Xola || 6 || Female || Wolf || Eastern Medic || M: Oreithya, Malicia, River (Ind), Violet, Hymir, Astronomy, Killjoy (Ind), Hondo

Xola was greatly disappointed in the queen’s response, for the most part. She failed to acknowledge the severity of her actions. Of how things could have been worse if her son had reacted or moved differently, and of how a much worse outcome was probable. And of the “bad actions should be reprimanded with good ones” portion. Not to mention the sass. She nearly growled at that portion of the female’s response.

Thinking over her response once more, the medic had to hold in a scoff, You may not have intended to draw blood, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened. Intention does not always equal outcome.

She dared not say this aloud, being done with the whole thing for until. Or, at least, until something brought it up again. But, she must admit one thing. She was quite impressed with the dark female’s ability to take responsibility for her actions, and not blame it on other factors. That was a trait that she saw little of, nowadays.

The leafage in front of her den drags along her back as she begins to enter it, slowly but surely running over all the fur it could before she could leave its grasp. However, she did not get far into the den before a new voice had her pause in her movements. The vines paused with her, as though waiting for her next move. With a slight sigh (already assuming that it was likely another wolf she would be required to heal), the night-fallen female turns to address the new wolf… but was surprised by what she saw.

It was a wolf of her stature (which was surprising enough as it is) but what really caught her eyes were the herbs set in front of their paws. Curiosity swirls in her eyes as she leans down to sniff the bundle (A collection of lavender, willow bark, horsetail, and… is that calendula I smell? Huh, haven’t found any of that in a while.), all the while listening to what she had to say. The wintery one before her announces herself as Oreithya (Finally, a wolf that starts with their name.) and claims that she has come to aid Xola in her currently stressful task.

After deeming her search of the bundle adequate, she looks into the yellow hues of her new acquaintance – offering an easy and almost relieved smile. “I am Xola, medic of the Eastern Pack. We are glad to have you here, Oreithya.”

At Oreithya’s compliment, the medic could not help but grow embarrassed – the fur along her cheeks standing up to signify the emotion that was currently humming within her chest. She looks to the side slightly, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’ as she did. But, she quickly forces her amber gaze to once more peer into that of the female before her.

“He may be a bit rough around the edges at times, but I couldn’t have asked for a better son,” any being could see the adoration she held in her form at this moment. Even the blind, who were more than likely able to picture it due to the emotion in her voice.

However, Xola was quickly surprised when the snow pelted female turned to the queen from earlier (who was now stationed right outside her den) and began to address their earlier confrontation – admitting to having heard the whole thing. Honestly, she couldn’t have agreed more with practically everything the female said. Of course, there were a few things she was in the middle on, but she did agree with a lot of her words.

After the speech, Oreithya turns back to the night-fallen female and asks her for guidance on where she could be of assistance. With a soft and genuine smile, Xola nods her head in the direction of her den. “Please, right this way. We have a few wolves who were attacked by a cougar,” she pauses to sniff the air, “I believe they are from your pack as well? A wolf who just worsened his sprain is also in there. And another we’re trying to prevent from bleeding out. We got the blood flow to slow down, but I’ve yet to check for other deep wounds. Got a bit carried away.”

Stepping aside she allows the white furred wolf to enter before her. But, as she turns to follow, her ears catch the voice of that queen. Instantly, she stops – curious as to what she had to say. And boy was it something. Honestly, she couldn’t help but turn to look at her in shock and slight disgust (though, the disgust was unlikely to be noticed). She was all but ready to give the female a talking of her lifetime… but decided against it. That wouldn’t help the situation. A softer approach was needed here. Taking a deep breath, she watches as the queen turns to leave (instantly noticing the tremors along her legs) and prepares herself for what felt like her tenth speech of the day.

“But how do you know that the action you take towards another pup will be a sign of discipline,” she stares at the female with a blank expression, “Each and every wolf is raised differently, after all. What may be a form of punishment or correction for one could be a threat or challenge to another.”

The night fallen female flicks an ear and then continues to speak, “You are correct, there is a point in life where pups are to learn on their own accord what is right and wrong. They shouldn’t need a parent to come correct them their entire lives. But parents will always play a role in teaching, no matter how old their pup is. They are to always guide their pups in life. Grant them wisdom and advice. And the physical disciplinary actions they use, such as nipping, should be reserved for the parents and the parents alone. It is their pup, after all, and no one else’s. To nip another’s pup, adult or not, is to show great disrespect towards the pup and their parents. Especially when they are nearby.”

She takes one last breath before beginning to address the last part of the female’s response which Xola couldn’t help but scowl at, “Is it like a team for one member to take the responsibilities of another upon your shoulders? Is it like a team to all have the same role, experiences, and interactions? A hunter is not to apply herbs to the injured every day, but to hunt and provide. A medic is not to lead a pack, but care for it and grant wisdom to all who reside within its structure. We all play a separate part in what makes us a team, and we are to respect that. But to blatantly step out of line and act in another’s shoes is what breaks the formation. That is why certain aspects of parenting are strictly between the pup and their mother or father. There are boundaries that are not to be crossed by another soul. Your pack may have allowed such a thing, but here, they are seen as breaking the team you claim not to exist.”

She knew not whether the queen had heard any of what she said. But she hoped that – if she caught any of it – it would give her something to ponder. With a sigh, she turns back to Oreithya. “I would love to apologize on her behalf, but I feel as though it is not my place to do so. So, let’s get to work, shall we?”

With that said, she leads the white wolf into her den and directs her towards River. She gives the injured huntress a small smile before addressing her fellow medic (or whom she assumed to be one), “River’s wounds have been treated, but could use some extra touch ups here and there. I’ll be working with the wolf she came in with in just a moment. Otherwise, do you have anything on you for sprains? A lot of the clove I applied to our alpha was washed off during his reckless travels.”

After listening to the winter stricken female’s reply, she nods her head and pads over to Hondo and her son. He appeared to still be applying some cobwebs to his front paw, and doing a decent job at it. She nods her head in approval.

“Keep it up, Hymir and you may make a good medic… in the next five years,” she chuckles at her own jab, pressing her nose to his shoulder as a sign of affection.

Hearing paw steps come up from her side, she glances over with slight curiosity. A soft grin makes its way to both her eyes and mouth at the sight of her bright coated apprentice. Offering her a nod as a greeting, she watches as the icy eyed female makes her way over to her and Hymir.

Xola listens to what she has to say as she stops beside the two of them, only to watch her run off and grab some more herbs to help treat the beta – to which she nods in approval. She blows out a bit of air in amusement at this sudden change, but knows better than to think it odd.

Stepping back, the medic signals to her son that she was going to make her way over to the other “stranger wolf” before slowly padding her way over. She trusted her apprentice to take over dealing with the leftover wounds on the brindle male. They were all small from what she saw. Though, she did need to check in with the male himself to see if there were any she missed.

Stopping in front of the muddy looking male, she proceeds to sniff his form and look over the herbs she applied to his wounds. All the while, she was tuned into the playful banter of the two younger wolves behind her. From the near flirtatious greeting Hymir sent towards Violet, to the critique of the female on Hymir’s work cobwebs. It was a surprise that she didn’t turn her full attention towards their conversation, even if the majority of it was. She had always enjoyed their banter. It made her day every time, no matter how depressing the circumstances were.

Seeing nor smelling anything wrong, she stops her search to look him into his blue eyes, “Would you like some pain relief? I have some dandelions, and I believe Oreithya has some willow bark.”

Xola listens patiently for his response, taking note of anything off in his voice as well as what he desired. Nodding her head, she heads towards the freshly stocked pile of herbs to grab what was requested. Violet met her there as she began her search, asking if there was anyone else she could treat or something could gather (specifically the clove she had apparently forgotten). Though, before she could respond, the gray and white female sent one last jeer towards Hymir. One that had really amused her.

A chuckle leaves her maw at the remark. It would be a crime for her not to join. She just couldn’t help herself.

Not looking up from her task, she speaks, “Oh, my son is looking for some clovers? Well, I guess they’ll at least grant him some luck in his future with you, my dear. And to any future pups.”

No matter their response, another string of chuckles leaves her – filled with teasing mirth and love. Honestly, those two were just made for each other. In Xola’s eyes, anyway. Turning to look over her shoulder, she addresses Violet’s prior question, “But yes, some cloves would be lovely. Maybe some lavender as well, if possible. Not sure if there are any left in the territory at this time of year, but it’s still best to check. Oh, and if you spy that dark-pelted queen, could you tell her that she is to come to the den when she is ready? I noticed that she wasn’t feeling well and would like her to get her checked out.”

Shifting from across the den draws her attention away from the blue eyed female before her. Looking around, she spies the beta chewing the poppy seeds that her bright apprentice had given him before laying his head on his paws. With a soft smile she scoots past the younger female and pads her way over to the male. She moves to stand in front of him, leaning down to look him in the eyes.

“Are you alright? Besides your, uh… obvious circumstances? I’ve yet to check the rest of your body for more injuries, so it would be helpful if you could point in the direction of where one may be.”

|Sundown|M|Medics Apprentice|Raven|M: Ore, Night, Eastern Pack|

Sundown nodded at his Alpha. He didn't want to go to Eastern pack... He'd heard that they were all rude, and ruthless. He trailed behind Ore, mumbling about how he didn't want to go. He stopped when she did, giving her a puppy like look of 'must I go?'. He lowered his head when she spoke, looking at the ground.

"My little sunshine-" He sighed at looked her in the eyes again. His face brightening at her words. He watched her head out, his tail wagging.

"Yeah." He whispered to himself as he headed towards the Queen. He got close to her, and sat down before nodding swiftly a greeting at Brute. His eyes scanned her cuts. They didn't seem too bad, at least that's what he thought he'd heard Ore say.... He stood up, and went back to the Medic's den, sure of what to get.

"I need a poppy seed, cobs, yarrow, juniper leaves, and calendula..." He said to himself, glancing at the supply of herbs. Wolves needed to stop getting hurt! Winter was coming, and herbs were leaving...

.

Sundown picked up the herbs, and carried them over to the Queen.

"I am so sorry for intruding, but I've got to hurry." He said, preparing the cobwebs. He began to quickly chew the yarrow and juniper leaves in his mouth. He wanted to cough at the bitter taste of the yarrow, and the weird mixture with the sweet juniper leaves.

"Are you pregnant or planning to be in the next couple of days? No? Okay." He said, pushing the poppy seed, ginger and calendula to her.

"The poppy seed will help with the pain, the ginger will help with inflammation, and the calendula will help with the healing process." He said, placing the webs on her cuts without a warning. He stood up very quickly afterwards.
"Let me or Ore know if you start feeling sick, or it get's worse. I've got to dash." He said, turning around without hearing anything she'd said.

.

He sprinted back to the Medic's den, his legs shaking from the interaction. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart down. Sundown gathered the herbs he needed, and headed out the door.

He walked through camp, his small figure easy to spot in the open. He glanced around camp, making sure no one needed him before he slipped out.

He made his way down the Medic's path, walking freely, and open. His ears were perked. He was excited to see the other side of the river! But not so excited to see the wolves.... He kept listening for anything that was going to attack him, the faint smell of cougar lingered in his nose.

He took a deep breath in of the cool air, happy to be out of camp. He loved his job, but at times it was a bit much... especially when the den was over crowded.

.

Sundown reached the river, his ears back as he put a paw in. He hated water... He let out a huge breath, and shivered at the cold of the water. He stepped him, his thin coat swirled around him as he went deeper. Sundown worked hard to keep his head above the water as the shore left his paws. He struggled with the small current. Curse his small size.

Any larger wolf wouldn't be struggling with this- He thought as he began to be swept down stream.

"No no no" He said, as he fought it.

It seemed like ages, but really about five minutes by the time he'd reached Eastern's side. Sundown was now soaked, cold, and irritated. Oooh how much he hated water. Carefully, he walked forwards, disapointed that their forest didn't look any different from Raven's. He looked around, following Ore's scent.

He stopped to look at the hill he needed to climb, his wet fur like a weight. He sighed, and slowly trudged up the hill.

"Do I have everything I need?" He wondered outloud. "I have goldenrod, clove, and some horsetail." He told himself.

.

He got to the entrence of camp. He shuttered, and urged himself to go in.

Ore will protect me... Sundown stepped into camp, his tail tucked between his legs, back legs shaking slightly. His breathing quickened, and he looked around camp like a deer in a headlight. The wolves... They all seemed... His heart was beating so fast, he was sure that all of the Eastern wolves could hear it. Trying to get his breathing undercontrol, he walked around, camp, going around the grumpy looking Queen... but he stopped to look at her. He hadn't seen a Queen so close to pups, excpet Shiva, but even then he didn't really remember it... He got a nasty glare, and moved to the dead packmates.

A deep frown on his face as he examined them. The cuts were deep, far past saving. Sundown looked up, hearing Ore's voice. His ears perked before they went down, remembering where he was. He quickly shuffled towards his mentors voice.

The strong scent of herbs mixed with Ore's told him that he was in the correct place. He poked his head in, making sure that Ore was there. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of the huge wolves in the crowded area.

He slunk down, and made his way to Ore. His ears were back, his his face was full of fear.

"O-Ore," He whispered, "I brought the horsetail, cloves and goldenrod." He burried his head into the ground, not wanting to see the amount of wolves he'd just spoke infront of. He whinned slightly, but gentle enough that only he could hear it.

Sundown glanced up at who he assumed was Eastern Medic. She was a large wolf, who seemed to be in charge of the whole pack. He stood up, but with his head still low to introduce himself.

"I-" He glanced at his mentor, "I am Sundown." He said, giving Ore a anxious look. "I am Oreithya's apprentice." Putting his head lower, he waited for instrucions, wondering why he was here, or why he was needed.