Ghastly Woods The Cusp of Change

Their concern couldn't have been clearer. Their expressions, the look in their eyes said it all. Her stomach tightened into a painful knot as she remained silent, her tongue feeling like sandpaper in her mouth. She had no doubt that Emrys would be able to help, and sure enough, he assured them that he had exactly what he needed, right here in this forest. Her yellow gaze flicked up to meet his stern blue eyes evenly, her back turned ear posture expression enough to convey what she thought of all that rest she would need.

She had not been this stubborn or grumpy the first time, back when the Hollow wolves had brought her to their doorstep for treatment. Instead she had been a compliant, picture perfect patient. But this time was different. She had changed since those days. She had responsibilities, goals to fulfill and pursue. A place in her pack where she was meant to be, like the neatly fitted piece of an intricate jigsaw puzzle. The flame of passion burned brighter than ever in her heart and would not be doused so easily. As her pale friend ran off to retrieve the bark that he needed, she watched him retreat without emotion, her face an un-readable mask. Slowly, she inched herself onto the ground, carefully stretching out on her stomach. She tried to avoid moving her leg as much as possible, though the biting pain was still intense.

Gent had not been forgotten as he stood by her side, likely watching over his loyal second. The silence that had stretched between them soon became too much for her. It was too awkward and she had to say something. "Gent...I'm sorry." Her words were simple, spoken in a low voice. Said in a tone as if she felt herself a burden to him now, by ruining what should have been an otherwise pleasant outing. She said nothing more, as her eyes fell to the ground between her paws, her face stony. Deep inside she was breaking apart, worry and doubt tugging and fraying her nerves. Her future was in question and she was silently beating herself up over her mistake. But the depression that was creeping into her being, she would not allow them to see.  

(This post was last modified: Sep 23, 2016, 04:00 PM by Jynx.)

Clearly not a man to leave others disappointed, Emrys' reaction and words were exactly what Gent hoped for. Not just willing and active, but knowledgable and unwasting. The only bit that made the king's ears perk was the reference to the pale medic's own den, which he knew to be rather far south in the marsh.

"We've our own supply, you're welcome to it for this," he quickly afforded to other man with a brisk nod before the other was off to gather the bark. His pale gaze fell upon Jynx again, and how miserable she looked tugged mildly at his heart. It wasn't a bleeding, gaping wound, but it was concerning all the same. Anyways, he couldn't help but see Raela in her features, that self defeat that was so undeserved.

An apology left her lips then, and his ears cupped forward to receive it even though he wasn't sure what it was meant for. Had she been out here doing something she shouldn't? He doubted it.

"You've nothing to be sorry for, Jynx," he assured her. "We'll get you back home quick, this'll be over before you know it."

At least, he very much hoped so. The lingering doubt that this might not be something so easy to fix as any normal twisted ankle still remained within his mind, but he did not want to scare her more about that than she might already be without further knowledge.

There was much to be worried about with Jynx having reinjured her leg. The healer feared that she would need to rest for a much longer period to ensure that it was fully healed this time. He wanted to be sure so that she could accomplish the goals she had, he didn't think she would be able to if the joint remained in a weakened state. She would not be able to hunt as he had once seen her do, this saddened him yet strengthened his resolve to make sure she recovered as fully as she could.

“Thank you, I would appreciate that,” he stated graciously. Using the supplies that Gent had within his pack would mean he would be able to further treat her as soon as the got her back to their home. Moments later Emrys had disappeared into the forest to gather as much of the bark as he could. With the speed he traveled it didn't take him long to reach the tree. He picked up all he could of the bark he and Gent had pulled off before traveling as fast as he could back to Gent and Jynx.

Upon returning to her side he set the bark down before placing a few pieces in front of Jynx. “It's not going to taste good but you have to eat some of this bark to help with the pain,” he explained to Jynx then looking between her and Gent he went on, “Once she's had some of the bark we can give it a few minutes to set in before trying to get her home.” Though he wanted to relieve some of the pain she was in he didn't want to relieve all of it so she wouldn't try to walk on the leg and possibly cause more damage. “We can take the rest of this with us and she can use it as she needs it.”

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2016, 02:36 AM by Emrys.)

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Gent's assurance that her apology was not needed did nothing to soothe her frayed nerves, or the gathering pool of doubt in her stomach. But at least it appeared that she hadn't inconvenienced him with her mishap today. But what of the rest of the pack, and his growing children? The russet female had not seen Merys around as of late, and with her out of commission, someone would have to pick up the slack in the hunting department. Remaining silent, she waited patiently for Emrys to return, while the burning throb in her leg persisted.

She had not missed the generous offer from her Alpha to her pale friend, welcoming him to their medical supply. She supposed that meant that Emrys would be a temporary guest inside of their borders, if he was to oversee her treatment and recovery. Sylva was already knowledgeable in the healing arts herself, so it would ultimately be Gent's call if any further assistance from Emrys would be needed. She would loathe to depart on such terms, in such a pitiful state with the aspiring healer. Where he would go after his services were no longer needed, she could only guess. Most likely back south, which is where his home base or den likely was. A part of her fretted. The season was changing. Winter was only months away and she certainly hoped he could make it through another year on his own.

Minutes passed, and soon the white male was back at her side. Lifting her golden gaze up from it's place on her paws, she met his eyes while drinking in his instructions. She looked at the shards of bark he had ripped from a tree, which she was to eat, dubiously. Her ears swinging back, the folds of skin lining her muzzle crinkled distastefully. "I never thought I'd go vegetarian..." She muttered in a low, sarcastic tone. For a moment it seemed as if she would refuse to eat, but then she gave in, grudgingly. Snapping up a piece of the stiff tree bark in her jaws, she ground it down to a mushy pulp with her molars, swallowing uncomfortably. She ate one more piece quickly, quite ready to get this unpleasant process over with as quick as possible. When she was finished, she coughed, flicking her tongue out awkwardly to try and get rid of any remaining traces of wood in her mouth. "So...how long until this stuff takes effect?" Slowly, she propped herself up on her front paws, but wisely kept her rear end immobile.

ready to wrap up when you guys are <3 took some liberties to keep the action flowing, please let me know if you want anything changed!

Emrys was prompt in his retrieval of the bark, and Gent continued his silent appraisal as the man utilized his discipline. The instructions given further proved that his knowledge was genuine, and while this situation was nothing gruesome or taxing, his bedside manner was still noteworthy. Cool, clear and concise mattered. Gent remembered before the offer that he'd given this man, and the healer had never returned to take him up on. Yet now, he was all the more inclined to touch upon the subject once more. This wolf would make for an excellent addition to their pack.

As expected, Jynx's features twisted with disgust as she downed her medicine, her comment barely earning a smile from the alpha. Were she not injured, he would've been moved to show more expression.

"A moment," he encouraged, settling his haunches to the ground to indicate 'long enough to relax for the time being.' The minutes seemed to tick by slowly, and he was sure this antagonized her even more so than it did him. When he expected that it had been long enough, he asked her if she felt the effects well enough to make the trip back home. Getting an affirmative answer, he couldn't be sure if she was being one hundred percent honest. Knowing her, even if the edge hadn't been taken off, she would just grit through the pain to save them all the time.

Regardless, the sooner they escaped the hinterlands and got her back to the infirmary, the better.

"I'll help her walk. Emrys, watch our backs," he instructed before gathering a few bark pieces in his jaws. It was unlikely they'd run into any hassles on the return trip, but Gent could never be too careful. On the side of her injury, the leviathan walked closely, close enough for her lean on as she chose, and certainly to catch her as needed.

Emrys didn't want Jynx to suffer the pain of her injury longer than necessary so he did not waste any time gathering what he needed and returning to where she and Gent were waiting. He gave his instructions on what she needed to do for the bark to work, it wasn't a pleasant thought eating it but it was necessary. Jynx did not hesitate in showing her disgust at eating the bark either, even in her current state she was just as fiery. “It's only temporary so you can get back on your feet,” he assured her. Emrys hoped that might encourage her enough she wouldn't fight this treatment or whatever future treatments she would need, he was sure she would need some.

Finally she did do as instructed though Emrys hadn't had a doubt that she would a little encouragement never hurt. Once she had swallowed the bark they would have to wait, the length of time was what Jynx questioned and Gent answered her before Emrys could.

They would have a few moments while they waited for the treatment to take effect, Emrys chose to follow Gent's lead in sitting back on his haunches to wait. He also considered bringing up the offer that the dark alpha had made to him but reconsidered for the time being, it just wasn't the time.

When the medicine had finally taken effect and they could move Jynx, or rather help her. The sooner they got her home and to a place she could truly rest the better and Emrys wanted to make sure she was well taken care of. The healer was given instructions to watch behind for any trouble, something he wasn't used to but he gave the Alpha a quick nod, ”I will keep a close eye out,” he assured. It would be best that they didn't run into any trouble for Jynx safety, she did not need her leg to be injured worse. “Jynx, please try not to rush yourself,” he added to his friend his tone more suggestive. While they did need to move as quickly as possible he also didn't want her to feel a need to put pressure on herself.

(This post was last modified: Oct 22, 2016, 04:01 AM by Emrys.)

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After agonizing moments ticked by, giving time for the healing properties in the bark to take effect, she affirmed to both Gent and Emrys, that she felt the pain dulling. With the discomfort in her leg greatly reduced, she felt more confident in her ability to make it home. But, with assistance of course. The agouti female had been through this all before, sadly. She knew well enough that just because the medicine was doing it's job, did not mean her ailment was cured. She still very much had a rather sore and soon to be swollen ankle, and by bearing weight on it during the trek home would only aggravate the injury. She would have to make due with hobbling.

Appreciative of the company of her friends, and the support they were so willing to provide, Jynx took a few tentative steps forwards, shuffling with her three good legs while her lame one hung limply mid air. The going would be slow, she knew, and she still felt as if she were almost burdening these wolves, yet to whom she was both close. Emrys would now be pulled further away from the South and his stock of personal herbs, for which she felt guilty. Dozens of questions filtered silently in her head. What would he do once he was done with her as his patient? Would Gent offer him a home in the pack? Who would take care of the serious business of hunting, now that she was on bed rest and that Merys was gone? If the weight of responsibility had been heavy on her shoulders before, then now it felt like the weight of the world. And she was powerless to do anything about it. That's what would eat away at her. Distantly hearing the voice of her pale friend, she only gave a short nod. "Don't worry...I won't." Her voice was hollow. Overloaded by emotions, Jynx shifted into daze of half awareness, focusing only on getting home, step by step. The emotional breakdown could come later, in the privacy of a den.

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