Mercury was having a good time exploring the new territory he found himself in. The Hallows had been here a long time now. They were well settled in, with infrastructure like greenhouses as well as the castle they had taken to suit their needs. There was much to explore. After unloading his small amount of belongings, he spent most of his time in the grounds. Exploring the castle foregrounds and getting the lay of the land. Doing was, as always, more preferable to thinking.

It was on day two that he discovered the armoury, and received permission from the Aegis to make use of it. His first attempt at learning sword fighting on the fly ended up about as well as one might expect.

Tying a spare scrap of cloth around his paw to ensure he didn’t leave a trail of blood splatters in his wake, he went looking for the infirmary that he had sniffed out on day one. Entering without knocking, and expecting to grab what he needed for himself, he was surprised to realise there was a wolf in the room. “Pardon my intrusion” He said with a smile. “Could you point me in the direction of the bandages?”


"Speech"

The infirmary was quiet today with Syanna busy, Lia away, and even Ysmir taken out of the castle on a scouting trip. Although, she supposed the infirmary was still pretty quiet even when Ysmir was there simply keeping her company since they tended to use their sign language most of the time with one another. She smiled a little at the thought while she worked on restocking a few of the herbs that had been used or had gotten to a point where they were too old to be used. She was in here so often that she knew every herb and supply they had on hand and even how long they had been in here in some cases. This is where she spent the majority of her time—so much so that it was more of a surprise when she wasn't here than when she was.

Because of that she wasn't all that surprised when someone came through the door, the sound of paws on stone and the soft creak of the door being pushed open pulling her attention, but an unfamiliar face walking into the room was surprising. It was fairly rare to have anyone come here that she hadn't seen at least once wandering through the Hallows since the new members didn't usually get injured that quickly, but it seemed this male was a special case. She blinked a few times with surprise until he questioned her about bandages and she realized he was actually here for a reason. "Oh, yes, sorry! Please, come in." She motioned for him to come over to one of the tables that was set up beside the cot closest to the door while she went over to a nearby set of shelves to grab some bandages and ointment, giving a quick glance back over her shoulder as she paused. "How deep is the wound? Will you need stitches?"

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

The wolf he encountered in the infirmary seemed surprised at his presence. He continued to smile, and gave her a moment to recover. Uncertain if she was surprised at being interrupted, or that it was an unfamiliar face that had done so. “Thank you” He said as she invited him into the infirmary properly. He did so, letting the door swing closed behind him as he approached. She looked familiar with the room, and he gathered she was a medic.

“I might need one or two” He agreed. He hadn’t expected to encounter anyone else, and would have made do with a quicker self treatment. But since he’d run into a wolf that looked as if she knew what she was doing, he reconsidered. “It’s thin, but deep.” about the width of a blade point, to be precise. He started to unwrap the scrap material he had wound about it in the interim. Giving her free range to see it once she’d returned with her supplies. “I’m Mercury - Artorias adopted me a couple days ago” He introduced himself, an amused half smile moving his lips.


"Speech"

Gwynevere had already decided that she was going to get out the materials she'd need to give him a few stitches regardless of is answer, but when he confirmed it she made sure to get an extra bit of thread. In her experience it was always the males that downplayed their injuries. She came back to where he was waiting and set out her supplies on the table, looking at his wound as he unwrapped it. She tisked and gave him a slight smile as she said, "You got into the swords, didn't you?" It was certainly not the first time she had seen a blade cut and it wouldn't be the last by far as long as Artorias and his sword wielding wolves were around this place. She prepped a bowl of water with a few drops of trillium extract and dampened a clean cloth in it, using that to gently clean away any excess blood or dirt out of the wound with a careful and expert touch.

He introduced himself and she glanced up form her work, realizing that as always her immediate focus on her job as the pack's healer had made her forget her manners. Her ears flicked with a bit of embarrassment and she returned his smile, turning her mint and lavender marbled gaze back down to his paw. "Nice to meet you, Mercury. I'm Gwynevere." The fact that Artorias brought him to The Hallows a couple of days ago did explain why she hadn't seen him before at least. "My brother does enjoy adopting wolves he finds," she joked with a light laugh as she put the cloth back down off to the side, exchanging it for a small pot of wintergreen ointment, beginning to lightly put a thin layer of it around the edges of the cut to numb it.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

“Yes Ma'am” He agreed with a sheepish smile as she examined the injury. “There's just something irresistible about sharp, shiny sticks” his voice was teasing, despite the fact he hadn’t met this wolf before. Her lightly lecturing tone and gentle but sure movements as she examined his paw told him she was likely a seasoned healer. No doubt she had scolded her fair share of impulsive males - he was just beating her to the punch.

It wasn’t long before he had a name to the face - Gwynevere - and further information about her. His brow twitched as she named Artorias as her brother. That meant she was royalty within this pack. Related to the monarchy by blood. “Does he -ah-” He paused to wince as she dabbed some new ointment on the wound “-Often bring home strays?” he finished. Glancing up at the Lady Gwynevere.

"Speech"

Gwynevere sighed softly with mostly mock exasperation when he mentioned the allure of the pointy, shiny sticks as he called them, still smiling at his teasing manner. How many times had she heard that or something like it from Artorias and the other warriors of the pack that had taken after him in his choice of weapon? She wasn't a fighter herself and actually had quite a distaste for the activity, but she had long since learned that it was a necessary evil and Artorias' sword had served him well since he mastered it so she wouldn't fault anything that kept him safe. He nearly always had it with him and at this point it almost felt strange to see him without it than with it. Mercury, however, seemed far less accustomed to the bladed weapon.

With the wintergreen paste slathered around the wound she let that sit for a few moments and take effect to numb any lingering pain or discomfort and make the skin far less sensitive for when she began to stitch him up. In the mean time she started prepping the thin bone needle, giving a soft whistle to call for Eilwen, the white raven swooping down from the rafters to land on the table and give her a hand with threading it. Her gaze once again glanced up to Mercury's when he questioned whether Art often brought home strays and she chuckled, pausing for just a moment to focus on getting the thin thread through the small hole with the help of her companion.

With that done she turned back toward the larger male, replying, "I'm not sure if I would say he does it often, but The Hallows is more or less a collection of strays regardless. Other than mine and Artorias' family and perhaps the Adravendi family everyone here comes from all over. Artorias enjoys keeping his pack a sanctuary for everyone so in a way yes, he does like to bring in strays." She lightly tapped the edges of the wound to make sure he didn't react to the touch strongly so she knew the skin was desensitized before she started feeding the needle through, keeping the needle between her toes on each pass and pressing it through with her paw pad with practiced movements.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

He watched with great curiosity at her practised routine. He wondered how often she stitched up sword wounds, and how many incidents their were as wolves learned to handle the sharp blades. He hadn’t seen anything quite so organised since… well. Since he left home. He pushed aside the near-familiar emotions that came on the heel of that thought. Concentrating instead on the white raven that swooped to her side, and threaded the needle in her steed. Clever.

Gwynevere spoke of the wolves of this pack, and Art’s habit of collecting them. He nodded his head slowly. The Aegis had mentioned something of this pack being a sanctuary. He was starting to understand exactly what that meant. “Are the Adravendi extended family?” He asked, trying to get a feel for the inner politics of this pack. He glanced studiously at his skin as she tapped the edges with her needle. He felt little. A courtesy he hadn’t expected before she started to poke through the skin and sow neat, tidy little stitches across his wound. He was starting to feel more and more impressed by the level of knowledge and care in the Hallows infirmary. He would be in safe paws if anything worse ever happened to him. “Are all the Hallows healers as well trained as you are, Lady Gwunevere?”


"Speech"

When he asked about the Adravendi family being extended family she made a slight tip of her head, but didn't take her eyes away from her work. Of our family, you mean? No, Artorias and I are Carpathius from our mother Resin. But Ulric Adravendi was one of the founding members with her and even led the pack for a while when our mother fell ill. Several of his children still live here." She hummed contemplatively, talking almost absentmindedly while she continued with her work. "We're the two main families here—though there are definitely far more Carpathian wolves than there are Adravendi. Ulric and his mate and one of his daughters left to pursue their own lives so there's just a few of them here now." She wasn't usually so talkative while she worked, but he was pleasant to talk to and seemed to like the conversation.

She tied of the last stitch and Eilwen leaned in to help snip the thread loose. "Good as new!" the pale raven quipped with her bird like laugh before taking off to take her place in the rafters again up above. Gwynevere was so used to her companion at this point that they worked perfectly in tandem and she hardly paid her any mind while she sat the needle down and picked up a jar of another ointment. She smiled and blushed a bit as he asked if all of the Hallows healers were as skilled as she was, her ears flicking with her usual shyness. "Oh, well, um... Syanna has been working with me for a long time now and I would put her skills on the same field as my own. I believe the other healers in the pack are still in training." She smeared a layer of ointment she had crafted out of various herbs to help keep the wound sealed and free of infection and then picked up a small roll of bandages, making quick work of wrapping a couple of layers over it and tying that off. "There you go. Come back to me in about a week and we'll remove those stitches."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

Gwynevere was a fountain of knowledge, and he nodded his head thoughtfully as he took it all in. It sounded like the wolf named Ulric was an important member of the pack. She mentioned her and Art’s mother - Resin - and remembered what Artorias had told him about accidentally being the cause of her death.

She explained how Ulric and much of his family had left, taking away one of the prominent pieces within the pack. “If you don’t mind me asking, I’m trying to fill in the pieces here. Artorias mentioned his mother falling in battle, and you mention her falling ill. What happened between those two incidents? You don’t have to tell me if it's hard in the speaking” He added more quietly.

He jumped a little when the white Raven spoke, before grinning, and nodding his head towards the creature. “My thanks” he said to the companion bird. “Am I speaking to the lead Physician, then?” He asked, a hint of amusement entering his tone. “Was I lucky, or do you spend much of your time in here?” he experimentally twisted his paw a few times, getting a feel for the injury and the stitches. There was some slight pulling, but her work allowed for a lot of movement. “Excellent work indeed.”
She said nothing about keeping off it - but it hadn’t been anything major. Nothing that would slow him down, at any rate. “Very well, a week from now. It’s a date”

"Speech"

Gwynevere's ears flicked back with a bit of uncertainty as Mercury asked about the details of their mother's passing—pointing out a slight discrepancy in how Artorias had painted the picture versus how she had recounted the memories. She gave a slight shake of her head when he said she didn't have to tell him, saying, "It's alright. It's been a long time now." She sighed softly and then said, "Our mother slowly lost her sanity, to the point where she accidentally attacked and scarred our other mother. After that she locked herself away and wouldn't leave the dungeons. That's when Ulric took over the pack since Artorias was still too young to lead. She grew a lot more frail as time went on. Her mind went first, but it destroyed her body as well." Gwynevere was quiet for a moment, a frown pulling across her lips. "It's... It's one of the only things I wasn't been able to treat... you know?"

She gave a shake of her head, trying to brush off the long settled emotions and memories that she hadn't thought about in what felt like an age even though it wasn't all that long ago in the grand scheme of things. "Anyway... She did end up falling in a battle. The castle was attacked by a pack of massive dire wolves and our mother convinced someone to let her out so she could fight. She turned the tables on the attackers, but in her state she wasn't going to walk away from that fight alive." She said it quite matter of factly, like a doctor speaking of a dire diagnosis, but her gaze was far away as she said it. She blinked a few times, bringing her attention up to Mercury with a slight smile. "Artorias puts a lot of pressure on himself over it even though none of it was his fault... Though I think all of us do in one way or another."

As she finished up her work and began to clean up her supplies, her patient asked about her rank in the pack and if he had been lucky to find her here. She gave a nod, chuckling softly. "Indeed I am. I am generally here unless I am out in the greenhouse. Although... my boyfriend has made a point of getting me out of the infirmary more often. I don't think he likes me working as much as I do," she mentioned with a chuckle. Ysmir was always looking out for her when she wouldn't usually look out for herself. She put the jars of ointments back on the shelf and just as she turned back to face him he complimented her work, making her smile. "Thank you, you're very kind. I've been at this for about as long as I can remember so it's more second nature to me now than anything." She nodded again as he confirmed the timeline for his return to have his injury checked and stitches removed and she grinned with a bit of humor as she told him, "And maybe stay away from the swords without supervision, hm?"

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

Gwynevere gave a great deal of information about their mother and the pack's history. It raised his respect for Artorias, who had dealt with a lot more than he had let on. Gwyn spoke then of her own regret, and he found himself reflecting how the wolves around him were going through so much more than you knew at a glance. He remembered what Art had told him. A piece of advice from his and Gwyn’s mother. “A failure is only a failure if you learn nothing from it. I imagine your knowledge and experience grew stronger” He said, voice gentle. It might not have been much of a consolation, but perhaps it would mean something to her.

“I can imagine it” He said with a laugh. It was easy to picture Gwyn as the bookish type. Studying and expanding her knowledge and working on her herbs. The subtle drop of a boyfriend did not pass him by, and he lifted his lips in a half smile. Her polite and subtle words didn’t leave him having to explain that it had been a turn of phrase, and the tragedies of his own past.

“No promises, Lady Gwyn. I’m sure you’ll be sick of the sight of me” Another smile for her as he got back to his paws, testing out his balance. “If you can pry yourself away from your work, would you like to take a walk with me along the Starlit Plains?”

"Speech"

A sad smile tugged at Gwyn's lips at the small consolation that Mercury gave her over a failure only being a failure if nothing was learned. She nodded in return, though she didn't answer. She tried to tell herself sometimes that if she had been older and more experienced when everything happened then she could have been more of a help to their mother and she could have changed how things turned out, but she'd never know that for certain. She hoped she never had to witness anyone deteriorate the way Resin had, but she did feel like she knew the signs to look for now so perhaps she could step in before it got as serious as it had so quickly if she ever did. Looking back on things now she could easily pick out when their mother started showing symptoms that they had all brushed off as stress and sleeplessness. She wouldn't overlook those things again.

The conversation grew lighter as he laughed at the mention of her studious habits and she giggled lightly when he insisted she was going to be sick of the sight of him, making her imagine that this was going to just be the first of many training related injuries. She knew scolding would do no good—if it did Artorias would be far more cautious than he was—so instead she just replied, "Well, I suppose I should make sure I have extra bandages at the ready then." She figured he would likely go on his way now that he was treated, their pleasant little interaction a momentary distraction in her otherwise mundane day, but then he invited her out on a walk through the plains. She blinked with surprise and glanced over at her work that she had abandoned in favor of taking care of his cut. It wasn't like the herbs were in dire need of being put away right this second and she knew even as she considered turning the offer down to get back to work she would just be making excuses as she always did. After a moment she looked back to him with a slight flick of her ears and a smile. "Sure, I suppose I could use a break."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

Mercury was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to his request. He offered the healer another smile and stepped aside to give her time to pack up or do anything that needed tending to before she could untangle herself from her work. As they made their way out the door, Merc let her take the lead. He could only assume she knew this place like the back of her paws. As she led them out of the castle ground and towards the plains, he fell into a comfortable pace beside her.

“So, have you been in the Hallows all your life?” He asked. He gathered from the way they spoke of the founding and their parents that this pack had begun before they were born - but he could be wrong on their account. For that matter, she could have spent some time abroad. Certainly, he had left his family home for months at a time as he learned to sail and love the sea.

"Speech"

With his invitation accepted she stepped away from him for just a moment so she could push together the herbs she had been organizing so that they were in a smaller, neater pile for her to come back to later. She also reached up and got her black traveling cloak that was hanging on a hook behind her workstation and tossed it around her shoulders, pinning it closed with a silver maple leaf shaped broach over her left shoulder. She hesitated for a second, but ended up grabbing her bracer that held her dagger and slipped it into place around her foreleg as well. It was the middle of the day and she didn’t think they planned on going that close to the borders, but crazy things had happened before so she’d rather have it and not need it than the opposite.

Once she was ready she turned back to Mercury with a soft smile and nodded, walking out of the infirmary with him before taking the lead out of the familiar halls of the castle, bringing them out to the plains. In the bright mid day sun that was made even brighter by the light that reflected off of the light coating of snow that blanketed the ground the leaf shaped broach and the silver circlet she wore gleamed and stood out against her dark fur and cloak. Once they were outside they fell into step beside one another easily while they made a meandering loop through the plains that sat under the overlooking castle.

While they walked Mercury kept the conversation going, asking whether she had been in the Hallows all of her life. She nodded, letting her mint and lavender gaze linger on him. “I have. Our mothers founded the pack just shortly after finding out they were expecting us actually if I remember correctly,” she replied with a little chuckle. “We haven’t always lived in the castle though. The pack started out in Boreas, based around the Sunset Falls. They decided they wanted to be more spread out from the other packs in the area though and that’s when they found this castle and moved us down to Auster when we were little.” She wasn’t usually so talkative, but Mercury was easy to talk to and very thoughtful with his questions so her usually reserved demeanor didn't hold her back like it usually did. “What about you? Where are you from originally?”

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

He smiled at the comfortable coat as she slipped it around her shoulders. Auster wasn’t nearly as cold as the Northern territories, but perhaps he should look into procuring himself such an item. It would keep the dusting of snow off his back. The knife was a prudent touch. Their walk took them at a comfortable pace through the cool fields of the Plains. It would be a while before he saw the true beauty of the place, when winter fell away to Spring and the growing things would make their appearance. For now, it was a gleam of white as far as the eyes could see.

“I haven’t visited the Sunset falls. Do you remember much about it?” He asked, curious to hear about the places this pack had been. For all intents and purposes, it was his home now. “You’ve spoken a few times now of mothers - Resin, and who is your other mother?”’ he spoke of her in the present day, and hoped he was correct to do so.

Gwynevere questioned him about his own origins, and he fell silent for a moment. She didn’t know what she was asking, and decided to focus on the lighter aspects of his past. “I was born on a continent called Ilious, to a pack known as Hieronymus. A mouthful, I know, but my great-grandfather was prone to theatrics.” He said, listening to the sounds of his paw crunching snow as he paused. “Our pack lived on a hill overlooking a forest of trees and a lake.” He could still picture the beauty of it, and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He paused again, letting the emotions settle.


"Speech"

When her momentary companion asked about the falls that had been her home when she was a pup, she hummed softly to herself with thought. “I don’t remember a ton of details,” she admitted after a moment. “I do remember it being very beautiful. It’s very aptly named with how the sunsets make the falls turn all kinds of pinks and oranges. And I remember the den our mother built. Everything else is pretty vague… I haven’t been back there since we moved.” She hadn’t really considered or thought about just how long it had been since she visited her birthplace until that moment. In fact, it had been a very long time since she had been to Boreas at all.

She didn’t have too much time to dwell on that luckily as Mercury asked after their other mother she had mentioned. She smiled and replied, “Tamsyn. She doesn’t live here in the castle full time any more, but she comes to visit and has been around quite a lot recently with Art and Briar expecting her first grandchildren.” She chuckled at that, already fully expecting their mother to absolutely smother those pups with love when she was here. “Maybe you’ll meet her sometime during one of her visits. She took a second mate after Resin passed. He’s a good man.”

The tone of the conversation shifted slightly when she asked about his homeland, the perceptive healer picking up on the pauses in his answer and the careful way he picked what details he shared. When he finished with a description of the land, she gave him a kind smile, a quiet understanding in her expression over the fact that some things were just too difficult to talk about—especially with strangers. “It sounds beautiful. And that certainly is quite a name,” she replied with a small grin and a chuckle and leaving it at that.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

Mercury listened to her description, and tried to imagine the scene. “It sounds beautiful. Perhaps you’d like company to revisit it sometime?” He offered. He would get back into exploring soon, but for now he was content to get to know the wolves of the Hallows better and find his place here. He would need to chat with Artorias about what the pack needed from the more distant lands, so he could run errands while he explored.

”Perhaps I’ll get a chance to meet her then” He said as she mentioned the mother Tamsyn hanging around the pack. He’d heard by now about the expected litter from the leaders. Likely a great affair within the pack. He was hoping to get the chance to mentor one of the children, if Artorias gave him the honour.

“Yes” he agreed with a fond smile. He wouldn’t let his grief let all memories of his home slip away. “I’ll tell you about them sometime” he offered, looking out across the Hallows Plains for a moment. It seemed grief could always be universally understood.


"Speech"

Gwyn's ears flicked on reflex at the thought of visiting her old home when Mercury suggested it, a polite smile still lingering on her lips as she looked down at the ground passing in front of them. "Oh, I'm not really much of the traveling type. Besides, my work here keeps me very busy. It's very hard to get away and I prefer sticking close to home. I appreciate the offer though, it's very kind," she explained, hearing the familiar excuses in her own ears even as she said them. He seemed kind and understanding so she hoped he didn't take it personally. She would have given the same answer to anyone—Artorias and Ysmir included. At least when she was within the castle walls she could be certain that she was safe and as long as she was safe then she could be here to make sure her family was heathy.

She was more than happy to keep the topic off of her for a moment as he agreed with her assessment that his mysterious former home was indeed beautiful—and that his home had a mouthful of a name. It made her wonder what had caused him to leave all the more and when he promised to tell her about them she smiled softly, glancing over at him and seeing the profile of his features as he looked ahead across the plains. "I'll be looking forward to all of your stories," she replied, considering him for a moment before she turned her gaze away again, walking beside him for a bit with just the crunching snow breaking up the silence. She didn't mind the quiet. More often than not these days she had grown more used to and comfortable in the silence between her time alone and her time with Ysmir, but it was nice to have someone that she was comfortable sharing a bit of silence with. "We should start heading back," she told him as they began to curve back around through the open plain. "I wouldn't want you on that paw too much when it's so freshly stitched."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

"Travelling isn't for everyone" he agreed easily enough. There had been plenty in his pack who'd never left the territory in all their lives. Of course, look where that had gotten them. Anyone on the land was dead now. He drew in a sharp breath, and pushed the thought aside before it could overwhelm him. That was Merc, he was becoming an expert at deflecting his thoughts. "If there's any momentous you'd like from your old home, just let me know" he offered instead.

He glanced towards her as she looked his way, and answered her expression with a smile. "Then I'll have to remember to tell them to you. I should warn you, not many of them end well." After all everyone in his stories was dead now. But he didn't have to dwell on the ending, he could take his time with the middle. "But I'll tell you of a tradition my people have. One to honour those that have passed. For each wolf that holds memories of love for that wolf, they craft a windchime in their honour. Our trees had a forest of windchimes, and with each passing of the breeze the world comes alive with the voices of those that have passed, but never truly gone." He said, voice wistful. At her mention of his paw, he nodded his head towards it. "As my doctor orders" he agreed easily enough. "You have much work to return to?"

At first she didn't have an answer for him when he offered to retrieve any mementos she might be missing from their former home. They had moved anything of value down to the castle with them when they came down here so she couldn't think of anything that she had necessarily left behind. Still, there was a nostalgia and a longing that she couldn't really deny and it made her want something from the place where she had spent her earliest days even if it was just a small thing. "I don't know if it will still be there..." she told him, "but there used to be a marshmallow plant near our den close to the top of the falls. It's a green, leafy plant with white and pink flowers. It was one of the first plants I ever cultivated when I was still learning the ropes from Eilwen." She gave him a shy smile, her ears flicking back a bit. It was a silly thing to ask for, but it was something she had fond memories of. "If you could just bring me back a few clippings from it if it's still alive I'd appreciate it."

When he mentioned how not many of his stories ended well, she just smiled softly and gave an understanding nod. "I'm not sure that many of mine end any more pleasantly." The tradition he told her about with the windchimes made in the honor of their loved ones that had passed was touching and it brought a more genuine smile to her face as she imagined all of the music that must fill their forests. In a way she supposed it was a bit haunting, but the intention behind it was lovely. "That's beautiful," she told him, her tail wagging gently behind her. "Artorias has kept the hearth in the great hall burning since our mother's passing for a similar reason... It's nice sometimes to go sit in the warmth of it and just remember her there."

They began the short walk back to the castle, passing through the lightly snow covered plain once more, and Mercury asked about the amount of work she had to return to. "Being one of the sole healers of a pack this size means that there's always more than enough work to do," she replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm sure that there's plenty most would say isn't necessary to get done right this moment, but I would rather be prepared than not have what I need when something happens. When someone's life could be on the line... It's worth it to do the work now."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"