Silence. It was beautiful. The ivory pelted fea sat perched atop one of the many boulders that were scattered around this field, her violet eyes staring out into the distance. She was tired. Oh so tired. It had been a long journey, but her job was done. Her task was complete and she was content. Her paws and muzzle were still stained with her victims blood and she made no move to clean it off her usually pristine fur. She felt no need. She only wanted to sit in the silence that surrounded her and let her mind go blank. She had been tracking that damn brute for weeks. The brute with black fur and gray eyes. Worst description she had ever gotten to go off of, but who was she to ask? The only wolves that she might have questioned were long dead. She and Demonio had seen to that. And now she had finished off the last of the murderous rouges. The deed was done. She shifted her position slightly and she grimaced and pain shot down her back. The brute had managed to get away from her for a moment when she had finally found him and had gotten a fairly nasty blow right along her left shoulder blade. It wasn't all that deep she thought, but it hurt something awful and she was sure her back and side were a bloody mess. At this point she was sure that most of her body was a dark, rusty red instead of its usual creamy white. Her thick fur was clumped and dark, stuck tight to her body. She honestly couldn't bring herself to care. She blinked and let her eyes slide close, covering the amethyst gems peacefully and let out the air in her lungs in a sigh. She supposed she should be getting back to her new 'pack'... but she didn't much think she wanted to that just yet. Surely they wouldn't miss her too terribly. As long as no one bothered the assassin, she was content to sit here in the quiet for as long as possible. She could turn to stone right now and die happy. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

His dark paws beat a cadence against the ground, nails clicking on the occasional rock. It seemed like he was forever wandering, just looking for somewhere to call home. Tiresias padded forward, no real destination in mind.



After a period of time, his orange gaze fell upon another wolf. The Rock Garden was empty, as far as he knew up until that point, so he was understandably startled. This wolf in particular was female, deduced by the scent, and appeared to be two-toned. As he approached her, it became more and more obvious that the coloration was something more than genetics. Blood. Much more sinister. The fur on the back of his neck and along his spine rose, a physical expression of his uncertainty. Tiresias stopped in his tracks, watching the other wolf intently. He had been coming toward her from her left side so he was definitely in her line of vision. There was no hiding from her now that he was ten paces from her.



It wasn't that the (white?) female seemed threatening. Other than the blood soaking her coat, she seemed content. That ruled out the possibility of the blood being her own, unless she was a complete nutter with no regard to her own body. He'd have to assume that the blood was from another wolf; there was no way that any prey animal she could have taken down on her own would have bled that much. Tiresias wasn't shamed by considering turning tail and running from her. He hadn't had much experience with fighting and wasn't willing to get himself into a situation he wasn't capable of getting out of.



He had made up his mind. He was going to run from her, pathetic or not. Tiresias was just about to turn around and bolt back the way he came when he noticed a new detail. The female, whatever she had done previously, was injured. It was difficult for him to make out the nature of the injury but he assumed from her posture that it was at least part of the reason she was covered in blood. He was a healer. He couldn't leave her here, alone and hurt.



"Miss? Are you injured?" he asked, his baritone voice harboring a bit of an elegant lilt. It was stupid of him to ask, utterly stupid, but he couldn't help but wonder if he could help her. It would be rude for him to just leave. With baited breath, he watched her with tense muscles, awaiting an answer.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 422 . NOTES: none.

The pale fea's ears twitched as she heard the sound of an approaching wolf. It barely phased her. Normally she would have instantly been on alert, looking for the source of the noise, trying to tell if they were friend or foe. Perhaps it was the blood loss making her mind so fuzzy and causing her to be so tired. That would make sense. She lazily glanced down at herself, seeing the dark blood that was caked onto most of her fur. She gave a short chuckle at the sight. She was a mess. Yet, she still couldn't bring herself to give more than the mildest cares. She just wanted to go to sleep. Sleep sounded lovely. Perhaps she could lay down here, take a nap. She could always clean herself up after she woke up... Suddenly a voice broke the silence. Hmm? Her ears twitched at the sound and she slowly lifted her amethyst to meet the apparently concerned brute. She blinked at him and a small smile touched her muzzle. "I suppose I am," she replied, her voice soft and weak. She pulled herself to her paws to step down from the bolder she had perched herself on, only to imidiately lose her footing. Her legs were weak and they buckled under her, sending her tumbling to the ground, landing flat on her injured back. Pain shot through her system, jarring her out of the drowsy fog the blood loss had put her in. She cried out from the pain, her eyes shut tight and her teeth clamping together, cutting the cry short. With a low growl rumbling in her chest she rolled over onto her side so she was facing away from the brute, clearly showing the gash that made a harsh, bloody line along her shoulder blade. Her ears folded back against her head and she gritted her teeth as she waited for the worst of the pain to pass. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

Her response caused his brow to wrinkle in concern. Did her voice seem faint? He'd never spoken to her before in his life so he couldn't be sure. Soon, he'd realize that he'd been right to be worried about her well-being. In trying to get down from her perch, she'd stumbled and fallen to the ground. The injured area took the brunt of her landing and she cried out, a sound that made Tiresias' fur stand up. He was no longer concerned with his welfare. She was obviously in need of medical attention.



Cautiously but quickly, he approached her. She rolled onto her side, facing away from him, and the wound was right in front of him. Upon closer examination, he noticed that the wound was rather deep and would certainly require medical attention. Tiresias cursed himself internally for not carrying a bag of commonly used herbs. He'd have to waste time in finding them, and hopefully they weren't far away. The female flattened her ears against her skull, reassuring Tiresias that she was alive. Barely, but enough.



Usually, he would say nothing during an emergency, but since he was alone, someone had to keep her awake. As he mentally made a list of what he needed, he asked her important questions. "Can you tell me your name? Are you with a pack? Is there someone nearby I can call?" The questions were perfunctory; the answers meant little unless they were completely wrong. Her name would be used often to try to keep her conscious but the other information was filler.



Agrimony, lemon balm... where are they!? he thought to himself, then raised his head to the wind, sniffing the air for traces of the herbs he needed.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 288 . NOTES: none.

A constant, low, pained growl rumbled in the fea's chest. Her head was spinning and she couldn't tell which way was up. The growl slowly died as the initial pain from the impact dulled to the low ache that had consumed her body long ago. She was starting to lose touch with consciousness. She blinked open her eyes, but everything was a blur so she closed them again. Maybe she really would die here. Strangely she was at peace with the idea. It wasn't like she actually had family or a mate or pups of any sort that would miss her. She barely had any friends. It was sad in a way, but the ivory woman didn't care. Suddenly, on the edge of her thoughts, she heard a voice. Oh, the brute. He was still there? She groaned, forcing her eyes open, looking out into the distance unseeingly. Everything was still a blur, her mind was fuzzy. He gave her a string of questions and even the simplest answers seemed like a stretch for her to grasp. It was terrifying for the fea who normally was extremely bright to be so limited in her brainpower. "Alena," she managed after several moments, her voice strained and weak. "Amenti... No. No one." There wasn't anyone nearby or anywhere for that matter that should be called for her. She was alone. Utterly alone. She hadn't even really made any ties with her new pack as of yet. She had no idea what he could be doing, asking her these questions. Was he a healer? Maybe he was. She kind of hoped so. She thought she might just die here if he wasn't. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

Her answer was strained and took a few moments more than he'd expected. She was losing more blood than he'd originally thought. He'd have to go with more drastic measures. "Okay, Alena, my name is Tiresias, and I'm a healer. You're going to be all right. Just lie still for me, okay?" he said, his voice rumbling in his chest.



The female wasn't conscious enough to know if he'd left her, so he sniffed at the air again for his herbs. The scent was masked by the stronger scent of pine but he was sure that what he needed was close. "I need some things to help you. I'll be right back. Stay awake for me." He usually didn't speak quite so much but he needed her to know the basics. Besides, if she kept responding, he knew that she wasn't dead.



Tiresias didn't wait for her reply. He turned and bolted for the treeline, weaving between the giant rocks across the meadow. Following his nose, he came upon both herbs, growing decently close together. He tore at them with his teeth to separate them from their roots, then turned around. Within seconds, he was back at her side, ready to save her life.



He needed to clean the wound, so he dropped his plants to the ground and began to gently run his tongue over her fur. It probably hurt like the fires of hell but he couldn't spare her the pain. At this point, it was pain or death.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 251 . NOTES: if you'd like for me to reword anything, let me know!

Tiresias. She silently repeated the name to herself over and over. It became her mantra to keep her mind working. So he was a healer. That was good. The ivory fea was grateful that the one wolf that happened to find her was able to help her. Or at least she hoped that he could help her. She panted heavily, sucking oxygen into her lungs in an attempt to clear her vision. She blinked her eyes several times till she was finally able to see somewhat. She still felt incredibly weak. She questioned herself, wondering why in the world she had let herself get like this, why she hadn't looked for help when she was first injured. She had completed her goal, finished the job. Nothing else had mattered when she stumbled away from the dead form of her target, bleeding heavily from her shoulder yet again. It wasn't the first time she had been at the mercy of a brute to care for her torn open shoulder. She made a note that if she made it through this she would learn something of healing for herself. The healer instructed her to stay still and she gave a short, shallow chuckle, thinking that there was no worry of her moving any time soon. Stay awake. That was her next task. Stay awake. Stay awake. She gave herself a string of thoughts, keeping her mind working. Anything and everything, she gave herself answers for it. Her name. Her pack. His name. Her parents names. What color her fur was. The fea did this through the short time that the healer was gone. Suddenly her thoughts were cut short as the brute ran his tongue along the wound the damn target had given her. She sucked air in hard though her teeth and growled, her eyes clenching shut again. Her paws flexed, the sharp claws drawing lines in the dirt. It hurt like hell, but it must have been necessary. Surely the healer wouldn't have done it if it wasn't. She was almost grateful for the pain. It shocked her system back into clarity, even for just a few moments. Her eyes looked around her wildly while the cloudiness was gone from her vision, but since he was behind her all she could see was the boulder beside them that she had fallen off of and the open plain in front of her. She gritted her teeth and tried her best to hold still while the brute did his work. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

She responded to the pain, which left him feeling more confident about her recovery. Alena hadn't lost enough blood to disregard pain so he was certain that she would survive. The pain seemed to jolt her from the brink of death, and he knew that she'd probably be dead if he hadn't happened upon her. Good thing he had stopped.



His cleaning finished, he gave her a few minutes to calm herself while he took the herbs into his mouth. Chewing them and applying them to the wound would do her a world of good. After spreading the mush onto her wound, he patted it down gently with his forepaw. Once the outside hardened, the makeshift bandage would keep the wound together to help the skin heal while the inside would remain soft to keep infection from rampaging through her system. "Leave this on for a few days, okay? Don't let it get wet or it'll fall off before it's ready." He pressed his paw to her neck, checking her pulse. Stronger than what he imagined it had been before but probably not strong enough for her to stand.



She was far too ill for him to leave alone, so he padded around her body so that she could see him. He lowered himself to his haunches, his tail curling over his paws. "How did you get into this mess, Alena?" His voice trailed off into silence as he examined her again. She had the most striking purple eyes, somewhat like a gem he'd once seen.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 256 . NOTES: if you'd like for me to reword anything, let me know!

Alena sighed with relief as the healer finished up his cleaning. Her whole body ached, but it didn't hurt near as bad as the feeling of him running his tongue along the wound. There was several moments of silence and she was starting to wonder if he had left again, but she was proven wrong when she felt the cold mash of herbs being pressed to her wound. It stung, but it was nothing compared to how she had been feeling and soon the herbs began to work their magic, soothing her pain and cooling the hot flesh. She sighed gently and held still while he finished his work. The assassin took his instructions to hart and gave him a nod, letting her eyes close as she felt his paw on her neck, supposedly checking her pulse. She was already starting to feel better, but she still felt weak and had no will to try to sit up just yet. She heard him padding around her to face her and she opened her violet eyes, really seeing her savior for the first time. Her gaze met his and a grateful smile touched her muzzle. Now that she was more stable, she was glad that she was alive. Only moments ago she would have been fine with going to sleep and not waking up, but something about him working to save her made her want to fight and get better. At his question she glanced away from him, avoiding his gaze. It was a strange mix of emotions that washed over her, a feeling of embarrassment for the stupid mistake she had made and fear of telling him because she didn't want him to look at her differently. But, he had saved her life. He deserved the truth. She told her story, her voice soft, but stronger and more steady than before."I'm an assassin," she said bluntly before continuing on. "A friend of mine and I were attacked by a band of rogues. We escaped with our lives, unlike them, but I was pretty badly injured and he was scraped up as well. Once we parted ways, I went looking for more of the rogues, wanting to finish them off, but it turned out that there were no more. The only one left was their leader. So I made it my mission to find him. I searched for weeks before I finally found him. Stupid brute with black fur and gray eyes. I had almost taken care of him when he managed to get out of my grasp for a moment and tore into my shoulder. I finished him off and limped here. I guess by the time I got here I had lost so much blood that I wasn't thinking clearly and I didn't care if I lived or not... I finished my job. That's all I cared about..." She managed to pull her shame-filled gaze up to his. It was the first time in her life that she was actually ashamed of the career she had made for herself. She almost wished she was like him, saving lives instead of taking them away. Perhaps the blood loss was still messing with her mind, but something in her felt twisted, off somehow. She felt no guilt for killing the murderous leader of the band of rogues, but she felt shame for having to tell the healer before her what she had done. "Thank you so much for saving me. If there's anything I can do to repay you, you name it and I'll do it. I'd understand if you want to go now. You've done plenty for me already." "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

Tiresias would never have suspected her true duty. If he were to guess from what he knew so far, he'd say maybe a hunter. Anything but the answer she gave him. His eyes widened and he rose an eyebrow at her, but nothing more than that. Something would have to really shock him to get any sort of emotion to cross his muzzle. Like the horse encounter. It was funny, in a way, that the strength of her voice interested him almost as much as her words. She was gaining a bit of her strength back.



He sat in silence as he listened to her tale of vagabonds and bounty hunters, readily believing it. He had no reason to doubt her. It fascinated him that she seemed so innocent, speaking of the horrible things she'd recently done. Alena had robbed other wolves of their lifeblood and had nearly died trying to take care of all of them, yet still lay before him like the wounded damsel he'd originally taken her for. Needless to say, he was surprised. Tiresias wondered what it would be like to take a life rather than try to save it. The feeling was eerie, sending shivers down his spine. He could never do it, not until the brink of death would he do it. Different wolves live different lives, he thought.



The injured wolfess met his gaze and he noticed the shame within them. He could only imagine how hard it was for her to admit the truth to him, and he respected the fact that she had done it. She gave him her thanks and asked if there was anything she could do to repay him before giving him the go-ahead to leave if he was ready. "I don't see you any differently. Your job is far separated from what I do but I don't judge for that." He took a breath, then continued. "You owe me nothing, I'm glad to have helped and that is enough for me. You don't seem well enough yet for me to leave you, and I can't leave you for a predator's dinner."

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 354 . NOTES: none.

Alena was honestly surprised by his reaction and his words. She had expected him to be disgusted with her or afraid or something, but he simply raised a surprised brow and told her he didn't see her any differently and that he wasn't leaving just yet. She blinked at him in disbelief, but his words seemed sincere so she had no reason to doubt him. She was still surprised, but she was grateful that he hadn't left. She wanted to deny his statement about her being a predator's dinner, wanted to say that she could take care of herself, but she knew that was a lie at the moment. Even if another animal of some sort didn't come after her, there were wolves that killed and hurt just as easily as her for much less of a reason than she did and she knew she wouldn't be able to get away from either of the threats in this state. She slowly lifted her head to look at her shoulder, really seeing the state she was for the first time. Most of her body was still covered in the mix of her and her victim's blood and the gash along her shoulder would certainly be just the latest of her scars. Luckily her fur was thick enough that it usually covered her scars. Her body was riddled with them now, the worst of them being on her shoulder, with the scars she had gotten when she was with Demonio and now this new one. She decided that along with the basic healing training she wanted to learn she was going to figure out a better way to protect her shoulders since they always seemed to take the worst of the hits. Suddenly her head started to swim once again and she quickly rested her head back on the ground. She panted lightly, blinking as she realized just how weak she still was. As long as she laid still she was fine, but the moment she tried to move she got dizzy. Her mind began to clear again and she sighed, her amethyst gaze looking up at Tiresias. "How long is this going to last? This weakness?" she asked, still a little breathless. She hated feeling so vulnerable. She had specifically trained herself to always be alert, focused, and on the defense at all times for that very reason. Now she was stuck on her side, afraid to move again lest she pass out. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

"It will be about an hour or two before you can walk well. Days before the weakness completely fades, I would say," he said, his orange gaze resting on her. "I'll stay until you can walk." Figuring he'd might as well make himself comfortable, he lowered himself to his stomach. It would be some time before she could stand comfortably and without help.



An idea popped into his head. Perhaps this female had seen his brother. If he was alive, that is. "You said you were of Amenti, correct? North of here? I'm wondering if you've met my brother - multicolored coat, green eyes, missing a leg?" For a wolf of few words, he was talking up a storm. There were just so many things to ask the fea, and he wouldn't pass up the chance to see if his brother was still alive. The winter had been harsh on wolves with four legs, taking some of them to their graves. He could only hope that Tyberius had been right in striking out on his own, that the cripple had lived through the cold. He's all I've got.



Suddenly, for little reason, he became self-conscious of the deep scars on his face. Being hyper-aware of them always made the scarred skin prickle, a strange, uncomfortable feeling. He lifted one paw, rubbing it against the side of his muzzle. It eased the prickling but not by much.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 236 . NOTES: none.

Alena's pale ears flicked with irritation at the news that she would be weak for so long. She guessed perhaps she should have been able to answer her own question for that, but she knew little that didn't apply to her trade. Killing, tracking, and hunting were the only skills she deemed necessary when she was younger. Now she saw that had been a mistake. Just one of many she had made throughout her life. Her irritation changed to surprise as she watched the healer lay down in front of her, telling her that he'd stay till she could walk. Alena wondered if all healers were this giving or if Tiresias was just that self sacrificing. He had already saved her life, she hadn't expected anything more from him, but she was grateful that he stayed. Being alone in this state would have most likely ended in disaster for the ivory fea. At his question she thought back through all the wolves she had met recently, the bit of information about the wolf in question missing a leg sparking her memory. She gave a slight nod and replied, "Yes, I believe I have met him. There was a male with that matched that description at both of the pack meetings. I'm sure it was brother. How many multi-hued, green-eyed, three-legged wolves are there?" she said with a chuckle. It was a very specific look for a wolf. In her reminiscing, she remembered that Tyberius had informed Medusa of his skills as a spy, wondering how two brothers could be that different in their trades. But then she remembered that she had been polar opposite to her siblings. She hadn't had any concern for her siblings, however, unlike Tiresias. She wondered briefly if her siblings had cared for her even though the ivory fea had never returned the sentiments. She was pulled out of her musings as Tiresias scratched at his muzzle with a paw, drawing attention to the thick scars that snaked their way across his features. "It seems we both have our share of scars," she commented with a smirk. Besides the deep scars on her shoulders, Alena's forelegs were criss-crossed with smaller scars and her back right leg had a fairly deep scar as well. She had luckily avoided gaining any marks on her face thus far, but she was sure that would change soon enough with her trade. Usually her scars were hidden in her fur, but her fur was pressed to her body in clumps by the blood so it was possible to get a glimpse of the battle marks. "How did you come across yours?" she asked curiously, wondering what I healer could have gotten himself into to warrant such deep scars. "Speech."

'CAUSE THIS IS A WASTELAND, MY ONLY RETREAT.

She had seen Tyberius, alive and as well as he could possibly be under the circumstances. The crippled wolf had found a pack and now Tiresias could finally relax. He was sure that Tyberius could find plenty more ways to get in trouble, even with a pack, but now at least he would not starve. Maybe his new-found trade as a spy would cement his place within the pack. Amenti, due to their darker theme, might accept him a little more than another pack. "Not many, I'm sure," he replied, allowing the faintest grin to cross his muzzle.



Alena brought attention to his scars as she brought attention to her own, and he realized that there were scars all over her pelt. It was most obvious where the blood had matted the fur, revealing bits of scarred skin. She had been lucky enough to avoid any horrible scarring to her face, considering her duty. Tiresias found it ironic that he had such scars, for being such a coward. He assumed that bravery was something a wolf was born with; you either got it or you didn't, and he was unlucky enough to have missed it. "Tyberius and I were about eight months old, still living with our mother. She was out hunting. A bear came into our home and attacked us. Tyberius was first, losing his leg almost immediately. I was next as I tried to defend my brother, wounds cropping up on my chest and face. Mother came soon enough to help me but I couldn't see anymore. Tyberius passed out from shock, and the bear killed my mother, pulling her body away." He shivered involuntarily, his tail curling close to his body. No one yet had asked him his story and he was doing much better than he'd originally thought he would.



"That was a long day," he said, finishing his story lamely. Tiresias never asked for praise from his brother for saving his life. It was just something he did for others, something as ingrained in him as that streak of cowardice.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 345 . NOTES: none.

Alena listened to his story, nodding as he finished. It was hard for the assassin to feel sympathy for anything, but she had no problem being impressed by the healer for fighting off a bear on his own. She knew the beasts were formative opponents and would be a challenge for any wolf, much less a young, eight month old brute. It was very unfortunate that they lost their mother in such a way however. It was clear to her that it had been a hard time for the brute. "You and Tyberius are lucky to have survived that. I'm sure you had something to do with him surviving losing his leg, hm?" She gave him a small smile. "You seem very talented with your healing. Maybe you could show me a few pointers? I wouldn't want to get into this mess again." She chuckled, happy to turn his thoughts from that long day in his past for him. She knew how depressing it was to dwell for too long on the past, especially when its situations that are out of your control. She sighed, shifting on the ground a little bit to try and get more comfortable. She was getting restless just laying here waiting for her body to recover. She had never been one that waited very well and being weak like this was infuriating. It had been her own fault, really, so she had no room to complain, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. Turning her attention back to Tiresias, she tried to distract herself by thinking of questions to ask him. "Have you thought about joining a pack?" she asked, simply wondering. She would invite him to Amenti, but she didn't know how his relationship with his brother was or if he would even want to live with the three-legged brute. "Speech."

He wasn't sure why speaking to the assassin was so easy. Tiresias rarely talked, unless the need arose or when manners called. Hearing his own voice was strange to him. Usually, he was the one listening to everyone else, although he had to admit that engaging with another wolf was helpful. She had been very thoughtful in her reply, referencing nothing that would have bothered him; however, she gave him credit that he didn't feel he deserved. Barely more than a pup, he'd done what he could for his brother out of desperation. It wasn't that he knew what he was doing at the time.



"I suppose you could say that, even though I knew little." Her smile brought a faint one of his own forth, and out of politeness, he denied his talent. Admitting it wouldn't have felt as modest to him. "Talented? Not quite yet, although I thank you for the compliment. I would be glad to help you. With a duty such as yours, it would be good to know." Herbs and healing were pretty much all he knew. Fighting and defending one's self... that was an entirely different matter. "I'm rather bad at physical confrontation. Maybe we can trade knowledge: my healing for your defense?" he asked, the shadow of a grin still distorting his muzzle.



A pack? "I'm very new to Seracia, their beta having found me wandering in the Battlefield. She is the only wolf I know so far." He felt no real attachment to the pack itself yet. It hadn't even been a week. Tiresias decided to tell her about Tyberius. If she should ever run into him, she'd need a fair warning beforehand. The cripple was a handful, a rude handful at that. "Also, as a warning, if you should run into my brother, it's probably best not to speak to him. He's a rude wolf, not at all the type you'd enjoy meeting. I took care of his sorry hide and one day, he up and left me in the dust. If he can do that to his only surviving relation, he can do pretty much anything to a stranger. Just in case you do see him."



The scarred wolf was surprised at himself. He'd spoken more in this encounter than he ever had with another wolf. Usually, if he was healing, he wouldn't say a single word. He'd just bandage the wolf and go about his merry way, leaving them confused in his wake. Of course, he couldn't leave this wolf here alone. He just wasn't sure why he'd felt the need to talk so much. It almost embarrassed him to think he might be dominating the conversation.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 448 . NOTES: none.

Alena's smile widened when he agreed to teach her a few things of his trade and as he offer of a trade she easily nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course, as soon as my shoulder has recovered I would be happy to show you a few things. Perhaps we can meet back here one day and we'll have our lessons." She was already looking forward to the day that she could teach and learn from the brute. She rarely if ever caught herself looking forward to the company of others, but she was always excited to learn and she had kind of taken to the healer. She thought she could consider him a friend, one of her few. "So Seracia beat me to him," the fea thought a little disappointedly. She would have liked to recruit the healer to Amenti. Healers were always a necessity and whether he would admit it or not he seemed like a talented healer as well. Even besides that, she enjoyed talking with him and wished she had someone like him with her in Amenti to spend her time with. She listened quietly to the brute's warning about his brother and she took his word as truth. She had been around Tyberius very little so she had no memories to go against what Tiresias was saying. "I will keep that in mind. I'm sure I will have to have contact with him eventually since we are in the same pack and we are both part of the scout rank, but I will be sure to keep my wits about me when I'm with him." Feeling a little more stable than she did before, she carefully rolled so that she was no longer on her side but on her stomach, her legs tucked under her neatly. She blinked as her head spun for a moment, but she took a deep breath and held still and her vision cleared once more. She sighed and lifted her violet gaze to Tiresias again, for once the cold, calculating gaze of the assassin warming. "It's a shame Seracia already has a claim on you. I would have liked to had a friend in Amenti," she said as a glancing thought, quickly moving on to a new topic without much thought. She glanced around the Rock Garden as she said, "I think I should be able to walk soon... Maybe you can tell me a few healer related things while we wait? Just something to pass the time? And I'll try to think of some defensive things I can show you without moving too much in return." "Speech."

Alena was an agreeable wolf, the type he'd easily make friends with. He was thankful for her company in this new area, where he was completely out of his element. Tiresias found himself hoping that his patch-job wouldn't scar too badly for her, although he had no real say in the matter. The herbs necessary to keep the wound from scarring weren't nearby at the time. He'd been too worried about saving her life to think about what the aftermath might look like. She didn't seem the type to be angry about it. Honestly, she might not even know the difference unless he told her.



The female rolled onto her stomach and he was pleased to see that she was beginning to feel better. She mentioned the fact that she wished he'd gone to Amenti, and by now, he'd almost started wishing it himself. Tyberius was there, and his new female friend would be there as well. In Seracia, he knew no one. But... it would never work out. Sure, Alena would enjoy his company but would Tyberius? The cripple had already run from him once and seemed determined never to see him again. Tiresias would be happy to see him but he was sure that it would end in disaster. "At least someone would enjoy my company if I were there."



Her suggestion seemed like a good idea to him. In her line of duty, she was sure to add new scars to her collection and the least he could do would be to give her the information she needed to survive on her own. "Certainly. On your wound, I used agrimony, which is used to staunch bleeding. I also used lemon balm for disinfectant. It can be used as a mild sedative, if you should ever need that." He paused, wondering what else he could tell her. It was much easier to show the wolf the plants he was talking about as he talked about them, because it was so simple to confuse them with a simple verbal description.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 341 . NOTES: none.

Alena listened carefully to Tiresias as he explained what herbs he had used on her wounds and what they were used for. It was reminiscent of the days when her mother would sit down with her and her siblings and attempt to teach them the basics of healing. The only difference was that the pale fea actually tried to pay attention and learn this time. She turned her head to sniff at the herbs on her wound, hoping to maybe pick up their scent so she would at least know what they smell like. She turned her violet gaze back to him, immediately coming up with questions for him. "What's the best way to clean a wound? And how do you make the herbs into a paste like that?" Alena really was clueless when it came to healing. She knew many ways of taking a life away, but very little about saving them. She pondered over what she could teach him in return, but it was hard to pick out something about fighting and defence to tell him since she had never seen him fight and didn't know what he needed to improve on or what he already knew. She decided to just start with the very basics and go from there. "Some of the first things you should do when you're defending yourself is make it as hard to hit anything vital as possible. Shoulders, flanks, even your back can take many more hits than say your stomach, throat and eyes. So what I like to do is get low to the ground, slit my eyes, and tuck my chin close to my neck. On top of that, when you're low to the ground your legs are already poised to jump out of the way if they charge at you." "Speech."

She listened attentively, something he was unused to seeing. Tyberius hadn't given two shits about what he had to say and since the brothers had parted ways, he hadn't had anyone take interest in him. Nothing like what Alena was doing now. "If it's at all possible, the best way to clean a wound is to submerge it in water, then clean it by tongue. That's usually very difficult to do, so it's easiest to run one's tongue over the wound to clean it. Lemon balm will do the rest. Just make sure not to get it in the wound or it won't heal properly. Just around the edges will do."



It was clear to him that she really did want to learn from him. The information would do her well. When she asked how to make the herbs into a paste, he blanched. Embarrassed, he said, "The paste is made by chewing the leaves. The herbs won't hurt you, as the healer, so don't fret if you swallow some." His ears flicked backward and he turned his gaze away from her for a moment, to regain his composure.



She began speaking again and he turned his gaze back to her. Defense was probably the best option for him; he wasn't keen on harming another wolf. He could do it if needed. The most vital points of the lupine body were ready knowledge to him, and he'd know the easiest way to cripple a foe, but would he? Probably not. He nodded his understanding as she finished her explanation. "How do you go about attacking another wolf? I'm not sure that I'd be fast enough to aim for anything vital." Tiresias knew that he was a coward, plain and simple. He didn't know if he could fight because he'd never tried. He wasn't likely to find out until jaws were nearly around his neck.

TAG: alena! . WORDS: 314 . NOTES: none.