[PRP] Nice Guys Finish First (AJ x Ntombi)

[The Captain Britain]

AJ made a face at the sour taste of the plant he was chewing. It was almost like a rule of thumb: any plant with any sort of healing properties had to taste bitter, nasty, and just overall disgusting. Oh sure, they usually smelled nice. But once you started chewing them up into a paste, all bets were off.
The large male spat the plant out onto the surface of a flat rock sitting next to him. Other wads of chewed up plant lay on the top, slowly beginning to dry in the sun. AJ clucked in frustration and began mashing the plants together before they dried out too much. Once satisfied with the concoction, the male scooped a bit up with his front paw and began rubbing it onto the opposite leg.
AJ hissed as the cut he had sustained in the area began to sting. Normally AJ didn't bother treating himself for little nicks and scrapes, but after three days, the cut wasn't feeling any better. In fact, it was starting to feel worse. He cursed himself for the fact that he had probably gone and gotten it infected. Thankfully, the paste would kill any infection that had gotten in to the wound and protect it from future infections. The stinging was a sign that the paste was doing it's job. He wiped the excess paste off onto the rock and rested his head on his un-injured leg with a sigh. It was hot out in the sun, but he needed the paste to dry over the wound. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long, and he would be able to go and find something to quell the growling in his stomach.  

[Dragon Berri]

The Captain Britain

Ntombi had been walking for what felt like months. Her paws and legs ached and she felt like she was baking from the outside in from the heat. But she didn't dare stop, not yet. In reality, she'd only been moving for a few days, resting when she found a likely hiding place and moving the rest of the time. Her life had been peaceful, following the rules and staying out of the way. And then one day it had all changed. The pride had been quiet for a long time, and then her family had left. She hadn't even been aware of it, she had just woken one day to find her mother and grandmother gone as if they'd slipped from the territory in the middle of the night.

So she'd left. Unfortunately, she'd also been followed. Several of the males had chased after her that first day she'd left. It had taken her the better part of two days to lose them all. One of them left a rather long cut down her side. It hadn't hurt much before, but after traveling so far with so little rest it was beginning to burn.

Up ahead she could see someone else and she skidded to a stop when she caught sight of that brightly colored mane. She'd always been a little wary of males, but recent experiences had amped up her fear a little. He didn't look like he'd hurt her, but she'd never thought the males from her own pride would hurt her either. So she stood there, her heart racing and trying to figure out what she should do.  

[The Captain Britain]

Strawberri Stardust

Gosh, what he would give to be able to just dose off right now. But the heat was just too much for his black fur. AJ sighed and opened his eyes, staring blankly into the horizon,thoughts wandering aimlessly in his head. The sound of pawsteps grounded him, bringing the male slowly out of his trance. He looked to the side and stared at the female who had suddenly appeared. AJ loved company. He loved chatting and meeting new people and laughing but...he just didn't feel like it today. Dabbling back into healing always put him in a bad mood. The lion preferred construction-type work now, and only used his healing arts when it was needed.
He sighed, mouth turned down in a slight scowl. "Sorry, miss, but I'm afraid this, ah, spot is taken. You'll have to find another..." He trailed off as the sun hit her coat just right, highlighting the red angry gash on her side. AJ sprang up to his feet, reacting mostly on instinct and habit. "My goodness, you're hurt! Come, come sit down! Let me take a look that. It could be infected." He scampered out of the way to free the space he had been sitting in for the stranger. AJ gestured wildly with his head and paw, urging her over.  

[Dragon Berri]

The Captain Britain

She was just about to turn around and find a way around him when he spoke. His tone felt harsh to her ears, but she was relieved he didn't seem to care for company. And then he'd noticed her wound. She flinched when he sprang up, a new reaction from her escape. She thought about running again, but her wound twinged and sent a new shrill pain down her spine. "Um...o-okay," she said meekly. She moved slowly, watching him warily even though he didn't seem like he'd hurt her. His words said he was more interested in helping her, but she was still skittish.

"Are you a h-healer?" she asked as she reached him, seeing the remnants of a paste on a rock.  

[The Captain Britain]

Strawberri Stardust

AJ clenched his jaw. The female was stuttering and flinching like a hare caught in the sights of a cheetah. The poor girl must have been roughed up pretty bad. It seemed like her side wasn't the only thing that had been wounded. Mental injuries could be just as bad as physical ones. But AJ was not a specialist on healing the mind. He was only trained on the ailments of the body, so he would do what he could. "Yes, I trained in the healing arts starting from a young age." AJ answered, peering at the wound with narrowed eyes. Fortunately it didn't seem infected. Or if it was, it was just in the beginning stages of infection. She had stumbled upon at just the right time.
"Sit, sit. Or lie down. Whatever's comfortable." AJ instructed, padding around her to get easier access to the rest of his paste. The cut was shallow, but had done a lot of damage. His initial assessment had been right. It had to have been a battle injury. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened miss...ah..." The male trailed off as he gathered some of the paste onto his paw.  

[Dragon Berri]

The Captain Britain

She nodded at his answer, beginning to relax. She had never known a healer who would willingly hurt someone if they weren't in a fight, so just knowing that put her at least a little more at ease. She lay down at his request, relieved to be able to rest her paws.

"Ntombi." She gave her name easily, thinking that it would be unlikely she'd ever see him after today. Telling what had happened didn't come quite so easily. She worried that he would take her back there and she didn't want to go. She wanted to see what else was out there. "I, um..." she started softly, then paused again. "I left my pride...they didn't like that very much." There. That was vague enough, right?  

[The Captain Britain]

Strawberri Stardust

AJ gave her a warm smile. "Pleasure, Ntombi. You can call me AJ." The male began smearing the paste onto her cut. It was a good thing the wound wasn't any worse. AJ had learned how to close up nasty gashes using spiderwebs and a different kind of paste, but he didn't think any of the materials needed were close by. This lioness was one lucky gal.
Or so he had thought. She must have been in a bad situation in the first place to have wanted to run away. Then to be chased and pursued...AJ could relate. "I know how you feel. They make your life hell and then get angry when you try to find a better situation, am I right?" He grinned again, though it held a note of melancholy. The male sighed quietly and reached for more of the paste. "I used to live in a pride. Got into a spot of trouble when I got blamed for something I didn't do. My own uncle framed me." He pushed some of the paste into the wound, making sure it would kill any infection that could have gotten in.  

[Dragon Berri]

The Captain Britain

She gave him a weak smile in return, then winced as the paste was smeared over her cut. She frowned a little at him, tilting her head to one side. "I suppose...though my life was quiet until I left." She thought about that. Had it really been quiet? Or was that only because she'd been amenable to everything they'd wanted? "Maybe it wasn't as peaceful as I'd thought," she murmured.

She blinked and frowned again. "Your uncle? Why would he do something like that?" she asked. Family wasn't supposed to do things like that.  

[The Captain Britain]

Strawberri Stardust

AJ shrugged, not stopping to apologize as Ntombi winced. He used to say sorry for every little bit of pain his patients felt when he first started out. But AJ had quickly learned that part of being a healer was causing others a little bit of pain. Apologizing to every single patient just wouldn't be worth his time. The lion had to concentrate on actually getting them better. Not that he didn't feel bad, of course. But that was how the trade worked.
"The king asked him to, and my Uncle wanted to look good for the king." AJ paused to grab one more clump of paste. The wound was covered, but a top coat never hurt anyone. "Nasty business, politics. Turns families against each other. Wherever I end up, you won't find me putting my paws in anything like that." The lion said with a punctuating snort. He just wanted to find somewhere quite where he could build things to his heart's content. "Alright, it's all covered. You'll need to sit still for a while to let it dry though." Not a long process. The paste on AJ's own cut was dry at this point, but Ntombi's wound had a lot more applied. It would take more time, even in the sun.