Jasper Rocks now you're a ghost away from here.

RE:There is an active change in the Northern Lights! The sky lights up in greens, blues, and even shades of purple.
For my lovely @Pip, though @Bennet is welcome!

 

Kjell…

Kjell wasn’t doing as well as he should have been.  Could have been.  After Gent had scooped him up from the pathetic pile of wolf on the side of the mountain, he spent two weeks with the man’s pack.  It was enough to let him rest up some without having to worry about feeding Bennet (or being hunted down by the devil in a cat’s skin), but he couldn’t stay in White Fir Notch forever.  It was strain on the pack, and frankly, he could feel his skin crawling.  They were all strangers there, and it didn’t have to be that way, but something haunted the younger dragon and drove him away again.  Of course he brought Bennet, but there was only one place he wanted to go, there was only one wolf he wanted to see, and—

Kjell stopped some space away from the borders of Grizzly Hollow, the mingled scents of several wolves making it obvious when he drew close.  But this is where Signy lived.  He had no interest the others, but he needed to see his friend, even if she could offer him nothing other than friendship, that was fine.  He just--  He just—

Kjell lifted his head and offered a short bark, hoping to summon only his friend in the dark of night, and no one else.

Healer 1/3

She'd been making impressive progress over the past few days and had even taken to sleeping in the den once more. Thankfully, Ophelia kept her distance, seeming to sense the mute's anxiety, and allowed the mute to sleep at the entrance. Of course, that meant the smallest wolf was exposed to the worst of the wind, however, the past few nights outside had left Pip far more exposed.

As it so happened, the sky-lights had woken her. Through a break in the trees above, the dancing, glittering sky had caught on her face and beckoned Pip to unfurl from her position to perch delicately on top of the den. She was watching them contently when she heard the bark. Immediately, she knew his voice. Sweet relief had a prick of tears stinging at her eyes, making her feel silly. She'd been so worried, wondering if he'd been hurt, if he had been lost to her, if he'd forgotten her, or if she'd done something to warrant his staying away for so long.

Without hesitation, Pip made her way there as quickly as her healing wound would allow all while she was hoping and praying he didn't get tired of waiting and take his leave. Almost there, almost there, she panted to herself.

@Kjell was a sight for sore eyes, but even this late at night, she could see he sported one of his own. Her heart leaped into her throat and the mute moved faster than she had in weeks, swooping in to sniff and worry over every inch of him. The gashes across the right side of his face were worse than anything that demon wolf had done to the male. Though it was difficult to tell with the low light, even if it was brighter than most nights with the help of the dancing sky-lights, she wondered if he had sight in that eye and worry drenched her anew.

Was he hunting okay, was he doing alright? What had happened to cause such a wound? That didn't look like anything a wolf could do. Had he stumbled upon another demon? Was that going to be something she had to worry about for the rest of her life? That demons would forever cross her knight's path and cause trouble? She surely hoped not. It was far too stressful a thought.

So concerned with his wounds, Pip did nothing to hide her own. It was unlikely at this rate that the fur would ever grow back where the wound finally knit together into a ragged crescent shape. Perhaps one day, it would simply look impressive, but for now, it was heavily scabbed and partially healed parts were an angry red thanks to how little rest she was giving it.

Unable to stop herself, Pip licked with anxious and excited fervor at his chin. Her tail had never wagged so quickly in her life. The pair of them looked a little rough for wear, but he was back. He was back and safe and he had come to see her specifically. What a gift he was to her.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2017, 11:26 PM by Pip. Edit Reason: adding healer counts )

Maybe lady luck was finally smiling upon him.  It wasn’t that plausible, but after his brother died?  Sometimes he wondered if the Mother existed at all, or if his older sibling and father had put all their faith in some deity made up by some relative or ancestor of them or--  The existential questions made his head hurt and were not, quite frankly, something he could deal with at the moment.  So he huffed and willed the thoughts away, instead finding it within himself to be grateful that only Pip appeared when he’d made his quiet call.  Thank goodness for small miracles.

Maybe.

Pip looked like her winter hadn’t been much better than his – but for all that he could ask what had befallen his friend, she couldn’t answer, not in words.  His heart panged in his hollow chest and he sighed, tipping his head to brush muzzle against muzzle, and offer small kisses.  Reassurance.  Something.  Anything.  He hadn’t abandoned her, even if the mountain lion had seemed fairly intent on making it happen.  “It’s okay, gem.  It’s okay.  I’m here.  Ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon.”

Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t in any shape.  There was a small den he’d kept with Bishop nearby, when he’d first arrived in these woods.  “You okay, baby?  You look like you’ve seen some things…”

Just to hear his voice, feel his gentle tongue on her muzzle, her face...it brought a peace she hadn't felt in weeks. So much had happened while @Kjell was away. Granted, these weren't things he would likely have known even if he had been around. But had he been available, Pip knew she would have sought refuge with him after Ophelia's attack. She would have sought his comfort and his kind heart and warmth and taken solace in the company he could have offered. However, she had managed. She had proven, even if only to herself, that she was strong enough to carry on with grievous injuries. True, she had the pack behind her. Were she a loner, the outcome may have been very different. But it turned out all fine and he was here and calling her gem and undoing her in every way only he seemed to have talent for.

The wagging of her tail slowed and it tucked once he'd asked if she was alright. The little female buried her face into the thick fur of his chest and was reminded again of his scars. Tears soaked into his coat and dripped off guard hairs to melt thin layers of snow at their paws. Why did he have to ask that? She was okay. She was! And yet, Pip found she couldn't stop the overflowing tears from continuing. Her back curled as she sat and pressed against him, her small frame shaking with silent hiccups and sobs.

Pip nodded, hoping he would understand that she really was okay. She was just...oh, she didn't know what she was. Besides a mess. Everything was so stressful. There was her issue with the princess and Oula's disappearance on top of that. The pack felt at its least stable and she was just so happy to see him and worried and why did his poor eye look like that? Who had hurt him? She would bite them! Like she wanted to bite that stupid Azar man when he practically gloated about what he'd done to Oula.

Pip pulled back a little to look up at him with teary orange eyes. He looked gaunt. Hungry. She should feed him. Was it wrong to feed a loner from the pack's caches? Even if it was, she didn't care. He needed it. He deserved it. And yet, the little mute found it difficult to separate herself from his side long enough to dig up a meal for him. She should just look a little longer. Just a while more and then she would get him food, she promised herself.

It was times like these that Kjell wished he could minimize the communication gap that stood between the pair of wolves. There was a damn mountain between them. It wasn’t for his lack of trying, but there were so many little nods and gestures that he didn’t quite understand – or perhaps she was too subtle for him to pick up on. It was a language Kjell didn’t quite know – perhaps if he spent more time in the southern forests, he wouldn’t be facing the conundrum he did now.

So the loner would have to take the nod for what it was worth and assume that if he was not picking up on her more sophisticated cues, she would make it all the more obvious for him.

He huffed softly, pushing his muzzle back into her ruff. “Then you’ve had a better go of it than me. But I suppose that much is obvious.” Kjell allowed himself a self-depreciating chuckle, shoulders hunching forward as he studied the younger wolf. Should he explain? Did she even want to know? She hadn’t exactly poked at his eye – or lack there of – but he also assumed the sea wolf had been raised with better manners than that.

Blah. Since when had he been so indecisive?

“I found my brother. And then a mountain lion found us and – he didn’t do so well. I had my niece for a bit but she…wanted some time on her own. To remember him, I guess.”

Healer 2/3

Pip listened closely as @Kjell regaled to her the tale of how he lost his eye. It was sorely lacking in details, but her imagination filled in a lot and it left her quaking. The way he said that his brother didn't do so well... Was Kjell always a wolf of such understatement? It was confirmed when he mentioned a niece and how she'd gone off on her own to remember him. Sorrow swam deeper in her gaze. Not only had he lost an eye and a brother, but the family he had left hadn't sought solace in his company and instead preferred her own. How much suffering could this man survive? Too much, she decided. She would not have. Her siblings leaving her - and they hadn't died - was nearly enough to break her. And yet, he had gone through so much more.

He truly was a dragon. He faced a lion and came out victorious. Maybe it wasn't a fancy victory, but war wasn't pretty. That much became apparent to her when she'd come across Kjell fighting that demon in the woods. Who wasn't dead! She didn't know how to tell him that, but the demon lived! He'd found her and Nineva after Ophelia attacked her. Thankfully he'd gone his own way that day, but what if he hadn't?

But that was in the past and this was now. It must hurt. Gently, Pip lifted her muzzle to probe near the male's eye to determine what degree of tenderness remained. Veho's medical den would have things for pain. She could maybe borrow some of the herbs he'd offered her when her own wound had been open and oozing and angry. There were so many things to be done for Kjell. Treat his pain. Fill his belly. Find him shelter and warmth and offer the companionship he'd been soundly lacking.

The mute back away a few steps and willed him to stay in place. She turned to leave, but paused to make sure he hadn't moved before mouthing 'Stay.' Only once she was satisfied he wouldn't go, Pip raced back into pack territory to fetch things she needed.

No one was around the medical den, much to her relief. Granted, no one would ask her why she was there - she had every right to seek out treatment for herself - but she felt like a thief anyway and her tail remained tucked. Even with no voice, she was an awful liar concerning her intentions. She'd grown so used to broadcasting them that it was difficult not to do so. But finding the yarrow and a few sprigs of goldenrod, the mute snatched them up quickly and slunk from the den cautiously.

Returning, she sighed with relief when she spotted Kjell still there. Setting the yarrow at his paws, she kept the goldenrod and and chewed on it as she had see Veho do before to make a paste. As she chewed, Pip placed a paw on his shoulder and tried to push him in encouragement for him to lay down on his own. It took a few tries for him to understand, but once he did, she approached with exaggerated slowness so as not to catch him off guard with what she intended to do. Ever so gently, she placed a paw on his head in the hopes that he would not jerk away and hovered her muzzle above his injury before letting gravity assist the chewed paste into dripping onto his missing eye. Pip backed off quickly, uncertain if he would react angrily to any pain she may have caused. Her tail was tucked with worry, though the tip of it wagged with hope that he would see what she was doing was for his sake.

With caution again, the mute approached close enough to nudge the yarrow shoots closer to his muzzle. She mimed the action of eating them and looked to him expectantly in clear sign that he should do so. Sitting in front of him, she breathed a sigh and a critical eye went towards her work. A little sloppy, she admitted to herself, but she'd been so uncertain in the first place. Would Veho be proud? Maybe she could try learning more about the plants, be a healer? But that required significant communication. Her head dropped. No, maybe she wasn't suited for that. A healer's assistant, perhaps. Still, as far as poultices went, it wasn't awful. She'd had them applied enough to be a relatively good judge on it. Hopefully, any infection setting in would be drawn out and his pain at least dulled some.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2017, 11:26 PM by Pip. Edit Reason: adding healer counts )

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

 

Stay.

There’d been some benefit to their increasing encounters.  Though they did not share a spoken word, Kjell did exhibit a dinkum understanding of his mate’s own language, growing each time they met back up.  With a huff, she sat his haunches down in the snow, content to do as he asked.  The dragon was a tired creature.  Staying was certainly something he could manage.

Thankfully, Signy did not take her sweet time; instead, she returned with a mouthful of herbs.  One was dropped at his feet, and the other ground between her teeth.  He might have asked what she was doing, even if she couldn’t rightfully explain, but the omega seemed to read his thoughts.  One paw tapped his shoulder and Kjell gave without thought, sliding down onto his belly.  The snow didn’t even feel cold on his belly as he waited patiently, content to lay – until something dripped into his eye.  Or where his eye used to be, anyways.

The dragon jerked backwards with a hiss, tail trashing at the sting.  “Sweet fuck,” he growled, forcing himself to hold still, to let the woman finish the job.  Gent had done something similar; the dark wolf had only warned him first.  Because he could.  So he laid, as best he could, limited to sharp twitches and a lashing tail as the pain buzzed in the empty socket.  For the best.  It was for the best.

It took a while for the pain to stop fizzing in his mind, returning to a low static.  He glanced down as he realized the woman was moving again, squinting at the yarrow with his one remaining eye.  “Do I eat that?” he asked, wanting to make sure it was something he was supposed to ingest.  He’d been raised around plants…but his mother had used them for entirely different reasons. “Or am I supposed to save that for later?”

Healer 3/3

Russet ears lay flat against her head in apology as the dragon cursed with equal parts pain and surprise. There was little she could do to make the task any gentler, for which she felt sorrow. That she was the cause of even a modicum of pain for her mate was too much. He would be better for it in the long run, she told herself. Better to sting now and not be plagued with infection and even worse pain later.

To his credit, he was a good patient. She imagined Veho would wish more of the pack was as patient and bore their pain as fiercely as @Kjell. He always seemed to be getting hurt. While she worked, a loving and amused smile brightened her otherwise sorrowful expression as she imagined the pair of them growing old together with Kjell always finding something to get into that he shouldn't and Pip patching him up the best she could.

Her cheeks heated as she came back to herself. Here she was imagining the pair of them growing old together and really, what right did she have to go fantasizing about such mundane things when he was in pain?

But then again, how could she not? How many others could understand so readily what she wanted with just a brush along the shoulder? He paid attention. More than most. He saw what others were often blind to despite her best efforts. Once she was finished with her task, his question brought her from her internal reverie and she wagged her tail with approval and gave a nod. Yes, yes, the yarrow was for eating. She bent her muzzle down and nudged it closer to compound her point that it was meant for now before walking around to settle comfortably at his side.

Pip leaned against him, pleased to have the opportunity to mingle her scent with his and reaffirm their bonds, reminded again how dearly she'd missed him in his time away.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2017, 11:27 PM by Pip. Edit Reason: adding healer counts )

“Alright, alright. Read ya loud and clear, gem.” And though she made so noise, he still felt it applied to Signy. Her intentions were made quite obvious, for the wolf that spoke another tongue, different from her own. After staring the yarrow down for another few moments, the male sighed, and leaned down. He knew it wasn’t going to taste good. Didn’t know what the plant was actually going to do, other than that he didn’t recognize it. Which was good, really – the only herbs Avari had ever taught him were the poisonous ones.

After a few more moments of mental preparation, Kjell took the plant in his mouth and chewed, swallowing down as quickly as he could. He offered a small snort, but no other complaint. Signy was only helping, after all.

With a huff, he buried his face into her ruff. It smelled so good – smelled so much better than the lingering flavor of the yarrow in his mouth. “Thanks,” he exhaled softly, content to press their sides together. “I owe ya one, Signy.” The wolf settled softly – if nothing else, the rest was nice. The company was nice. After everything he’d done, the past weeks, the past months, this, right here. This was all he wanted.

“Can we just stay a little while?”

Wrap up with your next post?  <3