Bright eyed
The sun was well into the sky today, it made Play happy. Though, the volcano did look a bit scary, there were bits and pieces of interesting black rocks around. Nothing that she had ever seen before, it was only natural that she would be curious of them. Watching her step as the white pawed woman moved across the lands. Listening to the slight hum of the underground. What lied underneath, she was not quiet sure and she wasn't even sure if she even wanted to know.
Play tilted her head to the right side for a moment, taking another step she found herself tripping. Hitting her head on the hard rocks before landing on her back, and groaning. That definitely had hurt, that was one thing she knew for certain. Play tried to roll back onto her stomach, rubbing her head with her front paws. She winced, pulling her right paw away to look at it. Nothing looked wrong, but it definitely hurt.
It appeared that winter hadn't decided to show any mercy throughout the season, engulfing his home beach in layers of unwanted snow. While he had organised himself in advance, now all the useful vegetation that grew around the beach would have wilted from the weight and conditions of the snow. After scavenging for what still remained, it was best if he took a trip away from home in search for a region that hadn't been affected by the snow to collect more herbs. Craning his neck so he could gaze over his shoulder, his eyes fell upon his coastal home while he contemplated on making the trek. He would be of no use in his den, where he usually crouched for warmth, counted the cracks in the cavern's walls and attempted to memorise long paragraphs detailing the affects of certain herbs to make the time pass quicker. Surely nothing drastic would occur if he was gone for a day, in fact, he hoped his family wouldn't realise his absence.
The healer decided it would be wise if he travelled through certain areas that would be easier to remember on his way back. Somehow his numbs paws carried him upon the same path he had once travelled upon a year so ago, although he wasn't consciously aware of this. The landscapes he passed through were oddly familiar, bringing a fuzzy feeling to his stomach. Nevertheless, he continued at the same pace, not allowing himself to be discouraged by the tedious familiarity. That was until his sweeping gaze found the ancient volcano, a place too large in his mind for it to pass by unnoticed. It was home; old home; the first home he had ever established upon this very continent. He was one of the first of his family to arrive, painfully reminding him of Voltage's upcoming journey to bring back a fourth litter of siblings, ones that would hold no memory of the volcano. Countless memories danced in his mind and a warm feeling erupted from somewhere deep inside. This was something that he couldn't ignore obliviously, he had to explore it once more.
With excitement burning in his limbs, he dashed ahead, examining every stone step and nook upon the volcano. His head swung around multiple times as he tried to take in every feature of the mountain, effortlessly scaling it ledge by ledge. Several times he missed the form that smoothly blended in with the bland grey shades of the stone, although he finally recognised it to be another wolf. Ears pricked as his eyes deemed the stranger's stance to be one of pain. How long had they been there? He hoped they hadn't been there for long as he altered his route to swiftly reach the other canine. "Are you hurt, miss?" he inquired languidly with concern laced in his gentle words. His nose scented no blood; was it a disguised yet dangerous head injury? "I'm a healer." |
She probably would have ignored the pain and continued on only to make it worse if the other wolf hadn't shown up. Her purple like lavender eyes looked up at him, staring straight at his face. There were no words that left her open mouth in those moments because she was too busy looking at his face and eyes. Though she quickly snapped her jaw shut and shook her head, staring was rude. She tried to stand, but when her right paw pressed against the floor she was met with a pain shooting through her forelimb, shutting her eyes wincing. "I must have sprained my paw, I also hit my head." Play explained rubbing her head with her sore paw. It was nothing serious, but it still hurt none the less.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, my name is Plaetic but everyone calls me Play." She smiled wagging her tail back and forth as she decided to sit down again. Not wanting to much move anywhere with her paw like that. It wasn't like the pain would make it so she'd die, it was was uncomfortable. Which she wouldn't express, but he had offered to heal her so she couldn't entirely reject the offer. That would be even more rude than her staring at him previously.
Ah, so it seemed he was dealing with a head injury and a sprained paw. From experiences with head injuries, he knew the one result to avoid was a concussion, and so he'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure she stayed awake while he was around. She didn't mind his company, did she? Or else, she would have said so otherwise. His chin lifted while his earthen gaze scanned the mountainous surroundings, finding only small valleys and steep hills. There was not a bush to be seen, or any vegetation for that matter. He felt obligated to help; that was what healers did. It was his duty to provide medicinal aid, whether she was part of his pack or not. However, no healer was irresponsible enough to forget to bring a small bundle of herbs with them, especially on a trek as far and as long as his. Perhaps he could swiftly dash back to the outskirts of the rocky terrain where it met a suitable woodland for him to quickly collect what he needed. That was really the only option he saw, unless the female assured him that there was no need to get anything, even though it was clear that she was in pain. "It's quite alright," he smiled in response to her apology, formally dipping his head to exchange his name. "The name's Terrae."
That was when his eyes curiously discovered a small bunch of tiny white flowers joined to a long stem lying beside his mocha paws. It was feverfew, a common herb known to treat many injuries and conditions, including headaches. Where did it come from and how was it the exact flower he had wanted to collect from the nearest woodland? It couldn't have ominously appeared out of nowhere; someone had to have intentionally put it there. He lifted his head only for his eyes to just see a flicker of small scurrying movement into a nearby crevice before the area was still once more. How odd, yet rather intriguing. Perhaps the herb would soon disappear, which was why he waited a few moments before accepting its existence; it was too helpful to be ignored. And who should he thank? The mountain? He couldn't exactly see the mysterious creature who had left it there. "Care for some feverfew? It relieves and prevents headaches." |