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 Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:20 am
A dappled, black and white wolf staggered through the undergrowth, legs unsteady, his whole body almost shuddering. Finally, his exhaustion caught up with him and the young male dropped to the ground, a soft thud, a rustling of tall summer grass as his body pushed it aside.
The sun settled on him as he lay quietly, warming his battered form, making him feel almost comfortable for the first time in days. Pale blue eyes peered out from under an unworried brow. He had given up on worry - was giving in to the inevitable.
His eyes drooped closed, the light going out of them.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:22 am
Kalain could smell blood - old blood, dark blood, wolf blood. The particular pungency of the blood of his own kind struck a note in him - a deep, dark chord which brought a tinge of both fear and sadness. It wasn't the smell of good blood - the blood of heat, of birth, of a fresh kill - this was the deep, dark, sad scent of pain, death.
A wolf's time on this earth was never-ending, but it did not mean they should hurry through this life to the next - things left un-done could wreak havoc on their ability to live well when the moved to their next life.
He was a healer at heart, too, and it pained him to admit that he would sometimes strive to keep another in this life who really should be making their way to the next. His fondness for others, his attachment to life, was one of the failings he had in the power which had been entrusted to him.
He lowered his nose, following the scent.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:25 am
Sati followed her mentor closely - she wasn't really paying attention to the world, to others it seemed she rarely did, but when Kalain dropped his nose to the ground it was unusual enough for her to take note. They had eaten their fill of fish from the river, pulling the swarming, silver-backed, slithering things with little effort as they spawned their next generation in huge masses. She didn't like the fish that much, but she liked their eggs - salty, tasty, sticky little morsels which she was still licking from her muzzle.
But why was she thinking of fish? Oh, yes, why tracking when their bellies were full? She asked him but he seemed distracted, so she simply continued to follow quietly, opening her eyes and ears to her surroundings.
A crow sat on a branch above and let off a croak of warning. She smiled, wondering what an animal who could fly so high had to fear from a wolf stuck to the ground. As they moved, it seemed to follow.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:26 am
The trail stopped, a small stream broke it and on the opposite bank it didn't continue. He glared at the water in consternation for a moment then sighed, closing his eyes, and asking Rhiavet to guide him. He wasn't an initiate of the water, but the flow of a stream was like the flow of life and so it was easier for him to relate to the watery spirit than, for example, that of the hard earth or the hunt.
Still, when he opened his eyes again, he could only begin to trail down the bank in the hope that somewhere the trail would begin again.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:27 am
"Not that way" Sati said softly, but with conviction. She didn't now what he was looking for, really, but something… something tugged on her inside. The crow had gone the other way.
Sati's white brow knotted in consternation as she tried to pick the crow out amongst the deeply green pines where it rested. There! "This way" she said, looking over her shoulder. Her mentor looked a little troubled but he nodded, picking up his pace, nose sweeping the ground.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:29 am
There, the scent again, how had she known? He was curious as to how she had decided on this way, but he had learned to trust the young female's instincts - Sati was oddly astute about some things, even if her ability to hunt, to be 'sensible' seemed lacking to others. He felt he understood her, a little, and could empathise with her difficulty in getting close to the others of her age group - she was different.
They came to the edge of the forest, where the river curved back again, and just as he began to worry they'd have another obstacle in their path he spotted a crow fly down into the tall reeds. He moved closer, letting out a soft growl to scare the squawking bird off - he'd never attempt to hurt a bird, but he knew exactly what crows liked to eat…
Dead meat - or was it? In an instant Kalain was at the side of the young wolf in the tall grass, his nose, eyes and ears all intent on finding a sign of life.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:30 am
He could feel an throbbing, against his head and chest, an insistent pain, a sense of urgency, too. His body ached. Another nudge against his chest, he coughed - tasting blood. Maybe it was some creature come to finish him off… could it not have just left him in peace a few moments more, left him to drift further before beginning their gory task?
"He's still here!" a soft voice said near his head, a melodic, happy voice - it sounded like a pup.
"Maybe not for long, here, clean the blood from his eyes" Another voice, also soft but older.
He felt a warm, wet sensation across his face, a tongue clearing away the blood which had begun to pool around his eyes. Struggling, exhausted, he tried to crack an eyelid open, and glimpsed the world again - bright and sunny - as if it didn't feel the pain of the small drama unfolding in its midst.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:32 am
Weak pulse, hardly drawing air and his body is as thin as a rake. Gashes on his ribs, face, flanks. Just what had happened to this young one? Kalain assumed, from his small stature, that the wolf in front of him was still young, still an adolescent. He was used to judging by his own thin frame - not many males, or even some females, fully grown, were as slight as he was.
Too young to go this way… it didn't seem like it should be his time.
His eyes flicked to the young one's face, and seeing one eye open just a slit, he nodded inwardly. If he was able to stay awake then maybe there was hope.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:33 am
"Crow, try to stay awake" Sati said softly, speaking beside his ear whilst she tried to clean more of the blood around his muzzle, his ears, checking for more cuts and scrapes. Usually easily distracted, Sati had always been focused when it came to tending others - a natural mothering instinct that even those in her own pack would have been surprised to see.
Rarely was any healing done with any others present, and most assumed Sati was too flighty for the trials of motherhood - truly she was no great hunter but her affection and loving nature held no bounds.
Tears were on the verge of her eyes as she saw the soft-blue eye closed over again, and she looked to her mentor, fearing the worst. She knew a little healing but she had not long begun her apprenticeship.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:34 am
'Crow'? The shaman wondered, using his teeth to free another of many small sticks and leaves which had made their way into a particularly bad gash on the young wolf's flank. Noticing Sati's disconsolate look, he assured her, for now.
"He's not gone yet, but he must be in a great deal of pain from these wounds… it might be best if we let him sleep whilst we work. Did you notice that Everveil we passed on our way? Yes? I need some, and Winter's Fingers too if you find them on the way". He did need them, but he hoped that the task might distract her a little from the distress she obviously felt over the young male's plight.
It wasn't likely he'd last the night, even if they could patch him up… It was getting cold already after dark - autumn was just around the corner.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:35 am
***
This was the second time in Quin's life that he had survived only due to the kindness of strangers. They had cleaned his wounds, Sati had lain beside him to keep him warm at night, the other, Kalain, had brought him food - fish, roe, some loganberries - and fed him small amounts, already chewed a little, as though he were tending a pup. It had been a little embarrassing, but necessary.
He had barely spoken to them, except to utter a thanks, and was told in no uncertain words to save his energy for mending his body. He had slept again and, on waking, realised he was alone. It was only a few moments, though, before Sati returned and graced him with a large, shining smile.
She was pretty, he thought, about the same age as himself though a little larger - something he was used to in these Northern forests - and her delight at seeing him up was obvious.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:37 am
"Crow!" Sati walked through the tall grasses, smiling at him, dropping a silvery, still wet fish near to him, and using the name she had decided was his "are you feeling better?!". Now that the danger was over, her usual cheerful self had reasserted itself. "I brought another fish for you, they're still all together in the river like bees in a nest!" she exclaimed.
He had come so close to death, so horribly near the edge. Kalain had told her not to worry, that even if he did follow the sun, he would be back again by morning - his spirit living in a new, unharmed body. She didn't want that, though, she rather liked the body he had - now that it was all cleaned up.
She pushed the fish towards him "Kalain said you should eat, it'll make you strong again" she nodded, sagely, as though she thought this course of action was eminently sensible an obvious.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:38 am
"Not too quickly, though". Kalain followed the female into the small opening - the weight of their bodies had crushed the tall-stemmed plants down so that they were in a small, open space, within this grassy forest. "You don't look as though you've eaten much in long while… it's better to take meals small and often" it was half statement, half question. He had not spoken to the young male, yet, not begun to figure out why he had come to be in the state he was.
He had, however, realised that 'Crow' was a little older than he had first thought - not just past puphood, but just into adulthood. The way Sati was looking at him with doe-eyes, she had obviously realised this quicker than himself.
He was reluctant to press the youth, though - his wounds were merely cleaned and treated, not closed, and he didn't want to drive him off.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:39 am
"Th…thank you" he stammered again, not sure if he'd be cut off again this time, but determined to say it all the same. When neither made to stop him, he continued, quickly "I am happy you have helped me, it is long time since I see friendly wolf". Traumatised and sore, his grasp of a language which was not his mother tongue was slipping in a way it hadn't done for years. "I mean...since I have seen" he corrected himself, looking to one side, abashed.
His eyes flicked back between Sati and Kalain before looking down again. "I don't think I can give back to you what you have given to me. I thought, yesterday, when I put my head down in the grass, that I was not going to stay in this world any more. I have hope now". He didn't want to overstate his luck - whilst he knew he had been well cared for, but he had seen even a small wound fester and eat away at an otherwise healthy wolf.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:51 am
Sati was ecstatic - what a wonderful voice he had - husky but soft and quiet with that hint of an odd accent. "You won't leave now, will you Crow? You need some rest!" she said, as though reading the reason behind Kalain's worried frown. Really, she had mostly wanted to make sure he wouldn't leave too soon, but the training she'd had gave her an excuse.
The mix-toned female fussed around him, tail wagging happily as she worked to make him feel comfortable, eventually settling herself down beside him, questioning the male in her usual direct manner: "Where did you come from Crow, how did you get hurt?". Violet eyes, usually focused on some spot in the mid-distance, dreamily, suddenly flicked to meet Quin's, directly staring.
In any other wolf this might have seemed challenging.
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