night thunder

 The sun would shadow the mountains soon. He had come to appreciate this time the most. It proved to be a test against his strength and against what he had learn of the mountain paths he traversed freely. Frequently. Medvjed found he wanted little rest after his first night here.

 Yet this evening his path was cut with a purpose. He had recently met the woman @Aerys — and tonight he sought to meet her again. This time he did not walk as a hunter, but as a paladin. As the shield he had been tested as.

 Still, even in these steps, he reminded himself to keep a warmer posture. Lest he startle her again, like he had over the goat.

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She had been content in her own little world, her nose to the ground as she hummed softly to herself. Her attention was entirely on the herbs that she found near the base of the mountain, slowly and carefully picking them. One at a time, she would carefully pluck them from the earth and lay them carefully in her small, but ever growing pile. 

She didn't notice that Medvjed was looking for her and instead, continued to hum softly to herself, her way of relaxing as she reached down to pick up the last of the plants that she had found at this small area.

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 The image of her might have been near renaissance.

 Instead he only focused on the way she plucked the earth and the hum she did. Basic things, fleeting thoughts. Nothing that seemed to fit the images of hunters and guards he held in his mind.

 Not the image of their alpha in his mind.

 “Why do you pluck the earth?”

 No judgement, only curiosity.

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Ears flicked forward and she jumped slightly, only to relax when she saw who it was. She had gotten better and not instantly running away when something startled her, but she still got startled rather often. "Oh... well I'm gathering herbs." She spoke softly, gently pulling her small pile into a mound she could pick up in her mouth and carry. 

"They can be used in different medicines." She said simply but didn't explain much more. She figured by how he acted that he wouldn't care about herbs and plants.

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 Ah, a medic.

 He wondered if she too had learned this in the bad place before. Perhaps a means to save herself, perhaps a thing she must learn to find a way beyond whatever had happened. He had not asked, nor had he imagined much of it.

 Only knowing that she had been there, now she was here.

 “Do you work with Elke? I have heard they are another medic.”

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She flicked an ear slightly and shook her head softly. "No unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to. I tend to work primarily with the plants for the most part. Unless I'm needed." In reality, she preferred to simply care for the herbs and not have someone's live in her hands, but she wasn't one to turn away with someone needed her. 

Her mind went to the first time she helped Hydra and sighed slightly. It was a very stressful time, but she was pretty leveled headed under pressure.

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 He did not understand the interest, still he knew he should at least have a sliver of gratitude. It would be the work of herb and medic that tended to those wounded — whether from war or a child bumbling into something.

 “I respect this.” And he did! There was no quake or lie in his voice, his head nodded firmly.

 Just because the work was not for him did not mean it did not benefit Empyrean, perhaps.

 “What do you collect now?” Asked as if he would have any clue.

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As soon as he asked about what she was collecting, her anxiety and fear seemed to vanish and she stood up a little bit taller. "Oh, this specifically is Avalanche Lily." She pointed to the small white flowers that were gathered on the ground. "They are used for wet dressing on wounds, they are great for keeping out infection and letting wounds heal faster." 

Her tail flicked behind her happily, she loved talking about plants and herbs.

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 He did not know why he had asked. To say the topic bored him, winded in one ear and out the next, was truth. Yet he respected the work enough to listen with soft hums of understanding.

 “You have this knowledge but you are not a medic? Only plant worker?”

 He peered curiously at her.

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Her smile faltered slightly at his words and she clearly hesitated, unsure how to answer that. Last thing she wanted was for him to run and tell Hydra about her words and then get kicked out for not wanting to be a medic. 

But at the same time, she didn't want to lie either. And so, she finally sighed and shrugged. "I don't ... enjoy being around others..." She started before shifting her gaze down to look at her paws. "If I mess up as a medic, a life could end... but if I mess up as an herbalist.. then worst thing is I need to replant." 

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 Was it better to have tried and lost the life than to have never tried at all? To let them simply wither without help?

 Was it better to be the one taking the life? He might have looked at his hands with a great grief if he had been human.

 “Life ends every day.” His voice hinted that this was meant to be a comfort, even if the words did not seem such. “If you have skill, it should not hide behind fear.” Some sort of unspeakable emotion twisted his features into thoughtfulness, pensive and saddened.

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She thought for a moment before looking up at him, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Yes, but if someone more experienced and more confident can help them, then I could easily just get in the way." She spoke simply, her green eyes blinking a few times. 

She wasn't trying to be difficult, but she wanted to know what his thoughts on this were. He had intrigued her a bit more. "And what happens if I mess up and someone dies when they shouldn't?"

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 He had opened his mouth too much it seemed. She now tested him as some sort of therapist. His shoulders softly drew back, a gentle lifting of his bearish form with soft touched discomfort.

 This would teach him to speak words of encouragement.

 “Ah, but we...do this everyday, no? The risk of death. What if I turn wrong in a hunt and get another gouged or trampled? What if I lead a patrol with another into the jaws of danger? A scout wandering into a storm never to return?” His brows pinched harshly, more with himself than her. “Needless deaths, they should not die. Yet they can happen. Ever present risk. This does not stop me from the hunt or the patrol.”

 A son who did not exist anymore seemed to flare to life in his heart. Came out in the weary exhale that escaped him. Had he been man, he might have pinched the tender bridge of his nose.

 “Perhaps as medic you will think someone should never die. Yet life comes for us all, should or should not.”

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She honestly wasn't expecting a life lesson when she went out today. Certainly not from this strange man in front of her. But, here she was, listening carefully to his words as she blinked her wide eyes. Well damn. 

After a few seconds, she would sigh softly and nod, understanding where he was coming from. "I suppose you're right.." She spoke softly, glancing at the ground for a moment, clearly going through everything in her mind. She was much more of a mental thinker than one to speak her thoughts. 

Finally though, she would lift her gaze to meet his, sighing softly. "Then I will try to use my abilities to help others..." The key word was try, but it was something at least. Of course, if given the choice, she would much rather let another healer do the needing things, but she would push herself a bit more than she would before. 

She just hoped she wouldn't need to anytime soon.

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 He felt he had left an impact here more than he had intended. Somehow he could not figure out if this soothed him or unsettled him. He was not a man made to console in the way of words, or a man who acted through them. His physical world was all he had cherished in his lifetime — for better or worse — and Empyrean always seemed keen to challenge this.

 “Do not let me keep you from your work any longer,” There was a hint of a smile upon his features. A brief thing that could nearly be missed.

 But he did mean to depart now. Socially tapped and drained from the sudden wellspring of motivational speaking he had stumbled onto.

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She was a bit thankful that he chose to leave. Of course it wasnt' that she didn't enjoy talking to him, but she was way too overwhelmed after everything that they talked about. She wanted a moment to relax and regain her energy. And so, when he moved to leave, she would nod her head in farewell, falling silent. 

She watched him leave and sighed slightly, turning to wander off and find a place for her to destress and think.

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