It had been an eventful week. Chrys had managed to get the injured man back to Olympia. They'd cleaned him up and placed him in the patient den next to Chry's own. They provided him with food and water and Chrys fussed over his injuries but all in all the other man seemed to be on the mend… at least physically. Chrysanthos' studies were of the body and not of the mind. He wasn't sure there was much he could do for that. As far as he knew the man was asleep so Chrys opted to busy himself outside his den. He was fully engaged in what he'd been doing. Word of how to make fire had been spreading like, well, wild fire through Boreas. With a little luck and a trade of herbs for lessons Chrysanthos now had a small little fire going in a ring of stones. He desired to find a way to heat water so that he could better extract the goodness out of the herbs he used. It worked well enough to set leaves in water and leave them out in the sun to warm up but he was looking for something quicker.

"Ok, well, I have a fire… and I have a bowl with water in it… maybe I can wait for the fire to die down and place the bowl directly on the coals?" He looked to Bolla and the lemur just shrugged before suggesting another idea. "I could try and rig a tripod up out of some sticks and maybe we can…" she trailed off, brow scrunching in thought. And what? Hang the bowl off the top? How? With what? Nearly everything was flammable.

"On second thought, just wait for the fire to die down and use the coals."

Chrysanthos stuck his head in his pack and pulled out some marsh mallow he hoped to turn into a tisane. It would be useful this coming winter for colds and the like.

he had managed to drag himself into the pure-blood's land. whether there was any fuss about him being here, he didn't seem to notice. slipping in and out of consciousness, Thaddeus had been sleeping until he smelled smoke. the mutt's eyes opened, looking toward the den's entrance and seeing the earthen tone of his 'savior' outside. savior was a key term, for he didn't know what the pure-blood wanted out of him still. he struggled with getting to his paws, his limbs felt like sticks that were ready to snap, but he finally managed to walk a bit. the whole ordeal had been enough for him to realize he had lost time. it had been a full week since he had fled his captors, and they had stopped searching for him.

they probably thought he was dead, too weak to stand on his own. he certainly felt like it.

stumbling out of the patient den, he'd see a place foreign to him. flickers of the area's image flashed across his mind, replaying having walked numbly after the healer until he had to be carried. his mouth was wet - water - and his belly was growing less gaunt. spotting the fire, Thaddeus slowly walked over to the man. he stood directly behind him, squinting his piss-colored eyes at the healer. "what're ya doin'?" his voice was rough but there was renewed strength in it. his eyes flickered to the lemur before backing to Chrysanthos. "why... fire?" he hesitated, wondering if it was to be a torture device. used on him that is.

Chrysanthos set the marsh mallow down on a large stone and settled down next to the fire, taking a moment to enjoy watching the flames dance before his vision. He wasn't sure if there was a way to speed up settling them down into coals. He thought about throwing a bit of water on them but he didn't want to risk smothering the flames entirely. He didn't want to risk through one of his hides over it either in case they were burned. Maybe he could add some stones?

He turned when he heard movement and saw his patient exiting the den. He smiled warmly in greeting. "Good afternoon. Feeling any better? If you're hungry I can grab you something from the kill pile." Chrys turned his attention back to the fire. "Well, I've heard of healers extracting the benefits of herbs in heated water that can be cooled and drank so I'm trying to figure out how to do that." He reached up a paw to tap lightly at the dried marsh mallow. "I want to make a tisane of this if I can." Pulling himself up he pulled out another ceramic bowl from his pack as Bolla hopped over to assist. "By the way, I'm not sure I got your name. I'm Chrysanthos, what do you call yourself?"

he squinted at the pure-blood's friendly greeting. "m' alive, ain't I?" Thad didn't know how to tell someone he was 'fine'. he didn't feel fine but he was still breathing and able to talk, wasn't he? wasn't that what mattered in the end? he also didn't know how to feel. grateful that he was away from the cave and his abusers? sure, maybe they'd find him again when he did let his guard down. he didn't exactly feel... much of anything actually. he felt hollow, and still had that lost notion he had days prior. he may be physically better, but the mind would take a bit longer to heal. the man offered to give him food, though. he hesitated visibly, the fur along his spine bristling before he shook his head stubbornly. he wasn't going to take more than what the man was giving him. he wasn't going to be in his debt. noticing the plant that the pure-blood had collected while tending to his wounds, Thaddeus leaned forward as it was tapped. "wh-what's tee-sane?" he tried to pronounce it but it came out weird. the man then asked his name, giving is own. Chrysanthos. weird. the mutt made a face, trying to remember what he had even been called. Theodora had called him "Thaddy" and his captors called him... well, less than desirable things. it'd been a long time since someone call him by his name. "Thad... Thaddeus" it even felt weird to say. ""

It's a tremor!

Though the weather seems clear, a rumbling can be heard in the distance. Is it thunder? Perhaps a storm is on its way after all? After only moments of this rumbling noise, the ground begins to move. It's a tremor! Everything seems to sway, and although this quake may not be catastrophic, its sure to shake things up and make it harder to stand!

Chrysanthos chuckled at the man's response. "True, you are alive and I am glad for it." He'd have been pretty miserable if he'd gone through all that work to save the man only to lose him but he also knew that was not uncommon. The point was to try, to try and help and not to worsen the patient's suffering. The man asked him what tisane was and Chrysanthos scooted over so the man could see what he was working on easier. "Tisane is a mix of dried herbs. You can put these herbs into a poultice or set them in water to pull out the nutrients so they can be drunk." He stuck his head down into his pack and pulled out a small cracked vial that held some dried, ground herbs. He set it down carefully. "This is one I've already made."

Chrys reached his head down to snip of large pieces of the plant, namely the leaves that he dropped into a clay bowl. Bolla took a small stone and began grinding up the herbs as Chrys worked at snipping off the leaves. The man finally spoke his own name and Chrys smiled. "A pleasure, Thaddeus. You're welcome to call me Chrys if it's easier. I realize my name can be a bit of a mouthful. Can I get you anything?"

Suddenly the earth began to shake. Chrys quickly steadied the bowl in which the tisane was being prepared while Bolla dived for the vial. His heart launched into this throat, his fur standing on end until the earthquake slowly subsided. Eyes wide he turned to look at Thaddeus.

"why?" the young man burst out, raising a lip to the pure-blood as he stepped away from him. his stance turned aggressive quickly as the wolf offered to get him something, continuing to be nice to him. Thad felt like he was being treated like a child - surely it was better to state your intention right away instead of cruelly drawing it out like this? why did this bastard save his life? he didn't have a life worth saving, as far as he was concerned, and the first act of kindness by a stranger confused the hell out of him. he made to do something, but all he could think to do was advance until he was in front of the one called Chrysanthos. he would beat the answer out of the healer if possible! but before that could happen... he hesitated as the tremors began and his skinny legs started to fail him. he stumbled forward, his face dangerously close to the fire as he could not control his actions. floppy ears wavered close to the flame, getting too hot for his liking. Thad quickly jerked back, a sharp gasp escaping him. as he yanked himself backward, he fell onto his ass in a most graceful display. face burning with shame, he'd growl and snap at the air. he tried to pretend like it didn't happen, flusteringly continuing on. "why are ya helpin' me?" ""

why?

Chrysanthos gazed at the man, head cocking to the side as the man asked him 'why'. He also didn't know what to make of the others shift to an aggressive stance but he did not return it. He didn't really expect Thaddeus to attack him… surely he wouldn't. Thaddeus began to advance and Chrysanthos' ears flicked back his tail tucking as he took several steps back, seeking to maintain at least some space between them. If he had to defend himself he would but Chrysanthos really hoped it wouldn't come to that. He did not spend all this time healing the mans injuries only to inflict new ones. Thankfully the quake had shaken the other off his guard but it didn't stop Thaddeus from demanding an answer.

Chrys continued to stare in confusion, as if it should've been obvious. He sighed before staring back defiantly. "Look, I don't know what to tell you. I saw you were hurt and I wanted to help because that is just what I do. I'm helping because I want to. That's it."

help him because he wanted to? he saw the mutt was hurt and had done it cause he just did that? it made... "wha - that makes no sense!" Thaddeus blurted out, raising his brows at the pure-blood. nobody helped for the sake of helping. as much as his own words might seem like no sense to Chrysanthos, his position and history were one of shock. nobody had ever helped him out aside from Theodora, and he always assumed that was because they were family. but he wasn't family to this guy. they were strangers. there was no obligation to help. Thad still sat as elegantly as possible for someone who had just tumbled to the earth like a drunk. "why waste precious herbs and supplies on me? yer pack needs 'em more than me" it made absolutely no sense to him. he growled again, frustrated and pinned his floppy ears against his head. "why... why did someone have to die for me to finally get help?" he mostly whispered this to himself, but the wolf was close enough to hear it. Thad felt tears sting his eyes - he hadn't wept for his sister yet. he always assumed he was stronger than that. because deep down, Thaddeus knew that Theodora was more deserving of help than he ever was. ""

Chrys shrugged as Thaddeus told him his words made no sense. He didn't really know what else to say or do to make the man believe him. Thad would just have to come to the realization on his own. The healer started to carefully put things away in his pack, pausing again as Thaddeus spoke. Bolla continued getting everything put together. "I didn't use that much and its still autumn I have time to gather more. Besides I just couldn't leave you there to die." He really couldn't. This was likely another concept Thaddeus would be unable to understand but Chrysanthos had no way to explain it. Now, one of the Abraxas he could probably leave to bleed out but not a frightened man who'd clearly been a victim of atrocities.

why... why did someone have to die for me to finally get help?

Bolla paused and Chrys looked on sadly, uncertain if he should speak or not. "I'm sorry, I don't have an answer." All he could do was be truthful. It was an age old question, why bad things happened. He often asked himself that in regards to his father. Why had all of that happened? Chrys settled his pack onto his back and started kicking dirt onto the fire. "I need to head out to gather more herbs. Will… will you be alright here til I get back?"

he didn't understand and he didn't get it. Thad had grown up thinking he was less than dirt. it wasn't going to change overnight. the beatings and the abuse had tempered him into someone who thought less of himself than what others thought him to be. he said nothing to the pure-blood, only squinting his piss-colored eyes before giving a dull nod. perhaps... the people here weren't that bad. but he was still suspicious of the other man. when Chrysanthos began to kick dirt over the fire he had made, stating that he had other things to attend to... well, Thad felt a bit uncomfortable. had he chased him away with his ravings? he couldn't begin to understand why he felt bad about it. but either way, he had a debt now to pay. the herbs wasted on him... the time spent looking out for him... Chrysanthos may not see it like that but he did. he was in debted to the wolf. "wait" he said, scooting around to face the pure-blood as he turned away. "can I... go with ya?" two people to gather for the pack was better than one. he'd do all he could to try and, dunno, repay. ""

Chrysanthos mentally worked out where he wanted to go. He figured he would look around the shrine for items to gather and then maybe branch out into the sea's plain. He knew he'd seen valerian root at one point if he could only remember where he'd seen it.

Chrys smiled gently as the man asked if he could go with the healer and he nodded. "Certainly! I know there's some valerian root somewhere in the shrine. If you could help me find that I'd be very grateful. You'll find a plant about three feet high, grooved and hairy, particularly near the base. You'll see flower stems growing at right angles to the plant. The flowers should still be in bloom hopefully. They're pink so they should be easy to spot." He hoped that made sense. It was hard to describe plants.

"err... okay. got it" why yes, it was hard to describe something he hadn't even seen before let alone a plant. Thad knew moss and he knew leafs. but not the shape or the name of a specific leaf that was it. but he was tired of feeling useless so he gave a shakey nod before walking around. valerian root. valerian root... where the hell was it? "what'zzit used for?" maybe if he had an idea what the medicinal uses were... shit, what had he signed up for? Thaddeus was totally useless when it came to stuff outside of the cave. the valerian root was pink. it had hair on it. he gave a little snort of amusement. imagine a wolf being pink and hairy. he began to snicker under his breath as he poked his nose at random places in the ground. suddenly he felt his muzzle brush against something funny, and he jerked back with a surprised yelp. he focused his eyes on the spot before him. pink and... hairy. yep, that seemed to be it. he'd lift his head and bark - that's right, bark - at Chrysanthos for his attention. "1/3 gathering valerian root 3/3 teaching of tisane"

Chrysanthos worked his way around the Shrine. He knew the place creeped out his brother but he wasn't too bothered by it. It was definitely creepy but he was sure anything weird could be scientifically explained. Namely through ancient beasts called 'humans'. They were long dead and of no concern to the living. "Valerian root is often used as a sedative to help wolves calm down and fall asleep. It can also allay pain." He spied another herb but willed himself to focus first on the Valerian. He heard Thaddeus call out and he quickly walked over to the man.

He smiled. "Well done! This is the Valerian plant. To get at the root we have to dig. You'll want to be careful though, we don't want to shred the root." Chrysanthos stood across from Thaddeus and began to dig. "It'll be much wider than the stem and sort of cone-shaped."

he felt bad again. did the pure-blood have to use any of the precious resource for healing him? did he resort to shoving it down Thaddeus' throat when he was in a violent fit just days prior? the moment he met Chrysanthos, he wasn't sure what had even happened until now. he knew he flickered out of consciousness for a few weeks but aside from that, he wasn't entirely lucid. he did, however, feel his tail wag as the man praised him. just slightly though. no need to overdue it. the healer bent down to collect it, and Thaddeus bent down too. trying to copy his digging, it felt good to throw his paws in dirt. even if it was to collect a stinky, smelly plant. okay; that wasn't fair. he didn't know if the root smelled that bad. he tried to focus on the fact the plant itself was pink, wondering if the weird shrine made it like this or not. were roots typically pink? he felt stupid asking that so he didn't. "2/3 gathering valerian root 3/3 teaching of tisane"

Chrysanthos focused in on his work and between the two of them they soon revealed the pale tuber. He grinned. "There we go. We only really need the root so I'm going to bite the rest of this off. I'm going to try and work quickly. It really does not smell nice." He twisted his head and started chewing at the stem above the root until he'd snipped it free. He wrinkled his nose and swiftly moved it into his bag. There, that was done. He glanced back over to Thaddeus. "I can show you how to dry it and make it into a powder if you like or if you're up for a walk we can look around and see what else there is to find. Let me know if there's anything in particular you're interested in." Chrys was happy to look for herbs that helped with certain ailments or even to try and look for a particular herb by name if it was in the vicinity. He didn't want to take his patient to far out of the borders while he was still healing up.

Thaddeus awkwardly tried to pull dirt that wasn't there anymore away from Chrysanthos' head so it wouldn't fall on him. he also tried to prop the plant delicately so there was no slack, but the healer soon snipped it away and stored it. the mutt was silent, staring at the ground where that big empty hole was. he jerked his skull upward as he was talked to, shaken by who knew what. his lip curled in indecisiveness, unsure of what to even say to the pure-blood. yes, he wanted to learn. yes, he did. but he was also desperate for any sort of answer. "what... what'll happen once I'm healed up?" he asked uncertainly. so far the other had given him... less than satisfactory answers. he didn't know. he didn't know how to answer him. or maybe he just didn't care anymore. Thad had been a pill, and rightly so considering the shit he went through, but he still felt his only connection to this world so far was Chrysanthos. he felt his head slip. "I mean, ya you don't know what I'll do but..." he hesitated. I'm scared. he wanted to scream it but knew it was utterly pointless. "I dunno the stuff ya do. I dunno what to friggin' do. I don't haf'a family. I have nowhere to go" he stared desperately at the healer, wanting some explanation on why he was even like this. "fuck, I don't... have anyone." "3/3 gathering valerian root 3/3 teaching of tisane"

Chrys decided that he should at least get the Valerian root started drying. They could always look for more herbs while it was drying and he felt pretty certain no one would want to eat the herb thanks to its terrible smell. Chrys set the root on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the shrine then carefully opened his pack and started rummaging about for some twine. He pulled some out and set it down next to the herb. In truth he wasn't sure what the best way was to dry a root. The one nice thing about hang drying was that the herb in question tended to dry more evenly as all sides were exposed to the air.

He looked over to Thaddeus and smiled. "You'll be free to go!" He remembered how nervous the man had seemed about becoming a prisoner and so he looked to reassure the man that he was he would not be. "Olympia is not a prison. " The man seemed to be struggling with another insecurity and he didn't know what to do. Chrys felt a pang of sympathy for the fact the man didn't have any one else but he wasn't sure what he could do about it. He knew that by bringing a half-breed into the pack he had broken one of Ley's rules that had seemed so inconsequential when he had a life to save. There was no way Thaddeus would be allowed to stay in the pack and so even though Chrysanthos wanted to volunteer he knew he couldn't be that 'someone'.

"Well… is there any hobby or anything you enjoy doing? Any environment you'd like to live in?" He figured he'd start with the big questions and they narrow in from there.

he didn't know what to expect but it certainly wasn't that. the way the healer talked made him believe he wasn't wanted here. that perhaps he was just too much trouble to put up with, and that he should leave as soon as possible. deep down, Thaddeus did want to stick around. he wanted to latch onto the only thing he knew for certain. even if it wasn't healthy to do such a thing; it was all he really could think to do. it felt like a slap in the face when Chrysanthos said he could leave and he shifted away from the pure-blood. he had tried to tell a bit more about his past but was shot down. no interest was given, no sympathy was received. no questions or concerns. Thaddeus frowned at the earth. maybe this was a clue that he really should leave. he wasn't wanted here. he barely heard the healer's question too. "I... don't know" because he wanted to say he'd want to remain here but was terrified of potential rejection. "I was never given a choice." his voice held a firm acceptance of that. there was no wanton pity. Thad couldn't say what he wanted out of the world now. "m'a head back to the den. t-thanks. for showin' me that herb stuff." he felt exhausted from his brief stint outside. he turned away and would leave if not stopped. / ATTEMPTED EXIT "3/3 gathering valerian root 3/3 teaching of tisane"

Bolla was out of twine so she settled for using sinew instead to string up the valerian root. It was useful and reasonably strong but it still felt a bit weird to her to hang the herbs up with parts from other animals. It was a small price though for the protection of a pack. She'd work, get fed and have a nice place to shelter. She kept mostly to herself, looking up on occasion but not worrying to much about what the wolves were discussing. She had a job to do here.

Chrysanthos tilted his head to the side as he tried to gauge the man's reaction. He almost seemed hurt. Chrys thought the news that he would be free to go, free to chart his own course would ultimately be exciting. He assumed the man would want to get out as soon as possible since he'd originally seemed so wary of the risk of being a prisoner. It was true the world was vast and scary but surely it offered many opportunities.

I was never given a choice.

Chrys tried to smile reassuringly. "Well, now you have one. The world is open to you, wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do. All you need is to figure that out." Thaddeus didn't look so sure and instead decided to head back to the den site. Well, at least he was thinking for himself but Chrysanthos couldn't help but feel he'd crossed some line somewhere. He bounded after Thaddeus.

"Wait, Thaddeus. I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I've said something wrong. Just give it some thought, I'm sure something will come to you."

-delay exit for one post-