It had been many weeks since Piper had taken his first patrol in the pack. It felt like he had been in the pack for forever, but he was still a little wet behind the ears. It was his turn to patrol once again. Since he had first joined, the pack had grown a little. Some members from his old pack had followed him here. Even his sister!
Msitsi became a healer as she joined, studying intensely under the other healers in the pack. There’d been some others, but he had made it to the meeting spot, so he couldn’t let his thoughts wander further. He gave a soft hum as he settled in the meeting spot to get his assignment.
The Kataigída spoke briefly of the area they were in, and what to watch for as a guide and set them up with their patrol partner. Piper hadn’t paid close attention, but his eyes found the pink and green bird flying towards him and he knew exactly who he would be paired with for this patrol.
“Seems like we’re paired again,” Lin laughed. Hanecco returned to his shoulders, the ousía fluffing her feathers against the windy area. Piper gave a small chuckle and fell into step with the other male.
The walk started off quiet, but it was a comfortable quiet. Only Hane’s quiet shuffling on Lin’s shoulder and the shuffle of the rocks between their paws disturbed the sounds around them. The wind was practically still in this area - it was one of the reasons the pack had stopped to rest.
It was a nice area. Not big enough to sustain a growing pack indefinitely, but a great past to stop a rest for a few days. Fortunately, the entire pack was made up of adults, though Lin knew Aeolus was trying to conceive a litter at the moment. He was sure some of the other couples were as well.
He felt a longing, sighing a bit and slowed his step a bit so that Piper would walk ahead of him.
Lin was grateful that Piper didn’t slow his pace to match, allowing him to collect his thoughts on his own. His ears flipped back with uncertainty and his chest filled with a sort of pain. One that came only with loneliness. It was like an a turbulent wind got trapped in his chest and tried to escape through his throat.
He wasn’t quite sure when he’d stopped walking, or when Piper had returned to him.
Piper made a small noise in the pack of his throat, concerned. Lin was normally calm and collected. The two had been paired up for more patrols than he could count, and this worried Piper. A lot. “Is everything alright,” He asked softly, standing near enough to feel the others breath. He stretched forward a bit to see Lin’s face. Looking up at his from the bent position.
Lin seemed to frown at him, drawing back. “No, its nothing,” the yellow dog shook his head huffing at the question. Piper frowned back but pulled himself back up. He couldn’t help but hover, though, concern still etched into his features. The two began walking again, but Piper kept stealing glances over to the older dog.
Lin barely paid him any attention though. Hane glanced between the two before humming a sound. She flapped her wings and launched herself up and away the tension. Piper watched her go, tilting his head a bit before glancing back at Lin.
A grumble came from the yellow-pink dog and Lin rounded on Piper. “I said its nothing,” he snarled.
Piper back-pedaled so fast he tripped on the loose, gravely stone beneath them and the fell hard. The brown dog hunched his shoulders, shocked at the sharp words. Lin had never spoken to him like this, always a calm and cheerful presence next to him. He frowned and looked away. “I’m sorry,” he breathed out, shying away from the anger.
He heard Lin sigh, and Piper couldn’t help but steal another glance at Lin. His shoulders still hunched, and his spine and tail hurt from the fall. He didn’t want to stand, and he felt uncertain. He felt a little bit scared.
“No, no, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. Are you hurt,” Lin’s voice was rather bland, like he was exasperated with the entire situation.
Piper frowned, shrugging his shoulders but unwilling to speak. He pulled himself up, wincing at the pain he felt. He gave a small gasp of pain, trying to ignore the stinging of scrapes. The gravel bit into his flank and his ankle hurt. Gingerly, he touched his foot to the ground, only to yelp and yank it back up when his weight sat upon it.
That’s when emotion made its way back to Lin’s voice. “s**t!” He exclaimed, lunging forward to examine the wound. “s**t!” He repeated. “Gods, I’m so sorry. I’ll go find a healer and bring them back here,” Lin looked ready to bolt back towards the pack to find anyone that might know what to do.
Piper have a small huff, balancing with a bit of effort on his remaining three legs.
“Stop, Lin,” he commanded, a bit weary. He hopped forward, towards Lin. “My sister’s a healer, we’ll go to her.” Msitsi would definitely laugh at him, but it wouldn’t be the first time she patched him up either.
The entire way there, Lin stuck close to Piper’s side, practically glued to his hip. He steadied the brown dog when he started to wobble with the effort of walking. It took a while, but they found Missy towards the outskirts of the group, conversing with another dog named Tesifa who was still an Akómi, but looking to be a healer like Missy was.
It didn’t take long for Missy to spot the pair, and she politely ended her conversation with Tesifa before making her way towards Lin and Piper.
Piper gave her a sheepish smile, and Lin gave her a guilty one. She gave them a stern look, shaking her head.
“Come on,” she huffed, leading them back towards her things. She had a dumb brother to patch up...