Turtleback Lake To Do no Harm

Neko’s full attention turned to Reyes when he asked if she was looking for a pack. She was tired of always being hungry and of feeling lonely. She wanted nothing more than to join a pack. But then Reyes said his pack didn’t have a healer. That meant there would be nobody to teach her. She would have to figure things out on her own. That worried her because she knew that an error on her part could have severe consequences, possibly even permanent injury or death.

On the other paw, if she could successfully function as a pack’s primary healer, she knew her parents would be proud of her. She at least some background and training in the healing arts, and there was no guarantee that she would find anyone to teach her. Even if she did find a teacher, she didn’t like the idea of a pack not having a healer. She thought it might be alright as long as Reyes and his pack knew in advance what to expect from her.


She sat on the shore and let her tail thump as she answered Reyes. "I would love the opportunity to be a healer for your pack, but as I said, I’m not fully trained. A healer can’t make too many mistakes. A broken bone that heals wrong could never be fixed without breaking it again, and many healing herbs are also poisonous if they’re used the wrong way. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for hurting someone when I’m supposed to be helping them.” She calmly waited, avoiding eye contact, to see how Reyes would respond. If his pack would still accept her knowing that she wasn’t fully trained, she would certainly consider joining them.

Even if he wanted to be frustrated with the girl – and he kind of did – he knew that was no way to actually ask someone to join. Besides, she’d said before he even offered that she was in training, and if there was anyone to blame, it was probably him. So Reyes huffed softly as the loner sat, eying her for a brief moment before glancing at his fish. It stared back at him, unblinking. Accusing. So he sighed again and nosed it over to the girl, perhaps not as prelasarian as he had originally assumed. She was a clever girl.

“Yeah, well – somethin’ is better than nothin’. My mate got attacked a while ago an’ I had to run three days just to get a healer, and three days back. He coulda died in then.” He sighed softly. “We have a good relationship with Hearthwood River, though, and they got more than one. I bet one would be willin’ to teach you if we arranged. Then they wouldn’t have to come running over every time something happened.”

Reyes lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. It wasn’t ideal for her, no – but then, Neko ran the risk of some packs only wanting one healer, and filling other ranks like hunter, and teacher.

c

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

Neko listened quietly as Reyes answered all of her objections, and he made a very convincing argument. Perhaps it wasn’t even her lack of confidence in her abilities that made her hesitate, perhaps she was just overwhelmed by the prospect of being responsible for the health a pack. In her old pack, she was basically a puppy, and after losing her old pack, she had complete freedom to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted to. Although that freedom came at the cost of being lonely and hungry.


To be offered such an important place in a pack and still have opportunities for training was more than she had ever dared to hope for. Reyes said he had traveled three days to get a healer from another pack. While inconvenient, she knew she could handle such a journey for training, having been a traveler since she was a pup. She knew it would be foolish for her to turn the offer down.

“You make a good point,” Neko said. “I guess it’s tough on a pack without a healer in its ranks. I’m sorry about your mate being attacked. I take it he’s okay now?” She pawed lightly at the ground. “I’m definitely interested. I’m no miracle worker, but I can promise to do my best.” It was then that she noticed that Reyes had offered her his fish, which she accepted and quickly ate. Although it didn’t satisfy her hunger, it at least took the edge off of it. She still wanted to catch one on her own, but that could wait. “Thank you,” she said with a wag of her tail. “Would you care to tell me about your pack?”

This was probably more talking than he wanted to do in the next week, Reyes realized. Probably why he left this kind of stuff to Askan. His mate might be a sharp tongue, but he generally suspected the beta actually liked to talk, and while he’d never actually witnessed a recruitment, the guy must be doing something that resembled friendliness if he’d brought so many damn wolves in.

“Yeah – he’s doin’ better. Lachesis, one of their healers, guess they’re friends? He’s been by to check but I think he’s got his own pups so. Probably not much for the rest of the summer. We have those too, by the way. The pack. Puppies.”

Was he rambling? She asked, right? Reyes fought the urge to sigh, staring intently at the pond like it might hold his answers. It didn’t, but actually thinking for a moment helped. “Well… The leader, Drestig, he cares a lot. I wasn’t real keen on the idea of a pack, but I stuck it out, and the old man’s pretty…agreeable. It ain’t that big, so it ain’t like you gotta socialize if you don’t wanna. But there are ladies and men, and plenty of space. They don’t make you stay in the main den if you don’t wanna, either. Askan and I have a lil’ one. And the hunting’s good.”

He might not appreciate the lack of topography, but if there was anything to be said for the grassy lowlands, it was that they certainly brought in the big game as they greened up. “Lots of nearby packs, too, if that kinda think interests ya. Wild Rye Fields is the name. Due west.”

Neko listened intently to Reyes as he talked about his pack. She listened carefully for any complaints he might have, but he didn’t give any which she found encouraging. It also pleased her to hear that his mate was doing better, though she didn’t know why she cared, considering she had never met him, and she really didn’t know Reyes either, having only just met him. It also encouraged her to hear that his mate was friends with a healer, as that meant a better chance for her to get some training.


She perked up at the mention of puppies. Of course, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her, as it was that time of year. She hadn’t really dealt with pups before, but she was sure she would love them. At the same time though, she felt a little overwhelmed at the thought of being responsible for their health. They would be more fragile than adult wolves, and also more precious. If she couldn’t afford too many mistakes with adults, then she really couldn’t afford mistakes with pups. She supposed it would be better for them to have her than no healer at all.

She noted the name and direction of the pack as well as the leader’s name. “All that sounds good,” she said. “If you can show me the way there, I’ll ask to join after I clean myself up. I’m not exactly very presentable right now.” She was suddenly aware of how much she had let herself go. Her coat had mats and tangles, and she even had a few tufts of her winter coat still clinging to her. She was covered in dirt and grime. “I need to bathe and groom myself, then maybe find a gift to offer the pack.”

“Oh yeah. ‘course.”

It should have occurred to him that not every wolf would have an innate sense of direction – especially those that had other wolves to count on. He stood, eying the sun for a moment as he thought. Eventually, he rearranged himself, tossing his head in the general westerly direction. The worst part of the grasslands, he supposed, was that the plants themselves had no real landmarks beyond being just that, grasslands. “Just keep going. You see mountains, you’ve gone too north, or too south. You see trees, and you’ve gone too far west and went right by us. There’s a good handful of wolves there, an’ I’m always on the border.” The smell itself should be enough.

“When Drestig meets you at the border,” and he assumed it would be the alpha male, for he’d never known Jessie to handle any of the interrogations at the border, “y’can tell him Reyes invited you. Or just call for me and I can vouch.”

But you better not let me down if I do.

Man, if she pulled some of that Castel shit-- But he cast the ugly thought from his mind before it could complete, and instead shook out his coat. “Prolly time for me to head off, anyways. See you when I see you, yeah?”

Exit.

(This post was last modified: Jun 18, 2017, 08:30 PM by Reyes.)