Sirius tried and succeeded - mostly - not to snort in amusement when the small creature hustled backwards a few steps. He thought his precautions sound, and that seemed to be enough to keep him content. He did not need to know about the Snow Leopard that stalked quietly through the undergrowth some distance away. Where Sirius went, often the Leopard accompanied him. Just as Marshal, his vulture companion was never far away. The bird in question flared his wings and resettled his balance after the Titan had climbed back his paws, and stood proudly now just behind his shoulder, long talons digging into the thick fur just along his ridge. “We can deal with replenishing later, as it stands, you would be doing me a favour if you sealed the wounds. I did not collect the supplies alone, and can not tell you exactly what you might find there.” he explained, telling the man little about what he had available to work with. He turned then from the stranger, hardly fearing decept from behind, not when Bast could return the ambush in a heartbeat. He was cautious, but not overly so, for the Warlord often believed himself invincible. Without another word, he turned, and took the man from the cursed Shrine, and into the cleared and maintained lands of the Plains. Even still, the ash had a strong claim here, and some half in progress odds and ends could be seen laying about the place. They passed the territory he had begun to fence for Io’s herbs, and made his way to the den he was building for himself, Zee, and the pups he hoped to have in the future. Soon, if he had his way. He moved inside, and above the cellar he had dug beneath the den. The area here was cramped, without the high ceiling the Titan needed to move freely. He gestured towards this area. “The supplies are in there, dig around for whatever you need” he invited the man. "Speech"

永程

He was good, Yong Cheng noted, at saying nothing without actually saying nothing. Whether it was intentional or not, he did not know, but that meant Yong Cheng was as in the dark as he had been before. He fell silent then, resolving to keep his words for later. What they were walking through was fog and ash and the morning sun did not permeate through with warmth. Each breath stung his lungs and every word cut his dry throat. It was best to leave the talking for someplace where the air was cleaner.

They passed grounds that Yong Cheng was unfamiliar with. Scents assaulted his nose, mixing with the acrid tang of smoke that lingered still. Eventually, the air cleared somewhat, and what was once grey ahead of him morphed into a bleak blue. The fresh air washed away the hurt in his lungs. At once, his visibility stretched, and details on the other wolf became more apparent. He was well-muscled and his fur was glossy, with a healthy sheen. He was a great brute, and Yong Cheng lengthened his stride to keep up.

Here is a fighter, he thought, and saw the truth to the wolf's earlier words. A successful one.

Presently they drew to a halt inside a den. Yong Cheng was small enough to stand upright without obstruction. He followed the directions, silently taking stock of what was available, and what he could use with confidence. There were many plants here that he'd not paid much attention to before, some which he knew of, and a few that he'd used before. They were green -- perhaps they'd been collected fairly recently? Some others were drier and had yellowed out, and some were what looked to be roots.

"蒲公英 (pú gōng yīng)," he noted aloud, both for his musing, and the wolf's ears, though he didn't know if the other one understood. He didn't want to make himself seem suspicious, and the weed was common enough that he wasn't wasting precious resources. It was also one of the things he had been treated with in his youth; he knew the name only in his native tongue.

He brought it out, first. Before he did anything at all, Yong Cheng wanted to properly analyse the wound. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned, and wrapping it up in this state might not help very much. Some ash had fallen onto it while they were in the Shrine; he couldn't see much at all.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Sirius didn’t venture down into the cellar dug out in the spacious den, but rather left the stranger to do the rooting around for him. Instead, he stayed back, keeping a careful watch on the map. Marshal had hopped off his back as they entered the den, and he climbed onto the perch made for him just outside the door. He remained there, preening his feathers quietly. Bast was still out there somewhere, keeping a careful distance unless Sirius called for her.

When the man spoke, Sirius twitched an ear, surprised at the unusual words that graced his lips. He had never heard the language before, and the words were foreign to him. It did nothing but increase just how unusual this man was. A wolf, but not a wolf. He spoke their language, and another as well. It occured to Sirius that there might be a lot he could learn from this stranger.

The strangers brought out Dandelion, one of the few herbs he could actually name. He then stopped, and looked at Sirius. The Warlord looked back at him, unshifting, and still for a moment, before he relaxed a little, and took a step back. “We have a well, the water is drawn from the ground, and it’s covered, so it’s free of ash. We can grab some water there, and you take a drink, if you please.” Sirius offered, indicating he could lead the way. The well was mostly natural, but he had dug it out a little and a trader had built the cover.

永程

This was it. The end. He had made a mistake and there was no going back.

If I've done anything wrong, let me be forgiven... Yong Cheng prayed, to all the gods and none at all. If gods existed, he'd be saved. If they didn't, then he was a goner.

The ashen-furred wolf stared at him, a still, shadowy statue. Yong Cheng did his best to continue meeting his gaze, until the beast shifted backwards.

"Yes please." He swallowed and tried to steady his voice, to keep it from shaking. "I'd like that very much. May I have your name?"

But the thought of water turned his mind to the wound yet again. Presently he looked down, as if deep in thought. He was mired in his own musings -- could the water be used to wash? Was it too precious in this age; could it clean away the dirt from open flesh? Would the source be contaminated? How could he sanitise the wound without dirtying the rest of the water?

Of course, there's always the old way... that was licking the wound clean. He was sure the wolf was a strong creature, but Yong Cheng didn't want to risk any chance of further illness. "Is there spare water to wash your injury?" Broken out of his thoughts, Yong Cheng realised that if the wound could be washed, then he could try to bind it.

He thought he'd seen some of 木贼 around, but it was already uncommon when there was no calamity befalling them... He shouldn't take it. It was better to find cobwebs and use those instead, like resource-scarce loners like himself used to do (and still did).

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Yes, he supposed a name would be useful about now. He would need something to call this man by, other then ‘not -wolf’ and ‘stranger’ after all, he did still have an inkling of taking the man for himself. Perhaps this strange might jump at the chance to enter into pack-life where resources were easier to come by. After all, they had a whole community contributing to their supplies. “Sirius, Warlord of the Ashen Armada” he introduced himself, after only a brief pause. “And what can I call you by?” he would ask in return. “We have some containers, we believe made from the earth long ago, and scavenged for our use. We can draw the water into that and wash the wound from there” he explained. He wouldn’t have bothered himself, but it was in an awkward place to reach with his tongue, and if it did get infected, he would have Io’s wrath to deal with. He led the way to the well, drawing back the leafy canopy and picking the small bowl placed to side, he dipped it in the water and dragged it free, before grabbing a small moss ball that had also been left near by - by Zee, perhaps. She was thoughtful like that, and perhaps thought it might come in handy. He dropped the moss ball in the water, so that the healer might use it as a scrbb, and took a seat, and then slid into a lying position, so that the man could reach his wound without stretching. It was at this point, now that Seer was in a more vulnerable position, that Bast came from the shadows. “If you need an assistant to fetch and carry well you go about the job of cleaning and covering the wound, you might ask my companion here, Bast, to aid you” he said, nodding his head to the snow leopard, who, at 25” of height, was almost as tall as the healer. "Speech"

\

永程

"You can call me Bird. Of nowhere."

In truth, he was not really Bird. A passing companion had given him that name and Yong Cheng had took it for himself, living and growing with it. His name, he doubted, this wolf -- Sirius -- could pronounce easily. It was dual-toned and the syllables slipped around his mouth and tongue as if they were alive. His name flowed, much like water, and for this reason he always introduced himself as Bird. It was simply easier.

Sirius led, and Yong Cheng followed.

He tried to put himself into a healer's mind. He'd never had to work on anyone beside himself before. This was a pack wolf. What if he got it wrong, and the whole group came after him? No, no. He couldn't think like that.

Focus! Yong Cheng told himself, doing his best to ignore a new scent on the wind, blown in just as the behemoth creature stretched out. "Yes," he said instead, tone coloured serious. "That will do."

Carefully, he reached for the moss. It was dipped in clean, fresh water. When he pulled it out, Yong Cheng watched as the water ran from the moss and dripped back into its container -- it wasn't wasted, which was good. He dipped it in again, then held the dripping moss over Sirirus' wound, allowing the water to run over the injury. He repeated this a few times, so as not to contaminate the moss which he used to retrieve more water from the bowl.

Then, when most of the ash had been run away with the water, Yong Cheng dropped his head, picking up the bowl in his teeth. Carefully, he poured the rest of the water over Sirius' leg. His leg was immense, almost as long as Yong Cheng was tall. The water ran down from top to bottom, spilling along the sides until it was largely clean. But he still wanted to be sure.

With the still-wet moss, Yong Cheng began to carefully wipe away at the leg, removing any lingering dirt that he could see. He tried to stay at the surface; he trusted that anything in the wound itself would have been flushed out. Besides, he didn't know how clean the moss was; he didn't want to risk introducing anything to an open wound.

"Please," he gestured to Bast, then to the open bowl. "Fill that up for me."

Yong Cheng tried to ignore the fact that Bast was just a little shorter than he.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

A wolf that was not a wolf that called himself Bird. He began to wonder if the man was more than a little confused. “Well met, Bird” Sirius said, putting nothing of his amusement into the word. He kept things a little more professional, and a touch chilling. He wasn’t going to let the man feel comfortable, not when he would be working within striking distance of the titan’s neck. Sirius’s trust did not run deep, not of wolves that were not his and this mad was not that. Not yet, at least. The man dipped the sponge, and held it above Sirius’s wound. The cool water ran over his wound, and he bit back the minor wince that accompanied the feeling. Well, he was the fool for messing with an angry honey badger, he deserved a little ache. The creatures fought dirty, and fought to win, live or die. Bast sat down close to both wolves, watching intently as the small healer, Bird, got to work. When he directed the Snow Leopard to refill the bowl, she did so. Grabbing it delicately in feline jaws and dipping it in the water, before bringing it back to him. “What brings you out here, Bird?” he asked, partly to fill the silence, but also to learn what ties he might have in this world. It always paid to find out who might come after you if you stole a wolf. "Speech"

永程

Well, yes, thought Yong Cheng. He was indeed well met. And he would be well gone if anything went wrong here. It again reminded him of the importance of this situation. If he could help this wolf, he would have done him a favour. He had used Sirius' supplies; he doubted Sirius was in his debt at all. But it might at least make it less likely for Sirius to try anything with him.

"Thank you. Could you get me some cobwebs, if you can find them?"

Yong Cheng was addressing the cat, but not looking at her. Sirius was intimidating enough on his own; the cat was a little too much. "If not, moss will be alright. 水藓 (shuǐxiǎn, peat moss). Ah, what do you wolves call it..." He rubbed at one of his ears. "It's... It's green. The leaves are.. how... how to say... Star-shaped."

He intended to stuff the wound with it. He didn't know exactly what the moss did, but when he was young, his mother had done it for any large scrapes that he sustained. He'd never gotten an infection in wounds that had the moss, and it did seem remarkably dry. If an injury needed to be bandaged, Yong Cheng knew he could use that moss. But he didn't know what it was called! They were all things that loners lived on; no fancy herbs, only common weeds and things that grew everywhere.

While he waited for Bast to do as he asked, Yong Cheng pondered Sirius' question.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see what the volcano did."

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Bast got back to her paws, looking at the wolf thoughtfully after he had given his request, but he made no move to turn to her. Sirius also noticed the lack of attention he gave to the cat, despite how polite his requests had been. Interesting he mused, and filed it away to address later. “She’ll find the cobwebs, but I doubt she’ll know what moss you mean” Sirius explained. Well she had helped Io a few times in her gathering, neither she nor Sirius had exposed themselves to a great deal of learning when it came to medicine. Both of them had put their strengths into combat. Bast trotted off away from the wolves and the water source, but Sirius knew she would be back shortly. In the meantime, he kept his attention on Bird. It was just the two of them for the moment, and he wouldn’t allow the stranger to pull a fast one over him. “Nothing good.” He supplied, not that Bird had phrased it as a question. “When it erupted, its smoke and ash covered territory all the way to Rewater Rocks. It has since receded, and already I believe it’s lessening. Soon, this territory will be habitable again.” which is exactly what Sirius was waiting for. Accursed volcano, which had kept its claws on this territory for too long, and claimed the life of his Empress’s husband. “I assume you weren’t here when it erupted? Your new to Boreas, right?” he clarified when it seemed Bird wasn’t going to be forthcoming with a great deal of information. As he asked his newest question, Bast returned to them. She had a collection of cobwebs across both of her whiskers, and she sat politely beside the wolf, Bird. Perhaps some might say she was too close for comfort, and she turned her face to him, waiting for him to collect the cobwebs from her whiskers. The titan bit back a smile, knowing Bast had sensed his fear, and was forcing him to face it. "Speech"

永程

Yong Cheng felt a little lame, when Sirius admitted that Bast might not know what he meant. He had spent as much time as he could learning the language these wolves seemed to speak, and now he rarely messed up -- he only had a slight accent -- but technical terms were where he fell short. He shrugged as lamely as he felt. The cobwebs would do.

“When it erupted, its smoke and ash covered territory all the way to Rewater Rocks. It has since receded, and already I believe it’s lessening. Soon, this territory will be habitable again.”

Yong Cheng didn't have anything useful to offer Sirius, so he kept quiet and continued tending to the wound with his moss, arranging the fur on Sirius' leg so that it wouldn't get in and touch the open flesh. The bleeding was already stopping; he suspected that it had slowed a while ago, while they were still in the Shrine. That, at least, was a boon.

Sirius seemed to know a lot. He must have been keeping track of the Shrine and nearby areas. How else would he know about its progress toward recovery?

Cat smell assaulted his nose and Yong Cheng turned to face Bast. Wordlessly, he stretched his neck forward. With open jaws, he gingerly pulled the strands of web from her whiskers where they were gathered. He was no wolf; this close to a creature like Bast, Yong Cheng was sure that she could snap his twiggy limbs in a heartbeat. He set the cobwebs, still clenched between his teeth, in the container of water. Sweeping his head from side to side, Yong Cheng aligned the individual threads properly.

"Thank you. You have been very helpful."

He removed them, and set them on nearby rock to dry out a little.

"I was born here," he said, not offering much in the way of information. "I was far enough from its source that the volcano did not affect me too harshly."

Bast was shockingly close to Yong Cheng, closer than he would have liked. He was constantly reminded that he was smaller and weaker than Sirius, and Bast didn't help to allay his fears. "Excuse me."

Yong Cheng returned a moment later with a rock. He threw the water in the container over the new rock, then draped the silken, but moist, webs over the now-empty bowl. Then, he set the 蒲公英 weeds onto the first and picked up the smaller one -- the one he had just retrieved. With the rock in his mouth, he crushed the weeds, until they mixed with the water to form a thick paste.

He gingerly applied the 蒲公英 paste onto Sirius' leg, pressing it into the wound.

"This is for..." the word eluded him. "...Swelling."

Yong Cheng settled lamely again on a word that was right, but not quite.

Then, he layered the cobwebs so they would be stronger, splitting the gathered threads into half, and placing one half on top of the other. They were ever stickier now that they had been moistened; the dressing wouldn't come free unless Sirius, or some other wolf, removed it himself. He wrapped the makeshift bandage around the wound to keep the paste in and everything else out.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

Bird continued to work on cleaning the wound. He could feel the way the stranger pushed the fur around the wound, but his movements were gentle and precise. As far as Sirius knew, the man had a good idea on what he was doing. A healer was always useful to have around. At this stage, he only had Io, and if Zee were to get pregnant, as he hoped, having a healer around to help alleviate morning sickness, and deal with the day to day tasks that Zee might need, would be greatly useful. The more he thought about it, the more he desired to claim this strange creature for his pack. There was silence for a moment, as Bird ventured forth nothing further about the silence, and worked quietly over him. When Bast returned with her gatherings, the healer would politely thank her, after taking the webs from her whiskers with barely a twitch. Perhaps he hadn’t been as weary of the cat as Sirius suspected - either that, or he was very good at hiding it. Overall, the man seemed to have a very calming nature. Sirius let him work in silence until Bird chose to spoke again, where he explained that he was born here - but far enough that he was not affected by the volcano. Perhaps he had come from Auster then - he wondered if the man knew of the pack of religious fanatics that lived there. When Bird got up to leave, Sirius nodded his head to Bast, and the cat followed after him, keeping a distance between herself at the not-wolf until he returned back to Sirius’s side. He showed no sign that he had been planning to bolt, but the Warlord would be careful. It would not do to lose his prey now, not before he had a chance to lay down the law as he planned. Sirius did not know what he was doing as he set about making the paste, but he had seen similar such concoctions and assumed it would be a paste for his leg. A hunch that proved correct when it was explained to him that it would help with swelling. “Proceed” Sirius allowed, keeping himself in his prone position where the healer could reach. “You do good work, Bird. Tell me, where do you plan to go from here?” What plans would the tyrant be ruining? "Speech"

永程

"Thank you." Yong Cheng worked quietly and quickly. To him, being called Bird wasn't odd at all. He didn't think anything of it as he continued to wrap the leg. There was enough cobweb to go thrice around -- Bast had done a good job. He half wondered if she had simply walked through a thicket and picked up trailing webs, or if she'd done this before, and knew where to find them.

Finally, the dressing was complete. It was simple, and in no way afforded Sirius anything beyond inflammatory control. It didn't help to bind wounds, and certainly didn't help to stave off infection. Perhaps if he'd gotten the moss... but that was unnecessary, Yong Cheng felt. He was no proper healer, but evidence dictated that Sirius had gained bigger injuries than this. With this care, he would be fine.

"The paste will get old," Yong Cheng voiced out. He spoke clearly, but quietly, like a loud noise would startle Bast into going on the offensive. "So it should be changed every day, if possible, to... facilitate? Facilitate healing. Make sure to allow time for the wound to breathe. Clean it regularly."

Sirius looked like a fighter. Yong Cheng wondered if Sirius had any wolves who could do more than he, for his dressing was largely simple, and made for providing immediate care. Only then, did he answer Sirius' question.

"I will go wherever I need to go." That, at least, was true.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

“Understood” Sirius said, this wasn’t his first rodeo, he knew the drill. He would keep it clean, give it time to heal... somewhat, so long as it didn’t get in his way, and then it would be gone. No doubt Zee would see it shortly, and ensure he did as the healer asked. Until then, he would leave the wrapping on and let it be. As he said, it was good work, and he was pleased with the skill of the healer he had found. “Do you now.” Sirius mused, it wasn’t a question, and like chess pieces on a board, he moved his plan into place. “You realise, of course, that I will not be allowing you to leave” his voice stayed calm, natural, as though he was talking about the weather, and not claiming a wolf that might not wish to be claimed. As he spoke, Bast had maneuvered herself behind him, cutting off his exit, and Sirius climbed slowly to his feet. If Bird had forgotten the Tyrants height in the time he had been prone, he would remember it now. Sirius, Warlord of the Ashen Armada, drew himself to his full height, one paw moving forward, and unnatural, feline-like claws digging into the earth before him. “Bird,” he said. Voice polite, conversational. “This can go one of two ways, this can be easy, and you can find yourself with some level of freedom. Or, we can take the bloodier path.” The Titan Warlord smiled. “I happen to like option two, but really, the choice is yours.” "Speech"

永程

"Um," said Yong Cheng, eyes flicking first from Sirius' to the ground his claws were pierced into, then back again. "I suppose letting me go peacefully and quietly isn't an option?"

He tried to sound nonchalant, and he tried to level his face so it didn't reveal his inner turmoil, but inside, Yong Cheng was frozen. He'd always been a free creature; it wasn't like him to just give in. His freedom was his life, and to be chained to this behemoth of a wolf, a beast he'd unknowingly just treated, was a situation he'd never even thought of. Yong Cheng was sourly reminded of the story of the snake; it had been cold, a kindhearted stranger had wrapped it up to keep it warm next to his chest, and when the snake was warm, it bit the one who had helped it.

Unwittingly, he had become the stranger. Fool he was, falling prey to Sirius the snake.

He did his best to keep his eyes firm, but his knees were shaking nonetheless. There was nowhere to run; Sirius was easily twice his height, and if he somehow managed to outrun him, Bast would be faster.

" “I happen to like option two, but really, the choice is yours.”

"Y'know..." His voice was easygoing, but it sounded feeble, even to him. "I rather happen to like being in one piece."

Yong Cheng was shocked at himself, realising what he was about to say. How could he give up his freedom so, well, freely?

But alas, the consequences would be dire, if he were to fight.

"...Lead the way."

His tone mirrored his dour words, a weak parallel of the ashen wolf's earlier offer. There was no out. Once again, Sirius was leading. But this time, Yong Cheng wasn't sure if he'd ever reverse that again.

""

OOC:

TABLE BY LEE || IMAGE FROM CHUTTERSNAPI ON UNSPLASH

“It never was, little Bird” Sirius said. Voice soft, almost apologetic. The man had done him a favour, helping him with the wound. If Bird hadn’t seen to it, Sirius would have left it unattended. No doubt that would have led to an infection, and more trouble with his sister and Wife. Alas, the man had also proven to be too efficient, too interesting a prize, for Sirius to simply let walk free. The small, wing-brushed wolf quivered a little before the Tyrant. Sirius watched him, unmoved by the display of fear. He was instead impressed when the man held it together, and made the only logical choice he could in the tough situation Sirius had maneuvered him into. “Good choice.” Sirius said, nodding his head to Bast, another silent command. The cat got to her feet, flanking the other side of Bird as Sirius began to walk, leading the way to his newest minion. “You have, of course, submitted to my Claim. You are a wolf of the Ashen Armada now. Since you have done so freely - mostly - you will be allowed some freedom. You may come and go, but for no more than two days at a time, for now. If I have to track you down and drag you back, there will be consequences. There are benefits to this as well. You are afforded my protection, my supplies. The safety and comforts of a den within pack lands. You will work closely with my Wife, you will treat her, your Queen with loyalty, respect and gentleness. Hard work, commitment to your training, and loyalty, will be rewarded with freedom from the slave rank. Do you understand these rules thus far?” "Speech"