=timzau=

Before you have a chance to even get close to the den, a short male stops you with a low growl. "Woah there stranger. You aren't allowed in the herbalist den."

Thankfully, Lilia came to your defense. "I found her, Timzau. She's desperate for medicine."

The herbalist inspected you up and down. You couldn't help but do the same. A nice, chestnut base with very muted beige highlights. In his mouth is a bundle of reeds, most likely going to be used for medicines.

"You too better get to know each other. I need to continue my scouting. The pups are getting quite reckless due to the lack of amusement." Without another word, Lilia trots off and away from the den.

The herbalist seemed to calm down. "Sorry about the aggression. We've recently had wolves attempt to steal the herbs. I couldn't take any chances." He huffed. "I'm Timzau. And you are?"

"Y/N." You answer weakly.

He huffed again, still inspecting you. "Influenza."

"Hm?" you question.

"You have influenza and ticks. I can tell by your coat and eyes. Influenza cure, open wound salve, and tick remedy is what you need. Please, come on in."

You listened to Timzau and followed him into the den. You lie down on a bed of leaves as the herbalist gets to work on your medicine. There isnt much conversation. Just silence. You feel a little awkward, but glad to receive help. Timzau tosses you a chunk of boar carcass. Starving, you are quick to dig in.
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A good few hours pass. You are woken up from your nap after feeling sludge on your skin. It burns, so you wince and jump. Timzau had no reaction. "Calm down, there. I'm just putting the salve on you. Go ahead and drink the remedy in front of you."

You see an influenza cure laying in front of you. You begin slurping it up like there's no tomorrow.

"Slow down there, I spent a good four hours on that cure." Timzau chuckled.

A few minutes of salve spreading and tick plucking later, you feel much better. You decide to glance around the den out of curiosity. You eventually spot a medal disk, the same one that hung from the bundle of reeds that Timzau was carrying earlier.

Wanting to be nice and strike up conversation, you compliment it. "Nice medal there."

"Thank you. It belonged to my mother." he replied blankly.

"Where is she?"

Timzau was hesitant to answer as he sighed. "Long gone."

You knew what that meant, and immediately felt sympathetic. "Aw. Im so sorry."

"it's alright." he looked up at the medal. "That was her medal. It was given to her by her old pack for being such a great herbalist."

"What was her name?"

"Timber."

"What was her old pack called?"

"Xanataka. They disbanded a long time ago. It's a shame, really. The pack was growing and doing well. A famine was what brought the growth to an end. The leader gave my two sister away to the enclave in an attempt to save them. She was not able to give me away, though. My mother refused to give up her last puppy. She was nearing the age of infertility. The lack of food drove her away, along with me. We traveled for weeks before stumbling upon a new pack. Rays of Sun. Man, they were great. The pack leader Rae was nothing but awesome to my mom. She taught me everything I know now, and even took me foraging when I was an adolescent. Two days after I aged up, however, she unfortunately passed due to her age. The whole pack was heartbroken. We had a wonderful funeral for her. She passed down the heather crown to me, but I gave it to Lilia. She also gave me a goldenseal ear accessory she always wore but... I lost it."

You take a minute to register what you heard, not saying a word.

"You look thin. Go and visit one of the hunters. They'll help you out."

"How do I-" You do not get an answer, as Timzau is already gone. He had gone further into the cave, most likely to grab more herbs.

You walk out of the cave and glance around nervously. To the other wolves, you are a stranger. An unwelcome one, even. To your relief, you spot an adolescent taking a sip of water at the lake. An adolescent is much easier to talk to. So, you approach.

(Story will continue soon. Im tired!)