|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:41 pm
 It was early morning on this day, Frith just barely having climbed over the edge of the horizon to start chasing away the chill Inle' had left over the land in the night. It was the chill that had ousted Haunt from his makeshift burrow this morning, in spite of how much more comfortable it would have been to stay. There were certain herbs he was likely to need before the winter was done, and not much time remaining to try and find any sort of decent supply before winter fell. He could stand weathering the winter with the scant food supply he'd managed to scrounge; he'd done it before. But what good was he as a healer if he didn't have the things he needed to heal with?
He wasn't fond of having to stay still enough to give the areas he was searching the sort of thorough examination that was needed at any time, but right before winter when food was scarce for prey and predator alike made him doubly nervous. But it was paying off so far; it would still be hard going to find all he needed before the snows got too deep for this sort of thing to still be feasible. At least he got to stay close to cover doing all of this, for the most part. The last thing he needed was for some elil to come and try to bite his backside.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:48 am
 Dogsbane had heard rumor of some rabbit beyond the safe haven of the down who could stave off the black rabbit and had been blessed by Frith with healing powers. Though the young runner was certain Ginkgo would be alright soon, he was curious to see if he could speed the healing process.
So, under the cover of night, he had left the down, telling the Owsla that he would be back by the second sunrise at the latest. He was wishing he had not given himself such little time as finding this rabbit was proving difficult.
He had made his way to the copse it was said this rabbit lived by while the moon still shone. Winter's bitter bite slowed his movements and while snow had pleased him at first, it hindered him now.
The sun had risen and still he had not found this mystery rabbit. There was sniff of another here and there, but it was an illusive scent that rode the winds. Dogsbane was just about to give up when he finally saw the burrow, tracks leading out from it.
The runner kicked into high gear, leaping onwards through the snow, matching the other's tracks. The burrow smelled of thousands of different plants and leaves, combining into something he thought was foul. The journey wound him into the copse for a moment, then back to the open where the snow was all turned up, as if one had dug something out.
But finally, the many colors of the rabbit's hide caught his eye and the trail became deeper. Here, Dogsbane slowed and eyed the hlessi. He reminded the runner of the bees of summer.
" Frithaes." He greeted in a soft voice when he was certain the other had seen him. "I have traveled from the large warren on the hill, seeking the rabbit I heard rumor of. They mentioned a great scar on his back and a burrow smelling of every plant in the forest. Are you he?" He blinked rapidly as wind blustered into his eyes, peering at the other and trying to gauge a reaction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:20 pm
The crunch of snow nearby had caught his attention, and for a moment the worry of elil clouded his mind, but it was only another buck that greeted his sight. He waited cautiously, not sure what to expect of the other, but curious enough at being approached like this to wait. As Dogsbane spoke one ear flicked further up and forward atop Haunt's head, the other continuing to drift a bit lazily toward the side.
"Ah. Frithaes, lad." He peered at the strange bundle of herbs he'd set to his side when he saw Dogs approaching, the other ear finally rising to join the first, along with an eyebrow. "Not every plant, I dare say. They'd not fit by themselves, much less with me in it." He took a quick glance around to check the area before settling on his haunches. "From the warren, you say? I'm guessing you've more reason to be seeking me out than idle banter." He peered around again and after a moment's debate stood again. "It'll be safer to talk at my burrow, if you can stand the smell. The smell helps ward off the elil, in fact. Buggers don't seem to know what to make of it, which suits me fine."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 4:48 pm
Dogsbane was relieved he had at least found the right rabbit. He had the same smell of herbs on his pelt, like he had rolled in it a lot. It made Dogs wrinkle his nose at the mere thought of having to be in the other's burrow.
"I could imagine it would be hard to fit a whole forest in a burrow, but I can also imagine elil being confused by the scents." He admitted, not dropping his friendly tone. He pondered, scratching behind his ear with his hind leg a moment. "Alright. But do excuse me if I need a frequent breath of fresh air."
He eyed the scar on the other's back. What had made a mark like that? A bird? To him, who had seen what a dog could do to a rabbit, it looked more like a bitemark. But he was too polite to ask.
He took a few more hops towards the other. "I'm Dogsbane, by the way. One of the fastest runners on the down. But I'll follow you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 5:10 pm
Haunt chuckled softly. "Nay, lad, I'll not hold it against ya if you need a breather. Took a good bit of getting used to for me when I got started." Some of the smells were indeed hard to take until you got used to them, and he would never deny it. But it was part of his work, and helped to keep the elil away, so he wasn't ever going to complain.
Dogs' glances to the scar on his back did not go unnoticed, but this was not the time for idle banter. They should aim to get somewhere relatively safe first. "I go by Haunt. And I may not be the fastest runner in the land, but I've had to keep a fair bit of speed on me, living on my own as I do." He hefted up his load of herbs and took a look around for sign of trouble, then motion for Dogs to follow him before taking off again.
It was much faster going to simply head back than it had been going out to search for herbs, but that was to be expected. Set destinations were always easier. He scrambled under the bushes and into the copse he'd hidden himself in, leading the way into the burrow. The entryway was still shorter than he'd like, but he'd expanded the burrow itself and the storage holes in the walls a good bit since he'd first arrived a few months past. Nothing so impressive as the Down, or even a smaller but more established burrow in a lesser warren, but impressive enough for a lone Hlessi in the fall months.
He sorted the herbs into their respective spots and turned to Dogs again. "Arrite, lad, I'll make this as brief as I can to save your nose. Who needs help, is it sickness or injury, and what are the symptoms? We'll narrow down what's needed as fast as we may."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 5:39 pm
Dogsbane could smell the burrow before he saw it and it turned his stomach. He was not interested in going inside. Even from the entrance it was a sickening smell to his sensitive nose. He pawed at it, trying to clear the smell. He'd stink for days after this. But, taking a deep breath, he pushed into the tidy entrance and down into the wide burrow. The smells were overwhelming, but it was clean and tidy besides that. Everything had its own place.
When he spoke, it was in a stifled voice since his nostrils were wrinkled shut to try and keep the smell out. "My..." He thought of the word, then smiled. "mate. His name is Ginkgo. He's an owsla and a strapping one too. He went on a raid to the man's farm and..." Here he shuddered. "He told me the farmer came after him with a great stick, but not like the twigs on the ground. He said...it was as wide as a tree's branch, but limbless, and it felt like stone. He got hit...He could barely walk and is lucky to be alive." He sighed, regretting it as fumes shot up his open mouth and made him cough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 6:00 pm
Haunt grimaced sympathetically as Dogs started coughing and began searching around his herbs for something in particular... some wild mint he'd found. He pulled out a carefully dried leaf and handed it to Dogs. "There, hold that by your mouth and nose. It's a bit more pleasant than the rest of the mix, might help drown some of it out."
"Your mate, eh? That is a shame, glad to hear he survived it." He thought it over for a minute, finally nodding to himself. "Think I know what stick he's talking about. It was round, with sort of a ball at the tip of the narrow end, and something wrapped around that the man held on to? Their pups use it for some strange game, I didn't stick around long enough to make out the details the day I stumbled on them. The look and sound of it made me think they were pretty solid though, might as well have had a tree fall on you as get hit by something like that." He started searching around his herb storage again, pulling out a few things here and there. "Where'd your mate get himself hit at? Any cuts or sickness showing, or just pain?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 6:21 pm
Dogsbane thankfully huffed at the mint leaf, even giving it a few licks to try and smother the horrible smell that was turning his belly. "Many thanks." He mumbled, his fur lowering as he took a few more deep smells of the leaf, speaking through it.
"Sounds similar to that." He didn't want to think of his beloved Ginkgo being hit by the object and could still hardly believe it had happened at all. But he was intrigued by this rabbit's worldly wisdom. Had he really been out on his own for this long?
"Well...he doesn't like me touching him too much. I only got a good look one day while he was too weak to stop me. I moved some of his fur about and he had a lot of bruises on his tummy area. And at one point his nose was oozing red. But other than that he's been fairly well. He's been improving with his movements too. "
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:11 pm
It seemed the mint was helping Dogs at least a bit, for which Haunt was glad. He didn't like others being discomfited so for his own convenience, nor did he particularly relish the thought of the other buck being sick all over the floor of the burrow. Well, one thing down, on to what the Runner came to him for.
After listening to Dogs description of Ginkgo's state Haunt paused, mulling over the situation, then put a couple of herbs back in favor of different ones, and then pulled out two flat pieces of bark which he tucked them between. "This lot, you'll want to tear up one sprig at a time morning and evening, and wet them, whether yourself or with water, and pat it on the bruised areas. He's cracked his ribs, likely bruised his lung. But he's not coughing up blood or wheezing a lot, so the lung's likely not any more damaged than that. These will help with healing the bruising faster, and works well on skin. Might make your paws tingle a bit."
He frowned and peered around again, grabbing another plant to place on top of the bark. "I can't do a lot for the bones themselves, they'll have to heal on their own, but have him chew a couple of leaves off of this when the pain starts getting to him. It'll make it easier to bear. Too many in short order will put him to sleep, and might get dangerous, so be sure to warn him of that. Not more leaves in a day than there are toes on your paw."
He tucked a few of the mint leaves in as well and passed the bark over to Dogs. "They're kind of bitter, and will likely make your mouth feel odd, so I'd suggest keeping them tucked in the bark until you're home. The mint ought to help with that when you get back." He tilted his head, mulling it over. "Enough bruise medicine for a few days, hopefully they'll be done by then. The pain-leaves should last about twice that. If he's not feeling better by then or anything else turns up you'll know where to find me now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
