Sanguine Cove i hear overtones

Backdated to 1/10, for @Aquene only.

She figured that Kateri's mother had taken little time for herself since their return. She'd been outright panicked the whole trip, and now was likely more concerned with tending to her daughter's injury and savoring having her home than things like breathing, sleeping, eating. Maybe she was wrong, but ultimately, who didn't like a meal delivered to them?

Woya approached the infirmary with a pale hare between her jaws, and scuffed at the snow as though she were knocking. She supposed worst case scenario, she'd snack on it herself and throw the remains in a cache.

(This post was last modified: Jan 22, 2022, 10:11 PM by Woya.)

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Aquene had been fretting over her daughter, no doubt, but she found herself much more at peace now that the girl was in front of her, never too far from her eyesight instead of completely missing. She was capable of breathing now that she knew that her daughter was safe and not dead in the woods somewhere. She had been keeping a close eye on her daughter and the pain she was going through as a result of her leg injury. Nash was usually the one to hunt her down and force her to sit down and eat, even before her daughter had gone missing, but she had been running on fumes for quite some time.

She heard the scuffs, scent of hare flooding through her nostrils along with the scent of the woman who had come with them from the cove as she made her way to the entrance to the den. “Hello!” She greeted, a vastly different demeanor than the one Woya had seen the entire trip back, calm and collected and poised just as she had been raised to be. She wanted to hope that the hare was for her but she did not want to presume such things either.

“I am sorry about the chaos we met other… it wasn’t ideal conditions.” Though clearly Woya knew her name at this point, she had never formally introduced herself. “I’m Aquene Slayer, the Cove’s healer… since I never really introduced myself before.” She left the part of being Aleister’s midlife crisis out for now and would not admit it unless prompted.

Woya couldn't help but cock a brow at the bright and exuberant face that greeted her. The civility didn't change, of course, the woman continuing to sound years past her own age as she gave a rather proper re-introduction. The Macieo finally deposited the carcass onto the ground, and nudged it toward the other wolf.

"Don't worry 'bout it, haven't been my best self since Aweho disappeared either."

Not that she'd always been pleasant before, the point was she understood why a perfect first impression hadn't been the young mother's first priority.

"Figured y'might want a bite to eat? How's she doin'?"

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

The life that Aquene had chosen had forced her to grow up fast. Formality often leaked into her tone in an effort to have older patients take her more seriously. While she recognized everyone in the Cove respected her and her talents, not everyone in her homeland had given her the same merit. Formality had helped in those situations, and where formality failed, her mother had stepped in. She smiled thankfully at the woman as she nudged the carcass towards her and brushed it off. “I am sorry we didn’t find him on the way back… rest assured the entire Cove will continue to look for him.” There was a part of her that felt guilty that she had been so fortunate while the other woman had not.

She settled down, nodding gratefully as she dove into the rabbit, humming at the question as she finished her current bite before answering. “Yes, thank you… I’ve been running around a bit and food completely slipped my mind.” It was truthfully a bad habit that she had. “She’s doing better, but she will have more recovery ahead of her… she doesn’t like sitting still so it’s going to be hard on her until she can get up and moving again.” She was just relieved her daughter was home and somewhat okay.

Woya was genuinely touched by the assurance, glad that the other woman took this as seriously as she, especially given she hadn't felt the adults back home had acted the same. Maybe with her family now aware and looking, they could actually bring Aweho home.

"Thank you," she spoke quietly, before her offer was accepted. The update on Kateri was neither one of sunshine nor storm clouds. Woya still wasn't sure just how extensive the injury was for the young girl.

"How bad is it?" she asked, attempting to make her voice gentle as her head tilted to the side with mild but empathetic concern.

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Aquene offered a soft and sympathetic smile in return to her thanks. She knew the panic felt at the idea of a missing child… she could not imagine stopping until that child was found as well. She had been restless and anxious until Kateri had been found, just as the other woman had seen.

Her follow-up question was more complicated, a frown finding her features. “It’s not great… it could have been a lot worse. Chan and Aleister did everything right bringing her home and starting treatment, but it would have been better had I been with them when they found her.” Splitting up had made sense, and there was no way she would have accepted sitting out of the search party, but she could have done more sooner had they not.

But perhaps they would not have found her if they had done that as well. “She has a longer recovery time than she would like. She loves to explore, and so being cooped up is going to be hard on her, but with time she will be okay.”

This seemed to be Aquene's type, Woya noticed as the woman responded - certain she hadn't done enough even when she'd done everything that was within her control. Honestly, it was to be expected with one so young yet saddled with so much. Aleister had been quite the rascal last year, hadn't he?

The answer didn't lend any specifics, and Woya decided not to keep up with the subject which clearly saddened the other wolf.

"Gotcha. Well, I'm sure she's just happy to be home," the dove assured, though not used to attempts at cheering others up. It likely showed by the sheepishness of her smile.

"Can't believe they're all gonna be yearlings so soon."

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Aquene had never considered herself to bear too much responsibility. Perhaps it was the nature of the way she simply accepted tasks and burdens from a young age, or the level of detail and time she had put into her studies that simply made everything else feel as though it was expected of her. She had never put too much thought into it, and she would continue to be ignorant until someone, likely Nash or Chan or Aleister, brought it to her attention.

She nodded gratefully at the assurance. She knew that her daughter would mend with time. “She is, though she has an adventurous mind. It won’t be too long until something else calls to her the way home calls now.” She offered a sheepish smile back. “It’s so crazy to think about. It feels like just yesterday she was a babe I could simply curl around to protect her.” Kateri was far too large for that now, as were all of the children in the pack.

It won't be too long, the other woman mused aloud, until something else calls to her...

Woya's ears leaned back, thinking once more of Aweho. Did it really have to be that way? Hudson and her had spent five years perfectly content amongst the pack they'd been born into, loyal to family above all else. The only thing that had broken them up had been, literally, out of this world. Were they... really so unusual?

"Well. I intend on keeping much better contact goin' forward, so... you've got even more wolves out there now, lovin' her and lookin' out for her if she does wander."

She spoke around a wide, toothy grin, hoping to make herself feel the positivity she portrayed.

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2022, 12:15 AM by Woya.)

Some spirits were simply not meant to be contained within pack borders or even a days travel of a certain land. Some paws needed to stretch; her mind instantly went to Chan when she considered wolves with the yearning for adventure. She didn’t take it personally. She knew her daughter hadn’t meant to get lost this time, she just hoped if she got those wandering paws that she would at least tell her parents before wandering off again and promise to make it back home safe.

Her grin grew and she nodded thankfully. “She’ll love having more contact with family. Mine lives so far from here that travelling to visit isn’t realistic… I’m glad she had more extended family that is much closer.” They could make trips to the Chasm, just as the Chasm wolves could make trips there… it was perfect, really. “I’ve always been thankful for the support system the Cove developed for all of the kids, and I love seeing how it’s grown.” It reminded her of home, of being able to call on her Uncle whenever she needed him. “Close bonds are something I think all packs should have, blood and non-blood. There’s a pack on the western side of the mountains called Dead Empress Backwater… they’ve been a great help too, especially when it comes to trading herbs so we can all keep our stores stocked in case of an emergency.”

Aquene Slayer