Manea hummed quietly to herself as she moved about the main chamber of their cave, straitening and tidying a bit. In the grand scheme of all of her numerous duties to the pack and their family, cleaning and maintaining her home usually fell pretty far down the list. She felt like she and Alastor were generally fairly clean in their day to day lives as it was and now that their older children had all moved into spaces of their own it wasn't all that difficult to maintain that, but with two young pups running around there were some things that got knocked over or put slightly out of place that just needed a bit of attention.

Today the weather was pleasant and mild, cooling some as the season crept quickly toward winter, so she felt like it was as good a time as any to freshen up their furs and pull some extras out of storage to prepare for the colder temperatures that were sure to come soon enough. Alastor had taken Malico out to train that morning so that just left her and Mariah for a bit of a girl's day. Between stretches of cleaning she would sit with her daughter and talk or tell stories or whatever the little red-hued girl wanted to do.

However, as she was rearranging the taller shelves where she and Alastor kept a few knives and weapons well out of the reach of tiny pups, she happened to pick up one at the wrong angle and the tip of the knife sliced right through one of her paw pads. She hissed at the stinging pain, pulling her paw back as she settled back on her haunches and turned her paw over to look at the shallow cut. It wasn't bad, by any means, but Manea was always one for a learning moment—no matter how small. She glanced back over at Mariah, nodding toward a basket of general supplies on one side of the den. "Mariah, darling, would you bring me that roll of bandages?"

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

It had been a relatively boring day. Malico had gone out with their father to train- something that caused her gut to burn with jealousy. However, she knew the reason why and didn't need to ask or have it explained. It was difficult for her to keep up, and simply not practical for her to try to imitate the skills being taught. It was her standard and had never known anything different. But compared to Malico, she was simply too weak. It was counterintuitive when they could accomplish much more if Mariah stayed home. So, she did.

The girl watched her mother busy herself around the den with a distant stare. When it was time for a break between chores, she was happy to hear any of the stories Manea had to offer. However, nothing caught her attention more than the hiss of sudden pain. Mariah's ears perked as she lifted her chin off her paws in a questioning tilt of her head. "Momma, are you alright?" She asked softly. But with the instructions given to retrieve the bandages out of a supply basket, her question was answered.

The girl quickly rose to her paws, grabbing the small roll of wrap with ease. She brought it to her mother's side as quickly as she could manage without breaking into a run. Setting it down in an offering, her hueless gaze quickly sought out the inflicted injury with something far greater than casual interest. "Does it hurt?" She asked softly, without looking away from the small, narrow cut in her mother's pad.

Manea was very observant—especially when it came to her children. It didn't slip past her the way Mariah perked up with visual interest when she cut her paw. It wasn't the same kind of interest that Alastor showed around blood—which was probably a good sign—but a curiosity that she had seen from Avacyn when she was a pup when she first discovered the ability to craft and make anything she wanted. It was the kind of curiosity in a subject that she didn't really know how to shape or teach, but she could see the desire to learn and could always find the resources her daughter needed for it. Mariah got the roll of bandages she had requested quickly and Manea gave her daughter a grateful smile. "Thank you, sweetheart."

She went to pick up the wrapping just to cover up the cut and keep from getting blood on everything as she continued on with her work, but she paused as she noticed Mariah examining the cut. "No, not very much," she reassured her daughter, lowering her paw a bit so the girl could get a better look. It was a shallow cut, just enough to be annoying and make a mess, but hardly anything compared to other wounds she had gotten over the years. Smiling, Manea picked up the roll of bandages with her other paw and held them out to Mariah. "Do you want to help me wrap my paw? Just try not to wrap it too loose or too tight. You want it tight enough to stay on well, but not so tight that it cuts off the blood flow to my toes."

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

There wasn't a huge amount of blood welling from the small slit, due to how small the injury was. And when Manea echoed the thought that it didn't really hurt, Mariah offered a quick nod in acknowledgment before finally shifting her attention from the cut to her mother's face. "Good." It seemed to be a cut that wouldn't have any problem taking care of itself.

Mariah observed as her mother picked up the bandages that she had retrieved. Maybe that was all that was needed from her, but the girl was fully prepared to observe as Manea treated herself. But instead, when she invited for assistance, the girl was quick to accept- taking the roll back without any further prompting. She listened intently to the instructions she was offered with an air of sudden seriousness. "Okay." Mariah answered as she began to complete her task. Ever so gently, she held the end of the bandage to the side of the injury and maintained the pressure there as she began to apply the bandage- circling it around the limb that was held out. Mariah took special care to ensure that she held it firmly away as to prevent it from becoming too loose from hidden wrinkles. Though it was difficult for her to judge just how tight was too tight, as she couldn't feel the pressure for herself. When she made three complete rotations and there was no longer any danger of the start of the wrap slipping away, she looked up to Manea's maternally affectionate gaze. "Does that feel okay?" She asked, genuinely unsure if what she had done was acceptable or not.

A little smirk tugged at Manea's lips as her daughter immediately took her up on her offer to help with wrapping her paw. Mariah and her interest in things was absolutely adorable and no, she didn't think she was being biased in thinking that. Of course she naturally thought her children were perfect in every way and destined for wonders and greatness, but even beyond all of that she was simply proud whenever one of her children found something they were interested in or enjoyed–like Avaycn and her crafts, Saracyn with his hunting, and Fia with her sharp mind. Mariah and Malico were still so young and there was so much time ahead of them for them to explore and find what excited them most and Manea was always eager to be there along the way to watch them learn.

Holding her paw out for Mariah and keeping it low enough that it would be easy for the small girl to reach, she watched as her daughter slowly and carefully wrapped the roll around her paw until it felt secure. She hadn't given a ton of direction for what to do–partly because she wasn't entirely sure what the proper technique was herself and partly because the stakes were so low–but Mariah seemed to have a natural talent for it regardless. When Mariah decided she was finished, Manea gave a little flex of her paw just to make sure the bandages were secure and wouldn't slip off if she began to move around. They weren't too tight nor too loose, just as she had told her. She gave Mariah a proud grin and nodded as she questioned whether or not it felt okay. "That's perfect, Mariah. Well done."

With that finished, Manea moved over to one of the furs that was laid out in the space and settled down on to her stomach, patting the spot beside her for Mariah to join her. "You seemed to like that a lot," she mentioned with a little smile. "We could see about setting up some lessons with Aunt Ikigai or Irilyth if you'd like. I know either of them would absolutely love to have a student to teach. Maybe you could be our next Master Physician one day."

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

There was no denying the sense of pride that engulfed her at the successful wrapping of her mother's injury. She beamed with pride as they finished up, and Manea led the way back to the furs that she had been lounging on herself just a short while ago. Mariah slipped into the spot that was gestured to her, settling into place in a similar fashion. And just as she was getting comfortable, her mother's observation filled the space between them. It brought a one-sided grin to the girl's face as she nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I do." The girl agreed, but it seemed there was more to the acknowledgment than present interest. The question was, how could it be cultivated? At the mention of lessons, Mariah's ears perked up. "I would like that a lot." She quickly answered. Manea then mentioned the option of becoming a student to one of the two resident healers, which was an interesting sentiment.

It reminded her of the fact that she might already be a step ahead. "Irilyth has shown me a couple of things already." Mariah answered, thinking back to the time the healer discovered her investigating the medical den. It turned out to be a beneficial encounter. The thought of that becoming a regular thing was ... enticing at the very least. "But I want to know more." The girl interjected, echoing her thought process. She wasn't convinced a title within their own pack was something that fed her ambition. However, the idea that she could be best in the world kindled that flame. She supposed being Elysium's Master Physician would just be a stepping stone for that. But that left Irilyth being more competition than teacher. Mariah's silver gaze narrowed a moment before she moved to solve the dilemma in her mind. "I think lessons from both Aunt Ikigai and Irilyth would be best." And anyone else that could be found. She said without and hesitance or acknowledgement of the fact that might not be a possibility. As she glanced up to her mother, she adopted a more seemingly gentle curiosity- a plea to make it so.