Knight

"The pack's first herbalist," says the wolf who led you to this place. Flowers sprout up from the low mound of earth, and grass has overgrown it and now flourishes. "Riley's trusted advisor and closest friend, sisters in all but blood -- I don't think she trusted anyone as much as Knight, save for Levi. They would spend many long days together, talking about anything and everything. Riley would bring back herbs from her patrols for Knight, and Knight served the pack dutifully. Oh, she was an anxious one alright, but she hid it well, too... always said she worried so nobody else would have to. She was a good one, and will be respected and missed."

---

Knight was impressed by her own skill and grace as she slid down the edge of the overhang, pebbles tumbling erratically under her paws. She kept her footing until she was back in the grass, and kept on munching on the herbs in her mouth the whole time.
Her newest concoction was supposed to help with exhaustion and the scrapes she was getting from trying to traverse these mountains alone -- some wounds more serious than others. She felt it was working quite well, and she was grateful for the lessons she'd learned from the old herbalist of her own pack.
A pang shot through her at the thought of her pack. Old pack, she supposed. The alpha was keen on tradition -- his son, not so much. When the alpha was killed suddenly by a mountain lion, his son had slipped in while the pack was grieving, taking over. Still just a young one, barely fully grown, he was resentful of those who had babysat him as a pup, kept him from trouble. Still in that phase of believing himself to be indestructible, Knight reflected ruefully. Knight didn't begrudge him his newfound freedom; she had been the same as a pup. Yet, as they always said about great power...
She had tried to do damage control, along with her new and beloved mate, Kalin. As the skilled herbalist of the pack, the others trusted her, and she had felt she could play ambassador between the pack and their new alpha.
She had been wrong.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she thought of Kalin, his body lying at the bottom of the ravine where he had fallen. They had had plans. Grand plans, of a family, of little apprentice herbalists and scouts -- Kalin's role in their pack -- and growing old together, all of it blessed by their old alpha. Even as his son took over, they held on to hope, and even as it seemed to grow increasingly unlikely that an agreement would be reached, Kalin promised to leave with her if it grew unsafe. And all of that... gone in an instant, as their new alpha's friend got bold and lunged for Kalin when he wasn't expecting it.
She hadn't had time or sense to do much but run. They ran her off their territory, snarling and biting, emboldened by their own actions and making threats as she fled.
So here she was, trying to scale the mountains by herself. Having enough luck, she supposed, although every little sound that echoed behind her set her on edge.
Just like that one, she thought uneasily as she heard branches snap behind her. She stopped and swallowed what remained of her concoction, peering over her shoulder. She moved to the edge of the river to get a better view between the trees.
A wolf, Knight thought as she felt her heart skip a beat or two. She went stiff, deciding to play it off as if she was confident, in case the shadowy figure approached.
And, in fact, it did. As the silhouette formed into a more clearly-visible wolf, Knight took stock of its appearance. It was a pretty young she-wolf, with pale ashy fur and a nearly-black back, face, and ears. Her stony gray eyes scanned the landscape before coming to rest on Knight.
The careful gaze almost made Knight uneasy, though something in her told her not to run or fight just yet -- not that she was much of a fighter to begin with. Knight stood as still as a statue as the she-wolf approached, tail raised.
In charge, confident, Knight thought as she evaluated the wolf's body language. Though it clearly spoke to one that knew who they were, what they wanted, and how to get it, it didn't seem to be the body language of one who was cruel.
There was a brief short, silent dance. Knight could feel the she-wolf carefully evaluating her as well, adjusting her body language accordingly. At last, a little charmed by this young stranger, Knight took a careful step forward, head and tail down to show submission.
"Who are you?"
"Riley," answered the she-wolf.
"Riley," Knight repeated consideringly. "Pretty name. I am Knight."
Riley came closer and sniffed. "Do you live here, Knight?"
Knight laid down, a bit nervous by the shorter distance between them now. "Live here?" she repeated. "Yes, I suppose... and no."
"Yes and no," she repeated quietly, frowning. "How can it be both?"
Knight smiled placatingly. "Ah, I am not from this land, I am from that direction." She pointed towards the other side of the mountains with her nose. "But I do not live there anymore, I... I suppose I live here now." At Riley's raised eyebrow, she put her ears back a bit. "Unless, of course, this is your territory."
"It is."
"I can be on my way," Knight said quickly.
Riley perked her ears towards Knight and stared at her silently, for so long that Knight was about to wish her well and hurry off in any other direction. Maybe to the grasslands, she thought, I hear the hunting is good there, this time of year.
And then Riley did something unexpected.
"You should join my pack."
"...pardon?"
"If you are looking, which I assume you are." Riley studied her. "You smell of dandelions and cedar bark. You know medicine."
"I am an herbalist," Knight agreed. "Or, was."
"A healer, not a fighter," Riley said, sitting down and curling her tail around her paws. "You don't belong on your own."
Knight remained silent. Briefly she entertained the idea of agreeing, though she had been in her old pack since birth. What place did she have in a new one she had never met before?
"I am the Alpha," Riley continued, looking around at their surroundings. Knight picked up on a thread of pride in her voice as she looked at her territory. She got the impression the pack was well-protected. "I and my mate. Our pack is small, in need of a herbalist. And you seem like you are in need of a pack. I think we can help each other out a bit here, don't you?"
Knight still stayed quiet, staring at Riley hesitantly.
"Come on," Riley said coaxingly, a new side of her showing as she laid down to be almost nose to nose with Knight. A small smile played on her muzzle, and life sparkled in those gray eyes. "What do you have to lose, Knight?"
"...nothing, I suppose."
Riley stood back up and stretched, smiling. "Come. I will introduce you to the others."

---

Riley and Knight curled up side-by-side in the sunlight. Levi and his hunting team were off doing what they did best, Knight's herbs and cures were all well-stocked, and Riley had returned from a patrol, so they were taking some well-deserved time off.
In the time since Knight had joined the pack, she had quickly become fiercely loyal to them, and to Riley. This spunky young alpha would do well, she knew. She already was, in spite of her age and inexperience; she was often coming to Knight for advice and a second opinion.
In front of them, two young pups wrestled playfully together, one a gray color and one a mottled gray and white, both with their father's green eyes. Sage, the gray and white pup, was Riley's daughter with Levi, while Secret, the solid gray pup, was also Levi's daughter, but from another packmember that had joined after being a lone wolf like Knight. Though Levi was incredibly dedicated to Riley, it had been the alpha herself who had argued in favor of more pups to grow the pack and raise the next generation.
Knight knew Sage well. The young pup, she had discovered when she evaluated the litter upon birth, was completely deaf. Though Riley had initially been shocked, she still adored the pup (Knight thought she was a bit of a mama's girl, really), and Sage was thriving and getting into even more mischief than the other pups, always keen to explore. Riley thought, and Knight agreed, that she'd make a good scout one day.
Secret was a bit of a different story. Already showing interest in herbs, Knight could see potential in the pup. And Secret's mother had left the pack once she was weaned; though she thought it was a safe place for her pup, she belonged somewhere else, and wanted to find her true place in the world, although she was grateful for everything they had done for her and left on good terms. Knight treated the pup like her own, but now it was time to bring up a very important idea to her alpha.
"Riley," Knight began.
"Hm?" Riley had her head on her paws and her eyes closed, though her ears twitched constantly, belying the fact that she was still awake.
"I've been thinking about Secret, lately."
"Yes, she's a smart one, isn't she?"
"About that. Some of my herbs went missing the other day."
"Hm?"
"Well, I had more than enough but I did notice they were gone. I asked her if she knew where they were and she said she had taken them."
Riley opened her eyes to look at Knight. "She stole them?"
Knight frowned, considering her next words carefully. Riley would never hurt a pup, but she didn't want her to give her a talking to, not when it was something so important. "Borrowed," she corrected. "I asked her to show me what she did with them, so she did. ...Riley, she made a healing salve for Sage, when she was worn out from a day of tagging along with one of the scouts. She made it right, too. Just like I do. She was paying attention when I was working."
Riley tilted her head in that way she did when she was interested.
"Riley, I want... that is, I would like... I mean, if it is okay with you... to have her as my apprentice. Train her in what I know. She would love it, I'm sure." And I'm getting older... some help would be nice.
Riley looked back out to the pups, considering it. Several minutes passed, and Knight had long since given up on an answer when Riley broke the silence again.
"Talk to her. If she agrees, you may train her."
Knight looked over and saw that familiar sparkle in her friend's eyes before Riley settled again, this time truly slipping into a well-deserved nap.

---

Knight flicked her ears towards the rustling of bushes, but she knew those footfalls anywhere.
"Knight," Riley said quietly as she approached.
Knight hummed quietly and didn't otherwise stir as Riley came up next to her. "Forgive me if I don't get up," she said, trying to infuse humor in her voice and erase all traces of worry. "The grass is soft and the sun is warm."
"Mm, forgiven. Stay," Riley answered absently as she laid down next to her friend. They were silent for several minutes, listening to the birds sing. Riley coughed lightly and then quietly asked, "You're not returning, are you?"
"I am not," Knight whispered quietly.
"Have you come down with it too?" Riley asked worriedly.
Knight sighed. An illness had been spreading through the pack, which Knight had ultimately diagnosed by influenza. She had been working relentlessly to produce enough of a cure to heal her packmates... but she couldn't work fast enough to keep up with it.
"No," she said after a moment. She had been spared, but... the work had taken its toll, and she could feel it.
The end was near.
"Secret is prepared to take over my work," she said. "She will do well, Riley."
"Knight..." Riley whimpered.
Knight raised her head and tilted it over to nudge Riley quietly. "You're doing well, Riley. I never once regretted joining your pack those years ago." She smiled faintly. "Good luck, my friend."

Riley stayed with her as she laid her head back down and closed her eyes, falling asleep and napping in the warm sun. She stayed with her until her last breath, and once it was over, despite feeling exhausted from the sickness that she knew she had also contracted, she began to dig.
She dug a deep hole and carefully pulled Knight into it, arranging her body to look as if she was asleep, and then filled the hole back in. She was about to turn back and go home, but instead went to a patch that she knew Knight used to gather herbs at. She pulled some up carefully, dragging the roots up with them. She buried them again over the grave so that they would grow there, and then slowly trudged home to break the news to the pack.