In Dire Straits

Somewhere in Inaria, residing in one of the many dens littering the upper stretch of the purple forest, a family of wolves slept soundly....save for one brown wolf whos golden eyes stared off into distance as his mind replayed the events of the previous day.  

It was no secret that Birch was a gentle soul that avoided conflicts, refusing to even get involved in a small arguement, and not everyone in the pack accepted the small dires standing on the subject. A few individuals seemed to take insult about having to share space with someone who they considered to be a weakling. So they had taken it upon had taken it upon themselves to toughen up the baby, when he asked his father about the things they did, he had learned that it was called bullying. So Birch had started avoiding the pack, not wanting to be hassled by his newfound bullies, most days he was successful but some days he was unable to get away. He had been restocking supplies for his garden after having used some to tend to a surprisingly childlike brute called Theron. For some reason the young healer had felt comfortable around the stranger when he had been tending his injuries; he thought it was perhaps it was because he saw a bit of himself in Therons social abilities. Sure the dark brown silver eyed mountain was more gruff and defensive in his way of speaking but he had noticed the struggle the other went through to communicate. Which Birch related to.

 He had gotten lost in his train of thought when he heard a voice shouting his name followed by a feign of hurt at his absence which had gotten a laugh from the two others flanking the speaker. Immediately the socially akward dire lowered his ears and tucked his tail which caused the others to scoff and mock. When he provided no reaction they began to circle him taunting him with cruel words and insults but instead of getting angry Birch felt only pain and a desire to disappear. When he had tried to leave the circle they had pushed him back and asked where he thought he was going because they all knew that the timid healer wouldn't be able to leave until they got bored. They grabbed his pouch of items and dumped it out onto the ground infront of him. Picking through the clutter and making demeaning comments about each one in turn. How could a baby such as him be trusted to save lives when he couldn't even defend himself. They went on like this for what seemed like hours until the sound of their names being called finally made them disperse.

It took a while before Birch began gathering his supplies, having to recurl the unfurled bandages, and put them back into his pouch. Seeking shelter, and wanting to put away his supplies, the broken youth made his way to his beloved garden. His sanctuary from the rest of the world. It was within these walls that he was able to be himself without fear of judgment or ridicule.  Honestly if it wasn't for his garden the soft hearted yearling would probably be a right mess.  But the moment he entered and smelled the scent of his herbs and flora all of the days events fell away. He regained his confidence as he set about placing his materials on the correct shelves before setting his pouch on the ground near a patch of lavender. He didn't think much of them at the time but now that he remembered seeing them he recalled their meaning and thought that it would be a kind gesture to give one to his first patient. Quietly the chocolate dire made his way around the splayed figures of his sleeping family members before making it to the mouth of the den. He looked back to see if anyone showed signs of waking but was relieved to see them still slumbering peacefully. 

Once at his garden he went straight to his lavenders which held beautiful blooms due to his constant care. Golden eyes flickered with intent as he looked at each bloom silently judging each one before plucking the healthiest from the lot and making his way towards the graveyard. There had been rumor going around that a rather peculiar wolf had taken up residence there and parents had forbidden their pups from setting foot on that soil so Birch decided to give it a shot. Hopefully he'd be lucky for once and find Theron there.