Errand Run

SORCHA Sorcha gave the nurse a nod before picking up the deerskin sack in her jaws, filled with the rarer herbs her mother had requested. Iona had studied at the college in her youth and still remained on good terms with some of the older professors and herbalists, maintaining a healthy exchange of items - there were some plants that Iona grew in her garden that the wolves in the lowlands had difficulty growing, so her mother was happy to trade to restock her own supplies. Sorcha never took to plants, but she was happy to run her mothers errands. The journey from Perth to Melrose took a solid day and a half, but she enjoyed the route, getting to see the world and the new faces it brought. Tensions were still high, but by now Sorcha knew where was safe to spend the night, and who to voice her opinions to without fear of starting a dispute. With the college to her back and the sun warming the sky, she set off on the journey back north. "someone speaking" "speaking"

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baelfire

he had lost the prey he'd been tracking... he'd been distracted by the pounding in his skull and while he'd like to blame it all on that he knew that he wasn't that great of a hunter. sorcha was by far the better tracker and hunter; and his gurgling belly agreed readily with him on that. he sighed and figured he'd just take the last of his cache for the night and try again in the morning.

baelfire scrunched his single eye shut, a growling whine seeping from his clenched jaw as he urged the headache to go away. he got them ever since losing his eye but some days were worse than others.

when he reopened his eye, the pain had not even lessened and so he huffed and ambled off, his paws heavy with exhaustion. eventually he came across a familiar scent and he perked up, though one could hardly tell as he gazed about slowly. his eye narrowed as he spotted sorcha's figure and despite his headache, his tail began to wag. her presence comforted him greatly.

running errands again?

he called out hoarsely before slowly moving towards her. he didn't want to slow her down if she was bringing something to her mother, but he also didn't want to be alone right now. he tried not to show he was hurting, but his worn expression and glossy eye made it all too obvious something was wrong.

@Sorcha

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SORCHA She turned at the familiar voice, ears perking upon her skull. Unable to drop the sack, Sorcha raised her tail in greeting, wagging lazily in the breeze that blew through her fur. She had not been expecting to meet Baelfire on this trip, but he was always a welcome sight for the female. Slowing to a halt, she waited for him to catch up before continuing onward. “Mmhm.” She answered, voice muffled through the sack. But seeing him up close gave her pause, and she carefully placed the package down at her paws. “Is everything okay?” She questioned with a tilt of her head. He looked pained; she knew that he often suffered from migraines, and Sorcha found herself mentally running through the herbs she had here and if any would be of any use as a pain relief. Could she run back to the college and see if there were any nurses who could spare her some medicine? "someone speaking" "speaking"

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baelfire

she usually ran errands for her mother and he had to wonder if his mother were still alive and beltane were here would his brother be doing the same? or would he be working alongside her in the college? he would never know the answers to these questions unfortunately; so he turned his head to focus on sorcha who was now setting her package down to look upon him with concern.

i’m fine, it’s just a headache. he said. not much to be done about that all the way out here, and he didn’t want her to waste any time on him when she had things to do— it would subside on it’s own eventually and he had grown used to them more or less.

his stomach churned slightly and he approached, lowering his muzzle to scoop up what she had been carrying. his lips curved into a smile as the smell of herbs wasted upwards, reminding him of better days. he nodded his head and wagged his tail, though his gaze was still slightly strained as he urged her to lead the way despite already knowing where they were headed

@Sorcha

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SORCHA “i’m fine, it’s just a headache.” He reassured her, though Sorcha was not wholly convinced. But before she could question him further, Baelfire slipped up beside her and scooped up the pelt in his muzzle, looking back to her with a smile. She gave a soft hum, knowing better than to contest him; they were both stubborn to a fault. Instead, she continued back on the road to Perth. “If the smell makes your headache worse, let me know and I’ll take it back.” She nodded towards the package. Although the medley of herbs was a pleasant aroma, after a while the smell could get overwhelming. Sorcha didn’t know how her mother could spend so much time in her stores without getting a headache. “I’m sure mum will have something to help once we get back to Perth, too.” “What were you doing down here, anyway?” She questioned, looking back over her shoulder towards him. Work was what brought Sorcha out of the Highlands, so Baelfire could usually guess quite quickly what she was up to when they ran into each other outside of home. “Any luck getting to Yorkshire?” She tried to keep the air of curiosity, but just mentioning the southern town brought a crease to her brow. "someone speaking" "speaking"

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baelfire

he would have saluted her command if he could have, but for now his headache was manageable. if anything the smell was helping a bit. which was odd because usually scents drove him crazy when he got his headaches. he brushed it off and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

as they headed to perth, sorcha mentioned her mother might have something for his head when they got there. he nodded, knowing that she was probably right. he trusted them to give him what he needed and most of the time it was helpful. he knew little to nothing about herbs but that was no surprise given his interest were elsewhere.

ell, i as unting... ut ih ga awa... (well, i was hunting... but it got away) through his mouthful, if she could even understand him. what she asked next he’d have to pause to place his cargo down so that he could properly speak. i did! he said, the pride he felt welled up before he could quell it. i’ve been accepted... can you believe it? he asked.

he knew that she might not want to hear that but also that she would be proud of his accomplishment— it was a bittersweet moment for the both of them he was sure. he leaned forward without thinking and kissed her cheek, his tail wagging behind him. he paused a moment, lingering by her face as his face warmed. he let out an awkward laugh then pulled back, his gaze lingering on hers for perhaps a moment too long. he cleared his throat. i’m not sure what comes next but... it feels good to follow in my fathers paw steps. he told her quietly.

@Sorcha

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SORCHA “ell, i as unting... ut ih ga awa…” He fumbled around the package, Sorcha just able to make out something about hunting - it seemed he was unsuccessful. Deciding speaking around the sack was too much effort, he stopped to place it by his paws “i did!” He announced, swelling with pride. “i’ve been accepted... can you believe it?” She gave him a smile, although she felt her heart sink a little. There was no going back now. She opened her mouth to congratulate him, but was stopped as he gave a small kiss to her cheek. She blinked in surprise, but her smile quickly found its way back onto her maw as she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. “i’m not sure what comes next but... it feels good to follow in my fathers paw steps.” He continued, perhaps a little sheepishly. “He’ll be proud of you, you know.” she murmured softly, pulling back to face him again. “Will you be staying in Yorkshire then?” The thought made her heart clench - it was a long journey south if she wanted to see him there, and that was without the thought of dealing with the rest of the army. Maybe he would be lucky and be stationed in Edinburgh like his father was. Easy enough for her to get to, and he wouldn’t need to worry about the more… enthusiastic jacobites. "someone speaking" "speaking"

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baelfire

baelfire practically beamed when she told him his father would be proud of him. he knew that but somehow it was still fulfilling to hear someone, anyone say it. he'd never gotten to have this moment with his father and for that he would be eternally resentful, but sorcha helped quell a bit of that now with such a simple comment. he wanted to scoop her up in his arms and hold her, but after that unprompted kiss he wasn't sure if it would be appropriate. she didn't seem angry about before though...

his cheeks were still warm as she mentioned yorkshire and his ears perked up.

well... he didn't rightly know; but he didn't plan to.

i don't plan on it. i don't... uh, i don't want to be away from you too much. he said, swallowing the awkward lump in his throat. he'd never really admitted it before, but he guessed he really valued her company above anything else. i haven't received a station yet, but i'll try to get somewhere further north. promise. he added. all the while he'd been lingering closer and he paused only because he noticed.

what was wrong with him? he shook his head slightly and glanced away. he wanted to say something else to distract himself but suddenly he was acutely aware of a strange and nagging feeling in his chest. it almost hurt, but he wasn't quite sure what it was.

@Sorcha

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SORCHA She found herself nodding along in understanding, feeling her cheeks warming slightly at his words. “I don’t want to be away from you too much.” She already knew it for a fact, but it was still reassuring to hear that he still wanted to be near them. Near her. “I don’t think they’d ever refuse a wolf who wants to be stationed up north, anyway.” She mused. Most wolves joined the army because they wanted to go south, into the heart of the crownlands. Of course, not everyone got the choice in whether they wanted to join or not… But Baelfire had approached of his own volition, that must have scored him some points. Offering to be stationed in the heart of rebel territory must mean something, too. Smiling, she pressed her cheek against his. “I’m all over Rionnach on business, anyway. You’ll never be too far.” Even if they weren’t so kind to give him the station of asking, she could easily change up her sales routes to visit him as often as possible. "someone speaking" "speaking"

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baelfire

”I don’t think they’d ever refuse a wolf who wants to be stationed up north, anyway.”

yeah, you’re probably right. he commented as he turned his head to look back at her. focusing on the conversation rather than the confusion rumbling in his gut was far easier. let’s just hope everyone doesn’t hate me for joining. it doesn’t seem as bad as... he trailed off, realizing that he probably shouldn’t talk about what he thought much of the army. at least not right now. so far it was nice— welcoming enough and not at all what he’d imagined from the stories he’d heard from the highlanders. it was more like what his father had talked of before they’d gotten wrapped up in their revenge plot and he’d ultimately passed away. would his father still say the same if he’d been there during the rebellion? he supposed he’d just have to see for himself which talk was true and which talk was just that, talk.

i have high hopes so far, is all. he said with a soft smile.

he was glad to hear she would be willing to go out of her way to see him, should his new job keep them apart. it only caused the feeling he was having to grow, and twist, and turn. it was happiness, that much he knew, but something else that he could not quite place. she pressed against him and he warmed, his tail began thumping behind him without a thought. nobody could keep me from seeing you— not even the army. he promised. while he wished to be the best he could be and honor his father and all that... he wasn’t quite so sure he wouldn’t quit if anyone tried to tell him he couldn’t see sorcha anymore, for whatever reason.

he supposed his loyalties were slowly shifting, despite what he’d thought he’d wanted all this time.

@Sorcha

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