Virtuous hearts; Tirisfal Valley

He didn't physically react to her joke, but when she ended with an apology, an expression flashed across his face, too quick for identification, before he responded, "Jewel. There's not need to apologize. I chose to push you out of the way, knowing the consequences. If you feel you must apologize, I'll forgive you as much as you need. Really. And you're smart. Maybe still learning and thus, less knowledgeable, but still so very smart."

Looking towards his injuries, he said, "A reapplication of herbs on these wounds might be a good idea. It'll give me a bit more energy." If the herbs were aiding the healing, he could channel a bit more energy into movement. He sat down, careful not to put weight on either of his injured legs.

He paused, giving her time to start working with the herbs, as well as trying to phrase his next statement properly, and knowing Jewel could potentially interpret his words the wrong way. Doctor's words were slower, more careful, "This won't necessarily be the most... tact thing I've ever said, but all I ask is that you consider this, and ask questions if you want clarification so you don't misunderstand. From what I have experienced, there are a few fixed actions in time, while the rest aren't. This was one of those points that could change. I could have pushed you out of the way without injury to myself. I may have found the situation too dangerous to endanger myself. Or, I may even have been going the wrong way in my search for you. Anything could have happened. On the other hand, your brother... Robbie. His leaving... may have been one of those fixed points- maybe not necessarily that particular moment that he did, but it might have been inevitable. It's not your fault, it's not his, and it's not your parents'. It doesn't make it any easier, I know, but think about how he behaved with you before leaving- did anything change or not? Maybe this pack didn't align with his ideas as he grew up. Or maybe he found an idea he realized liked better."

He cast to gaze away from Jewel, not wanting to see what he thought he knew would be the epitome of anger, "I do not wish him to be gone from the pack, but every wolf sees the world and their experiences a little differently. While we can temper ourselves to see otherwise, we still have unchangeable core ideas. Those moments that depend on such things are fixed." His eyes were glazed over in thought, remembering someone who fit exactly what he just described. A wolf who used to be his comrade, a wolf who was now his enemy and wanted Doctor out of the picture. The wolf he just had a hunch was within the lands of Fire and Ice, but not this pack.

He smiled at Jewel, nonverbally agreeing that her timing was fine. Doctor noticed the change in Ali, as she started to panic. He said, "Be safe," and watched her go, ready for the disappearance of support. Now that he was upright, he could at least keep his balance. Minutes later, Robin came barreling into view, looking eager, and clearly looking for his mate.

Shaking a bit, he said, "Low dens." Grinning in reassurance, he said, "She's not injured, but I would make haste. She'll need her mate for support, Robin." He wasn't sure how much he suspected, despite Ali saying she didn't tell him the litter was this season.

Glancing at Jewel, he said, "Your mother sounded surprised... not always a good sign from one knowledgeable in these events, especially since she has experience. I'd understand if you want to make sure she's ok. If she's in the Low Dens, all my wares were washed out, so I don't have anything if there are complications." Although Ali had asked of her daughter to aid him, he was going to make sure Jewel had an out to support her family. A wonder flashed across his eyes briefly, a thought, wondering if support from blood family was different than with pack family and friends. He turned to look in the direction Robin had come, where he assumed the pack was. The herbs Jewel gathered would be nice, and he could prepare that himself; he was also waiting for the others to make their move. The appearance of difficulty walking would only convince Jewel to remain to help, seemingly taking the decision out of her paws.

~...Eve...~

The thick stench of a large and pure pack settled in her nares as she quickened her pace toward the area that a wolf pack had been for a while. Her crimson orbits looked around the large valley as the smell of fresh prey lingered in the undergrowth. Her maw opened in a slight panting position as Eve looked among the realm. A small twitch of her aud gave her the chance to look around the area of the pack, not to cross the kingdom of the Tirisfal Valley wolves. Her obsidian black pelt ruffled as her banner hung between her hinds. The lupa was seeking a pack of this size.

It would give herself as much protection as she would be guarding it. She wasn't quite sure of her skills though, too busy traveling to this land so she wouldn't have to stay in that wicked cold "Greater North." Her scent gave of a snow and dirt smell, with a hint of the type of wolves she was with. They were strong, arctic wolves, built to hold any blizzard that was to come their way. They would overcome it as if it was a light rain storm. But since she was a young pup, she had to be kept in warm climates. She would never survive, due to her runt like body. Eve shook her cranium as the slightly noises was from the higher up rocks. Slowly and carefully not to cross, she got a little bit closer to the area that the wolf's scents were stronger. Softly, she gave out a bark with a hint of howl. "Hello?"

Her canines closed together as Eve sat against the green grass, thinking to herself. Her parents had blamed her with depression when she was really young. Would that be a problem in the pack? The maiden couldn't help to have the feelings of sorrow, but what would happen if the pack would not accept that fact about her personality?
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Cobalt

His maw settled calmly under his muzzle as he slowly limped around the territory to head up to the other in the pack. The gash on his forehead was still there, but wasn't bleeding or giving him any pain. Cobalt looked down to his paw, seeing that it was healing quite well. Perhaps soon, he could put pressure on it and begin to walk normally again. His dark beige body seemed to blend with the various trees that laid in the valley. As the scents of the ones he knew entered his nasal passages, he thought to himself about what his purpose was in the pack. Right now, the hessian wasn't really any help to the pack. Broken paw, unsociable, not aware of what was happening around him...

As he neared the domicile, his scent carried around as he could see the others. The wounded was being care for, making sure everyone was alright. A unnoticeable whimper escaped his vocal cords, happy to see everyone alright. Cobalt then walked a ways into the area and planted his torso on the ground. His lobes laid backwards as he rested his head on his bases. The titan watched the activity among the others carefully, taking in every speck of movement.

Doctor grinned, seeing that she'd showed even the faintest sign of a positive emotion. It didn't do anyone good to be worried all the time. It was bad for health. Lots of other things were, too, not that he was often good at taking his own advice. Soon his ears picked up the slowed breathing of Ali, explaining her silence. After making sure nothing threatening was nearby the makeshift shelter, he followed suit, falling into a light sleep, trusting they'd wake up if anything approached.

Ali nudged him awake what felt like soon after. The first thing he noticed was that nothing was falling from the sky anymore before noticing the new layer that had fallen. She told him of her trek for herbs, and he nodded, saying, "Keep safe." As she left, nothing but the snow to keep him warm. Now that he really thought about it, it was ironic, he noticed with a grin. Something cold like this snow saving wolves from a freezing death in the north. There wasn't anything moving, so he drifted back to sleep.

He was bleeding, but that didn't matter. His current opponent was in front of him, boasting in their pack's power, even when loosing. Doctor wouldn't allow these wolves to win. No. Not with their overly large ambitions. Doctor's pack hadn't broken their no-intervention policy for years and years. He knew the story so well it were as if he were actually there. This pack, though, there was no way such heartless creatures would continue their ambitions to take over the continent. If that were to happen and they gained even more followers...

Now he stood, the sounds of fighting at a distance. Two stones in his maw. Special rocks. Rocks that would cause the earth to burn. He'd set everything up to contain it all. The settings of the war had moved, currently on their homeland. Both his pack and their pack were coming for him, knowing of his plan, but not the details. Yes, Doctor could have waited until the war moved back off their land, but the war had hardened even his pack. Rassilon... The brilliant old wolf who had also hardened. Their latest plan was not one they'd have agreed with couple winters ago before the war started. It was too corrupt. He had to stop his foes... and his own pack. In this, the war would end for good and everyone could forget about it. The war that must never be mentioned, or it'd stir up any supporters from other packs for revenge...

He watched as the land burned. Everything had been set up without notice; it wasn't hard due to the constant war. Two flint stones rest at his feet. The fire was contained and wouldn't spread, but these lands would never recover from the fire. Let it be a reminder of the outcome of pride and power to the surrounding packs. These two packs... these two clans, were gone. Just him... He was sure his brother in arms was dead or gone rouge... again. No one had heard from him.

His eyes snapped open at a gentle nudge. Far too gentle for anything from that war. He held his body still for a moment before his ears caught Ali's voice, apparently just arriving back. She was saying something... about the herbs. He picked up the herb names, and could assume the rest of her speedy words before his mind cleared up and he could listen to the rest. He'd been about to respond when she paused, but she spoke again, and...

"Wait, what?" he asked, his dreams instantly forgotten from the... suddenness of the announcement. She... through all this commotion, she diligently did her job through a pregnancy? Did Robin even know? Quickly regaining his ability to speak, he said, "Does Robin know? And congratulations." He didn't her mate knew. He'd have stopped her from the possibility of overworking herself and would have insisted to accompany her to tend to the their packmate's wounds. Back to the matter in hand, though, "I could probably walk, but slowly to prevent the sprain from worsening." It wasn't easy, but simple enough to walk around with a broken limb as long as he held it above the ground. He'd just have to move slower to accommodate for the sprain. He shifted his broken, front limb so it wouldn't take his weight when he stood up, slowly lifting his body, mindful of testing the sprain on his back leg. It would support him. If it would fail him later, he didn't know.

He nodded his head. Perhaps between his injuries and the cold, his speech was loosening up, not thinking too much about what he was saying. Perhaps it's sound like delirium, or Ali would realize his tight grip on his history wasn't quite so locked now. Doctor confirmed, "I plan on it. Been through too much war for something like this to get me... and my past actions never struck back like this."

He was still alert enough to sense her reluctance of leaving. If Cirrus and his brothers had still been around, he wouldn't have been as worried about Jewel, as the youngest seemed to have an attraction for her. He had confidence Jewel could take care of herself, but understood Ali's worry. "Go when you feel ready. You'll need to be relaxed without regret if you leave. Lack of concentration crossing snow and ice will cause more accidents, and I'm not in much condition to heal anything. I've been awake this long without much problem, so I think this knock on my head is the least of our worries."

Serenity did not reply to his brother, choosing told his tongue than voice his opinions, for he knew that Priest wouldn't listen. Priest never listened to him, not even when they were children. He sighed. He was an old soul, now, yet the simplest things that had happened in their youth remained with him. Perhaps it was, because, back then, it was such a tender time for growth. Lavender eyes landed on Haru and Ajax. They were in a pure pack, raised by a pure-hearted mother, surrounded by other pure-hearted wolves... but that didn't mean that they would turn out pure-hearted, as well. Serenity's eyes went to Robin's relaxed form, now. He knew that the bru's own son, born of pure hearts and raised by them, had ran off into the darkness. Serenity was very familiar with the darkness, but now instead of drowning in it, it was a shadow to him, following him, but never taking over him. That was a different time, when he took a different name. This must have been the curse of growing old... Remembering all of the things he tried so hard to forget. "Fenrir, grant me strength," he sighed, laying his weary head on his paws again.

Robin's auds perked at Priest's voice. "Actually, I'm the Delta," he replied to the unfamiliar male's question. How long had he been around? Robin couldn't tell if he had come before or after the stampede; he just knew that he had not seen him when he laid down. "Nuri Bade is the Alpha, here. He's over there with his daughter, Elysia." He gestured with his muzzle at the two, but maroon eyes lingered on Priest's form. He was the one that brought Ajax back from... from where? "But, if I may ask... What brings you to Tirisfal Valley?"

Out in the other parts of the lands, Ali pressed her form to Doctor's, her heart skipping when he spoke, although faint. She smiled, hearing his voice, optimistic but weak. "Yes," she said in between a sniffle. "I will. And so will you. And Nuri, and Elysia, and Bright, and Serenity, and the rest of the pack. Everyone will be there, and relieved to see that you're all right." She gave him an affectionate, familial nuzzle, and then raised her head to the winter world around them. The snow was still falling, and there was still no sign of Jewel... Worry set in the healer's heart again. She couldn't bear to lose another child, especially Jewel, her only daughter. Cerulean eyes landed back on her patient's form. "I'm going to have to go it alone to get the herbs if she doesn't come back soon enough," she said. "But... It's dangerous." Hesitance of leaving him alone was what kept her place. She considered calling for her husband, but he was likely already at the Falls, and he had already done so much. "I suppose I'll wait a little longer. At least until the weather clears," she stated, but with the snow at this rate and the sky above dismal and cloudy, it was questionable if it would let up anytime soon.

Eyes half open, Doctor glanced at Ali as she tried to keep him awake. Since when had all this snow fallen? Perhaps he'd zoned out for a while, which was probably why the lead healer was a little more anxious. She'd sent Jewel out, but he didn't have to pick up his head to realize she hadn't yet returned. Then Ali was by his side again, telling him she had to move him. He knew better than to try to insist he could walk so allowed himself to be moved. The first few seconds hurt the most, but he ground his fangs to prevent any noise from escaping him.

Now that the ground below him wasn't earth heated by his body, he noticed just how cold it was and why they were moving. He shifted minimally to lay more comfortably and felt another warm body next to his. Using his good leg, he lightly nudged it against Ali, saying, "We'll get out of here soon enough and you'll see Robin before you know it." His current fogginess was more from exhaustion than any concussion, and he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep any time soon unless he got too cold. All he could do was reassure the healer he'd be fine and her family fine as well.

"Special, you say?" Serenity replied, violet gaze upon Ajax. The boy had come with Priest into the lands, and he couldn't help but wonder what his brother saw in him. It wasn't like Priest to take whelps in... No, it wasn't like Priest at all. There was some cruel intention behind it, but he wasn't going to voice this opinion, for he knew his brother well. If anything, he shouldn't have been surprised by this, but where these intentions were supposed to go, was where his concern was. "Well," he said. "If you would see past things like physical strength or dominance, you would see that all children are special. Even Haru. He's a kind soul, something that most seem to lack, and that's why he belongs here. His skills are in his head, not in his brawn." At the same time, he understood what Priest was trying to say... Every wolf, no matter how kind, needed to know how to fight. They needed to know when to draw on the strength deep within their hearts and given to them by Fenrir to defend themselves and their loved ones. Was it not long ago when he had found his center to fight, admist the chaos of Jabbar Junayd and Evander? "He will be trained, as will every child present, fairly and respectfully," he stated, thinking of more than Haru and Ajax. Elysia and Esa would need to learn just as well.

While the two very contrasting brothers discussed such topics, Robin meanwhile nodded his head. "Thank you," he said to Nuri, his voice that of relief. Oh, how he ached for a chance to lie down, but his family was still out there, still out in the wild with an injured packmate. He couldn't let that just go. Just as he was about to leave the Falls, a howl rose in the winter air, the voice of his wife. "Robin, my love. Do not fret. I am safe, and so is Jewel. Doctor cannot move, but I am tending to his wounds. Stay where you are. We will come when we can. I love you." It was a short message, but the amount of tension lifted off his shoulders made him audibly sigh. They were all right. No harm would come to them. The stampede had likely frightened any dangerous creatures off, just as it had done to himself and the wolves around him, so he found a place not far from Serenity and Priest to lie down. They were well out of earshot, and he laid his head on his paws, maroon orbs landing on the tussling whelps. A small smile creased his somber lips. How he looked forward to Ali's return...

Ali lowered her lips, turning back to her patient again. He was becoming more and more unresponsive. The winter wind chilled around her, and still, Jewel had not returned. "Stay awake, Doc. You have to stay awake," she said, turning away from him and to one of the nearby maple trees. The roots were large as a bear's girth, providing shelter from the cold. Her husky paws dug away at the powdered snow and cemented dirt, digging up warm earth for him to lay. It was one thing to have to mend broken bones and prevent infection, but it was another to catch pneumonia or frostbite or the flu. Sickness settling on top of damage done was life-threatening. She returned, licking her companion's face with her hot tongue, trying to keep him conscious. "I'm going to move you. It may hurt, but it'll keep you out of the cold," she said, aware of the dangers of moving him. If she pulled too rough, she could make his situation worse. She couldn't tell if he had any internal injuries yet. If she pulled too gentle, she wouldn't be able to move him, and he would certainly catch his death. She went and clamped her teeth at his scruff and yanked, hard, his wolven form much larger than hers. Every muscle in her body worked to get him to the makeshift half-den. She was small, but she was strong, as long hauls over distances is what she was bred for.

When they reached the half-den, she scouted out brambles sticking out of the snow to block any wind that the tree couldn't, her eyelashes becoming coated with flakes. The snow was piling up by the minute. Her heart shuddered to think that the reason Jewel hadn't returned yet was because she had gotten lost, or worse... And if worse came to worse, Jewel would have to leave Doctor to fetch the herbs and treat him, and by then, it may have been too late. She sighed in worry, and laid down next to her patient, trying to keep both him and herself warm. She pressed her nose into his neck, inhaling his scent, wishing her mate was with her, but it was smarter for him to stay put. There was choking sensation in her throat as she tried to hold back tears, but one or two may have slipped. "Please, stay with me, Doctor," she said softly, calmly. He was as much of family to her in the Tirisfal pack, as was anyone. "I won't let you die out here."