She still hadn’t settled down in the rocks, she’d been too busy patrolling, ferrying items, calming Lucretia. Deathbelle probably should have been seen by the healer a few times over by now, but she was keeping her own wounds tended for now. Besides, her sister was more than distracted with the move and the eruption. Not having a permanent place meant that when she did get tired, it wasn’t so easy finding where the pups were.

Belle tried to spend as much time with them as possible, but alpha duties were her reprieve from her sorrow. She could focus on her duties instead of the strife caused by indulging in her own personal wants. The Empress pushed herself too far, but that was the only way she got to sleep these days. She was curled at the bottom of a small cavern, it was like the inside of a sphere and her piebald form fit nicely in the dip at the center.

She might have been thought peaceful were it not for the pained and frightened whines that slipped from her sleeping lips. Her toes and ears twitched as she suffered through another nightmare of seeing Archon slip into the volcano’s maw.

it had been a few hours since he had settled with the Ashen folk at Redwater Rocks. the pack seemed grateful - though guarded - for the pronghorn he had dragged to them. Hemlock did not expect to be welcomed with open arms though. he shrugged off any aggression or outward spite, keeping to the outskirts of their little camp like he had promised. Deathbelle had probably told them all about their 'bargain' and he was left well enough alone. night had fallen, and he felt restless being around so many wolves after so long alone. it did not surprise him he had trouble sleeping and opted to go for a walk. the man moved like a shadow, the only highlights from the moon were his ivory streaks. he was thirsty though he didn't find anything to drink. the little water the pack seemed to have was kept directly in their base; he was in no mood to brave that place unless he was completely dehydrated. he would make do. he always did. if it was such a chore, he'd travel back to Wolfpaw Lake and drink from there. as he debated this, he could hear the whimpers coming from a nearby cavern. Hemlock immediately went toward the entrance, peering inside to see the twitching form of the Ashen Empress. "Deathbelle?" he called out to her softly, his brows furrowed. when another whimper left her, Hemlock raised his voice. "are you alright, Deathbelle?" he couldn't see her in the darkness; his eyes had yet to adjust. for all he knew, she was suffering from some ailment or... maybe it was simple. a bad dream. if she didn't answer him, he'd swing his body back in search of water and allow her sleep. "SPEECH" 1/3 navigation

She cried out fearfully, the voice disturbing her as she watched Archon disappear behind the lip of the volcano. Her voice was hoarse, but desperate and bitter. The Empress snarled fiercely, and with lightning speed was aiming to charge at the intruder. His scent was new enough her sleep deprived state didn’t recognize it as the refugee she invited in earlier in the day. Her amethyst eyes were wild as her launched herself in his direction, ears pinned to her head and jaws agape.

Tears streamed from her eyes as the memory of her loss was refreshed. Her anger reignited and her desperation as intense as before. Belle aimed to bite down on the stranger’s left forearm, not that he didn’t have time to move if he reacted quickly. Belle wouldn’t strike again before realizing what she was doing, and her eyes widened with guilt and realization of what she was doing.

"ah" Hemlock exclaimed as teeth flashed and a jaw snapped in his direction. he was too surprised to recoil backward, and her fangs grazed his paw. blood immediately came from the wound, but it wasn't deep enough to cause for alarm. he lifted his leg calmly, ignoring the throbbing sting from her bite. he arched a brow in silent question but said nothing at first. he first ran his tongue over the bite, licking away the stray blood before addressing her. he didn't appear upset at all by the result. he had chosen to go and see if she was fine, and the woman was in obvious distress. "next time, you should bite down harder" he smirked, trying to lighten the mood. he didn't like that look on her face. casually, he flicked his paw. "I can take a little pain" Hemlock chuckled "besides, it was my own damn fault for intruding. I know better to get between a woman and her beauty sleep now." he retreated from the mouth of the cave, allowing her space if she needed it. he twisted his lean body to face away. with his back to the empress, the man sat down to properly examine his new wound in the moonlight. the rocks were mostly silent, but they were also away from the main camp. the dunes rippled and flowed with the subtle wind. he attempted to keep the sand out of the fresh injury, holding it up and away from the ground. he was no healer, so all he could think to do was keep it clean and wash it later. "SPEECH" 2/3 navigation

Teeth met flesh, and she was greeted with a pained scoff as blood trickled into her mouth. She released them immediately, but the damage had been done. Deathbelle backed away as he did, her eyes shrouded by her lashes. Belle shook herself of the nightmare and the stupor. Hemlock didn’t fight back, and besides his first reaction didn’t seem affected by her actions. She tried to lift herself up into her royal stance, but couldn’t quite lift herself to full stature.

”Indeed.” She agreed as he told her she should have bitten him harder. At least he was trying to keep things light after her outburst. He turned away from her but didn’t leave. Her servants asked to leave her presence, Hemlock was a free wolf and could go wherever he wished. She daren’t think about his reasoning for remaining, it hurt too much.

”I apologize either way.” She told him as her eyes strayed to the ground. Deathbelle was far from fully recovered from her encounter with the volcano. Or the loss of her mate. ”I can see to the wound, if you need.” Belle offered as she made herself look up towards him.

Hemlock didn't remain out of ill intent. he remained because her mood swings were troubling. to her pack, she was not allowed the grace of being daresay mortal. a leader, in nearly everyone's opinion, had to be strong. for their people and for their ideals. there was never any time to waver, nor a break given. but to anyone else, she was just a wolf like anyone else. it may be hard for a pack member to see their leader as such, and he doubted she broke down her walls easily anyway. so he allowed her the chance to work through her thoughts with someone who was not relying on her constantly. the man looked down at the shallow bite before shrugging. he extended the paw to her without a word but still remained pleasant enough. he looked at the moon above them, the light cascading down to the brown sand and making it shine. like moonstones. aptly named. "seeing as you didn't bite deep enough, you're quite free to stick a nail in the wound. really get the point across" Hemlock joked despite her casual apology. "but I doubt there is much concern. it's only a shallow bite." he looked back at her, tilting his head and looking down to see what she'd do out of pure curiosity. "SPEECH" 3/3 navigation

In honesty her physical presence around her pack diminished, but it wasn’t for lack of her being there. Deathbelle hadn’t felt like socializing since they pack moved to the rocks. She didn’t want to talk about what she would do now that Archon was gone. She wanted him back, she wanted him beside her. The pain of the cold beside her when she slept.. it was all icing over her heart. She wanted the warmth of her husband again.

She focused on Hemlock and the wound she’d inflicted upon upon him, he just shrugged and offered her his paw with no hesitation. Belle lifted her own, bringing it up to support his appendage. Lilac gaze peered at it in the darkness. ”I inflicted it, I should fix it.” He was already too kind with his time and resources without reason to her pack. Now she’d gone and injured his paw. He was mostly right, they were rather shallow. Still, she would clean it and make sure he had a little medicine.

She called out to Thistle, the wordless song would tell the bird she needed to bring her first aid kit. The supplies were not as abundant as they were in ashen’s real borders, but she had enough to see to his small wound. With her pink tongue she cleaned the punctures and the fur around them, when Thistle returned she would apply her herbs.

he wasn't going to deny her. it spoke wonders for her more responsible nature; she broke it, it was her job to fix it up. that is what alphas did. no, that is what leaders did. though Hemlock was quite glad his paw wasn't broken and a little medicine didn't hurt anyone. but he only worried he'd be taking from the pack that desperately needed it in these trying times. he remained quiet as she cleaned his wound, gifting him some small licks from her pink tongue. he merely looked away, having no formal training as a healer and finding the mending process fascinating yet boring to his skillsets. "how long have you lead Ashen?" he asked finally, not caring for the silence he made. since he was new here, he hadn't the pleasure of learning each and every pack name and longevity. from the way Deathbelle held herself, she was a confident enough leader. yes, he could see past her pain to the strong woman within. whatever had shaken her... she would get over it in time. he had to believe that. she didn't seem the type to be broken down for long. perhaps her people's needs would be enough to shake her out of her stump. "SPEECH" 3/3 navigation

Her actions lacked any intentional intimacy, but an Empress licking the toes of a loner may not have been Belle’s ideal situation to be found in. These thoughts didn’t interrupt her work, but they bothered her as she finished cleaning the wound. Thistle reappeared at her shoulder, gliding in from a hole up above the pair.

”Since its inception. I raised the pack on my own.” She didn't offer any boasting in her words, only presented the answer as fact. She had reached out and grasped hold of Ashen as her own and her family had flocked to her. She’d made a stable home and forged her contract with Archon… She coughed softly to cover up the sudden sob that bubbled up from her throat. The emotions appeared from nowhere at times and she couldn’t help her reaction.

”Do you feel like you need pain reliever?” She asked while arranging a bit of horsetail to smear over Hemlock’s toes.

"so Ashen still has its original leader" Hemlock mused, mainly to himself as he went on. to his very brief knowledge about Deathbelle, he did not know if she had been in other packs before Ashen. it could be that she had been a loner, like many other alphas had been before figuring out they wanted their own community. it could be that she had belonged to another pack and left due to disagreements or differences of opinion. the fact was that she had maybe been challenged - and won, due to her continual title as empress - was also another unknown factor. there were so many possibilities to both consider and endure. one of the reasons he was still a lone wolf. politics were a pain in the ass. "unless it becomes infected, which I doubt, then no." he had a few infections over the years and they always deserved having pain relievers of some kind. but the fact was she cleaned his wound expertly and Hemlock had faith in her abilities. if it, however, became infected later when he was no longer near her pack... well, he didn't have an answer for that. he supposed he'd just find another healer.  she applied some plant to the wound and he remained as still as possible. "thank you, Deathbelle" he added, having not done so yet. "though I shall keep quiet about this. an empress licking the toes of common rabble like myself... people will talk" Hemlock sounded dramatically weary as he heaved a sigh. though it was good practice for her skills, so he couldn't complain much. it was also clear he was just joking. having noticed her controlled sob, the man attempted once more to lighten the mood. "they say any gossip is good gossip, however, I don't know about this situation." "SPEECH" 3/3 navigation

He mused quietly but didn’t ask any further questions, despite her emotions Belle wasn’t afraid of answering questions. Their mention of Ashen went quickly and he denied need of pain dullers. The wound really wasn’t bad, and walking might be painful for a couple of hours but he’d be over them quickly. Discreetly wiping away a tear or two she nodded, at least he wouldn’t be taking any of her packs much needed supplies.

”You’re welcome, and I expect you won't.” She told him with a quick glance as he echoed her internal thoughts. Belle humbled herself much lower than an Empress aught to in this instance. She meant when she said she should fix her mistakes, because she meant it. The holes in his toes shouldn’t have happened, but she found herself unpredictable following the loss of Archon. Hemlock could see through, or at least sense, her distress and did his best to keep the mood light. ”I don’t know who they is,” She offered an amused, if forced, chuckle. ”But in my experience, any gossip is bad gossip.”

Ivory tail flicked behind her in amusement as she inspected his paw one more time before allowing him to take his appendage back. ”I believe you’ll survive this encounter with an enraged Empress.” She made an attempt to joke back, allowing herself to rise above her grief if only for a few moments.

oh? she didn't much care for gossip? that was almost refreshing to hear. if Hemlock knew anything it was that women tended to gossip freely over men. it was one of the rare things he had come to expect from a lady. "ahhh, a humble empress" he snickered, his muscular upper body heaving once more in suppressed laughter. "I rather like people talking about me. it shows wonder for their character. if they can't have the courage to talk to me, then I laugh at their cowardice." though it was true, he probably wouldn't find out about it until it was too late. he rolled his shoulders at her comment, showing near lackadaisical care for her definition of 'enraged'. he had seen women and men upset in far worse ways. Deathbelle hadn't been enraged, she had been startled at best and he hadn't helped with that. poking his nose where it didn't belong and all that. "and here I thought it'd be a very nice way to die" Hemlock sighed, disappointed. he looked down at his now-tended to paw with a grimace "but I'll still hope I might lose this one. it'd make a fun story to tell, no?" "SPEECH" 3/3 navigation

He teased her, but Belle wouldn’t prosecute the offense. Marrying Archon and bearing his children hadn’t left her unaffected. She had changed much since the day Ashen was founded. Hemlock stifled his laughter as he gave her what he thought of gossip, and it seemed he enjoyed the thought of others talking about him. She shook her head amusedly, the man skirted uncomfortably close to charming. A trait that made her heart ache with desire for Archon.

”If you lose your toe then my healing skills are much worse than my bite.” She replied with amusement as she shoved away thoughts of loss again. ”If you can find or trade for some you may do well with getting some alcohol on the wound, to further prevent infection.” Belle prescribed easily, not that the substance would be easy to find in the winter let alone after the eruption and all the packs potentially losing their stores.

"lucky for you" Hemlock replied breezily "I have immense faith in your healing skills, Deathbelle. It is after I leave that bothers me so." not only would he lose her company, but he'd also lose a healer that found no trouble tending to him. and if he should injure himself away from Ashen, he had no doubt he'd be stuck moping for a few days, unable to do much about it. he did, however, nod along to her words. alcohol was something sweet and precious; he'd rather drink it than clean himself with it. but ah, beggers can't be choosers. he had not, however, known a healer to be a leader as well. he wondered how long she had honed her craft and then decided to become an alpha. but that was too personal to ask, especially when she seemed to be struggling with her emotions. he would leave the questioning to a minimum for her sake, even if it burned him to know more about her. a humble empress indeed. not many alphas were anything like that. she may have taken offense to his teasing, but he had meant well with it. "but... ah. I may have taken you away from your beauty sleep. if you are tired, you could go back to it. don't stay up on my account." entertaining him wasn't excusable to her getting her rest. she had a pack to lead. people to contend with. he was a traveler who had only helped in one way. in essence, Hemlock was giving her an out now. he grinned pleasantly enough, not at all wounded if she chose to go back and sleep. but if she remained outside with him under the stars, well... he couldn't complain about that. "SPEECH" 3/3 navigation

”You’ll be fine. Just make sure it stays clean. Maybe stay off it for the day.” She didn’t want to allow her thought process to take her down the rabbit hole of what might happen to the man if infection took hold of him. What if he died after he left the protection she’d promised from Ashen? She couldn’t believe it. Not everything she touched slowly died.

”Indeed,” she supressed a yawn as she agreed with him. ”You are dismissed, Hemlock. Though I’d speak to you once more before you leave Ashen’s protection” She insisted as she took to her paws to return to her puppies who should have been asleep as they spoke. Hopefully they would keep her warm enough. ”I’m sorry again for my mistake.”

he could deal with standing off it for a day or two. it wasn't like he had any leads on Twig's whereabouts so he made himself relax despite his unease. her safety was what he came to check on and he had found no hide or hair of her. Hemlock wondered, not for the first time, if she had perished. no he thought firmly, resisting an irritable shake of his head. his sister was made of tougher stuff than that. "I suppose that's agreeable" he stated as Deathbelle turned to leave. he would have to tell her when he left Ashen anyway.

it was only polite, after all. "sweet dreams, Empress" he called after her as she went back to the den. saying nothing to her 'mistake', Hemlock would turn and walk back to the outskirts of the camp. though his leg was stinging, he managed to get there within minutes without much fuss. curling up in a makeshift cave, he too would fall asleep.

/ END