Don't ask why
Selene
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-02-2024, 07:44 PM
Citadel came home from the battlefield, and snuck across the border of the pack into the Gorge. He needed to have a good soak before he headed back into the Col, knowing the scents in his coat would give him away. He trotted slowly through the forest of the Gorge, heading towards the nearest stream.
He thought he’d make it all the way without being spotted too, but his bear gave a soft chuff beside him, warning him of another wolf approaching. He tried to duck behind a tree, but it was too late. Selene had already seen him, and he grimaced at the sight of his annoying little sister. “Hey, Selene…” Don’t notice the scents, don’t notice the scents… he found himself chanting.
11-04-2024, 03:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2024, 12:39 PM by Selene. Edited 1 time in total.)
Selene was trying to trace all the streams to their sources, and then try to race a stick from the falls to the beaver dam. She had won only once so far! She had tried three different streams and she could only beat one of them, the other two were too fast! She had to get faster! She was mapping out one of the quicker streams, making notes about where to duck, where to slide, and where to hop over. She hoped that if she mapped it all out she could win it with more practice.
She heard a rustle up by the border and looked up to see her brother and his companions looking a little worse for wear. Was he sneaking past the boundary again?? Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at him! Again!
"Citadel!" She exclaimed accusingly, "Why the heck do you DO that? Why d'you get into---" She froze as several scents of strangers were brought into her nose. Her eyes widened and her ears perked up wondering where the scents had come from. Were they about to be invaded? Was this a rid like Mom and Dad had told them could happen?
No... the wind was coming from his back. The stranger's scents of dust, sweat, and blood were interwoven into his scent. With growing alarm, her pink eyes searched his golden orbs. "What were you DOING?" She asked, putting her foot down like she had seen both their parents do at one point.
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-12-2024, 10:36 AM
Citadel heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes, wondering what terrible thing he did that had caused him to be stuck with annoying sisters. She was acting like she thought she was the parent. Accusations flying out of her mouth a mile a minute.
He raked a claw through the earth and tossed first towards the pale girl. “What's it to you, mama's girl?” He snapped back at her. Just because they weren't brave enough to push boundaries Didn't give them the right to act like they were the boss of him.
It took him a second to realise she had frozen, her eyes bulged and he would have laughed if she wasn't so annoying. “What's it to you? You'd know if you were brave enough to find out.” He said scornfully.
He raked a claw through the earth and tossed first towards the pale girl. “What's it to you, mama's girl?” He snapped back at her. Just because they weren't brave enough to push boundaries Didn't give them the right to act like they were the boss of him.
It took him a second to realise she had frozen, her eyes bulged and he would have laughed if she wasn't so annoying. “What's it to you? You'd know if you were brave enough to find out.” He said scornfully.
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-27-2024, 10:51 AM
The dirt hit Selene in a very satisfying way, and he watched as she was forced to take a moment to deal with it. He considered walking away then but it felt too much like fleeing. “what's the matter with you? I was just minding my own business” he pointed out to her. Unlike his sister, who liked to stick her pointy nose into everything.
Her next words were completely unexpected. “What! No! You idiot!” He said scornfully. How dare she accuse him of betraying the pack. This was his family! The rage built in him until with a snarl he launched himself at her. Trying to sweep her off her paws by colliding with her chest. Snarling as he moved. “I was learning to fight! The real way, not the soft lessons we get!” His snarling voice said.
Her next words were completely unexpected. “What! No! You idiot!” He said scornfully. How dare she accuse him of betraying the pack. This was his family! The rage built in him until with a snarl he launched himself at her. Trying to sweep her off her paws by colliding with her chest. Snarling as he moved. “I was learning to fight! The real way, not the soft lessons we get!” His snarling voice said.
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-29-2024, 09:56 AM
“You're not helping me, you're helping yourself because you're afraid!” He snapped back at her. “If I wanted your help it wouldn't be to tell me what to do.” It wasn't his fault that Selene was too afraid to actually enjoy life. Instead, she seemed to want to police his.
He was pulling himself out of the mud and shaking it from his coat when Selene suddenly broke off mid word and started to fall. Citadel through himself forward as fast he could, his paws slipping on loose stones and slick with mud. He was too heavy, too slow and he failed to catch her as she tumbled past him and landed hard on the ground. He skittered back down the slope after her.
Was she dead? Wouldn't it be easier if-- no! Not Selene. She was a brat, but she was his brat. He pushed down his panic and crouched beside her. What would Ollie do? He'd feel for a pulse. Citadel did that, his time as the healers apprentice coming in handy. It was there, she was alive. Now what? She was covered in little cuts, but it was the head wound that really mattered. He needed to… bind it. “Rook, get Ollie!” He didn't have enough experience for this. Doing his best not to move her, he pressed his paw against the wound, applying pressure. What else had he learned? “You're going to be okay, Selene.” He told her unconscious body.
He was pulling himself out of the mud and shaking it from his coat when Selene suddenly broke off mid word and started to fall. Citadel through himself forward as fast he could, his paws slipping on loose stones and slick with mud. He was too heavy, too slow and he failed to catch her as she tumbled past him and landed hard on the ground. He skittered back down the slope after her.
Was she dead? Wouldn't it be easier if-- no! Not Selene. She was a brat, but she was his brat. He pushed down his panic and crouched beside her. What would Ollie do? He'd feel for a pulse. Citadel did that, his time as the healers apprentice coming in handy. It was there, she was alive. Now what? She was covered in little cuts, but it was the head wound that really mattered. He needed to… bind it. “Rook, get Ollie!” He didn't have enough experience for this. Doing his best not to move her, he pressed his paw against the wound, applying pressure. What else had he learned? “You're going to be okay, Selene.” He told her unconscious body.
11-30-2024, 04:06 PM
Oleander was studying some old journals he found in the market, they had some interesting information about the toxic effects of mushrooms and other poisonous plants. He was just about to invite Vesper to go foraging with him and tell her about it when a noise from the doorway caught his attention. It was the young Prince's companion bear, Rook!
Quick with his supplies and his paws he followed the bear down the path and into Gale Gorge. Near the far edge, he found Citadel hunched over his tiny sister. With a quick assessment, he gathered she had probably fallen.
"Hey buddy, I'm here!" He announced. He could smell blood, she had little cuts all over her. "Tell me what happened, she hit her head? Climbing again?" He asked pulling out wrappings and tinctures. He tried to see the culprit rock that might have knocked her out, or was it a tussle gone wrong? With her luck, she was probably running up the steep sides of the gorge. "You're doing a great job holding your paw there, you can lift it away now while I wrap it up." He praised and noted. Damn, head wounds were always big bleeders.
"Damn, this spot on the back of her head, if she was hit hard enough she might be blind for a few days." He ventured aloud as he assessed the depth. Life signs were good otherwise. He bound her tiny head with practiced ease, her head was about the same size as Jace's, his companion raccoon holding one edge of the wrapping and preparing to tie it off.
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-30-2024, 04:21 PM
Citadel was already scowling when Oleander showed up, and his scowl only grew when the healer mentioned blindness being a possibility. The white wolf had taken over the scene the moment he turned up, and Cit was accustomed to listening to him by now. When his cousin told him to move his paw, he did. The pad came away slick with blood. So what? Was he supposed to just stop being angry at his sister because she was dumb enough to fall?
“The ground crumbled under her and she rolled down the hill. She probably has bruising as well as the cuts.” He said, trying to treat this like any other patient. Like he and Ollie were in the infirmary, and the older wolf had told him to assess them.
Cit put his paw awkwardly on the ground as if it hurt him. But there was only blood on it. It wasn't the first time he'd had blood in his coat, he was a hunter after all. “Do we move her to the infirmary?”
“The ground crumbled under her and she rolled down the hill. She probably has bruising as well as the cuts.” He said, trying to treat this like any other patient. Like he and Ollie were in the infirmary, and the older wolf had told him to assess them.
Cit put his paw awkwardly on the ground as if it hurt him. But there was only blood on it. It wasn't the first time he'd had blood in his coat, he was a hunter after all. “Do we move her to the infirmary?”
11-30-2024, 04:54 PM
Ollie nodded as he agreed with Citadel's assessment. The girl would no doubt have bruising. He bent down and carefully assessed her limbs, and very gently pried her eyelids open for a look at her pupils. The dark red pupil was wide and didn't respond to the light suddenly entering it. Hm. Not great but it seemed like she hadn't broken any limbs. Though they might be sprained.
At Citidels question Oleander looked back and glanced at the bloody paw slightly held aloft. "We'll have to move her very carefully. She might be small enough that I could use a bag to carry her or we can build a litter for her." He quickly waved a paw at Jace who ran off to grab the thin leather and bring it back.
"Can't do much more until she's in the infirmary other than keep her warm." He said waiting for Jace to travel back. "Are you okay? Did you slip too?" He asked concerned, other than the paw held aloft he seemed no worse for wear... sort of? He smelled a bit like the battlefield and the strangers typically found there, did he have any injuries from testing his mettle out there?
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-30-2024, 06:53 PM
How could he explain that his paw was slick with his sister's lifeblood? That brief moment waiting for Rook to return with Ollie was worse than he would ever tell. He shook his head at the healer and stomped his paw to the earth as if to empathise it's wellness. He didn't feel much like talking, so he stood there in silence while they waited for Ollie's companion to return.
His eyes kept straying back to his sister, who lay still as the dead on the floor beneath the healer. Ollie wasn't particularly big, but the young wolf looked tiny beside him. “We argued… is she going to be okay?” He didn't look at Oleander, as if the words were a weakness exposed. He looked at his sister, he looked at the earth, he looked at his paws. Anywhere but the all too knowing eyes of their healer.
His eyes kept straying back to his sister, who lay still as the dead on the floor beneath the healer. Ollie wasn't particularly big, but the young wolf looked tiny beside him. “We argued… is she going to be okay?” He didn't look at Oleander, as if the words were a weakness exposed. He looked at his sister, he looked at the earth, he looked at his paws. Anywhere but the all too knowing eyes of their healer.
11-30-2024, 07:56 PM
Ollie's assessment of the boy continued as he slowly lowered his side next to Selene's limp body. Hoping to share a little of his warmth against the cold ground. After Citadel shook his head and placed his paw back down Oleander turned back to Selene's small form. Her sides slowly rose and fell.
Ollie brought his viridian gaze back to the young prince as he broke his silence. Poor kid was probably really worried. He had a dilemma before him, tell the truth about how these things were always tricky? Or should he be confident about her recovery? His own brief seconds of silence as he weighed the options were probably more telling then he meant them to be.
"Injuries around someone's head can be pretty risky-" He went with the honest but hopeful route, just like their first day on his apprenticeship. "Moving her is going to be the riskiest part. You did a great job making sure she didn't lose too much blood. There are a few outcomes that can happen with injuries like this. The best option will be that she wakes up in a few hours with a nasty headache, and probably an upset stomach for a while. She might be confused, her vision might be affected, she might not remember much, who knows. Another option is she takes a bit longer to wake up. It's impossible to know how long. But if we're careful while we transport her and let her rest as much as possible we'll hopefully avoid the worst option and she'll eventually recover just fine." He replied with his frank but warm demeanor. Citadel was young, yes, but it had become increasingly obvious he hated being treated like a child. "So long answer, she'll be okay if she wakes up soon." Ollie said.
Jace appeared over the rise with a large piece of leather flying behind him. Finally! The little raccoon panted hard and drooled through the leather as he finally placed it down and flopped onto his pale side to catch his breath. Ollie placed a dark nose on his small friend's cheek to praise him for a brief moment.
Now for the tricky part.
"Okay, we want her head to move as little as possible. We can carefully work together to shuffle her on top of this." Yeah, she was definitely small enough for Oleander to carry. Though Citadel was getting up there, he didn't want to put his patients life in the a child hands quite yet. He laid out the leather sheet next to Selene's limp body then placed himself over her head.
"Okay, We gotta try to work carefully together. Can you take her back legs and we can slowly slowly drag her just a little above the ground onto the leather? I got her head and neck and Jace here will help with her middle. Yeah?" He asked his apprentice.
Citadel
Royalty
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
177
177
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
11-30-2024, 08:23 PM
Oleander's assessment of okay didn't sound okay to him. Her vision and memory might be affected, she might be confused. Could that mean she might wake up scared and anxious? He had caught a few hints of her anxiety in the past. Like climbing the weird obelisks when she realised she had gone too high. He had been there for her then. But who would be here for her if she woke up at some undetermined time from now?
Oleander cautioned the need for gentleness with moving his sister, so when the healer asked him to move her legs, he shook his head. “I want to… but Rook makes more sense.” He explained, letting his companion take his place. Through anyone being more equipped than him grated. Instead, he placed himself beside the movers, Ready to help or catch her if needed. Rook stood on his back legs and carefully wrapped his forelegs around the girls legs, and lifted with gentle ease. “Can I stay in the infirmary? Just.. for a little while?”
Oleander cautioned the need for gentleness with moving his sister, so when the healer asked him to move her legs, he shook his head. “I want to… but Rook makes more sense.” He explained, letting his companion take his place. Through anyone being more equipped than him grated. Instead, he placed himself beside the movers, Ready to help or catch her if needed. Rook stood on his back legs and carefully wrapped his forelegs around the girls legs, and lifted with gentle ease. “Can I stay in the infirmary? Just.. for a little while?”
12-01-2024, 09:04 PM
Oleander took the boy's word and let Rook help move Selene. He was probably shaken, as Ollie would be if he had witnessed one of his sister's accidents. Hopefully, this little fall would knock a little more sense into the girl but he kept those musings to himself as they gently laid Selene in the leather. He then took his paws and laid them on the leather on either side of her head and started folding the leather in on itself a few times under her neck to make a kind of brace that would hold her head still while he picked up the makeshift sling.
Citadel asked if he could stay in the infirmary, "Of course! I hardly think you'll be alone in that respect. Your Mom and Dad might want to keep an eye on her too." He mentioned casually before starting to gather up the edges of the sling together. He gently brought the tied end behind his head and lifted it up. She was a little heavier than he had guessed but if he was careful he could carry her to the infirmary like this.
"There we go just gotta walk slow." He said, nodding for Jace to lead the way, knowing Citadel was close by and would probably follow. "Go ahead and take a dip in the stream kiddo. You'll know where she is when you're done, I'm just gonna take my time to get there. I got her, I promise." He suggested, giving the boy an excuse to wash off the smell of battle buddies beyond the borders and clean himself up.
Oleander took his time getting to the infirmary, taking one careful, slow step after another, balancing and not letting anything hit her head or jostle her body.
He sighed with relief when he was finally able to lay her down on one of the soft patient beds. He had Vesper put another bed close to Selene's for her visitors. He was not looking forward to telling the Warlord and consort. He placed a soft fur over her small body to keep her warm and tied a feather to the bed close to her nose. Just enough to display her breath but not close enough to tickle her.