[PRP] A Mother, A Hearler, A Goddess.... Oh My (Val&Yorath)

[Fiction1119]

Valetudo'Sero was restless. Her cubs were either with their father, which with Fiyv and Emun was likely, or wondering around getting in to things, that was more Mat's style. Kilua and Zakhe were likely just wandering around doing what ever they normally did. With her cubs busy one would think Val would go out herb hunting but she had everything she could use right there in her den and saw no need to gather more, unlike much of the time when her cubs were young and she always seemed to be running out of things. Val sighed as she stepped out of the shadows of her den that was dug into the rocks of the hot springs. With a glance around she studied her new home.

The hot springs ranged from the lake back to her den where the gray rock slowly changed to grass and trees. The goddess felt like she had been there before and when she first found the springs she felt such a feeling of rightness that she knew she had found her home, even if she still raged far and wide for her plants.

The springs were now her cub's playground and she was glad they were old enough to understand the danger of the hotter pools and the mud springs which were deeper then one thought. She was glad that they were nearly adults but sad at the same time. Being a healer was part of her, being a goddess was her whole being, but being a mother was a experience that sometimes she understood why her fellow gods had their mortal cubs raised by a mortal. Val loved her cubs, she did, but she missed so much of their young lives because she was being who she was.

Val sighed again and wandered to the nearest hotspring, one that was of moderate heat because of the fresh water spring that fed one side of it. She carefully stepped onto the rock ledge leading into the pool and after a few more steps sank into the water up to her chin, the warmth slowly relaxing her muscles.

((she would have taken off her bag and arm guards before getting in the water))  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Limping his way down the weed ridden and dirt path, Yorath thought back on the incident that happened just this morning causing his injury. It all happened when a lone cub made the mistake of playing with a diseased madden adult hyena. A fight between said hyena and Yorath had begun when Yorath had stepped in. But in the end Yorath was the fictore and the hyena barely escaping.

Scenting the air, Yorath could smell sulfur on the wind. Lost in thought, he didn't realize that he had headed to hot spring territory. Wincing, he could feel the blood on his back leg drip down and hit the earth. Possibly a warm soak would do well on his injuries and with that thought in mind. He began his way down hill, towards what he hoped was the hot springs.
 

[Fiction1119]

Val shifted a bit deeper into the water till only her nose and upper part of her face was out of the water. She was warm, relaxed, and had nothing important to do that day. With a deep breath she submerged for just a moment before raising completely out of the water. With her wet fur dripping she walked slowly out of the hot spring, shivering slightly from the drastic change in temperature. Once clear of the spring she shook herself until most of the water was gone, she was still damp and her fur was sticking up in places but she didn't look like wet mop anymore.

She sat down a bit from the springs to groom her fur into submission when a gust of cool wind ruffled her fur and made her shiver. Her nose picked up a lion's sent, something she ordinarily wouldn't worry about, but it also picked up a hint of blood mixed in, something she was quite concerned about. No longer caring too much about her fur, Val hurried to her den and grabbed her herb bag, slipping it on after a moment.

Val headed back in the direction the wind was blowing but it changed direction since then so she was no longer sure where the lion was coming from, or going. Not entirely sure if someone needed her help she still headed in the direction the wind was coming from, hoping she was going the right way.  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Yorath gave a sigh of relief as he noted the steam on the horizon. Walking on this wound wasn't making it is and his leg was stiffening up from the physical exercise. The weird thing was, that the environment was awfully quiet. Yorath paid no attention to that as he was focused on walking one foot infront of the other. Letting out a quiet happy exclamation when he saw the water and slowly walked into the warm and welcoming liquid. He hissed a little bit as water hit his wound but after a few seconds, it felt numb.

With lowered lids and a breath of relaxation Yorath drifted for a few minutes. It was while deep breathing that he picked up an unfamiliar floral-spice feminine scent. " Hello?" He said aloud curiously and cautiously, one has to be careful when you are a lone animal.

 

[Fiction1119]

Val was heading to the far ends of the springs when she heard someone call out. "Hello?" It wasn't one of her cubs that was for sure so that meant that it was a stranger which was a mixed blessing. She didn't fear strangers both because of who she was and because her cubs were old enough to take care of them selves, for the most part. But she never knew exactly what some mortals want, the majority she met were nice but there is always that little chance that the blood she smelled was no the strangers but one of his attackies... was that even a word?

Val came over a slight rise and spotted the strange lion in a spring. His black main was mated with water and steam and his blue eyes full of curiosity and caution. "Hello. Having a good soak?" Val kept her distance but some of her caution faded, he just needed a good soak, something she had just had herself.  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Startled, Yorath took in the glorious sight of a rich green color and did she have wings on her back? Squinting his eyes he noted that he was actually taking in the sight of one of the goddess. A rare sight indeed to be hold and as ungraceful as it may seem, his jaw dropped in awe. " Such an honor to be in your presence. " Yorath tried to kneel but ended up with a snout filled with liquid and an aching leg for his trouble. Clearing his throat, an embarassed gesture, he said aloud while making his way out of the water. " It is a pleasure to meet you Goddess. My name is Yorath and you are? " Yorath hoped he was behaving appropriately as this was his first time in the presents of the gods.
 

[Fiction1119]

Val watched in surprise when the lion tried to kneel while still in the spring. When he got a snout full of water she had to quickly cover her snicker with a cough. She had never been bowed at or knelt to because she was a goddess. She forgot about the time with Shalkan although he bowed because she was a lady and it was polite not because she was a goddess.

Still smiling she nodded and greeted him back, "It is nice to meet you as well Yorath. I am Val, Valetudo'Sero." She wasn't entirely sure what to say after all, while this was her home she was still new to the area and didn't know if he came there frequently not that it would really matter since she didn't have issues sharing the springs. Her train of thought was derailed when she noticed a large gash on his leg, "That should probably be taken care of. I have the materials to fix that up, if you want."  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Yorath was forgetting himself, he usually wasn't this fuddled up over females but for some reason he felt more flustered then usual with what he now knew as Valeturo'Sero. " Please to make your acquitance Valet-Valetur, Val. " Yorath tried to pronounce her name but when he couldn't he just stuck with the short form she had given. " Yes, that would be most helpful if you could do something about this injury. I had hoped the water would stop the bleeding but it would I appear I was mistaken. Please, lead the way." Yorath gestured outwardly with his front paw.

 

[Fiction1119]

Val just smiled and laughed quietly as Yorath stumbled over her name. When he said that help would be indeed helpful Val nodded and said, "With a injury that deep all the water will do is clean it out." She didn't add that he was lucky because he chose one of the more tepid pools because if water was too hot it could burn and for a open wound that is bad.

Val led the way back to her den which was also her work space. Once there she asked him to wait in a small patch of grass that grew lushly next to a small trickle of cool clear water. She ducked into her den and started to pull out some things she would need like broad leafs to act as bandages, the healing paste that would keep the wound clean, and a grass 'rope' to hold it all in place.  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Yorath nodded somewhat oblivious to what could have happened to his wound. Lipping once more as he followed Val to her den and then began to lay down in the comfortable spot in which Val indicated. The lulling sound of falling water was soothing and calming. Humming quietly, he took in his surroundings with lidded eyes. "You have a lovely home." Yorath let his eyes roam around, taking in the herbs and plants that were placed here and there around the den.

" Have you been here long Val? Have you healed many?" Yorath spoke the direction in which Val had left.

 

[Fiction1119]

Val gathered the last item she might need, even in the remotest sense, then with care slipped it into a grass basket which she then moved outside. "Hum? Oh thank you though I have to say that nature did most of it." Val was proud of her little patch of tranquility. The den was deep and sound, with the front part that had nooks and crannies and ledges seemly carved from the rock for the exact purpose that she used them for. The streamlet that Yorath was next too fed the spring closest to her den and made it possible for her to grow a few herbs that seemed to thrive in the environment. A home tailored made for her.... in fact it was since the majority of the reincarnations of the god of herblore has one way or another found their way to these hot springs and this den in particular, it was why it felt so right to make this place her home.

"Not long and yet forever. I feel like I have always been here but in truth I only moved my cubs and I here a short time ago." Val didnt really remember any of her past lives, just the herbs are clear to her. "How many have I healed? Honestly I don't know. I don't keep track." Val pulled the three main items from the basket then faced Yorath and his wound. With a calming smile she examined it and saw that while the water did a good job cleaning it, even the sluggish flow of blood helped some, it still had some dirt and grime stuck in it. "Would you like to try to clean it some more or shall I?" It never hurt to ask and most that she helped either didn't care or were in no condition to care.  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Yorath nodded to Val's answer inregards to nature doing all the work, his eyes still roaming over everything and his tail flicking calmly every now and then. His eyes widen somewhat at the mention of 'cubs'. Resting his head onto his front paws for a minute letting his thoughts take him else where. ' Hm, she doesn't have a mothers figure. He thought while checking her out, ' Not that there was anything wrong with curves.' Let out a short hum, he acknowledged that it would be rather impossible to keep track of so many in need of help.

Clearing his throat with a little uncomfortableness, as he was not used to being vulnerable, before he answered her question. " I do not think I can reach my wound inorder to clean it. Would you mind?" He asked hestiantly.  

[Fiction1119]

Val was quite lucky when it came to her appearance, she always thought. She was only slightly larger then a mortal lioness and even after cubs was still quite trim and fit. Only her wings and that infallible something that marked her as 'other' reveled her godhood and for the longest time she would use illusions to hid her wings to appear mortal until she finally decided that hiding who she was was not what she wanted anymore.

Val nodded when Yorath said he could not reach the wound rather then reply she began cleaning it slowly and methodically with her tongue. It really didn't take long but she found herself lingering a bit longer then necessary. With a deliberate last lick she sat up and pulled out the gourd with the healing paste in it. With a few swipes of her paw she had the large wound covered in the clear, slightly green paste. "It will tingle a bit and might even go numb." She warned him as she cleaned the paste off her paw with water.

She looked back up at Yorath and felt a tug deep inside her, a tug that she really didn't recognize. That tug wasn't really there when she met De and conceived her cubs, that was more of a accident. So this tug of attraction was a new feeling for her, one she didn't really recognize.  

[Tara de Draiocht]

Yorath jolted a little when her tongue first made contact, but after a few minutes he became used to it. It actually felt pretty nice and a pleased rumble came from him. " Oh! " Yorath jolted once more. Whatever Val put on him was cold at first before the affects kicked him, making him feel nothing. " I can already feel-" He paused when he realized how close she was too him, the moment was gone when she got up to wash her paws. Clearing his throat he continued on a bit shaky, " I-i, thank you for healing me Val. "

Feeling a bit flustered, Yorath tried to get up and move closer to the water but ended up collasping, luckily not doing any further damage. He turned sheepishly towards Val, only to once again find her up close and personal in his face. Which was actually nice, her golden eyes seemed to sparkle with concern for him. He didn't know many that would take care of him or be concerned.
 

[Fiction1119]

As she dried her paws she said over her shoulder, "Your welcome." She turned away but continued to talk, "Now I know its not possible for you to clean it the normal way but just as a warning, on till the paste is washed off you should not ingest it. It can be poisonous, that's why I'm washing my paws this way." She smiled and turned back to him, her internal confusion hidden.

As Val turned back to Yorath about to warn him not to move for a bit until the numb feeling went away, she saw him try to get up and collapse. With a gasp of surprise she rushed to his side to check to make sure he was fine. When he turned towards her their faces were nearly touching. Val's first instinct was to lean in until their noes were touching, her second stronger instinct was for her to pull back fast in startlement either from the close proximity or her first gut reaction. Swallowing quickly Val smashed her gut reactions beneath her mental paw and backed up slowly.

"Um, are you ok?" She was flustered as her natural reactions of a female to a male kicked in with a vengeance. "I didn't really get, um, a chance to suggest staying still for a while. Sorry about that." Val looked away briefly in shame, she should have said that first thing. As she was looking away she realized that the sun was high overhead and beating down on her rock covered home.

Val had the mantel of healer on once more when she looked back at Yorath. "We should get you into some shade. If you can get to your paws I can help you stay that way as we move into the shade of my den."