rewrite the stars

With no other healers in the pack, Rosemary had picked up what he felt was extra work. He had gotten his den as good as he wanted it, with space to store herbs, and now the task at hand was to actually gather the herbs. In his home, others had gathered the herbs, usually the younger, apprenticed healers. But Rosemary was fine with gathering on his own, it wasn’t impossible.

The red man had found what seemed like a clearing, with some wild garlic. It wasn’t exactly the best plant to find, but with this being his first scouting, he figured it was better to have and replace later than to have nothing at all. Rosemary stood at the tree close by and hiked his leg up to mark the area. Later in the day, after scouting areas out, he would come back to gather what he had found.

With careful paws, he made his way around the clearing, and then went in a random direction. In his mind, he had a list of what would be best to have right off the bat, and when he was preparing a backup list of what could work but wasn’t composed of things he really liked having to use. Rosemary was rather picky in the herbs he used and wanted to use the best of the best, or at least what he was taught was the best of the best.

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^^ Agrafina had been content to stay within them mountains of The Maw. But, she hadn't seen Kyeza in several days. At first, she thought it odd that the wolf would request her services, and then leave without much of a trace, but the falcon wasn't one to dwell for very long. Assuming their truce was over, she left the valley. 

She had spent the next few days hunting in various places, with the most recent being in the river that bordered the woods she now resided in, however temporarily. Currently, she was content with snoozing on a branch, feeling relatively safe. A trickle of liquid reached her ears moments before an acid smell reached her beak. Offended senses searched for the cause, and her gaze quickly found the wolf beneath her. Do—you—mind?! she said angrily. How could this creature just come and urinate right under where she was trying to rest? How rude! 
 

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Brilliance couldn’t tell this forest was any different than the last one she’d been in. It had trees and grass and the occasional animal that scurried underfoot if she got too close without paying attention. She had no idea this world wasn’t the same she’d been born in but she could admit there was something… a little different. She chocked it up solely to the fact she was still young and it was more than likely every new place she visited was just as new as the last.

 She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been anyone, much less anyone she knew. She couldn’t even remember the last thing Mal had said to her even if she felt like it was some sort of argument that spurred her running away from Elyisum far enough she couldn’t get back. It only bothered her a little bit at first, too mad to turn around and try to find home but each step further away into unknown territory brought her to the point of no return.

 There was an odd sound in the distance, something that sounded like words, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Other noises of the forest were disregarded while she was lost in her mind but this one stuck out a little more than the others and it was then she realized there were more scents canid in nature that caused the fur along her spotted back to bristle. Brilliance became still and looked through the thick vegetation, sniffed, and then crept forward until she saw a red wolf and a bristled bird from up high.
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Rosemary would not have been surprised to have run into another member of Elkshire, but when the voice spoke down to him, he felt that it was not a member, let alone a wolf. The healer tilted his head up, nostrils flaring as he tried to take in the scent. Without the wind blowing for him, it was hard for him to pick up the scent but he barely snatched the scent of bird.

“I have to mark this area so I can find it again.” He simply explained to the bird and used his tail to point across the clearing. Vaguely he motioned towards the garlic, which was definitely behind him. Even with his blind, milky eyes, his face showed a bit of defiance at the bird, as if his job was a good excuse for everything.

As the wind shifted, he picked up the trace of another wolf. If he were smarter, he would have been able to tell that this wasn’t an Elkshire wolf. But he was new, and still learning the scents of this world. Rosemary awkwardly turned his head towards the stranger but seemed to be leading with his ears more than anything else. “Hello?” His voice was neutral, just seeming to want to know if someone was close by.

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^^ The wolf stated he was urinating so he could find the area again. I really don't understand you creatures, she said in response. Did they really have to smell out their pee to find where they had been? Agrafina used landmarks, as she didn't like to alert others to her presence unless she had to.

 The scent of another reached her nostrils and her eyes quickly found her. It was odd to her that the male would call out the "hello" like a question, and she couldn't figure out a reason to do that. She hadn't looked at his face close enough to realize he was blind. 


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Brilliance had never put much thought to other animals and their ability to communicate. Up until then, she didn’t think they actually could. They were there to be eaten (or in some cases, to eat her) and the communication between the wolf and the large bird piqued her interest.

 Her brows furrowed and she stepped forward, angling out a little when it was obvious she had someone’s attention. The wolf looked in her direction but didn’t seem to be looking at her and that was enough to send a shiver down her spine, bristling her fur along the way. Brilliance cleared her throat and offered a soft “hello?” in return, glancing up at the bird that seemed to—somehow—look just as confused.

 “Wolves pee to let other wolves know they’ve been around,” she said up at the bird, unaware she’d 1) crossed into someone else's territory and 2) that the wolf before her was blind. She tightened her jaw and looked back down as she took a few steps closer to see the way the eyes on the wolf looked. They were weird but Brilliance was young and didn’t think much of it then.
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Rosemary figured that everyone around him could tell that he was blind. When someone grew up a certain way, it was hard to think of life in any other way. That included, apparently, what others assumed of him. The bird above him seemed more frustrated but also waving off what Rosemary had done. He assumed that the bird’s attention had been attracted to the stranger that called ‘hello’ back.

There was also the issue that he did not understand how Elkshire fully worked yet and didn’t know the scents of his packmates. The queen would have probably confronted the stranger wolf, but Rosemary saw no issue with someone in the pack land. He listened as she spoke, and nodded his head along to the information. Maybe birds really didn’t know the ways wolves worked, and honestly, he couldn’t blame them.

“I am a healer, I need to collect herbs. I will return to this spot later today to retrieve what I have found.” He explained with a flat voice. His head turned about oddly as he tried to address both wolf and bird at the same time. “I am Rosemary.” He said with the implication to learn the other two’s names. He tried his best to not ask questions, and instead expected people to share information when he did.

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^^ An echo of hello's rang in her ears, a bit redundant if you asked her. But, no one did, and she didn't offer her own to the mix. There were enough going around. The newcomer addressed her, explaining why the wolf under her was urinating. Ill-mannered, if you ask me, the falcon retorted. She didn't need to smell that. 

 The offender addressed her then, something about needing to find the herbs. Again. Do you intend to get lost between now and later? Agrafina asked him. Could he not find his way back without the help of his body's filtered liquids? It was all asinine to her, but whatever, she supposed. 

 He introduced himself, and she got the feeling he was including her in this. If she must. Agrafina, she announced. It seemed like these lands were covered with wolves, and the likelihood of her really needing to know their names, and them hers, was low, but she played along anyways. Her eyes darted to the female wolf to see if she would give a name, too. 

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Brilliance listened to the bird bicker as the other wolf explained their purpose. There was a lot happening in that moment that she was curious about, even if she was tired. He introduced himself and Brilliance wagged her tail a little. She didn’t get on with many but she could be cordial, at least. Rosemary had no signs of aggression but the bird was a little agitated. She looked up and stared at it for a moment, wondering if birds even had names. She didn’t even know they talked—never put much thought into it—so the idea of names seemed silly. They were meant for eating, if she could catch one, but now she had to reconsider since it was… talking to them.

 “My name is Brilliance,” she said after a moment, hesitant to speak before the bird. She was fascinated all around and wondered what else it was capable of. “You can call me Brillo, if you want.” She shrugged a shoulder and took a step closer, eying between the other two with utmost curiosity.
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Rosemary rolled his eyes at the ‘ill-mannered’ comment, instead of assuming that it was seen as a difference in species than his own behavior. The falcon then asked about Rosemary getting lost, and there was the smallest of head tilts from the red wolf. “Obviously, it is very easy for me to get lost.” Not only would marking the spot bring him back to the herbs, it could lead him back to his den. It worked out well for the blind wolf.

Then the falcon gave in, and both the women gave their names. Agrafina and Brilliance. Part of Rosemary wondered if the she-wolf was named after her looks - not that he would entirely get it. But a vague shape took place in his mind, something that he found pretty. It was what he would think he was talking to. “It is nice to meet you both.” It did not sound nice to meet them both. His own personal feelings were mixed - he wanted to meet new people, but it also felt like a chore.

“I am a healer of Elkshire.” His eyebrow spots went up a little, his blind gaze raking over both of the creatures. Rosemary was still learning the scents of Elkshire, and part of him assumed that the wolf was a member as well - it just made sense to him. The bird, he could guess, was a visitor, and birds were probably not exactly seen as enemies nor friends to the whole pack.

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I am so sorry for the hold up on this!

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Agrafina's head tilted in almost a comical way at the word "obvious." Why was it obvious that he was easily lost? Her gaze met his, and she finally realized that his eyes were much, much different than any other's she had seen. They were a cloudy white. It wasn't anything the falcon had seen before. Do you not see well? she asked, the harshness of her voice gone. She was curious, no longer assuming what he was doing was dumb, but maybe necessary.

Introductions were made, and Agrafina made a mental note to remember "Elkshire." I tag along with Brillo, she confessed, though the reasoning wasn't given. Agrafina didn't really know what had drawn her to the female wolf, but neither of them seemed to mind the company of each other.
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In the same vein, Brilliance’s burrowed her brows in confusion. Rosemary had a hard time getting around and she still hadn’t put two and two together. It wasn’t until the bird questioned the other wolf that she might have misunderstood the whole thing. The girl focused on the wolf for a moment, hoping for a little enlightenment. His eyes were different, she noted, but she’d seen a variety of differences over her short span that she didn’t equate his inability to see well to the state of his eyes.

 The bird announced it was hanging around her and she glanced up, just as confused. If the other would couldn’t see well, he wouldn’t note her expression so she felt less compelled to cover her reactions. Had the bird been following her longer than she noticed? How much did he know already? Either way, it was interesting to think about… it was kind of nice to have someone else nearby, even if it was a bird.

 Or so she hoped.

 “Yeah, the bird is my friend,” she confirmed their new relationship, stepping closer to the tree branch to better prove she wasn’t lying. But perhaps she wasn’t, especially if the bird was telling the truth and stuck around. Brilliance would have to pay more attention now.
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Rosemary being himself, and having grown up around everyone that technically knew him well enough, he had assumed his blindness was obvious. Others in the past had told him it was, but then also threw in little half-compliments such as ‘for being blind, you get around really well’, and other comments that he felt were supposed to encourage him, but instead felt like they were thinly veiled insults. When Agrafina finally asked if he had trouble with seeing, Rosemary raised one eyebrow in a look of ‘really?’

As they quickly explained that they traveled together, Rosemary was quick to accept it. He couldn’t see any of the facial expressions that were sent between the two, and he couldn’t hear any lying. “I do not see well.” It was calm, and he blinked his milky eyes. “I do not see at all.” With his aversion to asking questions, he held his tongue on asking if it were not obvious. He had never been bullied about it, but everyone had always made it obvious that he was obviously blind.

“It is not uncommon for ravens to befriend wolves. Usually, they will clean up a kill after the wolves have finished feasting.” So in his head, he assumed that Agrafina was most likely a raven or a crow. He knew they had a distinct scent, but he only knew that scent apart from prey animals and wolves. He had never gotten close enough to other birds to compare scents. Not that he would ever admit it aloud, and barely even to himself, he felt a little jealous that Brilliance had such a companion at her side.

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Maybe blind wolves were common enough that they recognized the disability. In the falcon world, however, it could not be. If any of her offspring had the condition, she would have simply pushed them from her nest, knowing that keeping it alive would be futile. Wolves, apparently, could live with it. Though, Agrafina still couldn't understand how. How did he hunt? Or did others provide for him? She was smart enough not to ask. 

She bristled at his next statement. I am no crow, she stated firmly, offended. Nor do I feast upon the scraps of others, she added, needing to correct him. I am a Peregrine falcon, and I eat fresh meat, killed by my own beak and talons. She hoped she cleared that up enough that the mistake wouldn't be made again. She shook her head, her gaze going to Brilliance, her expression quietly asking if she could believe what just transpired.
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