoic exterior were the small helpless females that brought Jade to mind for the large wolf. Briefly, he wondered where his sibling was, if she was even still alive. He hadn't seen her or their bitter mother for two years now, so there really was no telling. He cared little for whether his mother lived or died, but he hoped that his tiny sister was safe somewhere.

Just as it seemed she was about to leave, she mentioned his wounds. He swore at himself. Could nothing go his way today? Seriously, the infection was bad enough, then the roots, then the scraggly lost fae and now she was aware of his injury. He refused to look weak, so at first he merely grunted and gave her a dark look, intending to snap at her to mind her own business. His lips even lifted, exposing long white fangs. Then he remembered his earlier resolve to search out Chantille for healing. Perhaps this lost girl could save him the trouble. Yet, he didn't want to look weak... but he couldn't defend his pack if fire was raging through him in the form of infection. He let a snarl loose, but it wasn't directed at her. Things were so much simpler as a loner and for a moment he wished that he was still on his own. Then he'd have never shredded his paws when his leadess was in danger and he wouldn't be in this position.

Giving one last growl at his internal struggle he glared at her for a moment as if it was her fault, when in fact, she was completely innocent in the matter. She was simply offering to help him as he had helped her, albeit a lot more graciously. Also, he had no idea how long it would be until he could locate Chantille to do the work. With a grunt, he answered, "If you are a healer, then yes. My paws are a bit scratched up." The look he gave her, warned her that she'd better watch herself. Then held one forward for her to see and it was glaringly obvious that the mangle mess that used to be his pads were way beyond 'scratched' and smelled of infection. All of his paws were in similar shape, but the front pair were worse by far.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2013, 05:31 PM by Steel.)

The stormy eyes darkened once again. Though he had showed her a somewhat kind side Steel kept being mean. The girl flinched at the sight of his fangs, maybe she should have kept quiet and took his advice without bothering him any further. Kyrie would love to turn around and run towards home. She really felt hopeless around this big brute. Everything she did seemed to rub Steel in a wrong way. Turn around and fake ignorance. If it was another wolf they may have done so. However Kyrie could not, even if she wanted to merge into the ground, she was going to be a healer. She wanted to help, even headstrong wolves like Steel. Taking a deep breath she took his snarl and growls.

Looking at Steel with all seriousness in her eyes she answered. 'I'm a Healer.' The big man showed his paws. The label ''scratched'' was the biggest understatement in 10 years. How long had he walked in such condition. 'What have you been doing all this time?' Eyes big in surprise, it was totally torn and god knew how he could just walk. A less stubborn person had long stopped walking. Yet this guy ignored his body totally and just kept on walking. 'Do you think this will heal just within a couple of days? Why did you wait so long before going to a Healer or seeking help?' She scolded him with a touch of anger. 'Doesn't it hurt?' She could even smell the infection from this far. Her voice was worried but stern at the same time. The hard rocky ground was not pleasant to walk on to begin with. Every time he would step on a sharp stone or jump or whatever would bring more harm to his paws. Again she had to keep her patience in order to not keep scolding. Stop before he would go back to his shell and walk away.

For a second she watched around. With a nudge of her head she signed Steel to follow her. She would not let him walk much further. 'You can lie down here.' It was just a stone but it was smooth and there was not sand or gravel that could tear his paws any further. 'I have some herbs left in my shelter. Stay here, while I'm gone clean your paws. I'll be back soon.' She ended with a little smile but her eyes warned him. Why was she in the mountains? She had so little knowledge of the growing plants here. Snow covering the little green that grew in the Serpent's Pass she had to rely on the stash she had taken with her. 'If I had met him by the Willows I could have done so much more.' She mumbled while packing all her stuff. The herbs and plants were originally planned to be dropped in the Infirmary yet today they would be just for someone who was really rude, mean and harsh. Kyrie could not get it, why would you pain yourself on purpose? In either way she would heal this person, she would stick to him to be sure that he took his rest.

When he took a breath and truly looked at the fae, she seemed ready to bolt and he was about to resign himself to trying to find the elusive Chantille for his treatment. The thought was not a happy one, but he refrained from any more growls or snarls. His earlier ones had not been directed at her, more so at himself, but of course she had no way of knowing that. He'd frightened her and felt a pinprick of guilt. With a silent grunt he pushed it away. He simply didn't have time for guilt. If she wouldn't help him, he'd seek out his own pack Healer and be done with it.

Apparently her resolve returned and she looked at his paw with amazement, before she proceeded to scold him for walking is such a condition. She seemed to truly be getting worked up over it and his dark blue eyes widened at the change in the dirt covered fae. She hardly seemed helpless now as she began to order him about. He really wasn't sure how to react, but his feet really did hurt. He finally grunted out, "I'm a guardian." as if those simple words answered all of her questions. He had a job to do and he did it. There was no time to laze about.

She seemed to be done scolding him and told him to lay on a large smooth surfaced rock and cleanse his paws. She said that she would be back soon with her herbs. He refrained from wrinkling his nose at the thought of who knows what treatment she had in mind. If she made it worse, if that was even possible, she would pay dearly at the point of his fangs he grumbled to himself. Then he obediently began to clean the mess that was his paws. The smell and the taste were highly unpleasant, but just like his guard duty... he did what needed to be done. By the time she returned, all of his paws were clean and looked far better. The deep lacerations were still atrocious, but the puss an dirt was gone for now, dutifully cleaned by the grudging male.

A small girl trotted elegant as that can be, with a big bunch of herbs in her mouth. It was good she didn't have to walk far, getting lost was so easy in these paths. Everything looked the same. Bouncing back to the place she left the grumpy man, if he was still there. She couldn't say for sure if he would do as she had told him. Before she had turned away she had seen him lay down beginning to clean his paws. She just hoped he didn't fled when she was out of sight. Though she didn't have to worry. Cause the grey man laid still on his stone with clean paws and all.

As she saw the large Steel she walked faster. Spreading all the herbs neatly before her. Kyrie could still taste a little bit of bitterness from the plants, would Steel mind the taste? Probably not, if he could walk till his paw was infected he could take a little bit of bitter spice. Her amber gaze fell on his paws, they looked better. Much better without sand and dust covering the wounds. Let's not begin about the puss that may have come out of the infected ones. 'Looks better but it's still a mess.' She murmured analysing what it needed to heal him properly. Looking back at her little medic store she selected a few. If Elettra was here she would surely not hesitate how to handle her stuff. Without her black Queen next to her to correct any faults she might make it felt like a test. A test of her own skills, but Steel was not some test object. He needed his paws, if the infection became worse it could damage him for good.

'Here,' she shoved Steel leaves of tumeric. '-it will reduce the pain.' Kyrie gave a little smile. 'I understand that you want to serve your pack but they want to see you healthy and not in pain. Besides, I think you can protect better with good paws instead of those.' Pointing out to the poor paws she took some comfrey in her mouth. Chewing she pushed some other plants towards Steel. 'Swallow the tumeric when you can.' A green brew came out of her muzzle. 'I'll disinfect your front paws and use some herbs to heal your other paws. Could you lay on your side than I can put some Comfrey on your paws.' Kyrie took some of the green herb and softly rubbed them on his paws. Things could take a while as she would have to chew everything to a smash or let it sink into the skin. She didn't know if Steel had the patience to sit still, if not he had just to endure it.