Winter quickly gave way to Spring in a grand, sweeping fashion. Chilled air elevated into a warm, balmy breeze that swept brine and salt off of the ocean shores. Rains scattered over the continent, watering the earth, and hurriedly pushing the flora into life. Trees grew full, grasses reached toward the sky, and bushes were lined full to the brim with juicy berries. Enticed out of hibernation and the turning cold in the north, bears easily migrated across the bridge toward the berry grove and the salmon filled streams of the cedar grove not far off. It was well known that bears traipsed through the territory, but Bramble had not expected to see one of such a large size.

The mother black bear was perhaps the largest ursine she'd seen in awhile. Her beady eyes stare back into her turquoise as they face each other off. This trip was supposed to have been an easy sweep of the territory border. Ensure no one had trespassed then head back for a late breakfast. Hell, the sun hadn't even completely risen over the horizon yet! If it hadn't been for her twin cubs scrambling up the nearby tree, Bramble probably wouldn't have even noticed them. Be it as it may, the mother was feeling rather territorial and motherly (who was to blame her) and quickly turned aggressive.

Large paws and even longer claws swiped out at her. Backing up into a corner of trees, Bramble was blindly backed against a tree. How do I get out of this? Her mind screams as her eyes dart left and right. With the mother creeping closer, intent on eliminating the threat against her babies, Bramble began to set her defenses and ready herself for an inevitably bloody fight.

"Bramble"

It was always something, wasn't it? Quill's occupation should be "Saving damsels in distress" on his resume. What was a resume? Anyway, The marbled brute had been padding through the grove, enjoying the oncoming spring. The snow was quick to melt and the greenery was raring to grow. It seemed as though this wasn't the only thing looking to grow, however. Bears were out and about. Quill could smell them thick on the air. Mother's, cubs, males looking to buffet and bang. They were everywhere. He'd seen quite a few while picking his way around the Grove. Most were too busy stuffing their faces on berries, grubs and roots to pay him any mind and that was just fine with Quill. They weren't all so easily distracted though. As the dire giant moved along, the sound of an angry bear cut through the natural sounds of the place. His pace quickened just in time to see a winter-thinned black bear backing a brown and teal fae into one of the many trees. Scurrying off to the side brought pink and blue eyes shifting. Cubs. Well... he couldn't kill her, but he wouldn't let the bear kill a wolf. From behind, Quill ran up and placed a bite to the bears rump. She spun, hind end low, and swiped out at him. Quill backpedaled and moved closer to the treed cubs. The mother bear didn't like this and rushed the maned brute. Quill danced backwards again, spinning them both about to place himself between the bear and the woman. Part of the mission was accomplished. He assumed that the bear would take her cubs and go now that she was close to them and she was outnumbered, so Quill looked over his shoulder to see if the fae was okay. Big mistake. The bear launched herself at him, biting into Quill's chest and shoulder. The brute grimaced, curling his neck to bite into the bears face. Curved canines left great furrows in the brown muzzle and that was enough to scare her off. The black bear released him and tore back across the clearing towards her cubs. They had dropped down from the tree and the trio disappeared into the brush. Quill wrinkled his nose, sitting hard and looking at his shredded shoulder. "Hmm, this doesn't seem very good." Was that shock? Blood was pouring from the wound, dripping down to puddle on the ground. He pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder at the woman once more. "The castle is that way," he pointed with one paw, then shakily got to his paws and began to walk. "Quill"

Just as she was about to retaliate against the mother bear, a piebald form launched from the shadows toward the bear's rear. The mother bear roared in anger, spinning to meet the brute as the duel began. In any other situation, Bramble would have helped. Would have jumped in to help save the day, but unadulterated fear seemed to take ahold of her. Flashbacks from the first and second time she had been attacked and subsequently mauled by bears washed over her wide eyes and quiet pants. Keeping herself backed against the tree, safely out of the way, she tried to reason with her brain. She was a trained fighter of the Hallows, their fucking Envoy! If she couldn't hold herself against a bear, was she even worthy?

As the self-doubt began to sink in, her knight turned to see if she was okay. When she met those blue and pink eyes, she felt something flutter in her chest. How he so willingly, selflessly, jumped in to save her, risking his life to ensure she was safe while still taking on the bear meant more than she was to realize in that moment. The meeting of their eyes would be fleeting for the sound of his agonized cry and retaliation as blood began to pour down his shoulder had Bramble finally snapping into action.

Rushing forward as the mother bear and her cubs receded into the depths of the grove, she looks to her savior with concern. His shoulder was ripped to shreds and bleeding far faster than she liked. While her healing knowledge was slim, she at least knew enough to understand that he needed help now.

"It's no good at all," she agreed, clicking her tongue behind her teeth as she shouldered the brute's weight against her own dire sized body. "Considering I am princess and Envoy to the castle, I should know the way," Bramble teased, humor in her turquoise eyes as she kept talking in an attempt to keep him awake. "As brave as that move was, sir, one really shouldn't just go jumping in front of bears," her chastising was light hearted as they moved through the grove, across the grassy plain, and through the garden up the steps to the front of Hearthstone. Moving as quickly as she could get the man to move with blood drizzling down his leg, Bramble rushed him into the infirmary.

"Lay here, don't move," Bramble ordered him as she deposited him onto one of the cots before leaving his side. In a flurry, realizing that the healers had yet to awaken and retreat down into the infirmary, Bramble grabbed a med pack and returned to his side. "It'll hurt, but these should help." Her voice is tense as she crushes up some sort of drug into a bowl of water until it became a thick mush to make it easier for him to swallow. Pushing it toward his mouth, she started to work on his wounds. Grabbing wads of wool, she packs the wound and presses down as hard as she can to try and staunch the flow of blood. "Don't sleep. Try to keep your eyes open. Focus on, uh I don't know, me or the window, whatever. Just keep talking. Tell me your life story if you need to," she instructs him as sweat forms beneath her fur. Her heart races, thundering in her chest as blood begins to cover her paws.

"Can someone HELP!?" Bramble shouts into the open doorway, hoping that anyone, someone was close enough to assist. "I think the blood has almost stopped," she murmurs more to herself than to him. "Silly, silly boy. Who takes a swipe from a bear for a measly princess, hm?" Turning those watery turquoise eyes to him as she continues to try and stop the bleeding, she smiles softly.

"Bramble Carpathius"

The woman's words brought a soft little laugh from the Klein brute. Of course she knew where the castle was. She declared herself a princess and envoy and Quill could smell the familiar scent on her coat. She smelled like Talyssa. Sisters? Maybe. How many siblings did Talyssa even have? The woman placed her shoulder against his non-injured one and they meandered back to the castle. All the while, blood continued to pour from the wound and Quill was feeling... almost drunk. The fae chastised him with a good natured tone, telling him that he shouldn't jump in front of bears and Quill grinned. "My lady," his tones were volcanic and laced with heat, "It's what I do."

Into the castle they went and Quill released a manic little giggle as he noted the speckles of blood left behind them. Almost like a rose petal carpet laid out for the pair. They were royalty now. It was decided.

Onto the cot Quill went, grimacing as his shredded neck and shoulder were jostled about. Once he was somewhat flat, the pretty lady left his side, producing a frown from the brute, complete with jutting lower lip. She returned quickly, however, a bowl of something in her paws which she unceremoniously pressed against his lips. Quill swallowed without even asking what the drink was, blush and ice eyes fixed on the fae's very pretty face.

He was very tired, the loss of blood and the trauma of the incident wearing on him. The fae told him to stay awake and he blinked bleary eyes at her, his attention caught when she told him to focus on her. Quill blinked, focusing on the very pretty face before him. Had he already said that she was pretty? Well she was. And her fur looked soft. Lifting one big paw, Quill reached out and slid his rough pads along the fae's cyan marked shoulder just to see. For science, you know. "Soft," he murmured happily.

Ears shift as the woman chastises him again, her tone playful. He liked that a lot. Who took a swipe to protect a measly princess? One brow lifted and Quill grinned. "A measly fallen prince, I suppose is the correct answer." The drugs were beginning to work and the pain was receding, but there was still that fluffy feeling of shock coursing through him. Quill motioned his savior down towards him with one paw as though he wanted to tell her a secret. When she came in close enough, that paw rested upon her chin and he pulled her into into a kiss. It wasn't anything dirty, just a brush of lips followed by a nice sweet press. Quill chuckled as he drew back against the cot, eyes on the woman's lips. "Soft," he reiterated.

"Quill Klein"

Bramble took the giggles and playful behavior as shock. He had indeed lost a lot of blood, the evidence was there in the trail of it from the door. She tried not to focus on that as she worked on cleaning and packing his shoulder and neck. When his paw reached up to drag rough pads along her own shoulder, she raised a brow, smirk curling over her lips. "You caught me on a good day," she chuckles, a soft shake of her head. Definitely the shock. She chalked it up to that, even if she admired it just a little bit that even through his delirium, he thought her soft. Not many had ever really looked at her in such a way that made her cheeks flush with heat.

His words have her turning to look at his blush and ice eyes. "Measly fallen prince, hm?" She questions, her brow quirked again as she looks at his drug-induced state. Was he speaking the truth? His scent was familiar, but not so much so that she knew his familial lines.

In the middle of pressing a new wad of wool to his wound that seemed to not be bleeding as much anymore, she sees him motion her closer to him. Did he have something else to say but couldn't speak loudly? Bramble wouldn't blame him. It was hard to speak when one was in pain anyway. Moving her face closer, aiming toward his ear, she was taken by surprise when his paw grasped her chin gently, oh so gently, and directed it to his lips. Warmth spread from the contact of their lips meeting up through her face and into her head. Everything swirled as her eyes closed and she sunk into for a moment before the connection was swiftly cut off.

Pulling back with quick blinks of her eyes, she looks down at her savior as he whispers soft once more and chuckles. Was this the drugs? Had she overdosed him by chance? Shoot. Now she was feeling all muddled! "Indeed, soft," she murmurs, her cheeks flushing as she finally pulled together an answer before turning back to saving his gods damned life. Packing his wound now with a healing poultice layered with wool and then carefully laying sticky sheep's skin bandages over the packing so that it would stay in place for now as the herbs did their magic, she leans back with a rush of breath.

"Well, I don't think you'll die, but you should rest," her eyes rove over his frame. Mostly to ensure he had no other injuries, but also to see the way his fur formed over corded muscle and shaped a brutishly handsome figure. When her eyes rested back on his face, Bramble fought the urge to reach out her own paw to stroke his cheek. Call her a fool, but she was a sucker for a knight willing to risk his life for her. "One of our more experienced healers should be here soon. I'll ensure they check to see if I did alright, but while we wait, try not to sleep, please," her voice softened, eyes growing watery once more. If he died now... She'd never forgive herself.

It was then that she decided to reach a paw up and place it gently on his cheek. While her paw pads were not as rough as his, they were not unused and delicate like that of a true princess. No, she had seen travel and fighting, knew the ways of the world.

"So, how did a fallen prince end up at my castle?" Bramble questions, her paw still lingering on his cheek as she tries to make small talk while they waited for a healer to ensure he would indeed make it through.

"Bramble"

He had done his reading, done some practices, and was sure he was ready to help out in the infirmary! Nervousness settled in his veins as the pup followed Gwyn down the stairs and toward the front hall before turning toward the infirmary. What they say brought a gasp from his beige lips. Blood and a whole trail of it. One look from Gwyn meant that they needed to hurry. Scrambling with dull claws scraping against stone, Ioan rushed after the Lead Physician down the stairs into the infirmary to see his older sister, Bramble, perched beside an equally large, but strange male. Looking once more up at Gwyn as she swiftly double checked, she nodded to him to come and help treat the man. Small as he was, Ioan slowly approached, nearly trembled with nervousness. "H-hi Bram, I c-can help your f-friend," Ioan's soft, lilting tones are barely heard as his older sister smiles down at him, nodding her approval. Clearly, the two older women had ensured the man wouldn't die before allowing him to practice. Turning now to the marbled brute, Ioan looks at those blush and ice eyes before reaching for the bandages. "I-I'm Ioan, Bramble's younger brother and healer in training. I'm here to treat your wounds," he murmured, still not as confident as he should be. "Is it okay if I take a look? Wh-what happened?" Ioan looks between the man and Bramble, confusion and concern lacing his expression as he waits for permission to touch. Ioan Carpathius

code by bunni, gif by minimoss

Ooo, she responded to the kiss! Of course she responded. Talyssa always responded. Oh, but this wasn't Talyssa...

Quill squinted a bit as he stared at the large fae before him. No. Not Talyssa. Significantly larger than Talyssa but very, very pretty. Maybe he should have felt bad, but he didn't. He had saved her life and she was saving his in turn. If that didn't deserve a kiss, Quill didn't know what did.

Grey and white ears shifted as the woman spoke. He still didn't know her name. Did she know his? Did she even know who he was? A silly though, considering he hadn't known who she was. Gods, what he wouldn't give to rid himself of this muddled, foggy brain! It was damn near impossible to think straight, although it wasn't solely from the blood loss. The woman beside him was intoxicating.

She continued to work on him, pressing this and that into his wounds. Thankfully he only released a grunt or two. He'd murder himself if he cried out or anything else that was entirely unmanly. She spoke again, saying that a healer would be in soon. Surprisingly, the lady lifted a paw and placed it on his cheek. Quill released a rumble of pleasure that reverberated through his wide rib cage, eyes closing momentarily as he leaned into that paw. Her question stilled him, however. How had he come to her home? "Talyssa..." he muttered, head turning away for a moment, thus pulling his cheek from her paw.

The door opened and a young boy came in, accompanied by an older woman. Ears perked as the boy spoke, although his words were choppy. Bramble. Her name was Bramble. A very fitting name for the princess, he thought. Ioan's nervousness was obvious and Quill lifted a big paw, ruffling the top of the boys head gently. "Do what you will, doctor," he jokes lightly. Alas, the lady saved me from a bear. Embarrassing, eh?" There was humor in his mismatched gaze that might otherwise not have been there had it not been for the herbs and the injury.

"Quill Klein"

She smirks at his reverberating rumble of pleasure at the gentle touch of his paw. Unsure if it was just the drugs talking or not, she would relish in the feeling anyway. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last for long. As his head turns from her touch, a single word slips from his lips that has her eyes widening. Talyssa.

"Oh, are you my sister's... lover?" She whispers hoarsely, her cheeks aflame with shame. There's no time for him to respond. The door to the infirmary is fully opening to reveal Gwyn and her newest brother, Ioan. Quickly, Bramble smooths her features, hiding all feelings as she smiles down at the boy. "You'll do great," her words are murmured sweetly, eyes shifting now toward the man whose name she still did not know. How he interacts with Ioan has her heart thumping harder.

No, she couldn't feel for her sister's lover like this.

An awkward chuckle at his words. "You are the one who saved me first, Fallen Prince," Bramble speaks sweetly, teasingly, her nose wrinkling with humor as she tries her best to hide what roils inside of her. Just a nice guy saving her from danger. That was all this was... Right?

"Bramble"

The man's giant paw ruffled his fur, and Ioan wasn't sure how to feel about that. It wasn't that he didn't mind touching, but more so this man was in a lot of danger and needed to be tended with now. His brow furrows as he listens to the words, watches the exchange between the brute and his sister. Turning his gaze to the haphazardly laid bandages, he peels the first one back gingerly, peeking beneath to see the damage. A gasp falls first before his tongue clicks behind his teeth. "B-bram, he needs st-stiches," Ioan's voice is hoarse as he sees the stretched open skin that would quickly need to be closed before infection slithered into it. Clenching his teeth, the pup nods his head firmly, eyes flicking between the two, patient and sister, before he leaves for the supplies. Hurrying, he grabs more wool, bandages, and a stitching kit. Perching at the brute's shoulder, he looks to the dire with hesitation before looking up at his sister. "This will not be p-pleasant. I b-believe you drugged h-him enough th-that it shouldn't hurt t-too much, b-but hold him, will you?" Ioan feels the tremble in his paw as he takes the quill needle and shakily threads the horse hair thread through the small hole at one end. "I w-will work quickly if you h-hold still," he warns Quill, eyes flickering to the man once more before he begins his work. Quickly peeling back the bandages, he washes the wounds with fresh, cold water, removing the poultice so that clean, fresh skin and meat glimmer beneath the dim, natural light. Using one paw to help push the skin together, he uses the other paw and his teeth to maneuver the quill and thread through the skin, tying and looping as fast as he can. It isn't a beautiful job, but it'll work. Once the last one is tied, he lets out a whoosh of a breath and checks on his patient. "Th-the stitches are done. Are you r-ready for bandages?" Ioan fights to speak without a stutter, but he can't help the nerves that are so clearly written across his expression. Ioan Carpathius

code by bunni, gif by minimoss

Heat flared through the man's cheeks as he noted the shame upon Brambles face. He hadn't meant to make her feel that way and he hoped that she wouldn't hold it against him. Ah... then his shock addled brain wanted her to hold more against him than that. A lot more.

The boy peeled the poultice away and looked at Quill's wound, hissing and declaring that he needed stitches. Big surprise. The kid had very good bedside manner, he'd give him that. After warning Quill that he would need stitches and that they might hurt, the marbled brute nodded, his maw lifting in a smile. "If I wasn't laying on them, I'd show you the bear scars on my other side," he joked. It wasn't Quill's first run in with an ursine menace.

Quill sat like a good patient while Ioan stitched him back together. Bramble, because that was her name, confessed that he had been the one to save her first. "Is that so?" He teased lightly, keeping himself distracted from the pain by looking at her face. Perhaps it spoke ill of him, but he was having a hard time picturing Talyssa's face.

When the stitches were finished, Ioan asked if he was ready to be bandaged. Quill nodded lightly, laying his head down upon the cot to make things as easy as possible for the boy and his mentor. His one visible eye played upon Bramble as she sat before him. "An envoy princess and a fallen prince. What a pair we make." He teased. The pain herbs were working well enough that he was regaining some of his senses. "My name is Quill, by the way. Not sure if I remembered to mention that while I was bleeding out."

"Quill Klein"

Bramble stayed dutifully by his side as her brother worked his healer magic. For such a young pup, he already appeared so adept at the skill. If Ioan kept at it, perhaps he would be their next lead Physician. She would have to say something to their father later after she explained the pools of blood trailing through the castle... Shoot, Tati. Her face twists momentarily before her brain registers that he's teasing her. Blinking her expression back to calm and steady, she smirks at him, her paw replaced back upon the floor.

"Unless I've gotten amnesia, I would say so," she teased back, her eyes crinkling with laughter, hoping it helped to keep him distracted. Still, her mind raced. This was Talyssa's lover... Bramble and Talyssa had never been super close, not like she and Dusk were, but if Lyssa found out about this... What would it do to their friendship? Their sisterly bond? Regret and dread fill her, dampening her stomach, twisting it into knots. She might be sick.

But she had to be strong for him. He had indeed saved her from the mother bear, nearly costing him his life for it. So her smile stayed, though it wavered, as he continued to tease. "What a pair indeed," Bramble muses, though the smile doesn't reach her eyes anymore. What will Tati think? Her mind races, trying to wander into dark corners of self-doubt and deceit until he speaks his name. Blinking softly, Bramble looks down at him. Quill. Simple, handsome, just like him. No, no! Bad brain!

"You were a tad preoccupied with other things such as bleeding out," she teases, her lips curling up in a smirk, attempting to smooth her awkwardness with a chuckle. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Quill. I am Bramble," her turquoise eyes linger on his pink and blue pair, trying to ignore the way her heart picked up. Was the room getting warm for anyone else?

"Bramble"

Ioan's eyes widen. This was not the first time this man, Quill, had been attacked by a bear? The pup swallows hard and clears his throat. "Sir, I s-suggest you st-stay away from b-bears for a bit," he chastises, a brow raised as his lips purse slightly, his gaze then moving up to Bramble. "I b-believe you're also th-the reason Tati warns of s-said bears." The stare he lands on Bramble would send Artorias into a laughing fit. A pup so young to be so audacious to chastise his older sister. But if it meant that it kept them safer, Ioan didn't care. He'd chastise the Lord and Lady of Cinder if needed! Returning to his task, he carefully and swiftly recovers the now stitched wounds with an antibiotic ointment and clean bandages. Retrieving a small bundle of herbs that included feverfew, ginger, and turmeric, he places it beside Quill. "When you be-begin to feel pain, chew th-these up," Ioan nods before taking a step back to look from Quill to Bramble and then back again. "You c-can remove the bandages tomorrow if Lady Gwyn says your wounds are h-healing okay. Rest for today, but w-walking tomorrow sh-should be fine," the hard stare he gives Quill is another reminder not to go messing with bears again any time soon. Once he's certain the two older wolves understand his directions, the pup turns on his heal and heads back over to Gwyn for praise and his next lesson. - Exit Ioan, though he is still within the Infirmary if needed - Ioan Carpathius

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Ioan suggested that he stay away from bears and Quill released a huff of amusement. "Gladly, but sometimes we don't have a choice. I couldn't just let the bear maul your pretty sister, now could I?" The boy was comical, staring at his sister in a manner way beyond his age. Quill pursed his lips, eyebrows raising as he tried hard not to laugh.

Instruction was given and Quill nodded, placing his head back on the cot. "Thank you," he spoke, giving a lopsided smile. "I'm sure someone will remind me if I happen to forget." Surely Bramble wouldn't just leave him to rot away in the infirmary alone. Ioan left them and moved back to his older sister, leaving Quill somewhat alone with Bramble.

The combination of herbs, medical care and exhaustion had sobered the brute somewhat. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his tail twitching as it hung over the side of the cot. "I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position." He couldn't imagine what she might be feeling, having kissed her sister's boyfriend. "If it helps your conscience any, I'm the one that kissed you. You just didn't want to hurt my feelings, so you kissed me back." His blue eye fixed on her, the pink being closed as he lay flat on his side.

"Quill Klein"

Bramble can't help but sigh and roll her eyes at both Ioan and Quill. Boys. With the chastising and subtle flirting, she wasn't sure who to look at. Her brother who acted years beyond his age or Quill, the man who made her heart falter every time she looked at that heterochromatic gaze. Which she was expertly avoiding for the time being as Ioan doled out the healing regime.

She smirks though at his words. "Oh, you're not wrong there. You're stuck with me until that shoulder is healed," her cheeks warm as she gives in and meets that icy blue eye of his that stares up at her. Even if this was all sorts of awkward now, she couldn't let him heal alone. Being stuck in the stuffy infirmary alone was agony, she would know. Did they never open a dang window?

What she didn't expect was the apology. The open show of regret on his features as his tail twitched. Her head cants, blinking softly as her brows draw together. Lifting a paw to place it tenderly upon his neck, above the bandages, her expression swiftly changes to a gentle smile and light shake of her head. "I appreciate the apology, but I suppose I should keep better track of who my sisters spend their time with," Bramble shrugs her shoulders as she withdraws her paw. "Thank you for saving me. We can chock it up to drugs and adrenaline," she teases, getting comfortable beside him by sliding down onto her belly and then rolling on her hip so that she sprawled across the floor beside his cot.

"So Quill, the Fallen Prince, are you and Talyssa staying at the Hallows or is she whisking you away on one of her grand adventures?" A slight rise of the brow, a silent question lingering in her gaze. Will I be seeing more of you?

"Bramble Carpathius"

A rumble of contemplation left the brute as Bramble took some of the responsibility. It really hadn't been her fault, but if it made her feel better to think so, then so be it. He wouldn't dissuade her. Bramble lifted a paw and placed it upon the side of his neck. Once again, Quill rumbled, but this time in appreciation. She then thanked him for saving her and Quill scoffed. "Thank you for saving me."Had it not been for her practically dragging him back to the castle, Quill very well may have died out there. "Don't sell yourself short, Bramble. You saved the day." Did she need the confidence boost? It seemed like she may have.

Bramble asked after his and Talyssa's situation and Quill gave his blue eye a roll. "I assume she's in the castle somewhere. I haven't seen much of her for the past season." Talyssa had been spending her time in the castle, catching up on books and pleasantries with family. Since Quill knew no one here and he wasn't just going to follow her around like a dog, he spent most of his time out in the surrounding lands. "Until now, I assumed she'd know how to find me if she wanted to." A sardonic smile settled on Quill's lips. "She hasn't."

The grey and white marbled brute shifted for comforts sake, freeing one of his thick braids from being trapped between himself and the wooden cot. "I doubt she'd even know that I was in the castle unless someone told her." Was he a little bitter about that? Yeah... yes he was. "There's a good chance that I'll be healed and back in the wilds before she decides to remember that I exist." A soft huff left pink nares. Was he over it? Over her? It was too soon to say.

"Quill Klein"