it was time to admit some semblence of defeat. with her swamp gone and her stores of herbs used up, Huntington had nowhere else. the only contact she had with a community was Abaven, and so she had gone to their border. perhaps Noir would still be there, or perhaps Poem would welcome "Rose" with open paws. t'was logical she did not give her true alias for she hadn't in the past encounters. the girl waited before wandering into the old territory. she had sent a call to Abaven yet none answered. it was only by searching did she scent the trail of a large group moving away from their precious land. so they too had been forced to flee. the girl tracked them to this island, where their scent was stronger and more plentiful. some clear border markings made up the edges and she sat at the western side, toward the mainland. this time, she did call out. however soft it had been in tone, she made it clear she was here. Huntington was adaptable to any situation, and she could see only one way of surviving this one. join a pack, however brief, and wait out the winter months. she could use patients and the community's claimed land to search for herbs without much fuss. and in return, she would lend them her expertise. it seemed a fair deal for now. whether the pack would accept her was not in her paws. ""

She heard the howl at their temporary borders with some surprise, she hadn’t expected enterprising rogues to seek them out on Ibis Island, or that anyone even knew they were there. Her first instinct was worry, that sharing resources would be hard on Abaven at this time, but in the end, of course, her desire to help others won out. She would find a way, carry three times her load to make it work, she was already carrying two, when she wasn’t drunk and raving, at least. She was still feeling the effects of that hangover, having drunk now a total of two times over her life. Ignoring her discomfort, the weary bone-tired Alpha made her way to the edge of the island, where she found the soot-toned woman waiting. She saw the herbs the woman carried, as well as the scent of healing that encompassed her. Shaye’s heart clenched, and she felt almost sick. She wanted to blame it on the hangover, but the truth was she had started to think of the healer position in Abaven cursed. With Vail’s death, adn Epitaphs disappearance… the pack needed a healer, but she ached at the thought of anyone else getting hurt. There was a pause, as she struggled to push down the pain the memory of Vail caused her, before a haphazard smile found its way to the Alpha’s lips. The truth was, Shaye looked old, old and worn. “Hello, and welcome to Abaven… sort of, what can we do for you?” she asked, voice gentle and warm despite everything "Talk" "You" Think

t'was not Noir or Poem that showed, but a woman that appeared to be related to them both. Huntington was not surprised; one of the youth had already spoken to her about Abaven being a family pack. whether Noir's dismissal or Poem's acceptance... it mattered not. the girl swirled an ear forward at the old woman's tone, but her expression remained neutral. when addressed, inquirying as to why she was here, the young healer proceeded to sit up a bit straighter than she already was. "well met. my name is Rose" she gave the title that she had done so far to others in Boreas. why should this be any different? perhaps if she gave a name of her own, a fairer one, the old woman would relax more. "I spoke briefly with your kin, a girl named Poem, and she told me of your community." her tone was civil, stating facts that had happened before meeting this wolf. her head tilted to the herbs at her feet. the scarce ones she had taken from the swamps. boneset. valerian root. her pale eyes returned to the woman's face. "I am a healer by trade, and wondered if I would be accepted in Abaven." there was no point in fluffing up her resume; she would let her actions speak for how dedicated and skilled she was. "ooc; to note. Huntington is known as 'Rose' to Poem (and several others), and she will give her false name to Shaye because of this"

The woman introduced herself as Rose, and explained that she had met Shaye’s daughter - describing her only as her kin - Poem. Ah! Another heart clench, this time in worry for Motif, who was missing, and Poem, who was out there looking for her alone, despite how young she was. The aftermath of the eruption separated them, and she knew not how her little ones where doing. She managed to hide her wince, if only just. This poor stranger need not know how broken she was. “Rose, I’m Shaye, the Alpha here. Of course, our healer went missing after the volcano erupted please be okay, Epitaph “And we would gladly welcome you into our ranks. Things are in a bit of disarray at the moment, but I’ve been taking stock of the herbs we managed to bring with us and find here.” She paused, and took a breath, offering the woman an apologetic smile. “If you truly wish to join, I can promise you your going to have your hands full for a bit” she explained. "Talk" "You" Think

the old woman would introduce herself as Shaye, the alpha of Abaven. Huntington had heard of her from Poem, though at the time there was another alpha not now in power. Rhyme. the girl gave a nod, secretly content with her luck. they seemed to lack a healer, and that meant a steady flow of patients that would not be fought over with another wolf. she could work in relative peace. this was good news to her. "boneset and valerian root" she said, pushing forward the bundle to Shaye. a fair trade for her acceptance into the pack, she thought. "they are yours, along with my experience to aid Abaven" 'Rose' stated after the woman stated she would be accepted in their ranks. the girl did not care how busy she was; busy meant new experience and knowledge. precious knowledge. she required a steady flow of patients to assist her in growing as a being of absoluteness. "I do not shy from work, however hard it may be." she added in with another brief nod. the light still did not reach her eyes completely, though it could be mistaken for the ragged appearance of the land itself. she had obviously fled, and had little time to prepare. "all I ask for is a den, herbs and patients." Huntington added. "speech"

“A relief against pain and colds, and another for coughs and cramps” Shaye said, mildly amused. “As the healer, the herbs will be in your possession” she explained gently, pushing them back to Huntington. “Our stores are in my den at the moment, if you are averse to sharing, you can take over residence there, I have no personal belongings in the space” she had not bothered with sentimentals, leaving behind her precious feather collection among other things, when she had prioritised people over things in the evacuation. “And I’m pleased to hear it, you’ll find that you have a lot of opportunities to grow and rise in Abaven, much more so than you would have if you have come before the eruption” She explained. “We have a lot of smoke inhalation, which I have been treating with Marigold and honey, we were very close to the initial eruption.” she explained, and essentially that was all the herbs she had at hand for the occasion. “If you follow me I can show you to our stores” she suggested. "Talk" "You" Think

Shaye would push the herbs back to her, claiming as the healer she would be allowed any herb from their stock. Huntington was faintly - very faintly - amused. "I would prefer my own den" she requested in her quiet tone as her hooded eyes stared at the alpha. "for both privacy and practicality." 'Rose' added in respectfully, hoping that the woman saw sense in that. she had both been a lone wolf for a long time and also felt it foolish to have a den with the alpha of the pack. herbs could be trambled, other objects too, coming in and out with a steady flow of patients. it would disturb sleeping schedules and make more work for Huntington if Shaye or any other fell ill coming in close proximity to sick wolves. contagiously sick wolves. should a quarantine happen, the girl would prefer to keep the ill away from the leaders. though Shaye did offer to show her to the stores. "yes, lead on" she added, crossing the border as elegantly as possible to stand before the woman. she had already plucked the herbs from the ground, her voice muffled by the bundle. "speech"

“Of course” Shaye agreed easily. She considered her den public space, so that any in her pack may seek her out for advice or comfort. She offered it to Huntington as it was already set for a healer, and any wolves who might wish to seek out both would find them there - not to mention at the moment, the wolves knew to come to her for healing and not the new wolf. It was no bother to pass on the space to huntington, and find another den to call her own. The warren of dens beneath the earth, dug out long before they got here, made it easy to find space. She lead ‘Rose’ in the right direction, and moved into the cave that lead underground, and from there it was a few twists and turns, but not too many, and they came across the den. “You can have this space, for as long as we seek shelter here on the island. feel free to take stock of the herbs and if you need help adding to your stores you can speak to me about it, and I can assign some wolves to you” she explained easily to the woman. "Talk" "You" Think

an agreement was reached without her needing to explain her reasonings. good. Huntington preferred to get right to the point. there was no cause to pussyfoot around the issues; wolves were sick. she did not need to bicker with the alpha about densites. following after Shaye, she was led to an underground tunnel that they entered. her mind took note of the twists but said nothing. she focused on the right way to this spot, storing it for later usage. as the leader turned toward her, 'Rose' stepped forward to examine every nook and cranny she could find. it was acceptable enough. "I thank you" Huntington once more sounded more mature for her age than a yearling. twisting her body back to Shaye, she would give a grateful nod. at least outwardly. inside, she felt absolutely nothing but eagerness to begin fixing wolves back up and gaining more knowledge. "I can start treating them immediately; just send them to me. I would only think to send some out to search for beehives, for more honey. the insects should be dead from the ash and cold, if lucky." she suggested to Shaye. "speech"

Rose inspected the den well Shaye stood quietly by, and then the younger wolf thanked the Alpha, and admitted she wished to get started right away. “I will send those that need it to you, and send someone to seek out the honey” she agreed easily. “Welcome to Abaven, Rose” she said, her smile still gentle as she took a step out of the den she had occupied until now. She had no belongings to grab, the few mats already in the den would serve the healer and her patience. With that, Shaye took her leave, giving the girl one last smile, before turning and heading from the den. Without an audience to play for, the age came back, and she walked as through the burdens of life weighed too much to bare. As she walked, she planned lists in her head of the wolves to send to Rose, and who she could send in search of honey. "Talk" "You" Think

she did not care what rank she was given, and never did ask. Shaye welcomed her once more before turning and exiting the den. Huntington was left to her own devices, and immediately stored the herbs she had brought where the rest were. boneset and valerian root was dwindled, so t'was a good thing she had carried some with her. a little gift from the swamp she had been fond of so much. the last remnant she had. it still smelled of the muck. Shaye's steps became muted as the woman vanished further up the tunnels. Huntington did not glance back. instead she was already sorting out what she required for smoke inhalation. it was as the alpha said; marigold and honey. she found the plant, and found a used beehive still dripping with honey. these she took before she exited her new den, into the fresh air once more. t'was time to treat, giving her skills the test they so rightly deserved. / END "speech"