Narquelion

          "Well I think we should go back before the rain. Wouldn't want to get all soaked and have to sleep wet. Again," a golden wolf with big, gloomy blue eyes said to a couple of others.
          He looked around at the sprinkles just beginning to hit the ground, looking at once fascinated and like he would rather be back at home in his den, watching from there. His hunting party shook their heads in exasperation, but then nodded accommodatingly as they turned to lead the way home. The golden wolf shook off the sprinkles beginning to set dewdrops in his fur and trotted after them. Looking at the full black clouds above as he walked, he hardly noticed the team's leader, Foulkes, grumbling at some of the others about him.
          "I just don't know how I can put up with him anymore. He's got no motivation, all he wants to do is go home and sit around watching... clouds with my sister!"
          The big, dark wolf rolled his eyes so high Narquelion thought they might never come back down— which was really the only thing that had caught his attention. When the party reached the camp the golden wolf tipped his head to Foulkes with a sleepy half-grin and trotted straight off to  do exactly what the disgruntled party leader had said he would.

—

          Narquelion yawned, stretched and lifted a paw to scratch an ear. The sun filtered through a small fissure high up in the top of his rocky, cavernous den and the golden wolf lifted his face to enjoy it. From out in the main cavern he heard various voices talking, laughing and coughing, and he stretched once more and got up to see to everyone. He trotted down the short tunnel leading from his private space where he slept and stored herbs and out to the main cavern which was split in two by a thick curtain of dried green willow branches that hung from another fissure in the top of the den. To his left were the sick, all of whom sounded and looked like they were on the mend. To his right was the nursery where— for the moment— there were only three inhabitants.
          The fairly new herbalist made his way toward the source of the laughter and gently batted a paw at the little lone pup who was doing a fantastic job of entertaining herself while her mother talked. Domhara and Abutilon paused their conversation to chuckle as Finwenn clamped her tiny jaws onto Narquelion's paw and wouldn't let go.
          "Erm, you know I need that don't you, little one? Would you mind- no, I can't understand you through a mouthful of paw. Oh, Domhara please she has such sharp teeth," the disgruntled herbalist implored the gray she-wolf with surprisingly low energy for someone being gnawed on.
          "You're going to have to learn to control these kinds of dangerous situations if you're going to be any sort of herbalist at all, young one!" Abutilon laughed as Domhara coaxed her zealous pup off of Narquelion's paw with her own suppressed giggle.

—

          Narquelion listened as his new alpha prattled on about this and that, only pausing long enough for the herbalist to mumble a quick, 'hm,' before continuing on his slightly frazzled tirade. It was just as well. Though he liked his mother's replacement well enough, Narquelion was far too busy at that moment to reply with anything much more substantial anyway. He gestured for the golden alpha to walk with him as he gathered up his newly made poultice and headed down the tunnel to the sick den. Parting the willow screen, he trotted in, sat down next to a bored-looking pup and went about re-dressing her snake bitten leg as Hakaan settled in and continued his speech.
          "... and I just didn't know what to do before I came in and spoke to you. It's all very clear now, though, and I've you to thank for this ingenious insight! I feel so much lighter now, Narquelion, you've no idea," the alpha let out a sigh of relief and grinned at his trusty herbalist.
          "Haphy tho helph," Narquelion replied flatly through a mouthful of the young green willow he was using to tie the poultice to poor, young, very confused Briasa's wound.
          "You know, your mother may not have thought to promote her son to the ranks of her advisors, but you advise me plenty. I think you've earned your place among the Wise, buddy! Thank you a million times, and I'll be back soon for more help, I'm sure of it!" Hakaan grinned as he ducked out through the willow vines and ran down the main tunnel to the exit, no doubt on his way to try out all these new solutions his faithful herbalist had supposedly shared with him.
          Briasa and Narquelion just stared after Hakaan as he left, dumbfounded, then looked back at each other as if to ask one another, 'what just happened?' Narquelion just grinned a rare genuine grin, and for the rest of the day— and, actually, for the rest of that week— he was nearly unrecognizable in an unshakeable good mood.

—

          Narquelion limped out into the daylight a few steps, favoring a badly singed paw and stopping soon after he began to give it a rest. The old herbalist grumbled his annoyance at the unresponsive paw and shook his head. Not only had he been forced to pack up and move halfway across the world to this bug infested river grove, but he'd had to do it on a screaming foot! The audacity of that Hakaan and his Strong advisors, abandoning the hollow his mother had picked out for the pack, in which he had been perfectly comfortable.
          "He'll not hear the end of that from me, oh no," he grumbled at a passing pup who immediately tucked his tail and scooted away from the disgruntled adult.
          "Who won't hear the end of what?" Hakaan himself asked from just past Narquelion's peripheral vision.
          The herbalist jumped and whirled about, still very spry for his age, "you! You've dragged me away from all my stores, my gathering spots shown to me by Abutilon! Now I've got to send all these lazy, no good young ones out there to scout for me, and half the time they bring me weeds! Pray, what am I going to do with weeds, Hakaan?"
          The alpha just grinned at this tirade and bumped his friend with a shoulder, "I'm sure you'll figure it out just fine, buddy. Just be sure to stay off of that paw as long as you can. I know you'd wear that foot right down to the bone to take care of everyone else!"
          "Indeed he would, and then he'd lament that as well," a red-tinged she-wolf chuckled as she emerged from the huge petrified stump after her mate.
          She nodded her respect to Hakaan as he grinned again and made for another cluster of pack members needing attention. Narquelion fixed her with a short-lived scowl, then bumped his head to hers affectionately as she settled down next to him and smiled.

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[Starting ~213]