don't know what we're doing

Theory smiled weakly at Ophelia, nodding her head as much as she could manage. Oh yes, this was the big boned girl who'd almost drowned them both when Theory thought she'd sunk beneath the surface of the Hot Springs. She recognized her now that they were closer. One of Sirius' kids, but perhaps a little unlike the rest. It endeared her to Theory - she had a soft spot for anyone who didn't quite fit the mold of the expectations placed upon them. They often wound up surprising you. Heeding the younger healer's advice, Theory crept towards the patch of sunlight that beckoned her. Thin morning clouds had finally begun to disperse, warming up the clearing with each passing minute. "I'm normally..." she panted, slowly lowering herself to the water's edge, "a little more... put together." Theo took pauses between her words to drink deeply from the pool. Cool water slid down her throat as the sun warmed her back, creating a pleasant sensation. "That does feel much better," she murmured, closing her eyes and then shifting so that she laid on her side. Sunshine washed over her completely.

"Yes, let me take a look at what you're having trouble with. Mine was mostly of the mind, but I still feel a tightness in my throat," she admitted. "I know other wolves suffered growths in addition to that terrible, viscous liquid that seemed to leak from everywhere." Theo shuddered. Whenever she dwelled on the horrors they'd experienced too long, she found it difficult to move on and get on with the rest of her day. It was haunting. She tried to button it all up and put it away, but her attempts so far had failed - the pain, the discomfort, the terror was all too recent. Time was the greatest healer of all, and she hoped it would pass swiftly from here on out. "What seems to be bothering you the most?" She asked, sitting up and gesturing for Ophelia to come closer. Being sick herself had kept her from performing examinations on her own pack members. While she'd served them as best she could since coming back the brink, that guilt still remained. "If it's that spot on your shoulder there, a warm compress might help draw anything else out. Try not to fuss with it too much otherwise," she dropped her eyes to the stick Ophie was playing with, "and if possible, have someone else help you with it - or try to sanitize anything you have to use yourself. That stick might have lingering bacteria on it. Use clean materials, whenever you're able." The alpha rattled off a few tips. "How did the Armada fare during the long night? Are the rest of your siblings well?" she asked softly. "And your parents, how are they doing?" Sirius would be one of her first few stops when she began her journey across Boreas to spread the message of her school's opening, but it would be good to hear how their allies were doing sooner rather than later.

wc 517
twc 1564