Fool's Gold Chasm Bittersweet Treat

Her confusion seemed to amuse the Scary Lady, but Enera was used to adults chuckling before answering their questions. None of them had been mean about it so far. She did have to admit the Scary Lady had a point; she'd accidentally hurt her friends playing before, and their teeth hurt her too.

Holes. Well Enera hadn't left holes in her friends! She thought she'd've noticed that.

Then the Scary Lady told her there was a way to get honey without getting hurt. Enera glanced up at her, brow furrowed. "But stealin's bad, innit?" she asked, although she was intrigued by how to get the treat without the wrath of the bugs raining fire upon her.

Woya's ears twitched as she scanned the ground with her olfactory senses, catching Enera's follow up question.

"Yeah," she answered without ceasing her search, "from other wolves. Insects and prey and all that, other animals, it's different."

Some in her natal pack, mostly the elders, advocated that all other creatures experienced their lives in the same way as wolves, that they were all equal and whatnot. Woya hadn't bought it, taking a far more individualistic approach to the natural order. Wolves were on top, uniquely adept and advanced in their thinking.

The ground shifted hues, taking on a ruddy coloration. Woya smiled. Bingo.

"Alright, time to get dirty," she declared with a toothy smile, gold eyes focusing on the pup once more now that'd she found what she'd been seeking.

"Just roll around, get every spot that's stung covered up in mud. It'll pull out the stingers as it dries, but it's gotta be on thick."

Enera pondered the Scary Lady's words. Stealing from other animals was okay? But stealing was still stealing, wasn't it? She should ask mama about it. It did make a little bit of sense, since wolves even ate other animals, and wasn't eating them a form of stealing?

The pup shook her head. She hurt too much to ponder such big things right now. All she wanted was to make the burning stop.

Luckily, the Scary Lady seemed to find what she was looking for as she stopped and surveyed the ground with a smile before telling her it was time to get dirty. Enera gazed up at her for one more unsure second before hesitantly stepping into the mud and dropping to roll around. The weight on her stings hurt, but the cool mud did help it feel better. She sighed as she rolled a little more vigorously, trying to get it on thick like the Scary Lady was saying.

Woya watched the young girl for a moment before deciding to assist. She used her paw and nose to scoop up the clay-thickened mud and apply it to the few places that Enera was missing, just in case it was because she couldn't reach and not because it didn't hurt. Better safe than sorry.

"Alright," she spoke again when the pup was thoroughly coated, mud dripping from her own muzzle, "now we just sit tight."

She plopped her butt down, careless of the muddy ground, willing to stick around and see this through with Rhaegara's progeny.

"Want me to tell you an embarrassing story about Huds while we wait?"

It didn't occur to her that Enera might not know who she was speaking of.

Enera barely even noticed when Woya splotched mud onto the places she'd missed; she was just having fun rolling in the mud. Enough fun that she almost forgot about how much her nose hurt, and how bad the other stings throbbed. Then Woya was telling her it was good enough, and Enera stopped wriggling around. She gingerly sat and looked sheepishly up at the Scary Lady. How long were they going to have to wait?

Her ears pricked up at the promise of a story. She didn't know who "Huds" was, but a story was a story and the young pup wasn't going to turn one down! She nodded enthusiastically. "I like stories!" she crowed, mud-slicked tail thumping against the ground.

Maybe the Scary Lady wasn't so bad after all.

Woya smiled lopsidedly as the little girl affirmed that yes, she wanted to hear. Awesome. She certainly loved every opportunity she got to tease Hudson, even when he wasn't around. Maybe especially when he wasn't around. It was easier than admitting just how much she really missed him.

"Okay. So," she began, shoulders hunching as she lowered her head and took on a conspiratorial tone. After all, this could technically be classified as a secret, since she was pretty sure her brother didn't like her sharing such stories.

"We were about six months old, and Huds decided we should go to the marsh..."

She would continue animatedly, using motion and doing voices, until the mud dried and flaked and Enera felt better again. Then, they could go back home.

/ Fade