[Endrykas] Cleanliness (Aiken)

[Aiken]

Aiken sat down next to Denen. His eyebrows shot up as he walked, watching the boy's hips sway like they did. None of the physical signs to his attraction were present yet, but that didn't keep Aiken from knowing it was true.

"Sure. The pain isn't as unbearable as it is that the muscles are too weak to run with. Soon, even the puppies will be able to outrun me." Aiken tore into his dried meat with fervor; he instantly loved how deliciously salty it was, and how fresh it tasted even though it wasn't.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

After making his happy greetings, Sam sat with them, close to Aiken. Since they had undergone such trials together, they both found comfort and safety in proximity to one another. Once he caught Denen's eyes again, he signed for him. "You have it about right," he signed, speaking at the same time so Aiken wasn't left in the dark. To his knowledge, the kelvic hadn't yet picked up grassland sign. "Though names don't seem to matter much to him. Do you want me to speak like this or can you read lips well enough?" The last thing he wanted was to alienate one of the few friends he had made among the horseclans, especially if he could improve on the lackluster medical efforts Sam himself had applied to Aiken's glassbeak wounds. He glanced over at his tent, assuming the pups were napping inside the makeshift den. They slept a lot, basically whenever they weren't eating, pooping, or playing. Somehow they already felt like family too.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. He was happy to see his friend again, and happy, too, to have made a new one. He played with his pretty, dark hair, while he waited for the others to sit. When Aiken did, he smiled softly to him and immediately began to look over his herbs. He nodded to Sam, smiling gratefully when the other told him that he had done it right. He was relieved. He hated saying other people's names wrong. "I can talk and read lips j-just fine," he assured. "I...I didn't go deaf until I w-w-was four." He knew most words as well as anyone else. Names were difficult when the people were not of his own kind, but he made do. He ran slim, nubile fingers down Aiken's back, tracing the scars with focus written clearly on his brows. He glanced up to Sam, pointing to a small pouch containing balm. "I n-need that one," he said quietly. "And...one of those b-bowls. I have...to g-grind it. " He was quiet then, his hands moving deftly to fetch up his scalpel and a pouch of water. The thought that he might have to reopen to wounds to properly sew them up again struck him, and he laid a gentle hand on Aiken's shoulder. "Are you...against h-having me open these again?" He asked curiously, but was struck by a sudden thought. "Oh! And, Sam! The coneflower!" He shot up to his feet then, and stumbled over to pick the herbs up himself, smiling widely as he returned to Aiken's side, taking his hand and seeking to lay him down on the mat. "I c-can make a compress out of these, and it should ease...ease the pain y-you feel. If it d-doesn't improve, then I'd like...like to open the wounds again and close them properly." He spoke plainly, as though this was something everyone ought to know.

[Aiken]

Aiken watched Denen closely. He tried to listen, but paying attention wasn't something his mind was prone to let him do.

"Hmm? Oh, yea. I don't mind. Do what you have to." Aiken finished his jerky and leaned forward for the healer to have better access to his back. But something struck him as odd.

"Sam, what does deaf mean," he asked, unsure of the term. Hie mother had taught him the best he can, but it was just a word that he had never heard before.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

OOCI'm still trying to figure out my free time while juggling three jobs, but I promise I will not leave you hanging again if I can help it. Sorry!

Sam passed everything that Denen requested to him to the best of his abilities and based on rather haphazard knowledge of herbs and their preparation. It was a good thing he had made friends in the Opal Clan. That way he and Aiken would be taken care of when they were injured or sick. With one hand pressed into service helping Denen, the other held his bit of jerky, the which he chewed on while they talked. It wasn't the most polite, but what was he going to do? "Deaf means he can't hear, furball. His ears don't work anymore."

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen smiled sweetly to Sam as he passed him what he could, fetching the rest of his things himself. He didn't expect Sam to know all the herbs, and the names of all of his things. Even if he had, there were some things that only Denen knew the location of. It was like a woman's kitchen. He had things as he wanted them, and he hated for them to be messed with. He hummed slightly to himself as he sat back down, holding the bowl cradled between his thighs, and began crushing the herbs together in quick, pounding motions. He reached for his bag and dragged it over. Inside, his father's first wife, Pebble, had slipped some sweets for the road, which he hadn't noticed until recently. He fished the oatcakes out with on hand, and began munching on them while he ground the herbs. With the oats on his mind, he rose to his feet and located a pouch of them, which he poured a bit of into the mixture, to give it more consistency. This done, he motioned to Aiken with one hand, swallowing his food. "Here, lie down. I'll put this on, and then wrap you. You're going to need to let your body rest. You can stay in my tent...if you'd like."

[Aiken]

"Can't hear? That must be a terrible thing to deal with. Then again, that's comparable to you losing your sight, in my case." Aiken frowned. He was sad that Denen couldn't hear things. He laid down slowly, easing himself down as to not upset his back much.

"I don't see why not, as long as Sam can take care of the pups for me while I'm down," Aiken said, making sure to look at Denen so he could read his lips. "In that case, I wouldn't mind sharing a tent with you."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"He seems to get by all right," Sam said, offering Denen a smile when he caught him reading his lips. "But we'll just have to make sure we give him whatever help he needs while he's part of our little camp." He thought Aiken would miss his hearing as much as his sight or sense of smell. Animals relied on all of their senses, while humans seemed to have a strong bias toward their eyes, which weren't even as strong as many animals. But he was glad that Denen was able to help Aiken recover, and glad that they seemed to be getting along well. "Sure, I can watch the pups for a while. Just make sure you spend a little time with them so they don't develop abandonment problems." He smiled a little sadly, the poor things. Orphans just like him. Just like Aiken too, he thought.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen remained blissfully unaware of most of what was being said. He wasn't bothered by this, however. It was part of his life. A painful, but very real fact. It had upset him as a child. He remembered crying because of things he missed out on. But he had learned that, with people who were kind enough to care, he would be alerted when something important was going on. He tucked his dark hair carefully behind his ear, and leaned over Aiken as he lay down before him. A soft, gentle hand rested on the other's back, and he used delicate fingers to scoop out the mess in the bowl. This, he carefully smeared over the injuries. He glanced up to Sam. "M-May I see...see the puppies?" He asked, childlike innocence showing in his eyes. He loved baby animals. He reached for his bandages then, which were also in his bag, and gently lifted Aiken's torso with his knees so that he could wrap it properly. His hand now rested idly on Aiken's hip, having made sure the bandages were secure but not too tight. "That should...should do for now," he informed. "Is there...is there anything else either of y-you needs tended to?"

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I'll go get the pups," Sam said, standing up once it was clear that he wasn't going to be much use as an assistant to Denen. "I'm all right. Just make it so Aiken can run like the wind still and you'll have done us all a great favor." He grinned with affection, which came easily to him when he felt safe. Aiken was someone he had come to rely upon. After all, they had weathered the death-storm together, and Aiken had followed him on his journeys the way a friend or family would in the Drykas world to which Sam had been born. It had occurred to him that perhaps Aiken would actually stay, thus being someone with whom it was safe to be more truly friends. With that, he left the two of them to collect what would likely be sleepy pups from his own tent, which smelled more like wolf than like Sam anymore.