Aspen

The soft pitter-patter of rain soaked the black and white wolf as he forced himself to move forward. Sick, injured, and cold, the wolf had no choice but to keep going. He had heard rumors of a mysterious wolf who somehow knew when to arrive and for whom. 'She'd come at the right time,' they always say. Well, to Aspen, it was far past the right time. He wouldn't survive much longer, not with this sprained paw of his. He stopped, suddenly feeling like an absolute idiot. They're just rumors! Why would I believe them?! He whimpered and flopped over to the side, not caring that the mud was coating his birch-white pelt. His blue eyes narrowed and he shivered, the pain in his paws setting in again as he closed his eyes all the way, possibly for the last time...

Aspen snapped his head up as he heard the muttering of a wolf, hard at work mixing medicines not too far away. She tipped her head to the side, as if sensing Aspen moving, and she made a little 'tsk' sound. "Hello there! I found you while foraging for herbs. My name is Cloud, and this is my apprentice, Funnel." She barked and wagged her tail as an adolescent wolf came racing in, an herb tight in her mouth. "Got it!" She said in a muffled voice, her tail wagging furiously. Cloud took it from her, gently, and dipped her head. "Thank you, Funnel. Please, would you go and take care of the newly injured one? I'll have a remedy for him in just a moment." She turned her back to Aspen, continuing her work. As Funnel bounded over to him, Aspen sat up and inspected his injured paw, now wrapped in comfortable green leaves. "Hiya! What's your name? I'm Funnel, but you know that already. I'm just training to be a fully-fledged herbal master, but I'm not there yet. Cloud's great though! She'll fix you up and send you back to your pack!" She bounced on her toes and grinned. Aspen looked around, taking in the surroundings of the den. Pale green sunlight filtered through a hole at the top of the den, covered by thin leaves. The opening was draped with vines, and the grass was incredibly soft to the touch. "I uh...I don't have a pack. I'm looking for...um...what was her name?" Funnel frowned, then cut him off with a sigh. "She's not real. We can help you find a pack if you need one, but you can't stay here, and you can't be alone...not around here, you can't." The young wolf whimpered apologetically. Aspen blinked, not even remotely surprised. He had known-- No, he had suspected that she wasn't, but he went looking for her anyways. What a stupid decision he had made. "How'd you find me?" He thumped his tail on the ground, his injured paw feeling infinitely better. Funnel shrugged. "Cloud was foraging and came across you, but I don't know much more than that. Very mysterious, that one." Cloud glanced back and frowned. "Liar." She snapped, her tail wagging in an amused way. "I'm done with the Medicine Salve now. Here, this should help a lot." Cloud placed the bowl at his paws and pushed it forward. "Drink. You'll feel better, trust me. Then rest, and go to sleep. Funnel, don't bother our guest anymore." The white-furred wolf stared at her apprentice, then shook out her fur. "Actually...go find some Winterfat. I need some extra. What is Winterfat used for?"
Aspen rested his head on his paws after drinking the medicine, drowning out the excitable answers of Funnel, and letting himself rest and go to sleep.

Aspen stood up and turned a circle as Cloud watched, nodding in approval. His paw was fully healed now, as well as other injuries and sicknesses that had hit him on his journey. It had easily been several moons to complete his recovery, and Funnel had grown significantly in the time he'd been there. She was now a fully-grown wolf with a beautiful pelt and a large pallet of medical information. Currently, she was out gathering herbs, although she should be back soon. Cloud nodded. "Well, I think it's time to say farewell, don't you think?" She yipped and wagged her tail. "You're free to go whenever, but you can stay for a little bit longer if you wish." The fluffy white wolf turned to leave, but Funnel came racing in, slamming into her instead. Cloud snarled and lifted her paw, as if about to strike, before realizing that it was her apprentice and standing down. "Funnel! What are you doing?!" Cloud barked, raising her tail. The wolf looked up and tipped her head to the side, whimpering. "There was a wolf." The apprentice said, sounding like a pup again. "Yes, as there tend to be around here." Cloud snapped. "Why are you running?" Funnel slunk back and whimpered. "She was chasing me. She sAHHHHHHHH!!!!" The wolf leaped behind Cloud as a beautiful black and brown creature stepped into the den, panting. "I need help!" She yelped. "I tried asking for help from that one, but she ran away! Please, help me!" The beautiful newcomer whimpered. Aspen stepped forward, staring at the wolf. "Lead me to the issue." He barked, filling in beside her. She glanced at him, smiled, and started to leave. "No time to lose. Let's go. The name's Rock, by the way. Come on!" Rock raced forward, and Aspen was pleasantly surprised by her speed. "I'm Aspen." He raced over thick roots and under low branches, following the dark brown wolf. For what reason, he had no idea, but he felt like...something would change, right here. Right now.