Sanguine Cove wildwood

for @Kateri only!

Chan had found the skull of a ram up in the heights, one curled horn missing but the other still connected. He tried to detach it, but this of course proved more difficult than snapping the antlers from a deer carcass. After a bit of effort, he conceded to carrying the whole structure home.

He went after Kateri's scent in particular, aiming to check up on her a little more frequently while he was home to monitor the recovery of her injured leg. It certainly made more sense than continuously asking after her. When he caught sight of her, he let the heavy bone drop from his jaws and sent out a few barks, amicably asking her to approach.

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2022, 12:58 AM by Chan.)

It had been a month since she'd injured her leg. It didn't hurt so much anymore but it had become hard to walk on. Kateri hadn't forgotten the promise she'd made to her mother about being careful. It was with that in mind that she remained just outside the medical den in case something went wrong she would be right there. Carefully she would put a little weight on it and try to keep it on for longer and longer periods. This was the best way she could think to strengthen her leg for the time being anyway.

She was so concentrated on what she was doing that she hadn't noticed Chan come up. "Please let this work," she kept saying over and over to herself inna whisper. She had things she wanted to do and she couldn't do them until her leg was better. It was at the point she'd lifted her paw off the ground when she heard Chan's bark. Immediately she turned to greet him, "HI uncle Chan," she greeted him her tail wagging behind her as she hopped over to meet him.

Her eye caught the skull out of the corner and soon her eyes followed toom "Whatcha got over there?" She asked peering that way.

He noticed her testing out her injury, and he couldn't help but wonder which the direction the bones would take for her. Would she heal as he had when he was roughly her age, or would this affect her mobility the rest of her life as had evidently happened to Oksana? Only time would tell, he supposed, which sucked but not nearly as much for him as it did her or her parents. He smiled fondly at the moniker she'd bestowed upon him, tail continuing to wag despite it's tattered state.

"Hey hun," he returned her greeting, touching his nose to her crown briefly before stepping back to paw the skull toward her. It rolled and clunked, sturdy and solid.

"I brought you something!"

It had to get boring, being limited. He could remember his own monotony well, and how thankful he'd been to have his younger siblings around to keep him company.

"I know what it's like to be laid up like you are. Helps when you got distractions, keep your mind off of it, yeah?"

Kateri liked when her uncle Chan came to visit and check up on her. She knew he was busy and it made her feel like she hadn't been forgotten. It was easy to feel that way being cooped up in the medical den or sitting outside but having visitors changed all of that. Besides she liked spending time with him, he was fun and he talked to her like she was an adult. He didn't make her feel badly about her leg either.

This time when he showed up he'd brought something with him. She was curious if it was for her or if he had something else in mind for it. She would have asked but she wanted to greet him first. And when he called her hun she smiled and closed her eyes when he touched his nose to her crown. The way she felt he cared about her was why she'd decided to start calling him uncle.

Her attention was drawn to what he'd brought when he spoke of bringing her something, "That's for me?" She said a little surprised that the whole thing would be for her. She limped over to where it had been dropped and sniffed at it before she was looking at him again, "It will definitely help to pass the time. This is really great," she said with excitement.

The Slayer girl moved back over to Chan and embraced him, "Thank you so much Uncle Chan."

She wondered if her mother would let her keep it in the den.

It was clear that she liked the gift, from her brightened expression to her expressions of gratitude. He hooked a forelimb over her shoulders to pull her in briefly, reciprocating the hug before stepping back to give her proper room to inspect her new chew toy. He reclined onto the snowy ground, ears forward and tail curled along his flank.

"You're welcome," he answered with that same fond smile.

"You getting excited for Spring yet?"

Summer had always been his favorite season, making the season before it exciting and revitalizing to the Eastfall. The nights shortened every axial revolution, but the snow and ice thawed and the land began to bloom with life, teasing the Eden that was to come. For yearlings, it meant new freedoms and immeasurable growth.

Kateri really couldn't believe the whole skull was for her. She started wonder how long it would take her to chew such a thing. She smiled up at her uncle, he was very good to her. He also knew just what she needed cause she had given her only chew bone away and since it was winter she couldn't even do her healing studies.

Her mismatched gaze came to land on him when he asked about spring. "I'm excited to see what it's like and mama says that I can really start my lessons then so I'm excited for that too," she told.

Then she looked down at her paws for a moment and sighed before looking back up at him. "I'm sad too," she admitted, "Thats when you'll be going away."

She loved having her uncle around and they hadn't got to go on any adventures or anything cause her stupid leg.

"That is exciting," he replied with a toothy grin. Given what he knew of Aquene and her family history, he bet it meant the world to her that her daughter wanted to learn her specialty. Even if Kateri didn't end up a shaman for the pack, the knowledge would still be passed on and could only serve to benefit the young girl and those she knew. Healing was an exceptional skill.

I'm sad too, she then informed him, abating his smile as he regarded her with a tilt of his head.

That's when you'll be going away.

"Aww," he couldn't help but voice, brows furrowing with sympathy, "I'm sorry Kati. It won't be for long, I promise, and I'll make sure to come back with lots of stories for you and your siblings."

"It is. She's going to teach me all about healing so I can help her and then I'm going to ask papa to teach me to fight." She gushed in her excitement sbout her plans for the spring. She thought about it a lot while she spent time outside the den. "Mama is also teaching me how to care for my injury," she added cause she wanted him to know what was going on with her before he left.

That was what she brought up to him next because she'd wanted to speak to him once she'd found out. "I do like stories,"{b} she commented but them he probably knew that. Kateri closed the distance and sat down in front of him. {B}"Promise me you won't get lost?" She said after placing a paw on his shoulder but she wore a smile on her maw. It was sort of a little joke.

Letting her paw drop she rose to her feet and pressed her face into the fur of his neck. "I'll miss you uncle Chan."

Healing and fighting, huh? He hoped dearly she would never have use for the latter, but his own mutilated tail was proof that it could also very well save her life one day. Regardless, his smile widened because he knew that it would be a wonderful bonding experience for father and daughter.

I do like stories, she conceded before asking him to make a familiar vow. Chan grinned and held up a paw, claws pointed straight up toward the sky.

"Paw promise," he returned with ease. Chan was certain that one way or another, so long as he breathed, he would find his way back to the mountain. Again, and again.

"I'll miss you too, bug."

He lowered his muzzle to touch his chin to her crown, returning the embrace.

Kateri hoped that when Chan did return she would have a lot of things to tell him too. Then they could share stories and Maybe she could fill him in on all the things that had happened in the cove while he was gone. She would miss him every much but she felt he should be able to do what he wanted to. She thought about her own situation and how her leg held her back. While he didn't have an injured leg like her she understood wanting to have the freedom to do what he wanted to do.

She smiled amd gave a sharp nod as he gave her his paw promise. She was glad that he'd gotten the reference. "I'm gonna hold you to it too uncle Chan," she assured him.

Kateri hoped that she had showed him just how much she cared and how much she'd miss him. "That's cute," she told him about the nickname as she felt his chin touch her crown.

When she pulled away she looked up into his eyes, "Do you know about fighting?" She asked curiously. She of course was hoping her father would teach her but maybe her uncle knew stuff her father didn't know. The more she learned the better she could protect her family and her pack.