Post by Therdde on Jan 2, 2010 11:36:57 GMT -5
Characters:
Kein - Male Cougar
Qaletaqa - Male Cougar
- Snowy Highlands -
This is just wonderful. Of course, no one can push himself as hard as Kein does and get away without any ill effects, but why /now/? It wouldn't have been so bad, but the wave of fatigue hit in the exact middle of his attempt to leap from one ledge to another, in an attempt to cut down the time it would take to find his daughter. He didn't land properly, and as a result, he slid far down the slope he'd been climbing, hitting every rock along the way. Nothing is broken, but he does have a few cuts through his flesh, and he is not certain that there is any bit of him that /isn't/ bruised. He should have stopped, then. Should have taken some time to groom himself and rest. Maul hasn't been home in over a day, though, and he and Nayeli both believed it was important to find her as quickly as possible, so he continued on, leaving a trail of blood so thin that he could have gone many miles without losing a dangerous amount of blood... If, that is, he had not collapsed under the weight of the minor illness that caused the fatigue in the first place. This time, it is harder to get up, and he has not done so, yet. He has allowed himself to clean his shallow wounds, though. Gently.
At some point, after the confrontation with Kein, Qaletaqa has realized that with the ebbing of stress comes the arrival of more immediate concerns to ongoing life. Concerns like food. But as he slinks along, letting far too many opportunities get away what with the stress he's under, the first blood trail he comes across is not quite the prey he's expecting. He recognizes the scent, and it's a few moments of staring blankly at the trail before healers' instinct takes over and he begins to follow it, low and fast, mind racing. He's not bleeding much, so...maybe Qale can just make sure he's home safe and sound before running away without anyone seeing him. Or, he could turn back right now. Too late for that, he muses as he leaps along the rocks. As if any part of him would turn him away. Of course, if Kein is hurt, he won't be happy to see Qale, but if not for healing what other reason would he keep the younger cougar around? Exactly. Good. Only that thought keeps him going in the confidence that, should he finally stumble across Kein, he won't be killed. As the blood smells fresher, Qale straightens with a frown, looking about him.
Even if Kein wanted to kill Qaletaqa, and the jury is still out on that one, he would be ill-equipped to do so, at the moment. He could get to his feet, if he had to. He could probably even successfully defend himself against any adversary his size or smaller, though it would pain him greatly to do so. Besides fending off some attacker, though... He'd be pretty useless, right now. That knowledge makes him testy as he hears approaching pawsteps. Oh, how he so does not want to force himelf to stand up right now. He knows every muscle he has would protest against any such movement. He ignores that knowledge, right up until he gets his forepaws firmly planted against the ground and tries to lift some of his weight. He quickly gives that up, as the pain is sharper than he'd imagined it would be. Oh, he could still do it, but he /really/ doesn't want to... So he waits. If it's someone... Well, if it's almost anyone, he will force himself to his feet, and pay for it. But if it's one of a select few
few... Nayeli, perhaps Sweet Rain... maybe Cael... Then maybe just remaining lying down won't be that bad.
Of course, it has to be Kein's most favouritest cougar in the whole wide world who finds him. Cresting a boulder, Qaletaqa has closed half the distance between himself and the prone male out of worry and a desire to examine him before he forces himself to slow down and stop, frowning. It's a battle between his fear and his want to help, and so he elects to remain standing tense until he has express permission. This doesn't stop him from casting an appraising look over the older cougar. "K-Kein!" he hisses, looking and sounding worried. "What happened? Are you alright?" He had, for a moment, thought Maul might have attacked Kein in a fit of rage. The ridiculousness of the idea is not lost upon him.
Yes. Of course. Kein bares his teeth immediately upon seeing Qale. The gesture comes without a hiss. That waits until he lifts himself, forcefully, to his feet, and his hiss is one of pain, not aggression. Qale is far from being the only one who would have cause Kein to stand. He cannot allow himself to appear weak, even temporarily, to most members of the tribe, for all of his insecurities. The sight of Qale just happens to be particularly unpleasant. "I'm fine." Or so he says. Kein's limbs tremble just a little too much for his liking, warning him that he needs more rest than the few minutes he gave himself. He ignores this warning.
Qaletaqa flinches back at the reaction he knows he's going to get, but as he watches Kein try to force himself upright he knows he isn't about to leave. The younger cougar frowns, but he doesn't try to come any closer. "Um, you...you-you don't look fine," he says, once he's plucked up enough courage. "I, um, I followed your...your trail here...stop standing!" he suddenly asserts. He doesn't mean to do it, but the sight of fresh blood welling and the trembling of Kein's limbs brings out the 'doctor' in him. Immediately, Qale tried to backpedal. "I-I mean, I don't think you should...um...l-look, I can help you..."
The thought comes entirely unwelcome. How very much Qaletaqa sounds like his mother did, once upon a time, angry with him for moving about when he was badly injured. The entirely too genuine concern in the other male's voice. It inspires, in Kein, a combination of anger and rather inappropriate amusement, given the situation. If Maul could only see him now, would she be half so concerned about him? Damn that girl. And damn Qaletaqa. "I am not a child. I know what I'm capable of, and what I'm not." Even so, Kein sits. /After/ speaking, and after a couple more seconds of standing, after he speaks, just for good measure. For someone claiming to not be a child, he certainly does a great job of displaying childish obstinance. He does not order Qale away, though, or continue baring his teeth at the other male.
Qaletaqa remembers, when he was just very little and he was allowed to watch his mother work, how some cougars didn't like being treated. Especially the males. They didn't like her telling them what to do, or ordering what to take, but she made them do it anyway with threats of lost limbs, paralysis, or death. He doesn't think the same tactics will work here, but at least Kein isn't trying to stand anymore. "O-okay...okay, um..." Kein hasn't said he wants his help, yet. But maybe watching his mother has had more of an effect than he first thought. "I-I can't help you unless, um, you tell me what's, um, w-what's wrong. Did-did you break anything?" He doesn't look like it, but considering their current relationship, hiding a broken leg is just the kind of thing Kein would do.
"No." Kein can't claim to know what a broken bone feels like, but he has seen it, in other animals. Mostly prey animals that were particularly easy to catch. He has to assume he would know, if that had happened to him. "I just..." Oh, for the love of... As if he is the only animal who has ever missed a landing, or tripped. Even as he criticizes himself for his reluctance, though, he finds it no easier to tell Qaletaqa what happened. So, instead, he says, "Look, it just hurts. If you know something for the pain... And maybe something to clear my head... Then get it. Otherwise, I'll get through it on my own." Snarly much?
While the lack of a broken bone relieves Qale's worry a little, he doesn't like the sound of having to clear Kein's head. Could just be a side effect of...whatever happened here. Qale frowns at Kein's reluctance, fighting down his rapidly resurfacing resentment at Kein's attitude towards him. He still hasn't done everything wrong. And he's helping him out too, now. All males are exactly the same. Even so, this is how Qale earns his keep, and so he nods along to Kein's demand. "F-fine. I'll be back soon...so, um, so don't go anywhere." Is that a joke, a demand, or a plea to Kein not to go off hurting himself more? Qale doesn't wait to explain. He turns and bounds up on the boulder he crested, having a good look around before he leaves for anything that might try to take advantage of the prone cougar.
Kein finds himself a little bit surprised that actually worked. Of course, if he /could/ go anywhere, at least easily, he would as soon as Qale is out of sight. He can't, though, and so, as Qale heads off, Kein lies back down slowly. Could this week get any worse, really? Why couldn't this injury have waited until after he'd gotten over his anger at the situation with Maul and Qale, at least a little bit? Hmph. Stewing in these thoughts, he returns his attention to cleaning the still-open wounds.
- Time Passes -
Qaletaqa isn't gone very long, and when he returns his sides are heaving both with the effort of moving fast and having to breathe out of the side of his mouth. His head is held high as he carries a loop of soft new bark in it like a sling, with a few quick fixes contained therein - sap to bind and protect Kein's wounds, some flowers, and a quickly wrapped piece of old honeycomb. He'd found it some time ago, an early hive, torn it up, kept it safe, suffered quietly through the beestings he'd received all for this precious amber liquid. Qale may have gone overboard, he knows, but...well, it's Kein. He pauses to catch his breath only when he's within sight of Kein again, breathing hard. When he approaches, he still stops a respectable distance away to lower the bundle down.
Kein has not moved since Qale left, just as she younger male commanded. No matter how tempting it was to do so, the pain kept him still. When Qale returns, he is greeted by a chieftain every bit as wary as he was to begin. Kein has relaxed a little, though, accepting that this... Well, it's inevitable. It would only wear him out to fight against allowing Qaletaqa near him.
Laying the soft bark out, Qaletaqa sets about deftly with the ingredients. Unrolling the honeycomb, he takes the sticky leaf it was rolled in and lays it honeyed side down against a few flat white flowers against the bark, kneading it with his paws gently. As the juices of bruised leaf and flowers mix with the scant amount of honey, Qaletaqa stares it intently, very aware of Kein watching him and trying his best to pretend he doesn't see it. His tail lashes. Finally, to break the silence, he speaks. "Um, alright, this...you can lick the mixture off this, and it should...you know, give you a bit of strength, make you feel a bit better. Um..." He pauses, turning the leaf over. "Can...um, can I bring it across to you?" He doesn't want to risk being in clawing distance of Kein without permission, for both their sakes.
Kein watches Qaletaqa work in silence. That the younger male has the sense to ask permission calms Kein a little more, and in response, he nods slightly. A little of the tension leaves his limbs, but even so, when he speaks, it is more of a growl than anything. "Thank you." There. He was polite, grateful. Now he can lick this... whatever it is, perhaps rest for a bit, and then limp off back home. Or so he believes.
Nodding tensely and forgetting to say he's welcome, Qale hooks the leaf up delicately by the edge and walks across. As he gets closer, his walk becomes more of a sidle, and when he finally places the leaf close enough to Kein that he can use his paw to drag it close, Qale is practically crawling. He retreats quickly back to the safety of his herbs, and glances across them. Well...he should just ask. No big deal, right? Right? Qale clears his throat. "Um, I brought...um, I can mix up...you know, a poultice, with sap...it'll help bind the cuts, keep-keep them clean. I'd have to...butifyoufeellikeyou'llbeokaythat'sfinetoo!" he adds quickly, backing down. Coward! Just because he's mad at you, livid, just because you're behaving like an idiot doesn't mean you can compromise his health! Qale frowns, and adds in a small voice, "Though...I mean, it'd be a good idea...I guess."
Kein continues to watch the younger male closely, just in case. Trust does not come easy to Kein, and while he really has no reason to distrust Qale... Well, the father /does/ have every right to be upset. He pays little attention to the mixture Qale gave him, as the younger male retreats agd begins speaking. Of course, any relaxing Kein has done, that statement takes away, and he growls out, "You'd have to /what/?" He knows, of course. If it's something meant to keep his wounds clean... Then it will have to be applied to the wounds. And not, apparently, by Kein himself. That idea, he likes a great deal less than just licking some odd mixture.
"Have to...you know...p-p-put it on..." Qaletaqa's voice is a miserable whisper, but then he brightens up a bit. "But-but it isn't that urgent, so maybe I can mix some and-and give it to...Nayeli. I mean, it isn't difficult or anything." Yes, that seems like it could work. Kein would still get something to help with the cuts, and Qaletaqa could keep his paws to himself. As he has kept them so far, he reminds himself, feeling a sting of resentment. He's working so hard, and yet...well, anyway.
Nayeli. The matron has so much to worry about already. She's not going to be pleased with the foolishness that led to Kein's injuried, and though... Though Nayeli was one of the few he would have allowed to see him hurt, given a choice, if he can avoid it... Well, that has to be better, right? "Fine. Just... do it quickly. And it'd better work." Perhaps in the next few days, Nayeli will be more concerned over Maul than Kein, and then Kein will never have to worry her over the stupidity that led to him being injured.
Nodding again, Qale rebusies himself creating a sticky mixture, letting it sit for a few short moments. Ideally, it would sit longer, but time isn't something he has the luxury of right now. Again, he doesn't dare look at Kein as he's doing it, and as he pulls the bark with its mixture across towards the Chieftain he very deliberately doesn't look at Kein's face. "This will, um, sting a bit." He is clearly used to tending to cuts like these - well, usually, anyway. This time, his movements are slower, hesitant, and he seems less sure of himself. Probably just nervousness, right? To distract himself, he begins to talk again. "This-um-this'll only take a few moments, they're not, um, as deep as I, you know, thought."
Oh, lovely. As though it isn't enough that Kein has to suffer through the indignity of being tended to by another male, it will apparently be as physically unpleasant as it is emotionally so. The chieftain look away from Qale, finally, to lap up the mixture on the ground near him. Oh, how Sweet Rain needs to finish her training, already. Then again, she might already know how to do all of this. It just happens that Qale is here, and Sweet Rain is not. That doesn't make him like the idea any more, though.
Qaletaqa is rushing, it doesn't take a healer to figure that much out. Once all the cuts have been quickly tended to, Qaletaqa almost scrambles away, getting away from Kein as quickly as possible. His heart is hammering, he can hear it pulsing in his ears, but it's definitely for all the wrong reasons. Scuffing his paws at the ground, he keeps his back to Kein as he speaks. "Um, that should-that should keep them...all...together and...yes. Um." He doesn't think too logically about how clever it is of him to expose his back to the cougar who thinks he's done something unsavoury to his daughter. He just doesn't trust himself to look back.
Kein quite deliberately ignores Qaletaqa as the younger male applies the poultice to his wounds. It is not a pleasant experience, but most of that is due to the proximity of a male who, for all of his youth and odd politeness, remains a potential rival and someone he may have to see outside fo the tribe, one day, if Qale begins to show the tendencies so common in male cougars. Ah, sweet, oblivious Kein. Were he not so oblivious... Well, his wounds would be open, yet. As it is, it is only through gritted teeth, and with no growl, that he says, "Thank you."
"Yeah, that's...yeah." Qaletaqa scuttles back to his herbs and begins pushing them about with an aimless sort of movement. Well, at least he isn't growling anymore. And he's still saying thank you! It's making it very hard for Qaletaqa to resent Kein as he should, as he so wants to. He lifts his head. He almost says something now, about Maul, and about how wrong Kein is. But just as quickly his gaze drops down to the ground again and he shuffles awkwardly. "Um, that's all I can...well, the honey should make you feel a bit stronger...um...so...I'll just be on my...I mean, can you get back okay?"
Right. Well. No one can accuse Kein of being too terribly off-putting in response to being helped, right? Right. "I'll be fine." Oh, he won't be leaving immediately. The plants that Qale picked have helped, some, but he had already decided to rest for a while. It does not hurt him at all that Qale is about to leave though. For all of Kein's good qualities, he really is as socially stunted as any male cougar, even if he tries to work past it, most of the time.
"Right. O-okay." Qaletaqa dips his head and picks up the sling of soft bark, the remains of the honeycomb. He makes sure he doesn't look back as he lopes off, as fast as he can go without breaking into an all-out retreat. This is ridiculous. Maybe...the thought seeps in, he pushes it away, it comes back. Maybe it would be a good idea if he were to just leave. He thought this was what he wanted, to belong, to have somewhere he could stay without having to keep his nose to the wind all the time, but this...this is just so much trouble. Being around other cougars might not be all it's cracked up to be.
Kein - Male Cougar
Qaletaqa - Male Cougar
- Snowy Highlands -
This is just wonderful. Of course, no one can push himself as hard as Kein does and get away without any ill effects, but why /now/? It wouldn't have been so bad, but the wave of fatigue hit in the exact middle of his attempt to leap from one ledge to another, in an attempt to cut down the time it would take to find his daughter. He didn't land properly, and as a result, he slid far down the slope he'd been climbing, hitting every rock along the way. Nothing is broken, but he does have a few cuts through his flesh, and he is not certain that there is any bit of him that /isn't/ bruised. He should have stopped, then. Should have taken some time to groom himself and rest. Maul hasn't been home in over a day, though, and he and Nayeli both believed it was important to find her as quickly as possible, so he continued on, leaving a trail of blood so thin that he could have gone many miles without losing a dangerous amount of blood... If, that is, he had not collapsed under the weight of the minor illness that caused the fatigue in the first place. This time, it is harder to get up, and he has not done so, yet. He has allowed himself to clean his shallow wounds, though. Gently.
At some point, after the confrontation with Kein, Qaletaqa has realized that with the ebbing of stress comes the arrival of more immediate concerns to ongoing life. Concerns like food. But as he slinks along, letting far too many opportunities get away what with the stress he's under, the first blood trail he comes across is not quite the prey he's expecting. He recognizes the scent, and it's a few moments of staring blankly at the trail before healers' instinct takes over and he begins to follow it, low and fast, mind racing. He's not bleeding much, so...maybe Qale can just make sure he's home safe and sound before running away without anyone seeing him. Or, he could turn back right now. Too late for that, he muses as he leaps along the rocks. As if any part of him would turn him away. Of course, if Kein is hurt, he won't be happy to see Qale, but if not for healing what other reason would he keep the younger cougar around? Exactly. Good. Only that thought keeps him going in the confidence that, should he finally stumble across Kein, he won't be killed. As the blood smells fresher, Qale straightens with a frown, looking about him.
Even if Kein wanted to kill Qaletaqa, and the jury is still out on that one, he would be ill-equipped to do so, at the moment. He could get to his feet, if he had to. He could probably even successfully defend himself against any adversary his size or smaller, though it would pain him greatly to do so. Besides fending off some attacker, though... He'd be pretty useless, right now. That knowledge makes him testy as he hears approaching pawsteps. Oh, how he so does not want to force himelf to stand up right now. He knows every muscle he has would protest against any such movement. He ignores that knowledge, right up until he gets his forepaws firmly planted against the ground and tries to lift some of his weight. He quickly gives that up, as the pain is sharper than he'd imagined it would be. Oh, he could still do it, but he /really/ doesn't want to... So he waits. If it's someone... Well, if it's almost anyone, he will force himself to his feet, and pay for it. But if it's one of a select few
few... Nayeli, perhaps Sweet Rain... maybe Cael... Then maybe just remaining lying down won't be that bad.
Of course, it has to be Kein's most favouritest cougar in the whole wide world who finds him. Cresting a boulder, Qaletaqa has closed half the distance between himself and the prone male out of worry and a desire to examine him before he forces himself to slow down and stop, frowning. It's a battle between his fear and his want to help, and so he elects to remain standing tense until he has express permission. This doesn't stop him from casting an appraising look over the older cougar. "K-Kein!" he hisses, looking and sounding worried. "What happened? Are you alright?" He had, for a moment, thought Maul might have attacked Kein in a fit of rage. The ridiculousness of the idea is not lost upon him.
Yes. Of course. Kein bares his teeth immediately upon seeing Qale. The gesture comes without a hiss. That waits until he lifts himself, forcefully, to his feet, and his hiss is one of pain, not aggression. Qale is far from being the only one who would have cause Kein to stand. He cannot allow himself to appear weak, even temporarily, to most members of the tribe, for all of his insecurities. The sight of Qale just happens to be particularly unpleasant. "I'm fine." Or so he says. Kein's limbs tremble just a little too much for his liking, warning him that he needs more rest than the few minutes he gave himself. He ignores this warning.
Qaletaqa flinches back at the reaction he knows he's going to get, but as he watches Kein try to force himself upright he knows he isn't about to leave. The younger cougar frowns, but he doesn't try to come any closer. "Um, you...you-you don't look fine," he says, once he's plucked up enough courage. "I, um, I followed your...your trail here...stop standing!" he suddenly asserts. He doesn't mean to do it, but the sight of fresh blood welling and the trembling of Kein's limbs brings out the 'doctor' in him. Immediately, Qale tried to backpedal. "I-I mean, I don't think you should...um...l-look, I can help you..."
The thought comes entirely unwelcome. How very much Qaletaqa sounds like his mother did, once upon a time, angry with him for moving about when he was badly injured. The entirely too genuine concern in the other male's voice. It inspires, in Kein, a combination of anger and rather inappropriate amusement, given the situation. If Maul could only see him now, would she be half so concerned about him? Damn that girl. And damn Qaletaqa. "I am not a child. I know what I'm capable of, and what I'm not." Even so, Kein sits. /After/ speaking, and after a couple more seconds of standing, after he speaks, just for good measure. For someone claiming to not be a child, he certainly does a great job of displaying childish obstinance. He does not order Qale away, though, or continue baring his teeth at the other male.
Qaletaqa remembers, when he was just very little and he was allowed to watch his mother work, how some cougars didn't like being treated. Especially the males. They didn't like her telling them what to do, or ordering what to take, but she made them do it anyway with threats of lost limbs, paralysis, or death. He doesn't think the same tactics will work here, but at least Kein isn't trying to stand anymore. "O-okay...okay, um..." Kein hasn't said he wants his help, yet. But maybe watching his mother has had more of an effect than he first thought. "I-I can't help you unless, um, you tell me what's, um, w-what's wrong. Did-did you break anything?" He doesn't look like it, but considering their current relationship, hiding a broken leg is just the kind of thing Kein would do.
"No." Kein can't claim to know what a broken bone feels like, but he has seen it, in other animals. Mostly prey animals that were particularly easy to catch. He has to assume he would know, if that had happened to him. "I just..." Oh, for the love of... As if he is the only animal who has ever missed a landing, or tripped. Even as he criticizes himself for his reluctance, though, he finds it no easier to tell Qaletaqa what happened. So, instead, he says, "Look, it just hurts. If you know something for the pain... And maybe something to clear my head... Then get it. Otherwise, I'll get through it on my own." Snarly much?
While the lack of a broken bone relieves Qale's worry a little, he doesn't like the sound of having to clear Kein's head. Could just be a side effect of...whatever happened here. Qale frowns at Kein's reluctance, fighting down his rapidly resurfacing resentment at Kein's attitude towards him. He still hasn't done everything wrong. And he's helping him out too, now. All males are exactly the same. Even so, this is how Qale earns his keep, and so he nods along to Kein's demand. "F-fine. I'll be back soon...so, um, so don't go anywhere." Is that a joke, a demand, or a plea to Kein not to go off hurting himself more? Qale doesn't wait to explain. He turns and bounds up on the boulder he crested, having a good look around before he leaves for anything that might try to take advantage of the prone cougar.
Kein finds himself a little bit surprised that actually worked. Of course, if he /could/ go anywhere, at least easily, he would as soon as Qale is out of sight. He can't, though, and so, as Qale heads off, Kein lies back down slowly. Could this week get any worse, really? Why couldn't this injury have waited until after he'd gotten over his anger at the situation with Maul and Qale, at least a little bit? Hmph. Stewing in these thoughts, he returns his attention to cleaning the still-open wounds.
- Time Passes -
Qaletaqa isn't gone very long, and when he returns his sides are heaving both with the effort of moving fast and having to breathe out of the side of his mouth. His head is held high as he carries a loop of soft new bark in it like a sling, with a few quick fixes contained therein - sap to bind and protect Kein's wounds, some flowers, and a quickly wrapped piece of old honeycomb. He'd found it some time ago, an early hive, torn it up, kept it safe, suffered quietly through the beestings he'd received all for this precious amber liquid. Qale may have gone overboard, he knows, but...well, it's Kein. He pauses to catch his breath only when he's within sight of Kein again, breathing hard. When he approaches, he still stops a respectable distance away to lower the bundle down.
Kein has not moved since Qale left, just as she younger male commanded. No matter how tempting it was to do so, the pain kept him still. When Qale returns, he is greeted by a chieftain every bit as wary as he was to begin. Kein has relaxed a little, though, accepting that this... Well, it's inevitable. It would only wear him out to fight against allowing Qaletaqa near him.
Laying the soft bark out, Qaletaqa sets about deftly with the ingredients. Unrolling the honeycomb, he takes the sticky leaf it was rolled in and lays it honeyed side down against a few flat white flowers against the bark, kneading it with his paws gently. As the juices of bruised leaf and flowers mix with the scant amount of honey, Qaletaqa stares it intently, very aware of Kein watching him and trying his best to pretend he doesn't see it. His tail lashes. Finally, to break the silence, he speaks. "Um, alright, this...you can lick the mixture off this, and it should...you know, give you a bit of strength, make you feel a bit better. Um..." He pauses, turning the leaf over. "Can...um, can I bring it across to you?" He doesn't want to risk being in clawing distance of Kein without permission, for both their sakes.
Kein watches Qaletaqa work in silence. That the younger male has the sense to ask permission calms Kein a little more, and in response, he nods slightly. A little of the tension leaves his limbs, but even so, when he speaks, it is more of a growl than anything. "Thank you." There. He was polite, grateful. Now he can lick this... whatever it is, perhaps rest for a bit, and then limp off back home. Or so he believes.
Nodding tensely and forgetting to say he's welcome, Qale hooks the leaf up delicately by the edge and walks across. As he gets closer, his walk becomes more of a sidle, and when he finally places the leaf close enough to Kein that he can use his paw to drag it close, Qale is practically crawling. He retreats quickly back to the safety of his herbs, and glances across them. Well...he should just ask. No big deal, right? Right? Qale clears his throat. "Um, I brought...um, I can mix up...you know, a poultice, with sap...it'll help bind the cuts, keep-keep them clean. I'd have to...butifyoufeellikeyou'llbeokaythat'sfinetoo!" he adds quickly, backing down. Coward! Just because he's mad at you, livid, just because you're behaving like an idiot doesn't mean you can compromise his health! Qale frowns, and adds in a small voice, "Though...I mean, it'd be a good idea...I guess."
Kein continues to watch the younger male closely, just in case. Trust does not come easy to Kein, and while he really has no reason to distrust Qale... Well, the father /does/ have every right to be upset. He pays little attention to the mixture Qale gave him, as the younger male retreats agd begins speaking. Of course, any relaxing Kein has done, that statement takes away, and he growls out, "You'd have to /what/?" He knows, of course. If it's something meant to keep his wounds clean... Then it will have to be applied to the wounds. And not, apparently, by Kein himself. That idea, he likes a great deal less than just licking some odd mixture.
"Have to...you know...p-p-put it on..." Qaletaqa's voice is a miserable whisper, but then he brightens up a bit. "But-but it isn't that urgent, so maybe I can mix some and-and give it to...Nayeli. I mean, it isn't difficult or anything." Yes, that seems like it could work. Kein would still get something to help with the cuts, and Qaletaqa could keep his paws to himself. As he has kept them so far, he reminds himself, feeling a sting of resentment. He's working so hard, and yet...well, anyway.
Nayeli. The matron has so much to worry about already. She's not going to be pleased with the foolishness that led to Kein's injuried, and though... Though Nayeli was one of the few he would have allowed to see him hurt, given a choice, if he can avoid it... Well, that has to be better, right? "Fine. Just... do it quickly. And it'd better work." Perhaps in the next few days, Nayeli will be more concerned over Maul than Kein, and then Kein will never have to worry her over the stupidity that led to him being injured.
Nodding again, Qale rebusies himself creating a sticky mixture, letting it sit for a few short moments. Ideally, it would sit longer, but time isn't something he has the luxury of right now. Again, he doesn't dare look at Kein as he's doing it, and as he pulls the bark with its mixture across towards the Chieftain he very deliberately doesn't look at Kein's face. "This will, um, sting a bit." He is clearly used to tending to cuts like these - well, usually, anyway. This time, his movements are slower, hesitant, and he seems less sure of himself. Probably just nervousness, right? To distract himself, he begins to talk again. "This-um-this'll only take a few moments, they're not, um, as deep as I, you know, thought."
Oh, lovely. As though it isn't enough that Kein has to suffer through the indignity of being tended to by another male, it will apparently be as physically unpleasant as it is emotionally so. The chieftain look away from Qale, finally, to lap up the mixture on the ground near him. Oh, how Sweet Rain needs to finish her training, already. Then again, she might already know how to do all of this. It just happens that Qale is here, and Sweet Rain is not. That doesn't make him like the idea any more, though.
Qaletaqa is rushing, it doesn't take a healer to figure that much out. Once all the cuts have been quickly tended to, Qaletaqa almost scrambles away, getting away from Kein as quickly as possible. His heart is hammering, he can hear it pulsing in his ears, but it's definitely for all the wrong reasons. Scuffing his paws at the ground, he keeps his back to Kein as he speaks. "Um, that should-that should keep them...all...together and...yes. Um." He doesn't think too logically about how clever it is of him to expose his back to the cougar who thinks he's done something unsavoury to his daughter. He just doesn't trust himself to look back.
Kein quite deliberately ignores Qaletaqa as the younger male applies the poultice to his wounds. It is not a pleasant experience, but most of that is due to the proximity of a male who, for all of his youth and odd politeness, remains a potential rival and someone he may have to see outside fo the tribe, one day, if Qale begins to show the tendencies so common in male cougars. Ah, sweet, oblivious Kein. Were he not so oblivious... Well, his wounds would be open, yet. As it is, it is only through gritted teeth, and with no growl, that he says, "Thank you."
"Yeah, that's...yeah." Qaletaqa scuttles back to his herbs and begins pushing them about with an aimless sort of movement. Well, at least he isn't growling anymore. And he's still saying thank you! It's making it very hard for Qaletaqa to resent Kein as he should, as he so wants to. He lifts his head. He almost says something now, about Maul, and about how wrong Kein is. But just as quickly his gaze drops down to the ground again and he shuffles awkwardly. "Um, that's all I can...well, the honey should make you feel a bit stronger...um...so...I'll just be on my...I mean, can you get back okay?"
Right. Well. No one can accuse Kein of being too terribly off-putting in response to being helped, right? Right. "I'll be fine." Oh, he won't be leaving immediately. The plants that Qale picked have helped, some, but he had already decided to rest for a while. It does not hurt him at all that Qale is about to leave though. For all of Kein's good qualities, he really is as socially stunted as any male cougar, even if he tries to work past it, most of the time.
"Right. O-okay." Qaletaqa dips his head and picks up the sling of soft bark, the remains of the honeycomb. He makes sure he doesn't look back as he lopes off, as fast as he can go without breaking into an all-out retreat. This is ridiculous. Maybe...the thought seeps in, he pushes it away, it comes back. Maybe it would be a good idea if he were to just leave. He thought this was what he wanted, to belong, to have somewhere he could stay without having to keep his nose to the wind all the time, but this...this is just so much trouble. Being around other cougars might not be all it's cracked up to be.