lingering effects

The feeling of the earthquake was nothing like Indigo had ever felt before, it caused panic to swell in his chest and silent alarm bells to peel within his head. Sapphire eyes grew wide as the ground beneath his paws trembled. Lucky for the boy he was far enough away from the epicenter that he wouldn’t even be tossed from his feet. Little did he know the devastation closer to the volcano itself, but he hadn’t even been past the borders of the pack he couldn’t comprehend what was going on so many miles away from him.

The quake continued for a minute before breaking off into smaller aftershocks. Indigo didn’t enjoy them anymore than the real thing and started to make the attempt to return to the den, he’d been close to the border of the willows all day. He was scouting out plants to ask his aunt Iolaire about later on. He wanted to know what all of the plants that lived around the pack were. Not just the ones that were useful enough to be put into the garden. Indy had a desire to learn that just wouldn’t stop, he was almost sure that he was becoming a pest to those who knew more about the floral world.

Had his thoughts not been on the plants and the potential for more knowledge he might not have tripped. The sudden aftershock hit him at just the right moment for the boy to go tumbling of a steep incline. Though the plains looked flat they were anything but. Indigo went sprawling into the tall grass. He was mostly alright, but only because he’d landed on something rather soft, but lumpy… And then there were teeth in his rear.

Indigo shouted in surprise and scrambled to find his black paws. He whined as he quickly moved his body off of whatever had reached around to bite him. It better not have had rabies. Indy turned around to stare at one of the oddest looking creatures he had ever seen. It was rather short, especially to his gangly puppy tallness. For how short it was the little white marked creature was rather round. It’s big nose was scrunched up as it showed its teeth at him again. The badger kit couldn’t have been much older than the wolf pup, but it was twice as tenacious.

It mock charged the boy, but Indigo didn’t realize that and before he knew it his back was against the small drop off he’d fallen from. Sapphire eyes wide as the kit gnashed its teeth at him. ”Hey! Cool it! Short… Round!” He squealed as he tried to back up the sheer wall. The badger seemed to stop, at least for a moment, as one bright black eye studied the purple boy. Indy hadn’t realized it but as the sun revealed itself from behind the ashy clouds the badger’s dark fur was tinted purple as well. Turquoise eyes widened and his jaw dropped, the badger seemed to realize too as she backed up from him.

Indigo relaxed only slightly as fear and pain made way for curiosity.. and pain. He was sore from his fall and where she’d gone and bit him. He couldn’t move though, he was too caught up in her gaze. For a long moment the two creatures stared at each other, unsure but also excited to have found another that shared the same coloration. Indigo knew that his grandmother was also violet like he was, but he wouldn’t ever meet her. This big nosed creature was also purple, and here, and not the purple shrine which he couldn’t move anyway. Maybe he could make friends.

”You hurt me.” The badger eventually said, though Indigo wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it besides apologize. ”I’m sorry, the tremor.. I lost my footing.” He tried to explain as he plopped his sore rear onto the ground. ”You hurt me.back.” Indy decided to say, figuring that the two of them were even at this point. ”I think Aunt Io said willow bark helps with pain.” His words came out more easily now, even though the badger wouldn’t likely know who she was or what the bark was.

”My family lived under one, a willow tree.” The badger told him sadly as its gaze grew distant. ”Then an earthquake brought it down.” Though she seemed brave and immovable the young kit was obviously pained by this loss. ”That’s why I’m here.” She admitted as she looked up at the big puppy. ”I’m sorry.” He said again despite it being none of his fault. Still, they’d feel better once they found their bark. ”Come with me,” the words were phrased as a request instead of a command.

The badger sat and thought about his invitation for a moment before waddling after the violet boy. He grinned widely and led the way, a slight limp as he worked off the harsh bite he’d gotten. ”My name is Indigo.” He offered with friendly tones as he led the way forward with a wag in his tail despite the pain in his hip. He led them back towards the border and where the willows were. The badger offered a couple of odd grunts, ”I don’t have a name in the common language but that is my badger given name.” She chuckled lightly as the two of them made it to the pain relieving trees.

”Alright.” Indigo said confidently as he put himself against one of the trees that was on their side of the border. ”I think we just peel back a little bit… and eat it?” He questioned his knowledge and life choices. Eating bark sounded horrendous. ”We’ll have to go get a nice drink of water after this.” He offered her as he worked off a bit of the bark and started to chew. ”Maybe I should make a tea instead…” He thought much too late to save himself and Short Round from the unpleasant experience.

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