The night is young and Strix is bored of patrolling the dam. The Klein boy lays under one of the cedar trees in the pack’s newest territory, pushing the limits of where he is allowed to go. Normally, the small boy would not be out this far out, taking his father’s orders to stay close to the island very seriously. However, his bigger brothers can be mean and he just… needed to get away. A sigh falls from his lips as the boy lifts his head off his paws and pushes himself up so he is standing. Screw it, if he is going to get in trouble, might as well get as far away from his brothers as possible. Small form races through the trees, the boy effortlessly dodging branches and ivy as he goes until the tress suddenly disappear and Strix’s paws hit sand.

Pausing for a moment to allow his mismatched eyes to roam the dunes, Strix lets out a small whoop of excitement before charging over the sandy dunes. His paws sink and slip but the boy does not stop, not until he hits the tide pools and the red covered ground. Red? Well, that is weird. Taking a tentative step forward, the small boy leaps backward with a startled yelp as the red ground moves. For a boy that has never laid eyes on a hermit crab, this experience is new. The ground scuttles as hundreds of tiny legs carry the creatures, to and fro, all while Strix watches them with wide, mismatched eyes. All the boy can think is, ‘This is so cool’.


"Strix Klein"

Vashou blinks as they slowly made their way through to the cove. Figuring to maybe gather some grub from the abundance they could hear scuttling about in the sand. However, Vashou's attention was redirected when he heard a shout for joy. The sand under his paws matching the fur on his head. Vashou sat quietly for a moment tilting his head with curious wonder not noticing the sudden building of small crabs crawling around him.

Vashou had moved here when he grew from his mothers den. Leaving to venture out on his own. To create their own story in life. However, this one seemed to be about the same age if not a bit younger. As he watched he paused cautious to approach as he could smell other wolves. He looked around to see if anyone else was nearby however, it was just him.

Skeptical he remembered advice from his father "Avoid the pack lands, they are wary and may attack if they don't know you. " He looked around knowing this area wasn't pack oriented. However, the smell of other wolves in the air made him a bit nervous.

However as he took another step forward he would step on a passing hermit crab unintentionally pinning the poor thing. This lead to the only natural response from the small creature. A sharp pinche and a loud yelp would alert anyone and anything nearby to his presence. As he began to shake his paw and try to dislodge the small but angry creature.

The sight of so many hermit crabs scurrying about under the moonlight has Strix completely enthralled, his mismatched watch the creatures with wide wonder. He does not notice that there is another nearby, a fact that his father, Chimera, would undoubtedly have reprimanded him for… if he knew. However, his sire is not here and the boy of clouded gray and black is fully enjoying the time away from his family. Suddenly, a loud yelp cuts through the air, startling the young boy and causing him to snap his head toward the source of the noise.

Instinct kicks in, making his hackles raise and lips pull back to reveal his deadly teeth… until his eyes land on the wolf that had made the sound. Mismatched eyes blink owlishly as Strix sees a wolf, not much older than himself, bathed in the colors of sand and autumn leaves. On their paw dangles one of the red creatures and the boy gives a sharp bark, in an effort to get the angry thing to release the wolf’s paw. Legs carry him up to the wolf in trouble, the small boy saying, “Oh my gosh. Okay, let me see if I can get it off.”

The bark did nothing to make the crab release its grip and, in the span of the few seconds it took for Strix to see the hurting wolf and make it over to them, the thing seems in no hurry to let go. Mismatched eyes look at the crab and up to the wolf, the small boy, never having seen one, is uncertain how to proceed. It seems to be hanging on by sort of claw and Strix looks to the stranger with wide, worried eyes. The boy has no clue how to handle the creature so he says, “Hold still! I’ll try to hit it!” He lifts a black paw, aiming to smack at the red crustacean while, hopefully, avoiding the wounded wolf in the process… hopefully.


"Strix Klein"

Vashou sat for a moment as they looked to see the black wolf hustle towards them. The sharp pincer holding tightly to their paw and causing it to pinch painfully. They whined and continued to try and dislodge the small hermit crab. Only stopping momentarily when the other got close enough to lift Vashou's paw and examine it.

The small red creature was quite stubborn as the tug caused light whimpers to escape Vashou's muzzle. Their eyes tearing up as it was quite painful. The small crab proving to be stubborn in his attempt to attack. Vashou's ears lowered as he watched the black and white wolf examine the small crab. Their ears perked as Vashou opened his maw and started to reach forward to the crab to try and bite it off. However, after seeing the other wolf was going to try and bat it off Vashou decided to wait and see if that worked. Since they didn't want to get bonked just yet.

The unknown wolf whines as the hermit crab dangles from its paw and Strix looks at them with great concern radiating off him. Mismatched eyes flick down to the angry red creature and he lets the other wolf know that he is going to try and hit it. Lifting his black paw, he winds up his muscles, releasing the coiled power into a measured, semi-controlled smack. His paw bounces off the sturdy shell and, for a moment, he watches as the pincher presses the stranger’s paw even more. Concern drives the Klein boy to react and his teeth flash as he strikes out at the red crab.

Jaws close around the thing’s body, crunching through shell and organs alike. With a strong jerk of his head, Strix forcefully removes the creature from the young stranger. Turning his head, the boy spits the dead crab onto the ground before once more, turning back to injured wolf. Mismatched eyes look to the hurt paw as he says, “Are you okay? I am so sorry about that! Here, can I look at your paw? My mom has taught me a little bit about healing and it is the least I can do.” The boy looks up trying to catch the wolf’s dark blue gaze as he offers a sheepish, guilt-filled smile.


"Strix Klein"

He sat patiently as he watched the other crush the shell of the crab and spit it to the side. He winced as the cut left when the crab was pulled of was rather painful. No worse then scratching it on a sharp rock or stepping on a thorn. However it was more consistent and he could feel the small bit of blood pumping out. He smiles and saw this as a learning opportunity. "Well I admit I am curious, would you mind explaining how you clean and fix the wound. Maybe I could learn a little more from it. "

Strix watches the stranger with concern lingering in his mismatched gaze. The metallic tag of blood is on the air and he feels responsible for the other’s injury. Luckily, they see this as an opportunity to learn how to clean and fix the wound and the smaller boy gives the other a wag of his tail while saying, “Of course! My name is Strix, by the way.”

A friendly smile is given as Strix gently takes the injured paw in his own. His touch is light and gentle as he says, “Well, first thing we need to do is determine the extent of the injury and what tools we will need. Okay, I am going to gently poke some areas, tell me if it hurts.”

Looking to them for permission to continue, Strix then uses his toes to softly prod the areas around where the blood is. While he works, he explains, “I am trying to determine if this is just going to be a bad bruise or if any of the bones where broken. There, how does that feel?” One last light prod is given to the toes near the site of the wound.


"Strix Klein"

He watched the other wolf as his paw was held. Staring at the small cut for a moment it wasn't very deep and more like a small scratch then anything serious.

However, as it was prodded the blood oozed lightly from the wound. Vashou winced a bit as it did hurt a little but it certainly wasn't anything serious. In fact it would likely heal within the next hour. However, Vashou kept their muzzle shut for the moment to listen to the other. Nodding for affirmation to allow Strix to continue their lesson.

It didn't hurt, well when Strix was prodding about the outer edges of their paw. Vashou's tail flicking back and forth as they watched curiously. However as he got closer to the wound Vashou would let out a whimper. "Th-that's starting to sting some."

Strix carefully inspects the wound, gently poking and prodding around the area. As he gets close to the wound, the wolf lets out a soft whimper and the boy’s ears fall flat against his skull, sad to hear the sound. Mumbling an apology, he releases the injured paw and looks to the wolf, saying, “Well, it is what I expected. Bruising but no bones involved. So that is good! If I felt any of the small bones of you toes move, that would have told me the crab broke something. But, it didn’t! So, on to the next step!”

Casting his mismatched gaze around, Strix takes stock of the items he can use to clean and disinfect the wound. Remembering some plants he had seen in the woods that he come through, the smaller boy looks to the stranger and says, “I saw some useful things on my way here. I will be right back!” Making sure they would be here when he got back, the small Klein boy then races back to the tall cedar trees that mark pack lands.

Quickly he scrapes some moss off of one of the big trees before harvesting some nearby trillium leaves and snapping off a small branch of horsetail he finds. Checking over the items, Strix then carefully makes his way back to the injured wolf, smiling when he finds they had waited. Depositing the items on the ground, he then gathers the moss between two of toes and gently takes ahold of the injured paw once more. Lightly, he daps away the blood while saying, “Moss is good for absorbing blood and holding poultices in place. It is abundant and can be healer’s best friend.”

Applying a small amount of pressure, Strix then makes on more pass with the moss before inspecting the wound again. The blood seems to have stopped and the boy readies for the final step of the process.


"Strix Klein"

Vashou sat quietly and looked over to Strix for a moment. Watching Strix look it over and explain Vashou just nodded and absorbed the information. At the moment he was trying to learn how to dress a wound. Seeing Strix run off he held the position for a moment. It wasn't too long before Vashou lost their balance flopping back. Thankfully it seemed that most of the crabs had returned to their holes for the time being so the worst he felt from this was a few of the empty shells poke into their back.

Vashou sat on his back for a few moments before they heard the brush moving. Their eyes looked about and tried to find the source before the familiar scent of Strix returned. Vashou could smell a few other things on him but the reason for which became more apparent as he returned with several plants and a patch of moss. He tilted his head as he watched Strix work slowly on cleaning the wound. Listening to what was said Vashou nodded and soon the black beans were free of any blood. His tails swishing back and forth slowly as he took his time to absorb the information for later.

As he works, Strix explains what he is doing. While the injured paw isn’t bad, he knows that this is a good opportunity to show some herbs that are important for healing cuts. The wolf’s tail swishes back and forth as the small boy finishes wiping away the blood. Sitting back, Strix releases his patient’s paw and gathers the two herbs that he had picked. Holding up the horsetail, he explains, “This is horsetail. It likes to grow in moist soil and can be found near rivers. If you have a deep cut that will not stop bleeding, this will help to bind it.”

Placing it down, Strix holds up the trillium leaf and says, “This is trillium. It is more difficult to find but this will help prevent infections.” Placing it down, the boy scoots the picked herbs over to the stranger, offering the plants to them. After a moment, the boy adds, “The best way to use them is to grind them down and make a paste. You can also add other herbs to help with inflammation and pain.” With the lesson done, the boy looks to the stranger, offering them a friendly grin and wag of his tail, ready to answer any questions they might have.


"Strix Klein"

Vashou paused for a moment and pondered the information laid out to them. Vashou's tails shifting as he looked over and smiled. Vashou didn't know alot about this but they did enjoy the chance to learn. Taking in the information slowly Vashou would ponder, things. Remembering the nearby forests and flush areas he thought, "Do you think you could teach me about the varying herbs and what they do. " Vashou smiled and pondered their options as they settled his paw down having the small abundance of herbs between their paws in a pile.

Vashou's tail wiggling excitedly, "I wanna know if you could use the glowing moss from the runestones in the same way. To make it easier for pups. " Vashou tilted his head and smiled, "I dun have much memory as a pup but I do remember being scared when I got hurt. So being able to offer that to others would be nice. "

The stranger seems happy with the information Strix gives and the boy of black and clouded grays easily returns the smile and gentle tail wag. It is nice to find another wolf who is interested in the art of healing and around the same age as him. When they ask if he can teach them more about herbs and what they do, the boy’s mismatched eyes light up with happiness. His tail wags a little faster as he nods and says, “Oh yes! I can show you a few if you want!”

They then talk about using the glowing moss at the runestones and Strix offers a strong dip of his head in response, saying, “If it glows, you could put some in their dens to help cast a soft light! It might help ease their fear if they can see what is around them.” Truthfully, the boy had never been afraid of the dark. It is difficult to be afraid with his six siblings, a huge father, and sweet mother there to keep him company. However, he can see how others might be scared if they do not have that luxury.

A thought occurs to the young Klein boy and he asks, “Hey, do you know about lavender? The plant has a very calming scent and it can be used to help ease any fears!” Strix’s eyebrows lift in excitement as he remembers the herb his mother had once shown him. The smell had been immediately reminded him of something safe and calming. Ideas pile into the boy’s head but he holds back, waiting to see if the other wolf knows about the plant before launching headfirst into his explanations and ideas.


"Strix Klein"

Vashou nods and acknowledges the words spoken by the black and white wolf. Their tail swayed back and forth as Vashou murred. Vashou was enjoying this exchange of knowledge. Their tail swayed quickly as Vashou finally said "I had heard about lavender being able to soothe. Although I admit it didn't do much to me. Usually, it just made me feel weirdly warm. " Vashou sat and shook themselves out. Still thinking about that moment.

It brought him back to when he was younger and he was excited. He had been sniffing about the lavender fields. Which he was told could calm his energy some. However, as he rolled about in the field the smell of the lavender made him feel a different sensation: warm and fluffy. However, he wasn't sure if this was normal, and well his mom had said he'd understand that feeling when he was older.