[PRP] Meeting People Never Gets Easier

[Rennekae]

Zuni hopped lightly down the cliffs that ringed the inland border of her pride. Her satchel was full to bursting after a successful morning gathering medical supplies, various plants and flowers sticking out precariously, and she carried two large sticks with an enormous spiderweb strung between them - irate inhabitant still on board - tenderly in her jaws. She trotted around the outskirts of the pride to her den, a nice-sized "cave" of sorts formed by the roots of a large tree, moving quickly but carefully so as not to dislodge or further irritate her arachnid passenger.

Once there, she gently placed the spider and his web into one of the many natural cubbyholes in the outer walls of her den, said a happy hello back to the roots and set to work organizing the rest of her supplies into their respective nooks and crannies. She was thoroughly enjoying the warm day, the cool breeze coming from the ocean, and the quiet conversation with the roots, the rapid swiveling of her ears the only indication of the paranoia that always had her heart firmly in its jaws.

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Rennekae

The pride was changing. He had felt it the say their goddess had brought the insanity back. His mind had become foggy as if in an instant but the clarity quickly returned as he embraced the noise. His muse was very noisey, it echoed in his ears and shouted at him, it was almost like he was deaf at times.

The noise in his ears made him loud, he shouted most everything when he spoke. His voice had rattled loose a little mud slide, or perhaps it wasn’t His voice, perhaps his voice had only aggravated the already shifting soil. Either way he had managed to get himself half buried in rock and mud. His back and legs had gotten pretty badly scratched up, his fur was mussed and one of his legs felt very sore. He was unable to put his paw down on the ground this had lead him to try and find a healer. He knew of at least one and he was making a beeline for her den.

“HELLO? I NEED HELP PLEASE!” He called his voice, loud as ever, echoing off the trees and rocks around him. He hobbled carefully towards the tree cave, hoping someone was home.  

[Rennekae]

With her ever-attentive ears always straining to hear the slightest sounds of approach, the sudden holler for help may as well have been directly in Zuni's ear. She was inside her den, toward the back, and had just finished putting away all her supplies. The yell made her jump and spiked an instant mohawk from the base of her neck to the base of her tail. The black lioness hurried from her den and looked about to see a male with bird-like markings that she recognized but didn't recall meeting. He was limping heavily with one leg and covered in abrasions, though most of them seemed superficial at first glance.

Zuni rushed over and sat back on her haunches to free up the use of both front paws. "What happened?" she asked and began sifting through his fur to inspect the cuts and scrapes closely. As she listened to the response, she listed the supplies she would need in her head. Ferns to clean the wounds... Dock poultice for the deeper cuts... That cut will need some cobwebs to stop the bleeding...

"Lie down, please, on your side," she instructed, her voice only cracking a little. Her ears twitched, partially from nerves and partially from irritation with herself. One of the only times Zuni felt confident around others was when she was giving them medical attention, but it had taken a while for her to get to the point she was at and it was clear that there was still room for growth. She shoved away her paranoid thoughts - this lion was actually hurt, not faking it to launch an attack on her while her guard was down - and started examining his legs, extending them and pushing on them, leaving the clearly injured one for last. Trying to ignore any sounds of discomfort or pain, Zuni tested the hurt leg and concluded that it was just a twisted ankle - still painful, but nothing to worry about.Huckleberry will do for now.

"Come with me," she stood and gestured for him to follow her, her tail flicking anxiously. The monochromatic lioness was always apprehensive about inviting others into her den, but she was getting better, and it would be easier to treat him in her den than to have to grab all of the things she needed and bring them out to him for the sake of keeping him a few tail-lengths away.

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Rennekae

The mostly black and white male lion followed her instructions exactly. Laying on his side while she checked him over. He was unable to hold back a few growls and grumbles, especially when she moved his leg but the sounds were of pain not of aggression. He was glad he had made it to the healer even if she seemed scared? Confused? He wasn’t sure what feeling he was getting from her but her skilled paws quickly brushed away the uneasy feeling.

When she told him to stand and follow her he did so without complain though he held his back paw off the ground. He found his voice as he followed her in to her den “SMALL AVALANCHE.. MOSTLY JUST CAUGHT MY BUTT THOUGH.” He grimaced as he accidentally placed his injured paw on the ground.

“THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!” He continued as he ducked through the entrance of her den. The buzzing in his ears had reached a searing level and he knew he was yelling but he couldn’t hear himself over the noise. The pain he felt, the feeling of exhaustion that was rolling over him seemed to make the noise in his head louder. “I FEEL A BIT DIZZY...” He trailed falling forward on to the floor of her den for a moment there was nothing but darkness but his head cleared and he opened his eyes slowly blinking rapidly in tot he shadows of the unusual smelling home of the black healer.  

[Rennekae]

Zuni pinned her ears flat against her head as the male started shouting again. Having no way of knowing that his muse was at least partially to blame for his volume, the dark healer suspected that his ears must be ringing from the avalanche. Grabbing her supplies, she turned to face her pridemate and startled as he collapsed in front of her. She rushed to his side and put down her items, but was relieved to find he was already awake again - just a minor blackout, but still something that needed to be seen to.

"Stay down," she ordered sternly, all trace of her stammer gone. "What's your name?" She set to work cleaning out his wounds, scrubbing at the cuts with fern fronds as he answered.

"And your mother's name?" She picked up a dock leaf and chewed it to make a poultice, using her tongue to slather the dressing on the deeper cuts. Zuni had no way of knowing whether or not this lion's answers were correct, but she was mainly testing to see if he could give an answer, and how quickly.

"And your father?" She laid the cobwebs over the wounds that had needed dressings, then headed off and rummaged around in the alcove that contained her pain-relieving plants, pulling back with a small sprig of huckleberry and heading back to sit face-to-face with her patient. She dropped the berries in front of him but used one paw to hold his chin up, staring scrutinizingly into his eyes as she waved her other paw in front of him methodically. Satisfied that he wasn't concussed, she removed her paws and instructed him to eat the berries.

"They'll help with the pain. My name is Zuni, by the way." Her ear flicked as she relaxed, her job mostly done, and her nerves started to return.

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Rennekae

“PEGINNI” the black and white male replied as she started to see to his wounds. The salve she placed in his wounds brought some sort of relief though it stung as she touched each of the wounds he tried to remain still, though he really couldn’t help but grimace as she touched the open wounds.

“UHHH DON’T REALLY KNOW MY DAD HIS NAME WAS PRINNY, MY MA IS EZEM THOUGH.” He answered as he looked at the offered berries with scrutiny. He’d never been offered a berry before, or maybe he had but he didn’t know about it.

“WHAT DO THEY TASTE LIKE?” He questioned still looking at the berries with curiosity, he wasn’t actually sure if he should eat them, sure she had dressed his wounds and that was good but being expected to eat something not meat was a little out of his comfort zone.  

[Rennekae]

Zuni, having started to put away the supplies she hadn't used, paused at the question and turned to look at Peginni. She had assumed he'd already eaten the berries and was surprised at his reluctance. The black lioness wasn't used to adults being so hesitant with her remedies, and that was most certainly a question only cubs had asked - most adults preferred not to know, just in case the answer was literally "unpleasant".

Luckily that wasn't the case here. "They're sweet, and a little tart. You don't have to eat them if you don't want to. They won't help you get better, they'll only help you feel better."

Another pause. Zuni's tail tip had started to twitch at a constant pace by this point, her nerves needing a physical outlet. She was unaccustomed to having anyone else in her den, let alone for this long, and it was starting to wear on her. But still... she couldn't in good conscience let this go.

"I apologize if this comes off rude but, why are you yelling?" Her ears tucked tight against her skull and she spluttered on before her courage could flee. "If it's a hearing problem, I may be able to help, if you'd like me to. I know that isn't what you came in for."

Syrius Lionwing

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Rennekae

Sorry for the long wait finally getting my self together!

The male gave a brief nod and ate the berry’s. The taste wasn’t unpleasant so he was okay with eating them, he had just never really been offered fruit before. He was a meat eater to the core. He took his time to chew the berry’s while listening to the quiet female , she seemed to be getting more nervous the longer he was there.

When she asked about his yelling he opened his mouth and closed it again. Honestly, he hadn’t realised he was yelling. Perhaps there was something wrong with his hearing, but he had never really considered that. He simply assumed he was speaking at a regular tempo.

He lifted a paw and scratched behind his head “I’M YELLING?” He queried a genuine look of confusion on his maw.  

[Rennekae]

Zuni scoffed quietly at herself when the male responded. In hindsight, it made sense that he wouldn't know he was yelling if he had a hearing problem he wasn't aware of.

"Well, yes, a little," she answered quietly, an almost apologetic tone to her voice. "If there's a ringing in your ears, it's likely just from the avalanche and should pass soon."

Zuni had no clue why she felt so sheepish; the question was medically relevant and not really offensive. Yet, she was still embarrassed. Ah well, too late now, and all she could do was hope it would pass.

Syrius Lionwing

It's all good! <3