Maddox Nature sang its tune of excitement now that spring came forth in an array of singing birds, greener landscape, and warmer air. Small creatures now venturing outside of their homes much more often now that the bitter bite of winter slumbered, readying itself for next year’s frost. Squirrels hurry on earth’s floor. In haste they gather food or race to a different tree across the way, some even scurry back up their just descended tree at the sound of crunching grass. Little delicate bodies heaving in their effort to breathe air into their lungs as beady dark eyes watch the danger of a predator moving across their grounds. You could almost see the rapid pace of their beating heart through the layers of fur and flesh; if one got close enough they’d probably be able to hear its wild rhythm. Lemon orbs stared with disinterest at the tiny beast; its own eyes staring back with what he could only presume to be fright. With a twitch of a snout and swing of a tail, orbs of yellow directed back to stare in the direction his body was traveling. His subconscious made a push at his mind in an impatient request to continue forward in hopes of finding a destination. As an act of rebellion towards one’s self, he kept his legs still and paws planted until content that he successfully defied his own mind in an act of stubbornness. A few seconds, possibly minutes, or maybe even hours of just standing in one spot while keeping his staring contest with nothing but open land. He thought with distraction “I think I need sleep”, before pushing his body forward with more effort than he’d care to admit. A distracted and tired mind gave you fault, chasing away your ability to hone in on your surroundings and creating vulnerability. A lesson that was beaten into him at a young age to always be alert and ready no matter how weary one becomes; perhaps he needs another beating to help chip away the rust to his training. Too bad his father wasn’t there to do just that, but sometimes you learn the hard way and he really wished he hadn’t. Maddox counted his steps, 1 2 3 4…20, 50, 80 before a small and still undeveloped roar sounded to his right, causing his blood to run cold and body to freeze. Ears swiveled back and forth with the hope that his mind imagined the sound, but luck was not in his favor. Another squeak of a roar came once more, but this time it sounded closer, accompanied by vicious sniffing and a low grumble of what he could only assume to be of aggravation. A declaration of run echoed in his mind, but before he could act on the instinct, an angry roar vibrated through the once peaceful air, as well as startling the birds to flock away at the abrupt disturbance. Within seconds a brown beast barreled into Maddox side, its force knocked the air from his lungs, leaving him gasping as he tumbled around on the ground, collecting debris on his pelt as he went. Without fully catching his breath, he rolled onto his feet to avoid those sharp claws from tearing his stomach open. Yellow orbs stared with their usual indifference even though his insides speak differently. Keeping the bear within his line of sight he was able to dodge her attacks, although it was difficult with his limited space and his need to search for an opening to make his escape. She twisted to face him, leaving a gap that Maddox hoped he could slither through unarmed. Without another thought, Maddox launched himself forward, breaching the gap, he thought he made it out scratch free but she was just as quick. With another effort to down the wolf, she swung her large front paw towards Maddox’s flank with determination to not let him out unharmed. A painful burning sensation erupted through his right hip, causing his face to scrunch up in a scowl. The hit tittered his balance, but he kept an upright position to continue his escape from the angry bear. His pace slowed more than he would have liked as his hip screamed for rest and attention, but he kept pushing forward until he couldn’t hear the steady sound of thumps pursuing him. With a groan the wolf slowed down until he completely stopped, his sides heaving as he panted for air. A twist of his neck, orbs looked to assess the damage she had caused, while gnarly and bloody, he could tell that he had just caught the brunt end of her assault, luckily. Maddox heaved a breath before he pushed forward, his walk now accompanied by a fresh limp. It was the feeling of relief when the sound of a body of water washed over his senses, forcing himself to speed up until the sight of a river came to view. His black body sluggishly wondered itself over to crisp water before slumping to the ground with renewed fatigue. A pink tongue escaped its cavern to greedily lap at the refreshing water, thankful for its existence. With great effort, he lifted his cranium to once again inspect the damage before deeming his injures, while ugly and annoying, not lethal to his being. An irritated huff left his lungs at the inconvenience, before settling his head back down to rest at the edge of the river bank as his body begged for some rest. With no energy left to argue with himself, eyes closed with the intent for a quick nap before caring for his wounds. Within just a few seconds he slipped into a light slumber, ears still twitching automatically at the slightest of sound, ready to alert its master of any unusual noise. "Speech"

The scent of blood caught her attention, and a moment of snuffling through the ungrowth would have her keening in to the dark red spot. She sniffed it cautiously, and it told her what she had already sermissed. Wolfblood. The roar of the angry bear had sounded in this direction, and well caution had her moving slowly, she knew she was too late to help whoever it had attacked. A roiling feeling of regret had her pausing for a moment. She should have picked up her pace, danger be damned. The problem was, Riva was not a fighter. Twenty five inches of light weight, with legs built for agility, anyone could see why. Not to mention the healer bag that thumped against her side anytime she picked up her pace. An angry bear? She would have just been the meat that let the other wolf get away. That didn’t let the feeling set any easier in her gut. She had been nearby, and a fellow wolf had been brutally attacked. She didn’t hold much hope that they had survived, so really she had no reason to pursue this trail. She ought to put her attention elsewhere, like getting away from the area of an angry bear. The mental protest fell on deaf ears, because her paws continued to move, propelling her forward. Her slow pace meant some time had passed before she came upon the river, and the limp form of the wolf. Her breath caught in her throat, before she saw the steady rise and fall of his breath. He was alive! She moved closer, sniffing carefully. She already knew he had an open wound, but didn’t yet know the full extent of the damage. Has his wounds brought him into unconsciousness, or had he simply let exhaustion take him? It was hard to say. She moved closer, in his personal space now, and sniffed gently across his wound. She would need her cleaning salve first, some pain killers, and something to bind it with. “Hello?” she asked gently, testing to see what type of sleep or unconsciousness he had fallen into. Speech Duty before Self

Maddox A twitch of a nose and flicker of a black ear ruffled him awake from his half-asleep daze. Lemon orbs shot open before shifting to the side as ears perked and twitching at the slightest of sounds. Nose wrinkled at the smell of something new, another creature gracing him with their presence. He couldn’t quite determine what exactly if approaching (he blamed it on his hurt state, obviously), but it seemed harmless although he’s been wrong before. Eyes once again shut in hopes to have the element of surprise. Muscles tense, ready to launch its owner up and out of danger if need be. Noises of light sniffing prickled him, the sound drawing nearer to his person. Maddox was mildly surprised that he was approached, either this creature was brave or a fool. Ears instantly pinned against his cranium was the sniffing breached his bubble of personal space and hovered over his sore wound. “Hello?” followed in a gentle tone, the voice was feminine in sound forcing him to believe that his unwanted company was female. Lids ascended from their covering of his sight as he spun his head towards her presence, snapping his jaws with a warning and intention to force her back a couple of steps. Now with his focus on the dark pelted female, he opted to observe her outer appearance. She is small in stature along with a dark coat with light points and silver eyes; he would be lying if he said she wasn’t an attractive wolf. Orbs shifted down to the blue ribbon placed securely around her fore ankle, a quick thought of “How fitting” floated through his brain before his attention was brought upwards once again. A bag slung to her side had him curious, perhaps she’s a witch, as his lineage called those that most know was healers. Maddox flipped his tail, one could call the action that of agitation as he finally felt her worthy enough for his words. "Foolish to have approached an unknown, next time you may not be so lucky," he spoke with a tone of indifference, as if her existence bored him. "Speech"

The sudden movement caught her by surprise as the wolf went from the gentle breaths of sleeping, to the motion of snapping his jaws in the air before her face. She knew it for a warning, and politely took a step back, unruffled other then the initial fright it had given her. Injured wolves had a habit of reacting unpredictably, and she did not know this wolves state of mind even before injury. She waited a moment to allow him time to orientate himself, through she had the sneaking suspicion he hadn’t been nearly as asleep as he appeared. His flank still bleed, untreated, and she could see flecks of dirt within the wound. With difficulty, she pried her gaze from the gash, back to his face. She could see the unwavering suspicion in the golds of his gaze. The color should have been warm, but he managed to wear them cool and stern as they took her in. His dark form was rich and thick with a ruffled coat and heavy form. He had an easy ten inches over her small, petite frame, that he held as menacingly as his gaze. His words held the same threat, even if his tone lingered on indifference. “My fate is not nearly so important as all that.” she said dryly, the teaching of her mentor drilled into her. The lives of others before her own, always. It was a hard lesson to shake off, when for a long time, it had been all she had known. She gave her form a quick shake, as through to say that was neither here nor there. “I heard the bear attack, I’m surprised you got away as unscatched as you did. I saw the blood, which lead me here to you. I thought I would be stuck on burial detail, I didn’t think my services as a healer would be needed.” she raised a brow at the last, turning it into an invitation. She would heal him, without charge nor expectation, if he so allowed her to. Speech Duty before Self

Maddox Her movement backward allowed him a breath of relief he hadn’t realized he needed. His vulnerable state was less than ideal, leaving his mind and body equal parts of stressed; he very much wasn’t use to this feeling which in turn forced his mind to scramble in its efforts to reel his emotions back into its embrace and keep them in check. Even through the turmoil, he trained his face to remain neutral, despite the tight muscles over his body and a tense sway in his tail. Eyes kept their gaze strong, making absolutely sure that every movement from her body was registered. Auricles twitched in interest at the she-wolfs words, only to be stumped at her response; he was pretty sure his face scrunched up in an expression of confusion and slight disgust at her commitment to helping others before seeing that herself remain unharmed. A click of the tongue was his response to her statement, the disapproval at such devotion for others that are unknown could possibly be dispatched from such a small action. Despite willing himself not to waste his breath, his controlling need to contradict her beliefs willed stronger, "Some call that suicidal,” he spoke curtly "I call it stupidity," his voice gruff with its irritation towards her words. His beliefs were always focused on one’s self, protect, serve, and care for yourself before caring for an unidentified. Her following report once again threw him through a loop. Her willingness to heal a stranger was admirable in a godly sense, he still considered her rather foolish in whatever sense. "She was a young mother, acting out of instinct rather than tactics. When you fight recklessly you make mistakes,” Maddox said in a dismissive tone; he very much understood how lucky he was to have walked away with his life and barely a mauling; the throb in his hip was a painful reminder as to way he greatly respected a bear’s space. Maddox’s orbs once again shifted to the she-wolfs bag, her last sentence replaying within his head, confirming his suspicion that she was, indeed, a herbal witch. His mind debated with itself at the idea of allowing someone to touch his person, to invade his personal space at such an enfeebled state. Although, he also understood the serious risk of infection causing him great ailment within the near future. With another click of his tongue, Maddox grumbled before resting his cranium back onto the ground below; eyes of yellow keeping a side glance at the healer. “Unlucky for me, I’m ignorant when it comes herbs and death by infection surprisingly doesn’t sound appealing to me. Do as you wish,” gold continued to watch, granted, he doesn’t feel an aura of danger, he’s misjudged a persona before. "Speech"

There was a break in his passive expression as an understanding of her words reached him. The disgust was easy to read, and his words held disdain and disagreement in equal measures. She shrugged it off, even managing a wry smile at his words. "Each to their own" she said easily, before gently adding another explanation. "I'm a healer, and my duty is to others" she held no resentment for the way she had been raised. She loved healing, the discovery of knowledge. Experimenting with herbs, and perfecting her recipes. She was a scholar, but even that was second to her duty. She knew, a small part of her at least, that she was raised this way for a reason. She was the redemption from the harm her mother had unleashed onto this world. If the woman who had birthed her had raised her, instead of discarding her, she would likely be a very different person today.

He explained the reasoning for the attack, and the younger wolf nodded her head. "Lucky for you. Or unlucky, depending how you view it." She would observe. He gave her leave to heal him, and she shuffled closer, keeping her tiny bulk down so she wouldn't give him another start. She placed her bag on the ground, and nosed around it for her equipment. She was constantly adding to her supplies, and kept a stash of ready made salves on her at all times. She found the jar of sunscreen, reminding her of Hannibal, as she smiled as she gently moved past it and grabbed her cleaning salve. With a hint of the rare ginseng root, squeezed elderberry. He might also catch a hint of ginger and honey in the mixed scent of the salve. She applied this to cleaned moss and gently scrubbed around his wound. She kept her movements slow, and well she applied enough force to clean the wound, there was a gentleness to everything she did. Once it was cleaned and rinsed with water from the stream near by, she dried the wound and applied a second salve across the wound in a goop, before binding it tightly with lambs ear.

This done, she wrapped a dose of the paste in a leaf and placed it in easy reach of his paws. "Re apply this in a day, and keep the wound clean." She directed him, "do you require something for the pain?" It was the warrior sorts that offered resistance here, and she was debating still if he was the type. She would give him the choice before grabbing out the paste she used as a pain killer.