Sweater Weather
Epitaph as it so happened lived relatively close to where he did, and it didn’t take long for the healer to find him. He had brought with him a small hare that he had taken from the food stores and made a mental note to check how his comfrey was fairing.
Immediately Spider recognized the signs of anemia on the smaller male, and wondered if he could travel further south in the hopes of finding green coconuts to boost his nutrition. Just meat wouldn’t be enough, he would need supplements and a specific diet if he had any hope of recovering.
Spider placed the hare down between them, still keeping his distance from the tattered male and his posture remaining relatively submissive despite the confidence Hannibal had brewed within him.
“Hello.” He called gently with a hopefully reassuring smile. “Are you Epitaph?”
Spider speaking |
To call this a nap would be incorrect. He was simply.. lounging. In the dappled light of a sunbeam, he let the warmth soak into his bones. It felt nice. In, out, in, out, went his breath. Shallow against the potential for pain in his healing ribs. A scent stirred in his nostrils, canine. Acidic green eyes flickered open, seeking out the potential threat. A small figure slipped through the fronds, clutching a rabbit in their jaws. Smaller than he was, and so far the only wolf he'd met who didn't tower over him entirely. The male dropped the hare in between them both, staring warily at him with the same stance that Epitaph tended to use. “Hello.” he said softly, not moving a muscle. There was a gentle, warm smile on his face. “Are you Epitaph?” The charcoal male bobbed his head wordlessly, glancing behind the smaller male. Was someone coming behind him to oversee their encounter? Perhaps one of his masters? No one arrived, but the scent of the hare began to drift into Epitaph's nose. It smelled fantastic, and he was definitely hungry. Regardless, he would not dare to take it. That would not end well for him, if one of his masters arrived. "Do you need something from me?" he rasped quietly, ears flicking back with trepidation. |
“No.” He said, and laid down on his stomach to show that he was not a threat. “I’m a healer, I came to help you.” He said, and let his tail curl against his leg, letting the tip thump lightly against the ground. “I brought this for you.”He said, and gestured toward the hare, then shifted to lean more to his side, his hip turning to rest on the ground. There was a method to his subtle shifts in posture, something he understood and would have recognized if he had been approached the same way; a wolf resting on its hip took longer to rise and would have a harder time charging after someone.
He turned his head away, making a show of staring off into the distance to let Epitaph take the hare without fear of instant retaliation, while exposing his throat.
Spider speaking |
The greyscale wolf was curt in his reply. "No." he lowered himself to rest on his belly, leaving himself vulnerable to attack. “I’m a healer, I came to help you.” he added, dark tipped tail resting lazily on the ground. This was the first healer that the male had met who was not one of his new masters. The ebony wisp examined him cautiously. The freckles around his eyes and nose mimicked the strange way his eyes were coloured. “I brought this for you.” As the male leaned over to turn his hips out, the younger male watched warily. Could this be a trick? He was so hungry. The lounging posture was similar to how Epitaph tended to arrange himself, as it was more difficult to get truly comfortable when his lame leg was bent beneath himself. When the odd-eyed wolf turned his gaze away to idly look about, he tentatively rose. Slipping his hind legs beneath himself, and rising up. He towered over the stranger, and he wasn't sure he enjoyed the notion. Slaves were meant to be small and meek. To be large meant that you were a threat. There was a fair amount of distance between the paler wolf and the hare. When he extended his snout to grab hold of one of the small limbs, he was less worried about the chance of a nip or a growl. He dragged the carcass back towards his bush, and settled back down a foot or so from where he had been resting before. Before he tucked into the meal, he glanced at the stranger. For a few seconds, he hesitated. Stared blankly. Then, a soft rasp of "thank you, sir." |