[Flashback] Even Pups Bite(Miharu)

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden fiddled around with another slice of the meat, piecing the slice with the hook. "No, not adverse at all," Jaeden said before dropping the baited hook, allowing it to dangle before him as he began unrolling the excess twine now. "There have been more than a few times in the past where I've had to be stitched up due to an unsuccessful hunt, among other things." Jaeden then gave a quick flick of he rod, sending the bait flying into the stream. He wanted to catch at least two more fish for dinner. He just hoped that he had enough bait to do so as simply luring or snagging fish with a bare hook was a more difficult prospect. "I'm happy enough just to have someone skilled in doing so this time around, such hasn't always been the case," Jaeden then commented. His body then began to lean along the nearby tree as his gaze shifted between Miharu working on his leg and the tip of his pole as he once again began to hum the song of his past.

[Miharu Mindi]

Miharu's hands were careful and exacting, and she managed to get all of the splinters out - though she got two or three lodged under her fingernails and had to suck them out. "Ouch," she muttered, rinsing her hands again.

She pulled a roll of thread from the kit and a a curved needle, then threaded it and began her stitching. They weren't nearly as neat as they could have been, fumbling things that would likely leave a scar, but it was better than nothing. She finished one side, then rinsed the needle and her hands and re-threaded it and began on his other wound.

"It'll probably be three or four days before you can walk on it again," she said softly, eyes flickering up to his. "I can hunt for us both if you like. There's enough rabbits around to keep us going for a day or two, and I can maybe find some tubers for you if you'd prefer something other than just meat?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden looked over towards Miharu with a smile before giving a slow nod. "Just so long as you don't push your own wounds that hard," Jaeden advised as he slowly teased the fish in the stream with subtle twitches of the rod. "For now, how about we just relax and enjoy the simple scenery. I have to say, I enjoy instances like this." Jaeden then let his eyes slowly close, as he began humming the song once again, allowing a simple breeze to flutter the short strands of hair along his head, a smile slowly crossing his lips again.

[Miharu Mindi]

She smiled back, warm and happy as she finished off the last of his stitches and tied them off. "Not too pretty," she said in apology, "but it should hold up. Here, just, lemme..."

Small hands dug through the kit again until she found a small jar and unscrewed the lid, dipping a fingertip into the balm and smearing it over the stitches. "There," she said with a satisfied smile. "Now just leave the bandage on for a full day, and then wash it off completely and keep washing it a couple times a day. Give it, say, three days with the bandage on? Then you should be able to air it out." She dipped her fingers into the balm once more then rubbed it into the wound that looped over her left shoulder. Then another washing of her hands, which probably wasn't helping with the fishing, and she went about re-wrapping his leg.

[Jaeden Kincade]

"I'm sure it's more than fine," Jaeden commented on Miharu's stitching, trustful enough not to even glance down at it. His glance watched her for a moment as she went about spreading the balm and washing her hands. His smile faded, knowing he would have to break the news to her soon. He felt sorry for Kelvics, and their nature of bonding. It came all to easy to them sometimes, and those they bonded with likely weren't always that good for them. Jaeden felt himself unworthy of such a bond in the long run. He never wanted someone so devoted to him that they would sacrifice themselves, all just so he could live on. He imagined it's what happened with his family as his father, mother and sister didn't say word one of him while they were being thrown into a burning house. They didn't mention him, so that he would eventually be hunted and killed. It, in the end, made him feel like there was a blade being twisted in his stomach, and that pain made to last for weeks. He never wanted to feel that, not again. He gave subtle nods to Miharu's instructions when it came to changing the bandages, still humming his song before another quick jerk of his rod brought another fish flopping to shore. "Oh, catch it, but mind your shoulder" Jaeden said as the fish's flopping began carrying it back to the waters.

[Miharu Mindi]

She blinked at the flopping fish, and then lept upon it - much as she would have as a wolf, landing directly on top of it on hands and knees as she covered her hands in a fold of her dress and slammed it down onto the ground. A laugh burst out of her, merry and sweet, and she struggled to keep it from returning to shore.

Of course, she got herself tangled up in the line, wrapping it around her head and getting caught in her hair as she tried to weasel her way out of it, and in the end she just sat there, squirming fish clenched in her hands and twine caught under her nose and twisted in the mess of flaxen hair, and blinked huge golden eyes at him in a silently adorable plea for help.

[Jaeden Kincade]

A slow chucked escaped his lips as Jaeden's hand reached out and his fingers slipped under he gills of the fish. "You'll want to hold them like this when you catch them, especially if the fish have teeth," Jaeden informed as he raised the make shift fishing rod and began slowly unwrapping the grasp it had on Miharu. "Do you know if there are any oranges close by, Miha," Jaeden then inquired as he began working out a small tangle. "I think a nice orange sauce may go good with the fish."

[Miharu Mindi]

She sat patiently while he freed her, blushing a little in embarrassment, but that didn't stop her from sidling up closer to him so that she was leaning against his knee.

"Oranges? In Taldera?" she asked, as if it were kind of a ridiculous question. "Uh, no, not really. There's some blackberry bushes downwind a bit, I can gather some of those if you like," she added with an eager smile.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden pondered on such for a moment, thinking if a blackberry sauce could be pulled off. Looking down to what he had caught thus far, he then figured that would be enough before looking to Miharu with a slow nod. "Yeah, we can give that a go," Jaeden said as he finally leaned the rod up along the tree. "If you wanted to gather a small amount, I'll begin cleaning the fish." Jaeden then pulled his knife from the other fish, grasping it as he pushed his way to his feet, keeping his injured leg strait as he did so.

[Miharu Mindi]

"Okay!" she said with a bright grin. She bounded up to her feet and took a moment to orient herself, then took off at a jog.

She was gone about half a bell, and when she returned she had her skirt hiked up to hold the few handfuls of blackberries she'd managed to find. She'd also pulled up a half-dozen turnips, which would bake nicely in the coals of the fire. She plopped down next to Jaeden and held out her bounty with another warm smile. "This should be enough, right?" she asked, peering over to see what he was doing with the fish.