The fight with the coyotes certainly could have ended worse had he been alone, and because of this Ignatius was grateful that he had bumped into Éldi, even if it was a little odd that both times they met had been followed by attacks by other predators. Deciding to be positive and not get superstitious, Ig concluded that he was ultimately just glad that they both hadn't sustained any crippling injuries and that the pack wasn't too far away. Hauling the carcasses of the coyotes made the going a pinch slower, but it would be worth having the pelts so he'd just press on as his paws sunk into the thick layers of snow which crunched, squeaked, and groaned as the weight of the flame-colored male compacted it.

There was minimal chatter as he walked, nose tot he wind while he studied the landscape ahead of them. Picking a path that took them east and passed the Red Forest entirely, he intended to go straight to the gorge where more healing supplies were currently being stored. It was only when they reached the head of one trail down into the gorge that Ignatius broke down from his brusque walk, halting and setting the coyotes down before howling for Drífa.

He turned to look back at Éldi, asking, "You holding up alright?"

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi limped along after Ignatius as they headed toward his pack to find a healer. He wasn't to bad off but his left hind leg had taken a beating. His ass was sore and he could feel blood matting the fur. To make it works his left ankle was stained totally red from where one of the coyotes had ripped through the thin flesh there. It needed to be tended to and now that the adrenaline was wearing off it was becoming terribly painful to walk. He did his best not to let it show. He was a fearsome warrior and knew better than to be showing weakness, especially in a stranger's pack. Éldi trusted the man to a base degree but he didn't really know Ignatius very well. They moved through some lovely terrain into a gorge where the colorful male called for a healer. He grinned at the man's question and held himself up just a bit straighter despite the pain.

"Fresh as a daisy. A bloody daisy. How about you?"

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa was sorting her stores, carefully pulling dried herbs from her bag and setting them into carefully dug shelves. They'd had the luck to find some assorted containers in the strange metal cave up north. She planned to ask Brynhildr to grind some of the dried herbs down so they could place them in the containers. Some were small enough she could probably just place them in there. She was humming lightly to herself when the call rang out. Her head cocked to the side. That was definitely Ignatius. She barked lightly to her raven companion, shouldered her bag and slipped out of her den.

Brynhildr moved to perch on her pack as she walked out into the gorge. It was a cloudy, chill morning but there was very little wind. A nice change from the bitter winds of the evening and the flurries of snow that had threatened to kill visibility. When she arrived Drífa was surprised to find a strange yearling accompanying Ignatius. She smelled the blood before she saw it. "Goodness! Ignatius, what has happened? Who is this with you?"

Giving Éldi a toothy grin and a shake of his head Ig laughed candidly, "I'm not so sure you're a fresh daisy. Little wilty looking if you ask me. I'm not too bad though, but I'll be better once I get out of the cold for a while." He really wished he'd gotten a hold of some fire-making supplies right about now. There'd been enough other matters to attend to that he'd slacked in that area and now his paws were regretting that for him.

It felt like it was only a few moments later that Drífa appeared, exclaiming as she came into view, asking what had happened as she was likely taking in the bloodied wolves before her. Flicking an ear off to the side Ig would smile only a bit sheepishly and shrug, "We got into a bit of a scuffle with some coyotes. We won, of course. I think the prey must be scarcer out there, they were hungry enough to risk going after us." He made a mental note to warn the other pack members to be extra careful when venturing out from their lands in case there were other large and starved predators out there. Briefly he contemplated how amusing it might be to hang the skinned carcasses somewhere along the border. Would other coyotes heed such a dark warning? He didn't really know much of them aside from that they were pests.

"Ah, yes, this is Éldi. He and I have met once before, under similarly bad circumstances. I was hoping you wouldn't mind patching us both up. It seemed rude to leave someone who fought with me to his own devices with those wounds." Doing his best to ignore the feeling of blood still running from a wound on his stomach, Ignatius turned to Éldi. "Éldi, this is Drífa. She is our wonderful healer."

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi chuckled. Fair enough. He imagined he probably did look worse for wear. It had been awhile since his body had had to endure such frequent mistreatment. He nodded. "This cold is enough to freeze a sneeze to your face." He was used to it and his wiry, wooly coat certain helped but he was more than ready to curl up somewhere and press his freezing nose into the warmth of his tail.

A short, sturdy woman was swift to answer Ignatius' call. He introduced her as Drífa and he nodded. A good northern name. It made him wonder if she was from a place of similar traditions to his own. "Greetings, elder. I look forward to your assistance. Not sure I could make it back to my den without your help."

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Her brow furrowed at the news of coyotes growing emboldened and desperate by the hard winter. They did not need more competition, especially with the pack still so small. That a group of coyotes would dare to attack two fully grown wolves was alarming. She made note to fortify her den a bit more just in case. Being a smaller wolf she would be a more likely target for other predators.  

Ignatius introduced the stranger as Éldi and she felt a bit of pride swell in her chest as he introduced her as a wonderful healer. She was pleased to have her skills acknowledged. She was also pleased that Éldi seemed polite and respectful of his elders. She had little interest in schooling some narcissistic brat. Well, she didn't want to let Ignatius down. She nodded confidently. "Ok, I'll see what I can do. Éldi, I happen to have a den dug for patients, if you'll follow me there. Ignatius, you are welcome to join us and warm yourself."

She led the way to the patient den which she'd lined with an elk skin. She hoped to add more skins but had yet to really get some gathered. "Ok, lay down on this skin and let me have a look at you." She had plenty of yarrow that she would definitely use but she pondered on whether to utilize her trillium on this strange man. It was rare and she would rather save it for her pack. It would depend what she saw but the severe lacerations on his left ankle had her concerned.

"Now that's a hell of a thought! Not sure I want to think much into such a thing," he mused, laughing openly. Living in the north now did have him becoming more accustomed to the extreme weather. Before Ignatius couldn't have imagined what such cold could do, having lived in relative warmth his whole youth.

After they'd greeted and explained to the healer what had happened Drífa would lead them to her patient den. Ignatius was happy to follow along. A good chance to warm up as she'd said and lick his more minor wounds. Settling in nearby, Ignatius would watch her work while double checking the bites he'd gotten. It was much more difficult to see what was bleeding against his crimson fur. Glancing around the space, Ignatius had to take a moment to appreciate all of Drífa's hard work. He was quite pleased with all the effort she seemed to be putting into her work.

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi followed Drífa to her den, limping awkwardly as he tried to navigate through the snow. He couldn't wait to tell his story to Valkyrie. He knew she'd be interested in knowing that he had, in some ways, infiltrated a northern pack. However, as they were being so selfless in helping him he didn't feel it was really honorable to target them for a raid. Perhaps they might be a useful trading partner in the future?

He slipped into the den after the short woman and swiftly flopped down on the elk skin. The den was nice and cozy but it was full of strange, herbal smells. Not a place he'd care to live in personally. Éldi flinched as he brought is injured ankle in towards his body. He was torn between the pain keeping him awake and a wave of sudden exhaustion from the fight in addition to the coziness of the den. It made him think of his grandmother a bit.

Ignatius joined them and took up a place to begin working over his own wounds. The little woman was busying herself about stacks of herbs, some stashed into dug out shelves. In the corner were a pair of antlers, gnawed into unusual patterns and he found himself wondering what they were for until Drífa was suddenly there looking him over.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa started methodically going through her stores as her patient laid down on the elk skin. She had a number of possible items and she hummed lightly to herself as she thought. She wanted to help but she also wanted to be frugal. The best ingredients were meant for Fyri and Fyri only, not a random loner. Though, he had helped the alpha so that was something. A call caught her attention as Brynhildr returned. "Bryn, excellent timing. We have a patient."

The bird dipped her pale head in greeting and hopped up to perch on the antlers in the corner, waiting to see if she'd be needed.

Drífa settled on making a poultice with yarrow and a touch of trillium for the man's ankle. The damage was bad and she was particularly worried about it. Gesturing to her companion the bird flew over and the pair got to work. Bryn was able to gather more precise measurements for the herbs while she began using her paws to mix a small amount of bentonite clay and charcoal together in the base of an elk skull that had been cleaned out. She'd had to smash the face off of it to get herself a nice bowl. Brynhildr added the herbs and when Drífa was satisfied she smeared the mixture onto a strip of bare hide.

Gently seizing the the bundle she moved over to Éldi and wrapped it around his ankle, utilizing Brynhildr's deft beak and talons to tie a secure knot.

OOC: oof sorry it took me forever to get back tot his one!


Watching quietly for a moment as the healer got to work, readying her herbs after assessing the man's injuries and working closely with her companion to prepare and apply the mixture she'd created. He recognized the yarrow, but not the other herb. Given that he was living in unfamiliar lands, he realized he'd need to do a better job of ensuring he was familiar with all the common herbs in the area.

"How are the herb stores looking by the way?" he asked in a moment when she looked a little less focused. Considering how small a pack they still were it wasn't as difficult to have enough of everything, but still. Every time they used something their stores for the winter dwindled further.

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi continued to let his thoughts wander, wincing when she started to wrap his ankle. He still couldn't believe his luck. What would Valkyrie say? He was prepared for injuries and scars to tell of his epic battles but he always imagined they'd be against other warriors, not against bears and beasts but then… there was something heroic about fighting monsters. Maybe he shouldn't feel so embarrassed. He wasn't eaten and that had to count for something. He watched the white raven with interest but ended up resting his head between his front paws, eager to rest.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa examined Éldi's wounds. The minor lacerations could be licked clean but she would need to do something about the deeper wounds. A poultice of yarrow and white willow would be effective. The yarrow would help with the bleeding and the willow would help with the pain. She probably should add something to help reduce the chance of infection but what…

The older woman paced along the shelves, eyes searching for what she desired. Stopping at some dried wild garlic she nodded. Yes, this would do well. "You might smell a bit strong but this will help keep nasty bugs from growing in your wounds." She added the garlic to the mix and began to work it into a paste, pausing to turn to Ignatius she responded. "They are looking alright but I see a number of herbs we should restock and a few ailments I see no herbs for. However, our pack is still young here and I am sure we can have the stores fully stocked in no time. Especially once spring comes."