Paradise Falls {M} Call it down on my head, for these sins are mine

Red sky morning, lovers' warning
Oh I know that the promise you wear, well, it ain't for me
Shallow river, shining within her
Flood it all, drown the crops, but just please don't swallow me

A silver figure padded through the redwoods, her silver fur blending in with the snow. If it wasn't for her bright pelt, she would have been easily confused for a coyote with her slender frame, narrow muzzle, and bottlebrush tail. Her coat was a ghostly pale that was marred by extensive scarring. Most notably, she had the left half of her face messily cleaved, leaving an empty eye socket. There were countless scars wrapping around her legs and scars marring her frame. Her remaining eye was a verdant green.

Adrestia figured she would go on another walk. She wasn't the type to sit on her ass all day and do nothing. She wasn't a fully accepted healer in the pack but she figured for now she could hunt rabbits and other small game. There wasn't much to be collected in the winter months other than tree bark and in all honesty she'd rather put effort into tree bark harvesting when Chan was around to watch. She was getting old.

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OOC→ lalalala

(This post was last modified: Apr 10, 2024, 07:27 PM by Adrestia.)

It had been exceptionally kind for Chan to let him stay within the territory, even though he hadn’t requested to join the pack. Riven had been resting, more than anything else, his body aching and exhausted from his long journey. He’d yet to seek anyone out just yet - @Adelard was here, which was a comforting thought, but would the other man even want to see him? Riven hadn’t considered that until recently, but he supposed things could’ve changed enough that the former leader wouldn’t even tolerate Riv’s presence at all.

And besides that fact, Riven looked quite different than he used to. There were literal pieces of him missing - pieces that were broken and changed. Would he even look at him the same way…?

It was thoughts like these that kept Riven from seeking out the larger man directly. Anxiety clawed the inside of his chest like thorns on his pelt. He would find him eventually, and he knew that, but fear was a large hurdle that he couldn’t get past quite yet.

He had been walking, gently exercising his injured hind legs, when he encountered his first Paradise Falls wolf. She was small, smaller than him, and marred with scars as well. He let out a gentle chuff to alert the woman, his tail swaying a little to signal he was friendly.

Red sky morning, lovers' warning
Oh I know that the promise you wear, well, it ain't for me
Shallow river, shining within her
Flood it all, drown the crops, but just please don't swallow me

Adrestia remembered her wife, the love of her life and their children. She understood grief, the feathers on her rump represented it. She found them or got them herself. The widows of her birth pack marked their widows with raven feathers to signify they were in mourning of a spouse. Crow feathers were used to make those mourning family or close friends. She had lost everyone and the grief never truly went away. She just learned to live with it.

Adrestia was pulled out of her musings by a chuff. She looked to see a wolf who seemed just as scarred as she was. She returned her own chuff. "Hello, my name is Adrestia," she said.

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OOC→ lalalala

Riven relaxed a little when the woman greeted him in return. He was a stranger here, and while Chan had been kind enough to welcome him in, he didn’t want to assume that everyone in the pack would be comfortable with a loner in their midst. He’d tried to make himself as unassuming as possible, to stay out of the way, but it was nice to have the chance to talk to someone.

A smile formed on his maw. “I’m Riven,” he said, inclining his head a little as he approached. “But you’re welcome to call me Riv.” Most do, he wanted to add, even if that wasn’t quite true anymore. “I hope I’m not interrupting your walk.”

Adrestia scented the male subtly. He didn't smell quite like he was from around here and neither was she. She figured they were on the same branch in the pack tree. He also was submissive, even to someone who was at the bottom too. She sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. She welcomed him to sit as she didn't mind talking to someone.

"Nice to meet you, Riven," she said, her tone gentle."You're not interrupting me at all. I just joined Paradise Falls a couple days ago. You new too?" She hoped to get to know more Paradise Falls wolves if not to just learn about the pack and to make her presence known.

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OOC→ lalalala

Riven sat down when prompted, eager to get his weight off of his hind legs. He sat a little strangely now, with more weight on one hip than the other and his bad leg stretched out, but he’d long gotten used to that.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” he replied, what was left of his tail thumping on the ground behind him. His ear angled toward her and he shook his head with a smile. “I’m not part of Paradise Falls. I met with Chan recently in search of some old friends and he was kind enough to invite me to stay for a while.” Even if he’d done nothing to actively seek Adelard out just yet, almost afraid of somehow interfering with the man’s new life here. But he left out that part. “Have you settled in well?” A way to learn about the pack as a whole was nice, even if she hadn’t been here for a while. Riven was curious about what the rest of these wolves were like.

Red sky morning, lovers' warning
Oh I know that the promise you wear, well, it ain't for me
Shallow river, shining within her
Flood it all, drown the crops, but just please don't swallow me

Adrestia noticed that Riven seemed quick to get off his feet and noticed his strange sitting posture. Some sort of deformity or injury to his bad leg? She did seem more comfortable now which was good. She listened as he spoke, a small smile on her face. Paradise Falls seemed like a friendly bunch of they'd allow loners to stay around. Although, she'd probably allow the wolf to stay even if he didn't know anyone in the Falls. She knew life was hard as a loner, even harder if one was disabled. She was missing half of her range of vision and could hunt, but she was getting older and not as structurally sound anymore. She hunted now as she wanted to make herself useful but knew she'd have to take it easier sooner or later.

"I have," she said. "I came here from far away, being sent by my goddesses and it seemed like Paradise Falls needed a healer. I'm still working on proving myself before I'm given the title so I've been keeping myself busy. It's the tail end of winter and I still don't know the state of the herb stocks yet. I usually transition to replacing herbal remedies with remedies that can be gotten from treebark but it's a bitch to get."

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OOC→ lalalala

A healer sent by the goddesses, huh? Riven hadn’t ever been much of a believer in anything but the natural world around them, but he knew that some wolves had faith in things they couldn’t see. He’d worshipped the earth itself, but perhaps there was something beyond that. Perhaps they even believed in similar things with different names.

“I’m a healer, myself,” he replied with a smile. Or, he was, once upon a time. He’d like to be again, if the future allowed it. He let out a soft laugh. “I know what you mean about tree bark. Maybe I can help you get some? I’m sure it’d be good to have.” It was the least he could do for this pack after they’d let him stay like they had.

(This post was last modified: Apr 11, 2024, 12:58 AM by Riven.)

Adrestia brightened up as she heard Riven was a healer. She figured it could be a reason why Chan let him stay. She wondered if he would have to go through the same tests she would be put through. She didn't fault Chan for being safe, especially with newcomers and no other healer. It would all come in time.

"Kind offer," she said kindly. "I'm going to wait until Chan approves me before I try to act as a healer in any capacity more than offering one of the pregnant girls advice. My wife carried our children but I was with her every step of the way and have seen many pregnant women during my time. I'm hoping to set up a clinic once I'm approved."

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OOC→ lalalala

His offer had been declined, but he didn’t take it personally. Her reasoning made sense - he wondered if he’d overstepped by assuming the pack would want his help at all.

Riven’s eyes softened a little at the woman’s next words. “Your wife?” he asked, smile settling gently across his features. They were alike in more ways than one, it seemed. That and the experience with pregnant women. His gaze softened further when he thought back to Saga and Rhaegara. “I’ve had plenty of experience with pregnant women as well. I’ve been there for the birth of several pups.” Helping Rhaegara specifically had been one of the most stressful and simultaneously the most incredible moments of his entire life. “I’m sure you will be. It makes sense that it would take some time.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Is your wife here, too?”