She ain't never looking back

Everything was new to her, not only did she just wake up in this strange world not that long ago, but she got accepted into a pretty interesting pack on day one. She was currently taking a break from the teachings from @Aries and decided to wonder around her new home. Her paws moved along the dirt as she wondered, moving slow enough to take in everything. Aries had told her about the land and the rules and she found herself wondering how she got herself into this situation. From what it seemed, this pack was more of a family than a pack and she honestly wasn't sure if she would truly be accepted into a pack this tightly knit. 

Part of her wondered what happened to those that wanted to leave the pack, not that she had any reason to want to leave. She had finally found a home. What that accepted her.... for the most part. She knew she probably annoyed the fuck out of Aries, especially after beating him in battle. Mystery wondered how many battles the man had lost in his life time. She figured with how he fought, not many. But other than Aries, she only ever met @Vengeance and honestly... she wasn't sure how he felt about her. She would be lying if she said she wasn't both terrified of and intrigued by him.

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 Well well well, who was this? He ran along tree branches, hopping from tree to tree, squirrel-like in his silent pursuit of her. She was a new face in their "family" and he was quite curious about her. She was a scarred woman, missing half a tail with a coat as dark as night. It was quite the sight as she walked through the mist-laden forest. 

 His nose twitched up and down as he paused for a moment, to clean his paws and rub them across his face. Then, he called out in his relatively deep voice. "Hello! Hello there, ma'am!" He allowed himself to slide off of the limb he was sitting on and then hung by the tail. He was upside down as he looked down at the she-wolf with a smile on his face. He had none of his wares with him today but was just a simple rat out to investigate things for his boss.

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The sound of a voice speaking to her made her stop, ears twitching as she looked around to see who called out to her. At first she didn't see anything but after a few moments, her eyes would dart up to the creature hanging in the tree. Was that a mouse? Curiosity got the better of her and she walked towards them. Besides, if the mouse attacked her, she was pretty sure she could kill it quite easily. 

However, what she assumed was that this creature was watching her, probably because the pack didn't trust her. Not that she minded. It wasn't as if she was planning on doing anything. She was rather content in this pack right now. "Hello there. Were you calling out to me?" She would move to sit down at the base of the tree, looking up at the small creature.

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 He hung there, watching as she looked around and finally had her eyes settle on him. He waved a paw at her before tucking it with the other at his chest. The she-wolf walked over to him and he would extend his nose further down towards her, sniffing to lock her scent into his brain. "I was! I hadn't seen you around before and wanted to introduce myself!" He was polite, as always. 

 "My name's Err Defoe. I'm sort of the healer and item-crafter 'round here, in case you are ever in need of my services." He pointed westward, past a sloping hill. "My cave's that way if you ever have need of me." His services or just to chat though that didn't happen super often. Mostly he had the company of the rat pack that hung around Vengeance to keep him company. "What's your name?" He tucked his paws back at his chest as he looked at her much larger face.

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She offered the small rodent a smile, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Yes, I just got accepted not that long ago. I b-" She paused for a moment, not really wanting to oust Aries in saying that she beat him. "I met Aries and along with Vengeance, they welcomed me into the pack." She sniffed the rat for a moment, making sure not to startle him. 

As he spoke about being a healer, her eyes seemed to light up, her tail wagging slightly behind her. "Oh, you're a healer? I myself am a healer as well, though I would love to learn more if you don't mind." She hoped that she wasn't being too much of an inconvenience to the small creature. "Thank you for the invitation. I'm not sure if I will be able to fit in your cave, but I wouldn't mind coming by to give you company should you wish it."

She was a very sweet wolf despite the scars that littered her body. Not only was she a healer, but she did enjoy just chatting with new people. That didn't mean, however, that she didn't also love fighting.

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 He mirrored her, cocking his head to the side as well, when she cut herself off. What was it that she was going to say? Whatever it was she seemed keen on moving past it and he decided to put a pin in that for later. "Well then, allow me to give a formal welcome to you as well!" He said warmly with a twitch of his whiskers. 

 Well well, this wolf became more interesting by the minute! "Another healer? What joy!" They weren't really running a surplus of those. Most of the wolves around here preferred to fight and none of the other rats were really shaping up to want to heal either. "I'm always happy to share my craft with others that are willing to learn more." Honestly, it was pretty great! To have a backup and someone to talk herbs with. Caiatl was nice and all but she was more on the item-crafting side. 

 The rat looked down below him and then suddenly released the branch with his tail. He fell through the air for several feet and landed on a bush. It shook with his sudden weight but he'd grabbed onto it and was unhurt, he wasn't heavy enough for the fall to injure him in any way. From the bush, he climbed down onto the ground and then walked right up to the she-wolf. He sat on his haunches with his nose up in the air so that he could look up at her. He had no fear, he knew if she were here because Vengeance had accepted her, then she'd know better than to touch his prized rats. 

 "I picked my cave with wolves in mind. If the boss can fit, you can too." He said with a laugh. His cave was massive by rat standards but it was perfect for storing his many supplies and treating patients inside. "You're free to come by whenever you like, if you want to chat or if you want to learn and talk herbs and remedies." Gosh, getting to prod her brain on different herbal tinctures and salves would be fantastic.

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Hearing that he accepted to help her learn more made her happy, which was clear as the stump that was her tail wagged behind her. There is so much she could learn from him. Not only could she learn more about the pack, but also what herbs grew around here. However, as she was considering all the things she could possibly learn, she saw him fall out of the tree. With a startled yip, she would rush forward, nose down to the ground as he emerged from the bush, worry on her face.

"Oh, are you alright?" She started sniffing him, making sure he didn't take any damage from the fall. She didn't know much about rats so she didn't know that they didn't take damage from things like that. Instead, her motherly and healer side kicked in as she started inspecting him for wounds. 

Content that he didn't have any, she let out a sigh or relief, sitting herself back down but this time, lowering her body to the ground. She laid on her stomach so the smaller creature wouldn't have to crane his neck to look up at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a healer?" She didn't know many other that were healers or those that did, didn't enjoy it as much as she did. "Also, if it's not too much trouble, do you think you could show me where to gather some herbs? I don't know the land well enough to know what grows around here and I'd love to start maintaining my herb pack." 

She hoped to find a cave or even just dig out a hole to keep her herbs in. She didn't need much, just enough to house her and her herbs. "Also do you know of a place I could dig out a den?" She felt bad for asking so many questions, but that's what happened when she talked about something she enjoyed so much. She just hoped she didn't annoy the small creature.

 

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 He was charmed at the she-wolf's concern for him and waved a paw dismissively at her inspections. "I'm fine, don't worry. A fall like that for someone my size is nothing I promise you." Perhaps that was a lesson in and of itself. That was an amused thought that passed through his mind. As if she would ever need to learn about the healing of rats. 

 She laid down, something else he appreciated and, very quickly, he found himself truly warming up to this she-wolf. Perhaps, he'd found a kindred spirit in the healing arts. "For as long as I can remember..." He tapped his chin with a paw. "It's strange, really. I woke up here one day and realized I wasn't in my previous pack. So, I figured it good to set up shop here." The longer he stayed here, the less he could remember about home. He'd even forgotten about his sister until she reappeared here. "But I know I was trained as a healer even when I was still a mere pup. Same with crafting things." It wasn't easily forgotten. He'd lived and breathed his craft for... well, not years because rats didn't normally live that long. But the equivalent of years for rats. 

 "I'd be happy to show you." Here, he would look up over her head. Contemplating if he should ask if he could ride on her to show her where, he was very good at giving directions and it would be quicker --and less tiring-- than him running ahead of her. Eh, might as well. "Do you mind if I show you from there?" He pointed to the top of her head. "I can lead you by telling you where to go, probably'll help you learn faster too." He said it with a sweet smile and a blink of his rose-colored eyes.

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She was happy to know that the rat was okay, something that she couldn't help in being a healer. She would always make sure others were safe. With a nod of understanding, she would fall silent, listening to what the creature had to say. Her eyes were wide with curiosity, almost looking as though she were a curious pup again. "Well, I'm not able to craft may things, but I do like to keep herbs together and sometimes even replant them if I'm able to. Though getting the full plant from one place to another does tend to be a bit tricky." She chuckled softly, joy clear on her face. 

As he asked to climb onto her head, she would nod slightly, lowering her head for him to climb onto. "Of course, you may hitch a ride at any time, just please make sure you hang on." She was starting to see this little rat as her friend and though she likely wouldn't say it out loud, she wanted to make sure she would accidently step on him. 

With her body to the ground, she would wait patiently for the small creature to climb up and once he did, she would very slowly stand, trying to give him time to hang on tightly and get use to moving around on her head. She didn't mind how hard he gripped her fur, as long as he didn't fall off. "Alright, where to?" She would once again wait rather patiently for him to start telling her where to go.

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 Did his ears deceive him? "Replant? As in, you grow your own herbs?" Such an idea had never even crossed his mind before! The potential for that was astounding! No more going out to search, no more dried herbs but fresh ones! "Like a whole area of your own with just the herbs? A, uhm," What was the word he was looking for... it was on the tip of his tongue. "A garden?" He asked. He would never be able to transport entire plants alone, he was far too small to even consider it. What luck befriending someone who could. 

 Pleased that she said "yes", the little rat climbed up on top of her noggin and sat between her ears, quite comfy. She also smelled much better than @Vengeance, oops. He would get himself situated and grasping on with his little forepaws and hind paws, his tail hanging down and curling a little way around her chin like a little rat fashion accessory. "Alright, so first, I think we should see the herbs. Then, after that, we can head back around to see some good den spots." That seemed like a good plan to him. 

 "So let's head towards that tree there, the one with the bark scratched off a bit and keep walking straight until you see a rock with moss on one side. When we hit that make a left and then we'll run into a clump of goldenrod." A very useful plant for the wolves around here who enjoyed battles.

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She smiled widely as she heard his response to her garden. She hadn't created one in a while but she knew how to do it. A thought crossed her mind for a moment before she voiced it. "You said earlier about crafting things, do you by chance know how to make something I could perhaps carry in my mouth to hold the herbs? I don't want to accidently crush them if we get a lot." 

Once he was safely on top of her head, she began moving, looking around for a moment before she spotted the tree he was talking about. Just like he said, she began walking towards it, continuing to walk straight. As he spoke of goldenrod, she would think for a moment. "Oh, goldenrod, it can be used in a poultice to heal open wounds, correct?" She was pretty sure that was right, but she wanted to make sure. 

After a few moments, she noticed the mossy rock and turned left, seeing the bright yellow flowers almost instantly. They weren't very hard to miss either. Lowering her head, she would allow him to hop off, not wanting him to jump all the way down. "Try to dig around the roots, but be careful not to rip the plant from the root, that way we can replant them." 

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She asked a question and he nodded his head, not thinking about the fact that she couldn't see it. "Absolutely! What you need is a sort of basket. I can weave together grass and vines to make you one." Maybe he'd add in some furs for color and to make hers distinctive. "Give me about a week and I'll have it for you." The downside of being so tiny was it took him forever to make large things, the upside was that he could be careful and very detailed.

She asked about the goldenrod and he nodded his head. "Correct! Very important around here. I usually use it on conjunction with cobwebs to help stop bleeding, especially on larger wounds. A little trick we used to use in my old pack. If wounds are small enough then cobwebs work just fine to stop bleeding as well. " And around here they could be found in abundance even when the flowers were out of season.

Then, just as he had educated her, she educated him. "Fascinating!" He waited until she lowered her head and then he hopped off and ran over to the flowers. The sharp smell made his nose twitch as he ran up to the base of them. He began to dig around carefully at the base. With his tiny paws he was able to do so very carefully albeit a little slowly. "Like this?" He asked, pausing to look up at her.
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Hearing the creature say they could make her a basket made her smile softly. "Would you really not mind doing that for me?" She wasn't entirely used to others showing as much kindness as she typically did. However, that would never stop her from spreading kindness to everyone she came across. Her tail wagged slightly at the thought. "Take all the time you need! If you need any help, or anything I can bring you, please let me know." 

As he hopped off of her head, she would lower herself onto her stomach, watching him work as she nodded slightly. He was doing great getting around the roots! It was much more difficult for her to do so with her large paws. "Yeah! That's right!" She would bend over, after waiting for the full root to be dug out, and move to pick up the plant. 

She was very gentle with her mouth, picking the plant up by the stem and placing it gently on the ground so she could gather others. "That's perfect, if you wouldn't mind gathering a few more, I'm going to go gather some moss." She moved over towards the mossy rocks, using her nose and paws to gently scrape the moss of the rock before rolling it into a ball on the ground. She made a few small balls of moss of equal size.

"Do you know the good uses of moss?" She asked as she made her way back, though it was clear she wasn't trying to be rude. She was simply curious and wanted to help educate if he didn't know.

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 "Of course I wouldn't mind, it's part of my job and I enjoy crafting things." Anything that he could get his very tiny paws on, he enjoyed twisting and shaping and weaving until he could make whatever his heart desired. Granted, not many in their pack liked such trivial trinkets but it was still something he loved doing. "In fact, since you're so nice. Feel free to come down to my den and pick out any trinkets you like." He didn't know if she was the type to wear anything but if she wanted to, he'd be happy to help get her fitted with something. Bones? Feathers? Flowers? Whatever she wanted. 

 Then, encouraged by her words, he continued to dig until the flower was completely out. He studied for a minute the intricate little roots and how carefully he had managed to get around them. He watched as she picked the flower up, placing it gently on the ground near them. He nodded his head and then went to work digging up some others, a little quicker as he now knew what to do. Soon, their roots were exposed while the she-wolf was gathering the moss. "Now that I'm thinking about it, would you want to have a den close to mine? That way we could set up a garden that's near both of us and we can easily share herbs from both of our dens!" It was really exciting, honestly. Having another healer there in Blackwood. Hell, if she wanted to set up inside his den, he wouldn't tell her no. It was wolf-sized, anyway, built with his patients in mind. 

 When she came back over with the moss, about the same time that he'd finished digging up a few flowers, he stood on his hind legs and peered up at her. "I use it to clean wounds as it's good at soaking up water. Can also be used for bringing water to very sick wolves." He figured she was asking as a refresher for herself. "Do you use it for anything else?"

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She found herself really enjoying the company of this rat. Now only was he extremely nice, but he was also really knowledgeable. Hearing his offer, she would smile warmly. "Thank you so much. I cant offer much but you can use any herbs you need and let me know I you need a ride anywhere." It was the least she could do for all the help he was giving her.

As he talked about having her den next to his, she would nod with a smile. It seemed as though her smile rarely left her lips. "That's a perfect idea. That way we can both work with the garden." It was clear she was excited about this.

Bringing the moss back and setting it into a neat little pile, she would nod. "For the most part I use it for water transportation and to wet down creatures who have a fever so it will hold the water but won't be cold enough to out them in shock."

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 A lovely offer. He could always hitch a ride on Ven but he was certain that-- that-- Oh! He didn't actually know her name! They'd been so busy talking about healing and herbs that he'd given his but not gotten hers! "Madame, I think the only thing that would properly do is your name. So I know what to call you." He said this with a squeaking laugh, amused that he'd full-on forgotten. 

 He was pleased to hear that she was happy with making a den near his own. "It's settled then! We'll have our own healer's ally." Absolutely splendid!" He was oh-so-excited about all of this. Imagine, a flourishing garden with all the healing plants they could need! It was the best season for it too! 

 Ah, to bring down fevers! "How very clever! Clever indeed. Coupled with a couple of other herbs, that would be quite effective at fever control." He nodded his tiny head sagely. "Since I don't have any baskets with me, do you want me to arrange these herbs on your back so that we can carry them more easily."** Up there he could keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't fall off. He was certain they'd be able to make off with a ton of herbs this way! It was so nice to have lupine help. The Rat Pack was cool and all but they certainly lacked carrying power.

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She had been having so much fun meeting and working with another healer that she had entirely forgot to introduce herself! With a soft gasp, she shook her head slightly. "Oh my, I'm sorry about that. I'm Mystery. Mystery Crystal." She offered the creature a smile, her eyes warm. As he spoke of working together, she was more than excited about it. She wanted to start up on the garden as soon as possible!

He had a good point and an even better plan. With a couple seconds of thinking it through, she would nod. "That's a wonderful plan, I will make sure to walk carefully but it will be your job to keep them from falling" Slowly she would lay herself down, letting him place the herbs they had already gathered onto her back. "Do you want to go ahead and go plant what we have now or gather a more variety first?" She didn't mind it either way but wanted to see what he thought of the options.

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 "Mystery... Myst." Yes yes, he liked the sound of her name. It fit with the overall "mysterious" air of their home! "It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know you!" He said, meaning every single word of it. There were many in the pack, but very few would he ever seek out to befriend or work together with. This one, she was a great exception. 

 She agreed with the plan and Err busied himself with getting everything arranged across her back. "No worries there, I'll make sure everything stays up." He would skitter back and forth, moving and arranging the flowers and moss in such a way that he could keep his eyes on all of them. "I think we should head back and plant what he have now. That way I can also grab a couple of baskets from my den." They'd be able to more easily grab things up that way. His own personal baskets were rather small but they'd still be useful for some of the smaller plants they would gather. 

 Once he was finished arranging the herbs, he climbed up onto her back as well and seated himself with one paw holding on to her fur and another open to grab anything that looked like it might slide off once they got going. "Alright! I'm all set." He called to her from his position. He was ready to head out!

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She chuckled softly as her spoke her name, making her smile slightly. He seemed to like her name which, for some reason, made her laugh. It was kind of cute. With her body to the ground, she waited for him to place the herbs on her back, her tail swishing back and forth though she was a very patient creature so she didn't mind how long it took him. They did gather quite a few herbs after all and he was a rather small creature. 

Hearing his words that he was ready, she would nod her head before slowly standing up, similarly as last time, making sure that he was prepared for her movements before she started walking. "Just be careful up there and if anything happens, don't be scared to tell me to stop." Walking back home, she smiled softly to herself, happy that they were now making the garden and could work on it together.

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