ou pick your way down the rocky slope, stumbling a bit on the loose stones. The wind picks up slightly, tugging at your fur and pulling you even more off balance.
"Careful, that rock is wobbly." An unseen voice says off to your side, startling you and sending you down into the prickly brush a ways down. You look up, the world upside down from where you landed on your back, to see a dark wolf emerge from a bush off to the side of the trail.
"Can't say I didn't try to warn you." She said, looking you over with piercing blue eyes. She circles you, careful to keep her own footing, and nods to herself upon arriving back around. "You seem to be fine, get up."
You unsteadily follow her instructions, hesitantly testing each leg and stretching your muscles warily. Luckily, it seems she was right, and you're still safely intact. Very bruised, but intact. She watches you steadily as you get your legs underneath you, before grabbing a nearby plant and leaning closer to your side.
"Hold still, this will help with the soreness." She said, chewing it into a poultice and applying it as neatly as she could on your side and back. You smile at her gratefully, and she merely turns back up to the path.
"Follow me. Closely, you may not be as lucky if you go rolling like that again." She said, making her way carefully back up to the narrow path. You do as told, watching and mirroring her paw steps closely to avoid any unsteady stones along the way.
"Here, if I'm going to guiding and helping you, you can carry these for me in return." She said, nudging a bundle of herbs and plants towards you with a paw. You pick them up delicately, the roots and stems leaving a bitter taste in your mouth. She must have seen your expression, rolling her eyes and turning back forwards. "You'll get used to it, and it won't hurt you. Come on."
"The name is Sreva, by the way. As I'm certain you are already aware, I am part of the Clockwork pack." She said, keeping her eyes on the path in front of her. "I must admit, I. . . . I'm not quite used to being with a pack again. It's been quite some time since I joined, yes, but I grew so used to doing things on my own."
She paused for a moment in front of a small flowering bush, sniffing it over before tearing off a branch and passing it back to you to hold with the rest. Once it was secured, she turned back and continued on down the way, and with what she was saying.
"Before I made my way here, or, rather, before Roma found this land and decided to call it her own, I had been a part of a pack but things . . . were much different with them. well, they all hated me, there's really no better way to put it. It was a competitive place, and the better your standing with the temperamental alpha the better you ate. I was still young, and foolish then. Eager to please. I took whatever opportunity I could to paint myself better, no matter the cost to the others, and so I was in the alpha's favor. The alpha's and no one else's."
The path began a steep downhill, but Sreva seemed unfazed as she continued at the same pace, only casting the occasional glance backwards. You got the feeling it was more to make sure you didn't drop any of her herbs more than to ensure your own wellbeing. Once the slope evened out a little more, she resumed.
"There's not much more to it, really. The rest of the pack chased me out. I tried to come back, once, and talk to the alpha. Make him punish the rest for what they had attempted. But he didn't care at all. I should've realized much sooner that I was nothing but a tool to him." She stopped suddenly, and you nearly bump into from behind.
"I'm only telling you this because Matavo suggested I be more open and honest with others. Says it's friendly or something. I don't care for it, and I don't care for you, but I do care for this pack. . . because I feel that they care for me to." She says, and seems to soften and relax for just a moment, before turning to give you an icy glare. "But if you speak to them about any of that I will find you and ensure you do not even live long enough to regret your choice."
You're taken aback slightly at the sudden shift, and she turns away to approach a shady cave, the entrance mostly obscured by dense brush. She steps inside, and you stand hesitantly at the entrance for a moment, before she reappears and beckons you in.
The interior is dark and full of strange, almost nauseating smells, mingling in the small space. A wide variety of herbs and mixtures lie about in neatly organized rows and piles.
"Just leave them right there, I'll sort through them." She gestures to a clear, flat stone off to one side, while delicately going through a neat pile. You stand and wait awkwardly, unsure if you should stay or just head out.
"Our hunters should be back soon, I'm sure one of them is on their way over here now. Those fools almost always manage to harm themselves in some way while they're out. Anyways, I appreciate having to help carrying my herbs back. If you're fortunate enough, you won't be as klutzy going forwards." Sreva said, with what almost looked like a coy glint in her eye as you left her cave.
Herbalist 
Herbalist