210w :: This is quite simple, but i hope that it works for you XD Luna is in her optime form, and the location is quite neutral, but i believe that the village would be a situable place. Is it ok to place it during the afternoon?
A few cold sips of water was all needed to shake the female's insides as she leaned on the riverside to dring in a decidedly canine manner. That morning she had finished selecting the herbs that were still useful, and discarded the old, dusty ones. When she finished, she realized that she was running low on supplies.
A dark-hued hand rose to dry off the excess of water from the female's muzzle, who still pondered what to do next. It would be a good idea to go and collect more herbs, but she discarded it after she remembered that there were enough supplies in the storage room for her to use, so it was nosense going out to cut more plants, specially since the snow had only moved back recently, and many plants were still in the recovery process.
In the end, she decided to go and take a walk, Mihewi following after her. For a minute, several questions about spirit guides flooded Luna's mind, but decided to discard the questions that were about to leave her mouth for fear of offending her. She was still ignorant to many of AniWaya's customs, and the recent war had not done anything but to prevent her from illustrating herself on the topic.
Aranck was looking for some herbs to ease his arthritis in his paws. With the weather changing like it was recently, it was acting up a lot. He sometimes hated the weather. Of course, heading from the Great Tribe to here in AniWaya was not exactly a walk in the park. But luck was not with him today.
He had been searching for plants to help sooth his arthritis so he could create either a poultice or a compress. Yet he wasn’t familiar with the plants in the area, so he was having trouble finding them. He was glad for his walking stick at this moment. His bones in general were sore today and he swore in AniWayan. Taga gave him a sharp but amused looked. Which he simply ignored.
So he sat next to the Great Fire and stared into the flames, hoping for some answers from their eternal wisdom. But a song popped into his head. As the river cuts his path Though the river's Proud and strong He will choose the Smoothest course That's why rivers Live so long They're steady ... As the steady Beating drum Taga nodded his approval of the song and Aranck gave a self-satisfied smirk.
Her wandering brought her towards the northern side of the village, feeling strangely attracted to the crepting flames of the Great Fire. Perhaps the fact that it was considered a sacred place affected her opinion, but the Great Fire seemed to own a faint magnetism on people, attracting them to its soothing warmth. Green hues stared at the source of such a beautiful light, almost hypnotized, as dark-toed feet carried her towards it.
Enthralled by the ancient fire as she was, she didn't notice the peaceful greybeard who stood right beside the fire, singing a few verses from a song that never in her life had the earthen-colored female heard, but that was pleasant to listen in that soft voice of his. A smaller shadow rested beside him, a crow which ,she realized, was another Spirit Guide.
"That was beautiful." Stated the wolfess, walking until she was right beside the elder, Mihewi following her close by. her hands were placed on her lap, one holding the other, and her eyes casted down, showing respect for him, but her smile was visible for everybody. "I fear I have not seen you before. My name is Luna Sabino. May I know yours?" She asked, unsure about whether to take a seat beside the man or leave him alone to his thoughts.
He was rather intent on his singing that he didn’t hear the footsteps approach him. The words were not in his home tongue, AniWayan, but they still were rather appropriate. It wasn’t until she spoke that Aranck noticed her. ”Wado, my dear.” He wasn’t sure how much AniWayan she knew, so he stuck to only a few words. Ulilohi had mentioned that not many were versed in the old ways and he was happy to help them learn.
He motioned for her to join him. Osiyo, Luna. My name is Aranck Eluwilussit. I arrived not too long ago from the Great Tribe. Have you been in the pack long?” She seemed intelligent and he knew that she was from here since she smelled AniWayan, a smell that was so much like the Great Tribe. From what he had seen of the place and what he knew of the men, he could see why Dawali liked it and Maska hated.
It was enough like home that it should have pleased the rather forward thinking Amara. But it was too little like home for the taste of that usgianu, Maska. But Aranck knew that he needed to stop thinking of the man or else he might accidently let it slip what happened to Maska, and he had promised Ulilohi he wouldn’t. So he gave the female named Luna a friendly, if not mischievous, grin.
The gentleness with which the man expressed himself cleared any doubts about the man and his temperament, so the masked female did not hesitate to join him on his tranquil meditations. Aranck, the man, seemed to have been raised with the AniWayan as his mother tongue, and he did use a few words of it on his sentences, but Luna had recieved little instruction on it, and he managed to pick up their meanings.
Taking her place beside him, the wolfess pondered her answers before speaking them out loud. "I've been to the tribe since the last summer, which makes it more than half a year. And I have to say that it has been enough time for me to consider it a family." Eyes withdrawn, the female explained her opinion on AniWaya, which was high, considering that the truth of the first leader she met, Dawali, had been revealed in the worst of the ways. It was something that couldn't be forgiven easily, but that could be but aside if one considered the goods that said leader had made for the tribe. The only talk she had had with him wasn't very extense, but it had explained most of the tribe's way of life, which had only served to strngthen the woman's wishes to establish there.
Stretching her hark hued toes towards the fire as casually as possible, she shot a gentle grin towards Aranck as an answer to his friendly one. It was clear that he was the kind of wolf that would not act with unnecessary solemnity in all aspects of his life, and that he was actually easy-going. Trying to get more personal, the healer inquired about the tawny man's birthplace. "If I may ask, how is the Great tribe like?" Her features darkened when she remembered that most of the references that she had of it came from a man who had pulled AniWaya to its darkest moments. "I am not sure abouts its lifestyle, and the little information that I've obtained of it came from...unreliable sources." At this point she crossed her arms over her chest, but softened her expression, waryness being replaced by curiosity. "I would like to know more about it." She didn't mention the Ahote man in any moment, but she trusted him that he would understand why did she want to clear any doubts about the lifestile of the tribe from which this pack had diverged.
Feel free to poke me if I’m a bit slow. It helps spur me on to action.
It seemed that she understood the simple AniWayan that he spoke and he wondered who had taught her. Though he wasn’t sure how much of it she understood. He listened to her speak about how long she’d been here and he gave a chuckle. ”You beat me in length. I’ve only been here less than a week.” He then asked the question that he was curious about. ”Tell me, Luna, where did you learn my mother tongue and how much of it do you know?” He might have found his first pupil in language lessons.
Her question about what the Great Tribe was like followed by her statements of an unreliable source caused him to chortle. ”I assume you mean that idiot Maska?” But he sobered up soon after he said that and realized that he might have to tread lightly. He glanced at the Great Fire and sent a silent prayer for the spirits to send him wisdom. ”Well, AniWaya is different enough to be a little disconcerting for someone like me but similar enough that it feels like home.” He paused. ”There should be some differences anyway. You are far enough to naturally morph into something based on the Great Tribe but distinct from it.” He finished with, ”It is not all that different at the core.”
The tuition that she received was imparted in times of war, when everybody feared for their well fare. Little was taught to her then, and even less remained intact after the passing of the following events. "I fear that I don't remember much." She answered to his question."I wanted to learn, but the situation we were in didn't allow us to lower our guards. Everybody was scared, and my teacher, Ralla, had a family to care about." She quenched his curiosity as well as she could, but drifted from the topic a bit. "In short, I only know the basics of AniWayan." She shrugged at the end of the phrase. She did not enjoy being so ignorant, she never had.
Beside her, the tiny mustelid looked at her with a mix of understanding and disapproval. She would've expected that her package knew more about AniWayan folklore, especially with the tier she had chosen. She shook her head, knowing that she had an uncarved piece in her hands (claws) which she would have to work on.
Oblivious to the spirit's train of thought, Luna listened to Aranck, relieved that he catched the hint and that his reaction to the name was the same as hers. Aversion. Aversion and hatred. It was rare that the medic ever held a grudge against anybody, for her eyes only looked for the best in people, but she couldn't avoid feeling the tightness in her throat that made her crave to scream blasphemies to the self-proclaimed leader. She just nodded, and was glad that the man changed the topic to answer her own inquisitions.
"I bet it isn't" She said back when he finished. "I suppose that the distance is big enough to allow differences to bloom between the two groups." Her gaze, which moved from Aranck to the Great Fire as she spoke, returned to him. "It doesn't mean its history has to get lost because of them. When I first arrived, I had no interest on the spiritual world. I believed in it, but it didn't catch my attention." She made a pause in which she remembered her first encounter with a ghost. "Now I know enough about it like to find out more about it. But there aren't enough sources from which to obtain such knowledge."
The fair woman uncurled her arms from her torso, leaning back and supporting herself on them instead. Green, thoughtful eyes returned to the source of light and warmth and gazed at it, a thoughtful expression dancing beneath them. "I'd really want to learn more."
Aranck watched her as she explained that she didn’t remember a whole lot. So he came up with an idea. ”Well then, my dear, how about I teach you the language? Since it is my mother tongue and my profession in the teaching tier?” He then decided that he wouldn’t give it to her for free. ”Though I’ll need something in return. My old bones and joints are stiff and sore but don’t know the plants in the area. So I’ll teach you AniWaya in exchange for herbal knowledge.” That should be a fair trade: knowledge for knowledge.
It seemed that Maska was not popular in AniWaya and he couldn’t blame them for hating the man. He disliked him as well but he didn’t have the slug as usurper of their beloved leader. Aranck rather liked Dawali Amara and the rest of the Amara family. But Luma was grateful that he changed topics and answered her questions, eventually joining him his musings on how distance affected the two packs.
Then she talked about how there wasn’t really anyone to explain the history or the spirituality of AniWaya, and by extension the Great Tribe. He nodded thoughtfully and stroked his chin. ”What in particular would you like to know?” He thought about asking for something in exchange but couldn’t think of anything else he wanted or needed. So the cultural/history/religious lesson would be included with the language lesson.
Even though the woman saw the offer coming, that didn't lessen her joy, which manifested by the way she opened her mouth in a wolfish grin. "You will?...I mean, I can help with that." she said, when Aranck presented his offer. She knew that she had what he needed, and she could collect some more later. A diagnosis was already forming on her head, but was put aside when she was asked about what particular topic she would like to learn. It took her a couple of seconds to consider it, but she decided that her tier was her priority. "The spiritual world is something that I am to know if I want to remain as a healer here. But, unfortunately, it is a topic I've barely explored. I guess that not many have considered learning about it." Furry shoulders shrugged as she finished speaking, green eyes avid of knowledge staring at the man.
For a few seconds she remained silent, before sighing and standing up, brushing the dust off her clothing and looking at Aranck, a smile plastered in her mouth, encouraging him to take her extended hand. "I say that it is a deal. So, if you'd like, we can go to my hut and I'll give you the herbs that you'll need. Unless..." She side-glanced at the fire once. "...you felt like staying here a little bit longer." The truth was that the Fire was a very comfortable place, despite her being perfectly capable of keeping herself warm. It irradiated a sense of familiarity, and the topic of its imminent magnetism plopped on her head once more, as she waited for her new acquaintance's response.
His eyes glittered with amusement at her very apparent excitement. She seemed as eager to learn, as he was to find the right herbs to help his aching bones. Back in the Great Tribe, Aranck knew all the herbs and what they did and what they looked like. Here, however, he knew some of them but there were many that he would not know. But he still needed to say, "Wado." At her words about AniWayans not know much about the spirit world, he nodded thoughtfully. "Ulilohi explain that and asked if I could teach everyone about that sort of thing." He wondered if she minded the familiarity with which he spoke of the councilmember. But he didn't really care what she thought, especially since he viewed her as a niece since most of the Great Tribe's younger generation saw him as an uncle or grandfather.
At her suggestion of getting up and moving to her hut, he nodded but gave a cheeky grin. "What will people say?" He then gave a slight chortle as Dega shook his feathered head at his charge's joke but was clearly amused by Aranck's antics. But Aranck soon sobered and got up, feeling his bones grind together slightly. But once he was standing he gestured and said, "Lead the way fair maiden." Yes, Aranck decided he liked AniWaya very much.
383w :: AJHGFKJGFHGJKHG sorry for answering this late!!! D:
Luna dismissed Aranck's cheeky grin with a smile of her own, actually amused by his behavior. Usually old men were solemn in all their acts, or that was what she though when she found that old man in the woods during her spiritual journey. Well, things weren't always what they looked like.
The medic allowed Mihewi to climb up her arm and make herself comfortable on her shoulder as she stood up, offering a hand to the man who, apparently, didn't need it. That is a good sign she thought, the pain mustn't be so strong... and then she began to do a mental list of what could be used, to treat him. "Lets go, it is over there." She said, pointing towards her home's general direction. A last glance towards the place they had been sitting on and both wolves departed, the woman keeping her pace with the elder's.
"What a beautiful scenery." She observed when, somewhere long their path, a space opened among the crooked buildings and part of the surrounding forest appeared. And, almost hidden by the irregular pattern of the crops surrounding it, a river flowed, meek, dividing the land into two. "It seems almost impossible that blood has been spilled here." She mumbled, more to herself than to the facetious wolf walking next to her. "The good thing is that it passed, right?" For the first time in a while, the weasel hooked to her collarbone with tiny claws spoke out loud. "Yeah, I think so." Then, realizing her impoliteness, she turned towards Aranck. "Hehe, now we're leaving you out, sorry for that." Then, pointing with an earthy fingers towards the lands behind the crops, she asked. "What do you think about it? To believe that it hodls not only beauty, but usefulness." She made a pause, in which she waited for an answer for her remark, but, although she still paid attention, she could not avoid meeting the pattern of colors that the sin formed as it lowered towards the horizon. It almost looked like a fire, but different, for this one was completely still and silent.
"We´re almost there." The observation came when the buildings became more familiar. Turning towards Aranck, she said. "I'm still working on this old hut, but it is cozy enough."
She didn’t seem to mind his slightly dirty mind, for which he was grateful. He didn’t actually mean anything by it but most used it for his own entertainment. Of course he would apologize if she was upset by it or insulted but as Luna seemed more amused by it than upset, Aranck knew that she could stand his teasing and there was no reason for him to apologize. She mentioned where she was staying and he nodded, offering her his arm to walk, feeling rather chivalric at the moment. Taga flew over to him and perched on his shoulder.
She commented on the scenery and Aranck grinned. "You must feel special that you live in such a beautiful area, my dear." He wasn't sure if he liked this place more than the Great Tribe or vice versa but they both were very nice. She talked to her self about blood being spilt and he wanted to rant about Maska but knew that would not be productive. Her spirit guide spoke to her about that and they had a mini-conversation, which left him amused as he often did that with both Taga and himself, which of course left people wondering about his sanity but then he liked playing the part of the crazy old wolf.
Luna then pointed out the crops and he shook his head. "I would be more surprised if it wasn’t there since they would be there in the Great Tribe as well at this time. Though I prefer the finished product." He especially liked the tobacco but that was something he didn’t often indulge in. The earth colored female then said that they were there and he nodded his assent and waited for her to stop at her home so they could enter.
311w :: Assuming that Aranck's arthritis isn't very painful. If you want me to change anything tell me please
Once at the stone building, Luna stepped aside and indicated the man to enter with an elegant sign, extending her arms towards the main room and bowing her torso. "Make yourself comfortable, please." She followed after him as she eyed the chairs pointing them with her head and sat in one of them, taking his arm gently and moving the wrist. "I have to check the gravity of your dolence. Does this hurt?" Very slowly, she rotated the man's hand in circles, feeling the movement of the bones beneath his skin.
Back in the city, her mother and she had treated a man with arthritis, only that in his case the pain was continuous and quite strong. Her mother had found a treatment to lessen the pain, and it had worked. She remembered said treatment, but it would take some time to prepare all the substances. If the dolence wasn't as strong as to prevent him from his daily routine, then she could start with something lighter before moving on with the real treatment.
Only when he answered her question she stood up and left the man for a minute, assuring him that she wouldn't take long. Inside of her storage room she rummaged through a few jars before finding a small roll of hide with some half-dried nettles in it. She went back to the elder and placed the herbs before him. "This is stinging nettle. I can prepare an infusion with it that will lessen the pain, but not very much. If you give me a day or so, I can prepare a marijuana maceration for you to apply topically on your articulations. Is that ok?" She asked, grining, as she eyed the leaves resting in front of the greyish man, eager to listen to his opinion. "If you want I can prepare the first infusion for you now..."
She gestured for him to enter with a rather large, sweeping gesture and then tilted her head for him to sit in one of the chairs. Aranck sat down and allowed Luna to move one of his hands gently but firmly around. Her question was answered with a slight wince but in all it wasn’t too bad. His arthritis wasn’t that far advanced and might never get too much worse than it already was. After she let his hand go, he rubbed very slightly, finding that that helped relieve some of his pain. "If I was in the Great Tribe, where I was Ookah, I would do this myself since I knew the plants. So I must thank you for doing this." He really was grateful for her to be doing this for him.
She then went off to get something and came back with some nettles. He nodded and listened to what she said. "The stinging nettle infusion should help a lot. So will the laceration." He was aware of the effects of marijuana and of stinging nettle. He just wasn’t sure if they had them here. At her preparing the first infusion now, he nodded and said, "We can do some of your lessons while we wait. Would you prefer to hear about the Great Tribe, some basic AniWayan, or something else?" He would let her chose what she would like to learn. If she was a pup, he would have chosen the subjects but she was a grown woman and could decide what was most useful for her to learn first.
302w :: Mihewi is invisible. Sorry for the delay...again ;_;
Luna Sabino
In need of resurrection as my desires and power
grow in thickets tall all round me
Feeling the bones move against each without the stiffness that could've been expected from a more serious case was a relief, but Aranck's wince alarmed the woman a bit, though it all remained hidden beneath a mask of tranquility. She didn't want to hurt him, but still, it was necessary to determine how advanced the illness was. However, as she retired, she could see that, even as he rubbed the articulation, his face didn't display real pain or disconfort. "It is ok, I enjoy doing this after all." She answered from the store, half a smiling, and thinking about the confort that her profession brought to her.
Back to the man's side, she heard his reply, and then, as he asked her for a subject to start with, she moved towards the area where a kitchen used to be, and grabbed one of the two covered bowls filled with water that she kept in case of an emergency and moved it towards the fireplace. "I'd rather start with some AniWayan lessons." She said as she placed some logs and branches in a tee-pee formation and then proceeded to turn it on. It took her a few tries, but in the end a small spark appeared. In a matter of seconds, a small fire was crepting, so the brunette left the water there and returned to the table, careful no to touch the nettles. "Now we will only have to wait." With nothing else to do, she proceeded to listen to Aranck's lessons, looking at him expectantly, almost in a childlish manner, and leaning forward so her gaze ended in a lower level than his. To top it all, she bagan to wag her tail, making herself look more like a child than like the medic that she had been only moments ago.
He was glad that she was at least gentle as she moved his finger joints and other parts of his hand against each other. Truth be told, his esteem for her medical skills increased as it was rare for a medic to have such a gentle touch. He gave her a fond smile and replied to her enjoying this, "So you enjoy torturing people?" But he had a sparkle of good humor in his eyes, showing her that he wasn't serious about it.
He considered what to teach her first as he watched her prepare the stuff for his hands. "We're going to start with introducing ourselves. Ale ayv dagovgi Aranck. Or my name is Aranck. You would say…?" He trailed off, intending for her to answer him. He was ready to gently correct her if she was wrong but he hoped that she wouldn't. But he did chuckle at her eagerness to learn. She was almost like a young puppy in her curiosity, which he liked and admired.
He figured she should learn something else to tell him that she wasn't sure what he was asking. "So you can practice your AniWayan and I know if you don't understand something, you can say: Tlaigoliga, which means I don't understand or Thlahtlayagwanta, which mean I don't know." He wondered if she would use either of those phrases.
Code by Kitty, Table by Sammiie & photo by Rezmutt@flickr
