G A R E T H
Noor watched as the saurian backed away from him, and he ducked his head in mild shame. She was trying to be mindful of his needs, and he had been such an ass to her. Or well, about her, to his friend. Her acknowledgement of his feelings towards her compounded his feelings of guilt. Though, could he really blame himself? After all, she had started out by trying to eat him. Still… she had done nothing but try to gain his favour, and if not that, at least his tolerance. And he had done nothing but spurn her at every opportunity. Clearly, he was the one in the wrong here.
She claimed the elk as part of her ‘pack’, as she called it. That meant that she would defend him with her own life, if necessary, though it would likely never come to that. Noor remained silent as he tried to work through his feelings on that, staring at one of the mushrooms that grew from his haunch as Gareth responded to her queries.
The stallion nodded. “They look relatively superficial. A thorough wash should do fine, but you can add some cattail to them to stave off any potential infection. You never know what kind of sickness those pups could have been carrying with them.” He moved to dislodge one of the spindly plants at the root.
“Those were wolves. They probably live close to the mountain base, and got their first taste of what it’s like when you misjudge a hunt,” he chuckled, snapping the herbal remedy in half to coax the sap to the surface to be used. “Here,” he said, proofering the stems so that she could treat the wounds herself.
He returned his gaze to Noor, who seemed to still be struggling with something, though not nearly as frightened as he had been moments before. The stallion nodded in agreement with Pangaea’s suggestion. “Plus I’ve gathered all I really need for today, and it’s probably a good idea to make sure you didn’t overexert yourself. That ankle may be healing, but that was more than just the average activity that you’ve been doing.”
The elk snorted, rolling his eyes. Yeah, sure. You just want to keep her here longer. On uneasy limbs, the stag pushed himself upright, shaking the rest of his nerves off like a dog trying to rid himself of lake water. And she has a point. We have a long walk back and should get moving before nightfall. Gods forbid we are stuck out after dark and you two decide to hole up in another cave. The jibe was in good spirits, however, more annoyed than genuine disgust.
Noor turned to Pangaea, vibrant yellow-green eyes looking at her for the first time as something close to an equal rather than an outsider to be watched with caution. He nodded to her, very deliberately. He wouldn’t bow to her, but he would acknowledge that she wasn’t all bad. Alright. Let’s go before one of you jumps the other. The bonded companion curled his lip a little bit, nares twitching as he moved his gaze to Gareth. You reek of hormones.
The stallion suppressed an amused chuckle, nodding for Pangaea to go before him. Noor knew the way home, and the medic could easily take up the rear, or follow alongside the mare who had just saved his companion. Things had started to come full circle, and if he didn’t know any better, he might have taken it as a sign from the gods about the future. As it stood, there was a part, deep in his heart, that hoped such a future could be true. He had grown accustomed to having the warrior woman in his home, and it would be incredibly lonely if the day ever came when she decided to move on.
She claimed the elk as part of her ‘pack’, as she called it. That meant that she would defend him with her own life, if necessary, though it would likely never come to that. Noor remained silent as he tried to work through his feelings on that, staring at one of the mushrooms that grew from his haunch as Gareth responded to her queries.
The stallion nodded. “They look relatively superficial. A thorough wash should do fine, but you can add some cattail to them to stave off any potential infection. You never know what kind of sickness those pups could have been carrying with them.” He moved to dislodge one of the spindly plants at the root.
“Those were wolves. They probably live close to the mountain base, and got their first taste of what it’s like when you misjudge a hunt,” he chuckled, snapping the herbal remedy in half to coax the sap to the surface to be used. “Here,” he said, proofering the stems so that she could treat the wounds herself.
He returned his gaze to Noor, who seemed to still be struggling with something, though not nearly as frightened as he had been moments before. The stallion nodded in agreement with Pangaea’s suggestion. “Plus I’ve gathered all I really need for today, and it’s probably a good idea to make sure you didn’t overexert yourself. That ankle may be healing, but that was more than just the average activity that you’ve been doing.”
The elk snorted, rolling his eyes. Yeah, sure. You just want to keep her here longer. On uneasy limbs, the stag pushed himself upright, shaking the rest of his nerves off like a dog trying to rid himself of lake water. And she has a point. We have a long walk back and should get moving before nightfall. Gods forbid we are stuck out after dark and you two decide to hole up in another cave. The jibe was in good spirits, however, more annoyed than genuine disgust.
Noor turned to Pangaea, vibrant yellow-green eyes looking at her for the first time as something close to an equal rather than an outsider to be watched with caution. He nodded to her, very deliberately. He wouldn’t bow to her, but he would acknowledge that she wasn’t all bad. Alright. Let’s go before one of you jumps the other. The bonded companion curled his lip a little bit, nares twitching as he moved his gaze to Gareth. You reek of hormones.
The stallion suppressed an amused chuckle, nodding for Pangaea to go before him. Noor knew the way home, and the medic could easily take up the rear, or follow alongside the mare who had just saved his companion. Things had started to come full circle, and if he didn’t know any better, he might have taken it as a sign from the gods about the future. As it stood, there was a part, deep in his heart, that hoped such a future could be true. He had grown accustomed to having the warrior woman in his home, and it would be incredibly lonely if the day ever came when she decided to move on.
