Meadow's hut was a humble abode, but the architecture behind it was both surprising and impressive. In his time their he had noticed the beams holding it together, and thinking about carrying them made him wince. Maybe the small healer was stronger than she let on.

In his time there he had come to acknowledge a tug in his heart. It remained even when in his first day there, where he dipped in and out of consciousness and struggled to recall anything. He felt guilty, horribly guilty. He had misjudged the her and the pack based on naive fear. If they wanted to kill him he knew that he would've been dead by now, and he knew that the lot of them had gone out of their way to rescue him. Hell, even the irritating brown one had a paw in his recovery.

So the boy sat, waiting for the healer to return, waiting for his chance to make things right.

Since the incident at the border with Esther, Askan and Tamsyn, Meadow has taken the injured wolf into her care. The healing hut is being put to good use as she tries to help him recover and heal from the traumatic experience. It had been traumatic for her too. When Esther had fallen and hit his head, Meadow had felt like it was her fault. However, with time and a talk with Askan, the small healer was able to let go of most of the pain and guilt that she had been holding to. This has allowed her to better tend to the hurt wolf.

The first day had been the scariest but she had stopped the bleeding head wound and feed him herbs for pain whenever he was awake. As he had slipped in out of consciousness, Meadow had been there for whatever he needed. Water and food were always present along with a friendly face when he awoke. As it become apparent that he would recover, Meadow had started to leave him for short periods of time to go out and gather fresh food for them. That is what she is doing today, hunting for some prey to bring back to fill their bellies.

By the time she has killed three rabbits and skinned them, Meadow is ready to head to back and check on her patient. Wrapping the fresh meat in a piece of leather, the small healer picks up her prize and returns the hut. Pushing past the furs that are the doors, she takes a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the soft glow of the lanterns in here. Looking to where Esther stays, Meadow is happy to see that he is sitting up. Tail wags slowly as she approaches, making sure to keep her movements slow and deliberate. Since their first encounter, she has always tried not to startle him again.

Placing the leather filled with skinned rabbits before him, she steps back and says, “I brought you some food. It is important to keep your strength up. How are you feeling?” Meadow can’t help but slip into the role of healer, always fretting over Esther and how he is doing when he is awake. The sharp words that had been said on the river bank still ring through her head from time to time but she tries not to let the hurt show, instead losing herself in caring for him. Her gaze roams over him but cannot meet his eyes.



"Speech!"

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The boy adjusted his posture like his mother had taught him, spine as straight as he could possibly make it. If he were to apologise, he'd have to do it perfectly. Make his ma proud, though he was very much aware there wasn't any of her left to be proud. That was for the best, he hated to think how'd she react to the vulgar words she spat at the poor old lady.

Having had his learning experience already, he accepted the food gratefully. He'd been here long enough to know that they weren't poisoned. And hey, if they were, more power to the pack for lulling him into a false sense of security so easily. He took only a few bites from the meat, not that he wasn't hungry. His ma taught him it was very rude to speak with your mouth full.

"I'm doing better, thank you." He responded. He'd slowly gotten used to talking again, but the hoarseness was still audible in his voice. He wondered if it'd ever leave. "I gotta tell you something!" He said with childish urgency, as if he'd found a cool looking crab by a beach. "I was super rude when I saw you, and that wasn't ok. You clearly didn't deserve it, and I'm very sorry." He had realised he'd sounded like his da when he first talked to her, and he was someone he never wanted to talk like. "Your pack seems... Okay, and I'm sorry I didn't realise that sooner." He still had a bone to pick with the brown man, but it was entirely petty and something that he could sort out himself.

Watching Esther with concern and kindness filling her eyes, Meadow feels her body relaxing as he takes some bites of the food. She remembers how he had been cautious to eat at first and is happy to see  how far Esther has come to now accept food gratefully. Soft smile appears as Esther stops eating to talk to her, his words reassuring and she is glad to hear his voice. While she has heard it before, the words spit at her in anger had seemed rough and his voice unused. There is still a hoarse quality to it but Meadow is glad that he at least feels comfortable enough to speak with her.

Suddenly, Esther bursts out saying he needs to tell her something and Meadow tilts her head curiously, ears perking up to listen to what he has to say. What happens next has the small healer’s features softening and eyes filling with tears. He apologizes to her. When the cruel words had left his mouth, Meadow had been wounded very deeply. She had spat back words in her heated state and the following moments will forever live in her nightmares. However, after all that, she never thought that he would apologize. In truth, part of thinks she doesn’t deserve it. Head dips down for a moment, trying to hide the tears before coming back up to look at him.

A grateful smile rests on her lips, Meadow says, “Esther, thank you so much. I want to apologize for what I said too. I was hurt by your words and lashed out. I am so sorry that you got hurt.” Head ducks again, guilt heavy on her shoulders until she remembers Askan’s talk. Looking back at Esther, her eyes meet his for the first time since he came to the hut and she notices just how beautiful his amber eyes are. Nodding her head at his assessment of the pack, she tells him, “I understand. But we are a pack that tries to help all those in need. Give others a place to heal. We do not mean anyone harm unless they come at us with bad intentions. We protect our own.”

She talks slowly, each word meant to teach and help him understand more about her pack. After a few moments, Meadow asks, “It seems like something bad happened with you and a pack. Would you like to talk about?” An invitation is given to him and Meadow listens with great empathy to anything he has to say. If Esther does not want speak of why he doesn’t like packs, she will respect that too. Either way, Meadow is here for him.



"Speech!"

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Esther let out an audible sigh of relief as the healer accepted his apology. One less thing to worry about, not that he had too many to begin with.
Of course, he assumed that would be the end of the interaction, that he'd eat his rabbits in relative peace, but he knew it would the bow on top would be too neat too quickly. He supposed he didn't tend to reveal too much about himself, but he hadn't had the experience to understand that gaurdedness tended to draw more attention. Oh well, he wasn't too bothered by the question, but he worried about the answer.

"Pack dogs killed my ma." He responded flatly. He didn't want pity, there was so much more important to pity, so he tried his best to answer the question as simply as possibly as to not draw even more attention. He didn't want the small brown wolf crooning over him for something that happened seasons ago. The experience was as clear and untainted by emotion as the old bleached bones his mother surely left behind.

Esther’s sigh reaches Meadow’s ears and she offers him a small smile before asking him about what had happened. His answer is flat, information about something long past and Meadow feels a tug of sorrow in her heart for him. Smile pulls into a frown and she nods her head, not wanting to push him any further. While she feels great sorrow that one so young has lost their mother and in a way that, probably, was very violent has her heart hurting for him. Something tells Meadow he doesn’t want to make a big deal out if so just nods her understanding.

She does not ask any more questions, instead opting to say, “I am sorry that happened. Well, why don’t you finish your rabbits and, if you are feeling up to up, you can go for a walk. Let you get out in the sun and stretch your legs.” Offering another small smile, Meadow starts to move off and give Esther some space and silence to enjoy his meal. The suggestion of a walk will allow him even more space and freedom since being cooped up in hut to heal cannot be fun. If he decides to go, she will follow him to make sure he stays safe and doesn’t overdo it.



"Speech!"

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Esther nodded, and politely as he could, finished eating the rabbits. He made an effort not to wolf them down like he used to, recalling previously taught ettiquette as best he could. Eventually the meat was gone, and he licked his chops before moving to stand. His head swirled a bit in complaint, but it was nothing like the bad headaches of before. He still wobbled a bit moving, uneasy on his own four feet after hours of laying down.

He went forward into the pleasant sunlight and stretched, forepaws out as far as they could go as he bent backwards. He shook himself of the stiffness, reinvigorated by the summer sun. He looked to Meadow again, silently asking for another reassurance that he could wander.