Sirius didn’t know the herb availability either. He hadn’t bothered to look. He trusted the young healer to have a better knowledge than himself. If the Weeping Woods didn’t work out, they would move on the land elsewhere. Sirius needed no more encouragement, he began to lead them from the plot of land and followed the stream down towards the Weeping Woods. As they entered the wooded area, and slipped past the long willow trees that dipped and swayed as through welcoming them into their abode. It was cool beneath the trees, and rivlets of water followed indents of the earth downwards, and out towards the sea. The Warlord paused to take a sip from one of the cool stream, knowing already that it was refreshing, sweet water with an earthy taste. “Feel free to start looking around for your herbs” he invited, already beginning the process of finding the right sort of sturdy sticks that he could whittle down and shape for his purpose. "Speech"

永程

"Oh," Yong Cheng whispered, not caring if Sirius had heard him at all. "Oh."

It was a bittersweet picture that their surroundings painted. Weeping willows clustered about the area, draping the ground with leaves and long branches. Ash had settled onto some of them, unmoved since no wolf had recently ventured here. The long branches fell like curtains, drifting in the wind. There were some trees that had been burnt to nothing; Yong Cheng touched one of them, and felt the charcoaled bark crumble into dust. Light dappled the forest floor, directing his gaze to where the sun was brightest.

Yes, he was reminded, You are here to look for herbs.

What did he see?

Horsetail -- he'd learnt the name in the common tongue -- growing by the stream Sirius was drinking from. Marigold, flowers blooming in spots of sunlight. And watercress, by the water's edge. How to collect them? With watercress, he'd need a stream of living water to run through his garden -- Cheng was already thinking of it as his -- and it would help horsetail, too. Marigold he was sure he could gather the entire plant. When the flowers fruited, the seeds would come. For now, he could transplant them.

But how to carry them?


""
OOC: One more round of you and me, then BIRD

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The man seemed a little blown away by the view, and well Sirius could appreciate it, he also considered how easy it would be for predators to hide in the branches above, or through the denser parts of the trees. Bast, his ever-present shadow was out there somewhere, keeping watch over them. Marshal was likely in the vicinity, but keeping watching over a larger size overall. No doubt the bird also needed to hunt for his meal. He would be around, but not too near. Having already done this before, Sirius would continue to assemble branches, occasionally finding ones still attached to trees that were to his liking. At which point he would scale the trunk with his feline-like claws, dragging his heavy weight upwards, and kicking down at the branch he desired with a back leg. It normally only took a few kicks to break it free. Once he had collected all he wished, he would tie up the sticks together and he and Bast would share a side to carry them home. He kept a careful eye on Bird, ensuring he never wondered too far from the Warlord. He found the man examining herbs here and there, a thoughtful expression on his maw. “Any good finds?” he wondered. "Speech"

永程

"Yes, yes," Yong Cheng mused, not quite listening to Sirius, and not quite bothering to answer him properly, either. He was lost in thinking about how to collect the herbs. Should he weave a basket, or simply dig them up and bundle them together? The hanging branches would make for good twine; they were soft and supple, and would not tear if he knotted them. "Horsetail, and marigolds, and watercress. Good for many things, yes, yes." He was muttering a little -- it wasn't clear whether Yong Cheng was tracking his own thoughts, or talking to Sirius -- but either way, the Warlord was within earshot.

Yong Cheng wandered a little further, to the water's edge. Horsetail was the hardest to acquire out of all three, so he'd better get that one first. He grabbed a stick -- Sirius' kicks had dislodged a few, smaller branches, that the Warlord hadn't used. With the stick in his jaws and with his paws, Yong Cheng dug at the soil. It was wet, and thick. Some of it had turned into mud, that he splashed away with the stick. Slowly, the herb came loose. Yong Cheng set the stick aside and carefully extracted the whole plant, wary of its roots. He didn't want to break any of them, though it was inevitable that some roots would be lost. But as long as there was enough to keep the plant alive, it wouldn't be a problem.

He wasn't exactly sure where Sirius was; only that he was vaguely at his back. But Cheng wasn't really paying attention, secure in the thought that Sirius was watching out for him. He repeated his actions, slowly picking out one, two, three horsetail plants. He was careful not to take too many -- if his experiment failed, he didn't want to not be able to get anymore from this source. It was wiser to take a little at a time, and let things grow back. Then he moved on to the watercress.

Overhead, sounded a screech.


""
OOC: it's BIRB TIME

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Bird was distracted and unhelpful with his reply, but Sirius just laughed, waved a paw, and left him to it. He didn’t get offended easily when it came to himself. Though he was happy to knock people down a peg if he felt they needed it. No, he got offended when an insult was intended for his Wife or sister, and which point the Warlord got...a little unreasonable. He did pause, and look more curiously at the man when he grabbed a stick and pushed it through the muddy soil. Dancing it around the wake of a furry green plant. Healers he thought, pausing by a weeping willow. He could hear the scurrying of a small creature weaving through its branches. He was just starting to get a good vantage point to see it - in the hopes of a midday snack - when he heard the screech. At first he dismissed it. It didn’t sound like Marshal, but even if it was his companion, never in his life had he had cause to fear an avian. It was Bast’s warning bark that made him start. He turned towards his companion, who came barreling out of the woods. Sirus’s expression already melting into a snarl as he searched for the threat. A great winged shadow falling upon them from the sky above. "Speech"

永程

"Weeds, weeds, weeds," Yong Cheng muttered away, as he found a piece of twine to bind the horsetail he'd collected together. It didn't look very impressive, but he was certain that it would once he'd planted it. He carefully wound the makeshift rope around the plants' roots, before soaking the entire plant in water. Just so that it doesn't dry up... The watercress was thin at the stems, and leafy at the top, so he had to sniff around in the plants before he found the bases of their stems. Yong Cheng grabbed his stick again, repeating his earlier actions until the watercress was mostly free.

The screech barely registered in the back of his mind. It was probably the vulture he'd seen on Sirius shoulder circa day one. He didn't notice the shadow as it grew larger with every passing second, but he did turn when Bast threw herself into the clearing. He pricked his ears, peering at her with curious eyes. What did she sense? Why was Sirius so alert? Should he be t--

"Uh, Sirius?" Cheng gasped, as he felt talons close around his soft middle. The stick tumbled out of his jaws and onto the ground. He felt his stomach lurch into his ribs as strong, feathered wings beat around his head. He was barely lifting off, but feathers kept covering his eyes, and he could already feel his feet leaving the ground. Any lack of trust he felt for the Warlord was quickly swept away -- Sirius was his only hope. Of course, he could leave Yong Cheng to die, but... "SIRIUS!"


""
OOC:

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He was still watching Bast, he still didn’t understand what she was frightened of. It wasn’t until she ran past him and kept going - at the same time that Bird cried out, he realised his mistake. He was looking the wrong bleeding way! He threw himself in the direction of Bast, looking for the threat - and - what in all the hells? He had never seen a bird so large in his life! He had no concept of what an Andean Condor was, all he knew was some winged beast out of nightmares had descended upon them. Its wingspan was larger than his great height, its body a rival to his own. He almost froze, startled as he was, but Bast didn’t. His loyal companion, who loved as easily as Zee did charged, and leaped, grabbing a talon in her mouth. For a moment, Sirius thought she would do it, and then, a moment after, he thought he was about to lose both of them. As, despite the great load of Bird and Bast beneath it, the bird still managed to make air. He opened his mouth to bellow in anger, when Bast tore the talon free and fell the short distance back to earth. Sirius continued his bellow, turning it into a howl. He chased the bird as it lifted his Bird. At least it was slow to gather height, but curses, it was actually going to get away with this! The bird continued in a straight line, just above his head and ahead of him as he raced in a neck-breaking speed after it, leaves smacking the both of them until they hit the open air before the ocean. no! hr thought in horror, and then, finally, Marshal was there. His vulture had heard his cry. He had always considered the midnight-blue creature large and magnificent, but he was nothing but a shadow to this great demon-beast of a bird. Bless his heart, the vulture didn’t even hesitate, diving into the Condor and hitting it with all his weight square on its back. The impact knocked Marshal out and he began to fall. Sirius leapt, catching the smaller bird in his jaw, and dropping him gently to the ground before leaping at the Condor. It was closer to earth now, knocked off course by Marshal’s impact. Sirius leapt, grabbing a full leg in his mouth, and yanking downwards. Bast leaped from the other side, grabbing the other talon, and the two of them crashed this great demon beast to the ground. Sirius didn’t hesitate, he went straight for its neck and bit, killing it as swiftly as he could. His heart still hammered heavily in his chest, and fear widened his eyes. He had been almost utterly useless. A bird! Never had he… As soon as the bird was dead, he leapt for its talons, prying them from Birds side, ripping them off his slave, and pulling the smaller wolf free of the wreckage. “Bird!” he barked, possessive, concerned, as he began to lick the wounds in the small mans side. "Speech"

永程

"Sirius! Sirius!" Yong Cheng cried again, his voice breaking off at the end into sharp shards that embedded his own heart with fear. This was it. This was really the end, now. His feet left the ground, and every moment that the bird flapped its wings, was a moment that Yong Cheng gained more air time. Hell, he was going to die, and he wasn't even going to make it past his second year. He was going to die alone, unfulfilled, and unloved. Oh, heavens. He was going to die.

His breath seized in his throat. Sirius wasn't coming. Heavens, Sirius was running, but it wasn't enough. Bast was leaping for them, but the bird jolted, Bast clamped on, and the both of them were airborne. Let go! He wanted to shout. Let go, and live another day! Bast was Sirius' cat -- her life wasn't Yong Cheng's to have. He couldn't let her die in a failed attempt to save him. But his lungs were frozen, his jaws agape, and Yong Cheng could make no sound.

Bast dropped, and Cheng's heart with it.

He wanted, in a very small voice, to tell her to come back. But her life was worth more than he was -- he was a slave, after all -- and Sirius wouldn't let his cat perish the same way a slave had.

That's one way to win your freedom, the healer thought wryly. If his last sight was the ocean -- well. It was a fantastic thing to see. He'd never seen it, before.

Cheng closed his eyes. If the bird dropped him now, he'd probably crack his skull open from the impact. He wanted his last memories to be of the great, blue sea.

And then, he was falling.

Goodbye, Yong Cheng thought. It's been good.

They were curious last thoughts, he realised.

He didn't want to die.

The great bird slammed on top of him, as his back thumped onto the ground, and feathers stuffed his face. Weights held the bird down on him, the avian struggling as much as it could. Was he saved? Was he dead, and simply dreaming?

All movements ceased. Yong Cheng refused to open his eyes.

Bird! Sirius' voice broke through, and Yong Cheng felt himself begin to cry.

"Sirius," he choked, now simply a tearing boy. "Sirius." His voice broke off into sobs, relief, fear, anger, all flooding out with his tears. All the emotions since Sirius had forcefully taken him flowed as he cried into the Warlord's fur, burying his face into the soft strands of hair. If he hadn't before, Sirius would see how young Cheng truly was. In that monent, he was no healer, no slave. He just felt like a wrecked, broken little child.


""
OOC:

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He broke Bird free of the avians grip, and pulled him into the Warlords grasp. He held him tightly, and allowed the young wolf to cry into his coat. His own heart hammered painfully in his chest, a sound the young healer could likely hear. As he gripped his young slave, Bast picked up the form of Marshal gently in her maw and brought him over to them. The bird was already blinking open his eyes and shaking his head as the cat put him down. As Sirius thought, stunned. Still, the vulture could have been killed from that stunt. Good grief, Bird could have been as well. The sky! Sirius never before had thought he might suffer danger to his pack from the sky.

He let Bird cry himself out, patting him gently on the back as he did so, enveloping him in the warmth and comfort of his body. He really did feel like a child, pressed up to the Warlord like this. Tinier than his wife. Almost the same size as his Snow Leopard. Sirius sighed softly, his protective instincts in overdrive. Bird was his. His to own, to protect, to nurture. He would never let something happen to him, so long as he had breath in his body. His possessive instinct might almost come across as fatherly in that moment. “I’ve got you” he said softly to the young man.

永程

thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud

Sirius' heart beat against his ears, the sound soothing and familiar all at once. The fur he was pressed against was coarser than his mother's, but Yong Cheng felt like he was back to being under his mother's chest, listening to the rhythm of her breathing. He tried to stave off his tears, but they kept flowing. He tried to resume normal breathing patterns, but his breaths came in ragged gasp. Yong Cheng gave up, and felt his tears wetting the side of his face, running down his cheeks, and sinking into Sirius' fur. He half-wondered if he should get up and cry somewhere else, but the child in him wanted to stay in a warm, tight embrace, and never let go.

So he didn't.

Yong Cheng stifled his sobs against Sirius' chest, forcing air in and out of his nose, following the Warlord's breathing. Slowly, the shaking that wracked his small frame stilled to minor tremors, as he shivered in Sirius' warmth. His breathing stabilised, the same in-out-in-out pattern that the Warlord had. His eyes were still wet and teary, but liquid ceased to flow. Yong Cheng's head hurt. He cracked his eyes open a little, and shut them again. It was too bright. Too bright, and too much.

妈, Cheng wanted to say. But the fur was too rough to be his mother's, and his mother had certainly never been so big.

He didn't want to leave, Yong Cheng wanted to tell Sirius. He didn't want to get up, and he didn't want to be alone. He just wanted to stay in the comfort of an embrace, and linger, and hug himself to sleep. But he knew he couldn't. They'd have to go back to the Armada soon.

Still, though.

He was going to wait for Sirius to say the word. As long as the Warlord was quiet, Yong Cheng wasn't going to move.


""
OOC:

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He let them have that quiet moment, feeling the slow calming of Bird as he let out his emotions, and stabilised once more. Even after his tears had dried, he did not pull free, and so the Warlord held him. Bast was silent beside him, before dropping down to her stomach and crawling closer to them. She wrapped her body around the other side of Bird, cramming the small wolf between the two of them. Bast had always been of soft-heart, and it was clear she felt for the upset young wolf.

Together, they held young Bird for a little longer, and then Sirius pulled free. “Alright, we should get back to the Armada. Leave the herbs and sticks, we’ll collect them another day” he said. Showing that despite how much of a bastard he could be, when it came to those that belonged in his pack, he had a surprising amount of compassion. “You can stay in our den for a few days if you need to.” he had no doubt Zee wouldn’t mind, and now that Io had cured the Warlord of his night terrors, he wouldn’t pose a danger to the tiny wolf well he slept.

He got fully to his feet, looked to the very tiny form of Bird, looked up at the sky, and gave a very heavy, annoyed frown how dare that bird try to claim what was his. It might be dead, but the memory of this would not fade for Sirius. “Walk beneath me, until I can investigate further where this bird came from” he instructed. If there was more than one, he did not want to have a repeat, and Bird was so tiny, he could walk beneath the Titan without much difficulty.

永程

Yong Cheng shivered between Sirius and Bast. He would once have shied away from them; this time, he pushed into the warmth, soaking up as much as he could while the shock wore off and Sirius was willing. But, all good things came to an end. Eventually Sirius decided it was time to leave -- but he couldn't just leave his herbs here... Yong Cheng stared up at his leader, who seemed more fatherly than ever, and pleaded with his eyes to be allowed to bring them back. But, he'd abide by whatever Sirius said to do next; numb, Yong Cheng nodded and sequestered himself under the Warlord's bulk.

Sirius' height, which had once spelt the end of his freedom, now became his deliverance. The boy found that his ears didn't even reach the bottom of Sirius' underside, and from beneath the Warlord's massive frame, Yong Cheng realised how much safer he felt. Sirius was a walking, talking tank with teeth and claws. He felt again, rather foolishly, like a child hiding behind his father's legs -- except that he really almost was a child, and Sirius his current guardian.

"Okay," Yong CHeng breathed. There were feathers under his feet. He felt like he was about to vomit his guts out. "let's go."


""
OOC:

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They left the herbs, Sirius would either come back for them himself or figure out another way to help Bird collect them. Right now, he wasn’t going to let the man out in the open unclaimed territory. He still struggled to believe it had really happened. Of all the crazy things in his life… a bird, strong enough to lift up a wolf. Even one as little as his Bird. he wished he was still in ignorance of this new threat. Alas, now he knew, and he would not rest until he had eradicated this species from the South.

Bird placed himself under Sirius’s bulk, and told the Warlord he was ready, Sirius gave a brisk nod, even through his charge couldn’t see it, and began to move. He kept his steps nice and steady and easy to follow. Marshal remained on his back, on high alert to the sky, and Bast stalked beside him, keeping an eye on Bird himself.

The journey was not exactly a comfortable one, but Bird surely would not doubt his safety. He was led all the way to Sirius’s den, the structure, built into the side of a hill, lay before the stream that lapped up close to its entrance, before rushing out to sea. He pushed past the material barrier that stood as a doorway, and ushered Bird in. he breathed a sigh of relief as it swung shut behind them. ”You can make yourself at home here. This evening, I will take a group hunting and look for any sign of where that bird came from.”

永程

"Okay," Yong Cheng whisper-mumbled, not really hearing anything Sirius said. He shivered, legs trembling, body shaking as Sirius moved ahead of him. The boy knew that he was safe, logically, but the shock of almost dying had him almost huddling into a ball the moment the Warlord left. Immediately, Yong Cheng ducked into the den as directed -- there, the previously small walls now seemed comfortingly secure, the lack of space making Cheng acutely aware of his surroundings. The closeness was safe. The closeness meant there was no space for him to be taken away.

"mmm" he mumbled again, skittering away from Sirius. Now that the threat of the bird was over, Sirius was the next greatest danger. He wasn't scared, per se, just skittish, and Yong Cheng looked up at Sirius for further instructions even as he secluded himself into the tightest corner he could find. He peered out at Sirius from the dark, his bright green eyes cutting through the gloom like mini stars. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He shut his jaws together and tried to call forth his words, but he found himself failing.

"I - I -I guess I'm--" he stuttered, trying to inject humour into the situation and lessen the mood, "-- A proper healer now?"

And then, Yong Cheng promptly fainted.

""
OOC:

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