[ P ] Like a moth to light, like a beast to bait

the moon will swallow me whole

To avoid the bind in the road... she licked her lips as she considered what he said. I prefer the quiet of Redwood to the... she grimaced. Oppressive air of Yorkshire. The wolves who lived in Yorkshire were a tense bunch, never too kind to those who weren't their ilk. Despite being a Mainlander and growing up in the Mainland, she still didn't feel at home there.

She'd been left for dead in Redwood.

It was her home, though she rarely explored it.

Still, here there was a similar judging air. A tension, static above them, that felt like webs within her even as he continued to care for her, touches tender yet clinical all the same. Meissa tried to ease the tension that was quite likely simply her own anxiety boiling within her, but she could not help but have her eyes drawn to the voluminous curls that rolled over the man's coat, the way he moved his muscled limbs with exact precision she was certain must be rare.

Had she ever seen a Mainlander who looked so much as if the high wind and sea had met and conceived him?

The doctor spoke of obtaining items by theft, for that was the only way she could perceive such a statement, and she had to shove down the instant alertness the thought drew from her. He was admitting crime to a soldier - a captain?

No, no.

She wasn't on the clock. This wasn't her problem. Nor, truly, did she care. Her training was simply stabbing into her with needle claws. Plus, the man could be joking, trying to lighten the mood. In such an odd manner, she wasn't so sure, but -

She silenced her mind forcefully, eyes following as he indicated to the pelts, the presents of the forest, and even the books. They're quite rare outside of the College nowadays, she murmured. Have you read them all? her eyes turned back to meet green.

Pink irises sought out the herbs and she wondered at them. Would he - No, the man wouldn't put anything unbecoming in them, not after treating her injuries with his own medicines. Right? She'd heard many things of Highlanders, but she... No, she didn't think poison was something they were known for. Strange tales, perhaps.

She leaned forward to try to figure out how to flavor the water. Did she, what, pick up the flavor and place it in the water? She tried to take some gently under her tongue and transfer it carefully over the water, the warmth from it soothing her chin as she moved over it. A lap or two of the water rinsed the rest of the herbs off of her tongue and into the cup, which she considered for a moment before looking back at the handsome doctor with a hard swallow.

Oh, strange tales.

You said some of the books are your own works?

The heavy heat of slumber freckled his fawn cheeks, turning once, twice, before his stiffened body sought the light of the olden fireplace that grounded his cabin. Some believed fire to be an omen, those folk were lesser in mind, at least to his own thinking. While they stayed outside in their mud holes, cramped upon sodden furs and dirty feathers, he tossed a bundle of sage and lavender into what embers remained from the night before.

A fire. It swallowed the home in a lovely shade of sunset, illuminating his chiseled chin with an old familiar comfort. There was something so simplistic about the grief that left him. With every hard day that passed, there was always the promise of a cozy night. This day, he just so happened to be sharing it with company.

Slowly, smoothly, his gaze dripped onto her. Lids softly sated, ears folding loosely along his head as the kiss of sweet smoke wafted over him. It was where he got his signature scent, handcrafted one might say.

"Yes... I used tew work there. The college. I graduated after a year, did some checkups at the Army camps. I'm surprised yew 'aven't seen me before, but with yur rank yew appear tew be a bit older than me." Chuckling, finding his way back to the bedroom before he, too, rested upon it. He tried his best to give her space, deciding to lay on the end of the bed with a stray pillow. "Guess ya just missed me, huh?" Head sliding over the blankets, eyes resting on her as he spoke.

"After I left, I began writing. The college can be a rather damnin' place for creativity, they stick tew what they know, don't expand much. Since my departure, I've discovered a few new plant species, but they refuse tew recognise them. My works aren't good enough." Just then, disrupting the silence, was a snort of laughter, a cock of head. "Yew know what I say tew that? Fuck em."

If they wanted to die on their bridge, he would let them. He'd taken an oath to heal and that's what he'd do. With or without their help. As of now, they were still aligned. Many of his colleagues agreed with him just as many of them scolded his findings. He'd only been shocked at how close-minded everyone was. So deadset on a goal he hadn't made time for friends or politics, not until he moved here... Not until today, actually.

He hadn't many friends if any. He had clients, his chickens, his frogs. Now he had this strange woman in his bed. Might as well make the most of it. "I do 'ope yur comfortable, never 'ad anyone stay over before."

the moon will swallow me whole

The woman's attention was drawn to the fire. At first, her heart leaped at the sight of flame - it was instinctual to fear what could consume so easily. As the seconds ebbed on with only heat, not burning, she let her racing heart slow.

It would not consume them.

In the new light, she could see - what, her saviour? - the man more clearly. She took in the gradients of his coat that swept into a tarp of white and brown across muscled shoulders. She pried her eyes back towards his.

This is my third spring, she said with a slight shrug. She began to rise but felt the weariness settled within her bones. She doubted she could make it to her den from... wherever they were. So, instead, she shifted back, leaving ample space for the much larger man to settle without diving into her bubble.

At the tease, she gave a soft chuckle to try to settle the gnawing within her. She forced herself not to explain how whenever the doctors came to perform check ups, she would find reasons to be out of sight. The idea of strangers poking and prodding - well.

It didn't matter, he was speaking of his college and plant species. His writings. She listened, eager to learn about this and even more eager to draw the conversation away from herself.

The college, damning for creativity... As can the Army, she admitted with a laugh. This time it was real, less nervous. If they won't recognize your new species, then they won't get to benefit from them. She tilted her head. Could you tell me about them? The - the plant species you found, that is.

And just as quickly, the topic was drawn back to her and she felt her claws trace into the fluff of the pelts she lay on. Ah, yes, thank you. Sorry, I don't mean to impose - I'd go, but... she lifted a paw to tap the side of her head. I've the feeling I wouldn't make it far.

She swallowed.

What exactly happened, if you know? I was walking and then I was here with a beehive for a skull.

Spending time on your own did a hell of a number on an individual. It made people anxious in social situations, made simply speaking to another being feel nearly impossible at times. You learn to crave the security of loneliness, not in the fact of being by oneself, but in the trust of consistency. There was no outsourced pain in solitude, nor mistreatment, or abandonment. There was only you. Full control, end of discussion.

The Doctor, while not a true therapist, had many teachings under his belt; many of which were self-taught from his own selfish discovery. Though was it truly greedy of him to become educated on himself? To use what his mind provided to aid his less-than-normal lifestyle? No, not if he'd gone about it appropriately.

The Doctor found these flaws. He nurtured them. Planted them like the very herbs he tended to in his garden. He grew them on bitterness, watered with hate, shined on by spite. He had buried those seeds within his soul so deep that when they finally sprouted from his mouth, his eyes, his hands, they flung words of anguish, tears of anger, and, shamefully, fists of violence.

He had not known that silence could be so damaging, not until the damage was shattered around him like those he'd hurt. He felt this now, but within the lass that fought against her own words. She'd asked him questions about himself, but this day had not been for him. It wasn't he who hated the air around their home, or he who strayed away, nor was it the curly-headed boy who nearly ended up dead. Not today, at least. So why now, when all signs clearly pointed elsewhere, was it up to him to be in the spotlight?

A smile lingered upon blackened lips, ears flopping to the sides of his head. "Oh, darlin', I'm a doctor, never been much of a detective." In more horrific circumstances, he wouldn't be allowed to tell her of her injury in real detail. "But if I were tew guess, I'd say a tree fell and yew were very lucky it 'adn't 'it yew'r 'ead... Not 'ard, anyway." Snorting a bit of a chuckle, tail letting one comforting wag out. "Found yew passed out under a tree branch, took yew home."

Turning, he blinked sleepily. "Not the best thing in the world but 'ey, at least it was me that found yew and not one of yur army folk!"

the moon will swallow me whole

The doctor spoke of not being a detective and she blinked, trying to push past the fog to remember what exactly had happened. Her head was sore, so definitely some sort of impact. Had someone knocked her out? The woman's tail tucked closer to her at the thought, mind instantly reeling with possibilities. Wait... Had this man knocked her out?

She studied him, even as he smiled and offered up the situation he had found her in.

A bloody tree? she repeated, jaw dropping.

Well. At least it hadn't been another wolf, if this man was telling the truth. Especially after the recent assassination attempt, she wasn't sure how likely violence was. Meissa was not famous by any means, but she figured if someone had been spying on the Army, they would have seen her just doing her job.

At the thought of one of the other soldiers finding her, she uttered a soft laugh, I think if they had, I'd have just gotten another knock on the skull and would have been told to walk it off. A pensive smile rested on her face for a moment.

The Army was no place for tenderness or weakness.

The captain shifted, curling her tail tighter around herself and making even more space for the man. It felt strange, sharing a bed with someone she'd just met. In fact... If you don't mind, I can sleep on the floor and give you your bed back. She started to shift, creeping towards the edge.

It would be closer to the fire, but at least she wouldn't be imposing quite so much and she could sneak out once she felt able to, without disturbing the man's sleep.