Two straight weeks of bumps, bruises and head traumas left the cream healer exhausted and irritable. When the last of her patients left her den she made a swift escape to the southern plains, yearning for quiet. A nights walk led her to tangy scented fields which opened up to salt tasting winds and lapping waves. White sand floated over her toes as her cream paws sunk slightly with every step. Creek had never seen the ocean, but tales from loners made her wish to someday see it. It looked like a lake that stretched on forever, but it sure didn't taste like lake water. One swallow left the fae almost reaching at the taste, but embarrassed at the same time. Closing her pale blue eyes Creek let the wind bash into her face, pulling her fur back and tried to relax.

A few hours were spent walking around and making odd designs in the white sand. How curious it was that her paw prints stayed like in mud, but washed away if she tread too close to the water. Intrigued by this the healer flited back and forth into the surf and spun her head around to watch her prints fade away. This was the first time in a long time the fae had had fun in a long time. Healing was important to her, but sometimes it was nice to let loose and enjoy herself. Walking to a shady spot the cream fae curled herself into a ball and lay down in the warm sand. The shade proved comfortable while the slow lapping of the waves soon lulled her to a deep sleep. In her mind dreams of happier times floated about and soon she was out cold.

It was the second day within the safety of the Helidos pack for the Hunter. After a long rest in the camp clearing under the protection of a tree and being watched over by the twinkling stars, Eclipse was exhilarated and full of energy on this morning. He had risen early and headed out, intending to travel far today and explore the furthest parts of the territory, so he could learn it from the exterior to the core. He had only eaten the day before, so he was brimming with energy and he loped freely over the terrain. His very large ears were perked high with interest of his surroundings. The fresh Summer breeze gasped gently around him and he could hear the singing mating calls of the birds. So, it was Summer at long last.

Summer brought happy memories for the newly matured male. His puppyhood was full of fun, danger and harshness, but Summer was when he was young and free of the difficult realities of life. Compared to others, he was lucky. None of his parents were dead. He had never been in an extreme life or death situation. Therefore, he was pretty much physically and emotionally unscathed. After a few hours of travel he had arrived at a beautifully stunning place. His mind and senses had become distracted with memories and the bristling environment, and when he finally had realised he had come to the edge of the territory, he was amazed with what was in front of him. The soiled earth had transformed into some pale, dusty substance, that felt awkward beneath his pads. This was not right to Eclipse; he had always lived in forests full of mud. This stuff did not even bear his weight properly! The golden irises of the dark chocolate male were filled with confusion. He could hear the water lapping up this strange ground, and he wanted to paddle in it a bit and perhaps get a drink.

Like a fox catching a vole, he sprung high into the air as he hopped to the waves, trying not to touch the stuff as much as possible. Sand sprayed out as his paws kicked into it. His oversized ears flopped wildly atop his head. Oh, if only the male ever realised how stupidly funny he presented himself, he would chuckle.

Once he got to the water, his paws sunk in not so much and he could see his paw print like in mud, whereas when this dust was dry, no prints could be found. He sipped up the water quickly, but when he tasted the gritty saltiness on his tongue, he began to choke and wheeze to try and remove it. When he finally had settled, he laid down on his side, relaxing under the sun. His paws just dipped into the sea. His eyes danced over the sheer, white cliffs surrounding him in this little cove, and they shone with wonder as he saw the thick, deep, green forests that ran along the top. Oh, how he wished to run within them, but he guessed they would not be within the pack grounds.

He felt good here. And although he was sure he was alone, he did not feel it...

Creek's dream were interrupted by odd sounds coming from the waves. Cracking an eye open a smile grew on the fae's face as she saw a dark colored brute play around in the surf. Creek bit back a chuckle a he tried to taste the water just as she did then her eyes tracked him as he wandered over to the sand to lay down. Creek picked her head up slightly as he lay down almost fifty feet from her. Her smile grew as she saw him not aware of her presence and pricked her ears in his direction. He looked younger than herself, but she was still cautious for age didn't deter aggression. He also smelled of her pack but faintly as if he were newer.

Slowly Creek rose, remaining quiet, and walked closer to the sleeping form. When she was close enough the fae sat down and cocked her head slightly. "Hello there male." She said, hoping she didn't startle him too bad. Waiting to hear his reply Creek studied what little of him she could see. He looked like a capable male and his pack scent told her he didn't have a high rank, perhaps he was a hunter or a warrior? Long days in her den healing wolves left little time for her to improve her horrible hunting skills. Envy suddenly flashed as she scented to open meadows and forests faintly on the male, what responsibilities could he have?

Just as the dark wolf's mind had floated away with the sea as he began to dream, he was jolted awake and he flinched as a loud noise sounded close by. Irises more gold than the beach snapped open and ears swivelled in the direction, he quickly sat upright and found that the noise was actually a voice.

As his eyes began to focus as they adjusted to the light, he could see a pale fae with her head tilted as she stared at him. This made Eclipse smile, for he knew that she was confused as to why he hasn't sensed her approach... and how he could tolerate the heat of the sand that was burning away at his face and paws. "Ouch!", he shrieked as he jumped to his feet, though this caused more pain as he sank into the hot dust even more. Without thinking, he dashed into the ocean, sighing as he instantly cooled off. He hadn't heard the female approach due to the sand, what strange stuff it was.

"Sorry. Hello there female" he joked by copying the wolf, stressing the way he said female. "How long have I been resting?"

He watched her closely with his squinted eyes and ears back to prevent splashes from going into them, splashing around in the sea and feeling the waves raise and drop his tail on the surface of the water.

The way the male jumped up from the burning sun and ran into the surf amused Creek slightly. Rising to her feet as he ran her pale blue eyes tracked him when he dashed off, concern for his health on her mind. Perhaps it was just a reflex to worry about someone's health, either way as he sat in the surf his relief put her at ease. Walking closer to him Creek peered at the salty water and giggled at it. "Horrid stuff this is, sorry you had to find that out the hard way just as I did" she said sweetly, bringing her gaze up to him.

"Hello yourself, you were only resting a few moments, sorry that I woke you. I'm Healer Creek by the way I don't believe that we have met." She said inclining her head to him in a mutual sign of respect. Even if he were an Omega she would still show him common curtsey. It wasn't a habit of her to lower her respect of anyone even if their rank wasn't high, and she wouldn't start now. Sitting back on her haunches Creek waited for the male to return his name to her, in the mean time her eyes drifted to the surf in the background. The gentle lulling of the waves almost hypnotizing her to the point of sleep, yet intriguing her at the same time.

"Yes, I do not care much for this water, it made me almost vomit." He said in a powerfully disgusted way as he frowned at the salty water around him.

"Sorry I did not give you my name straight away, I have just recently joined this pack and have forgotten my manners. My name is Eclipse, Hunter Eclipse. No need to apologise, I would have woken anyway once I had felt this heat." He stared into the sky, scrutinising why it had to get the sand so unbearably hot.

"Nice to meet you Healer Creek. And you are correct, I have not met you before. It is funny, every she-wolf I have met so far has such a pelt as pale as yours." he smiled and tipped his head, indicating her pelt.

"So, what brought you to this strange place today?"

Creek chuckled slightly under her breath then sat down near the surf. Waves rippled up and nipped at her feet, foam clinging to them. Glancing down at the surf the she wolf noticed several small shells being uncovered then recovered by the tide. Intrigued Creek dipped her head and sniffed out a larger shell, taking it in her mouth. "Curious place this is, I wonder what these are, some sort of rock?" She questioned, laying her prize down in the dry sand. As he gave her his name Creek dipped her maw and flashed him a grin. "The pleasure is all mine Hunter Eclipse, no need to apologize either." She said, a small giggle finding its way in the end.

Glancing down at her pelt by his next statement Creek nodded. "Most wolves her do share my pelt, but a fair amount have darker coats as well. My parents told me a distant relative came from a place covered in snow, there everyone had pure white coats. Mine doesn't rival theirs, but it suits me well. I must say most males' I've the pleasures of meeting have your pelt as well, but most require my assistance instead of communication. This is partly why I'm out here. There's been a string of injuries that have cept me quite busy. I've also had training apprentices and scouting out new places for herbs. As you can see I'm quite busy, so coming here was a "escape" if you will. May I ask you the same question?"

The male tipped his head ever so slightly, wondering why the Healer seemed to chuckle all the time. He could see she had a very friendly personality, and was obviously just happy by nature. When she questioned what the object was, Eclipse had no idea, "Yes, it just looks like some fancy rock to me, very nice though".

He always found it interesting to hear where a wolf hails from, to know what runs through their veins: "My mother came from the Cold North, where they too had mostly white or light pelts, but over time they had traveled south and bred with forest dwelling wolves like my father. She still had a lighter pelt though, so my sister got one. I guess the gene may run in my blood, so who knows what colour my pups would be!", Eclipse smiled as he joked; he doubted he would ever have pups, and he didn't know of the Helidos rules on the matter. "I think your pelt suits you very well, also. I have only met one male, Khane, so far, so I didn't know of that", Eclipse's gaze became distracted and his ears bent back slightly as he thought of how few wolves he had actually met.

"So you have been busy? What exactly does a Healer do? I have not heard of them before. If you like, I could help you with some duties, since I don't have much hunting to do. I provided the pack with a kill yesterday so there should be plenty of food. After all, we don't need to eat very often, for when we do eat we do eat enough to last a few days".

The dark brute realised he was babbling, something he always did when taking to new wolves as he wasn't comfortable. "Uhm, I am sorry if I disturbed your relaxation, I came here sort of by accident, as I was trying to get to the furthest edge of the territory to explore, since I'm new. But, I am going to leave now, the sun is getting too hot for me. I may return sometime, it is a lovely area. I shall leave you in peace, Creek".

His dark mahogany legs glided slowly through the water, then raced off towards the other end of the beach as he tread on the sand, remembering how hot it was. As he ran and his pelt blew back, he took a glance behind him towards the creamy female, secretly hoping she might follow, or he would see her again soon, hopefully not for needing her to sort out an injury.

Listening to his words Creek kicked the shell back into the water before looking back at Eclipse. He started speaking about is past which made Creek drift into thoughts of her parents. "Both of my parents were darker colored, my father in particular. I was the odd ball of my family and pack, but thank you for the compliment Eclipse." Her sweet smile subsided slightly as he mentioned pups and her gaze averted slightly. All her life she had wanted pups, but her old pack's laws forbid it for a healer, could that change here? "I haven't the pleasure of meeting Khane yet, but yes most of the males here have darker coats."

"What do I do? Well I collect herbs and plants in the area and use them to help heal different aliments. Herbs can treat anything from bleeding and dizziness to sleep problems and give energy. I help out in emergencies like hunting accidents and in my spare time I train two apprentices in my art. Thank you for the offer Eclipse I may take you up on that in the near future, but for now I'm merely searching out new plants." Creek said, smiling at the male again. He then apologized again and started to walk off, much to Creek's disappointment. "Wait! You're not disturbing me Eclipse, it's nice to have company such as yourself and not be told to bandage anything or slab a poultice on anything." Creeks legs burst forward as the distance between the pair closed. "Perhaps maybe we could explore this odd place? See what other things are around here?" She offered hoping he wouldn't disagree with her. It was rare for Creek to meet a male she actually wanted to spend time with, especially one this polite.

The dark bronzed brute stopped running as soon as he heard Creek calling, and turned himself around, his ears up and alert with interest. The dark body stood shivering slightly as his wet pelt had not yet dried. His eyes widened, surprised to hear that she wanted him to stay, and that she liked his company. As she joined his side, he bowed his head and swayed his tail, expressing clearly that he didn't mind her staying with him. Normally he was a shy and reserved male, but he had accepted he was part of a pack now, and he needed to act like it. It was no use staying alone all the time.

"I would rather like to go and discover with you, Creek. Perhaps we can look for some herbs for your healing and you could teach me a little, or if you'd rather forget about your duties for a while, we could just look around". His golden orbs studied over her face, looking for any signs of accepting his offer. "I've got to admit, I didn't know there was such a power within plants, or that there are wolves so knowledgeable of them".

He could tell this female was feeling a bit lonely and in need of relaxation, sort of like himself. It was odd how so many wolves could be in a pack, yet all were so busy that it could leave you feeling isolated and unimportant. It sort of felt that way for Eclipse, but it was mostly because he had only recently been accepted. His dark lips pulled back to reveal his sharp, off-white teeth as he grinned at the charming fae and nosed her shoulder. "After you"

Bounding up to the male Creek was pleased to see that he wasn't put off by her enthusiasm to stay with him. Coming to a stop by his side her sides heaved from the short sprint through the hot sand. Panting slightly the healer smiled up at the male "We could explore a bit yes. Healing is a part of me and I'd never wish to escape it completely while we look around maybe we could find some herbs. If they're any I know I could teach you a bit." With her eyes gleaming and her tail still swaying slightly behind her most of her anxiety melted away. Out here in this beautiful place she felt so free from stress and responsibility.

Of course this feeling couldn't last forever and the fae knew that eventually she would need to return to her duties, but for now it was nice to have fun and enjoy herself. As Eclipse motioned to go Creek smirked back at him then lunged forward into the surf. "Come on! Ill race you to those trees up ahead." She called and she crashed and leapt through the shallows and waves that crashed around her feet. Salty spray hit her in the face, but she pushed herself to leap higher and run faster, just enjoying the feeling.

Eclipse flung his body round and outstretched his limbs as far as they could go as he chased after the swift, creamy wolf. The expression in his eyes was of pure determination to at least catch up to her, except his muzzle was open as his rouge tongue lolled about with his heavily landing footsteps, so it looked like he was smiling. It was always fun to run, especially alongside others.

It seemed he would not get near her, she had a head start and his body is more built for endurance than for speed. His long, bushy tail flailed behind him and his chest heaved as he took deep breaths. But, she was also prancing around in the air, which was slowing her down. As he pushed deeper into the sand to propel himself more, he got faster and faster, reaching closer to the fae.

Just as it seemed he would overtake her and get to the trees first, the salty spray she kicked up with her rear paws splashed onto his face, totally throwing him off. Some water landed in his right eye, stinging it a little, so he closed it and ran with just one eye able to see. Like this, he was unable to accurately judge how far away he was, so he unknowingly had slowed down.

Creek got to the finish point first, and Eclipse eventually arrived, trotting over to her by the end. Still with his eye closed, he proclaimed, "Well done, you beat me!", smiling kindly to her, for he was not too competitive. "Now, where do you think the herbs are?"

Having fun in the surf Creek nearly tripped a few times and she bounded over the rolling waves. Salty spray blew her fur back into spikes whih only dded to her laughter. Soon she was at the edge of the woods with Eclipse bringing up the rear. Stretching tall in a silly pose Creek giggled loudly and beamed at the male. "Good run now as for herbs, most grow in full sun and near a source of fresh water. I doubt any plant would like this salty water so we can start there." She suggested motioning deep inside the forest.

The darkness enveloped her, but fear wasn't a feeling to be felt. Excitement flowed through her veins at the rush of finding new plants. Her mother had told her of some plants that grew in these places, one in particular which was called Blume was very useful in healing wounds, especially infected ones. In was a short stocky plant that had tall stalks of white flowers. Its scent was also strange in that it smelled rotten, how fitting for an healing plant. "If you see anything odd let me know and I shall tell you what its for." She said over her shoulder as her eyes started to search out the plant.

As the stinging wore off, his eye cracked open again, much to his relief. It was very interesting for the shadowy brute to see a wolf so knowledgeable on something that most wolves knew little about or have not even heard of. He silently followed as she controlled the situation, heading to where she knew healing plants would be and watched in awe as her eyes searched through every square centimetre of the forest floor. It was clear how seriously she took her work and she was determined to find something.

Even more intriguing was the way she fixated and focused on every patch of plants and the eagerness and excitement rippling through her body which was expressed in her body language, easily seen as he trailed from close behind her. It was like watching himself when he was tracking prey for a hunt, though for Eclipse, this hunt would be much more difficult. He was clueless. To him, all plants were wonderful things of nature, but how would he know which ones were for healing or not? It would annoy even her cheerful self if he was questioning her every few seconds of the plants and flowers they passed by.

"Okay" he replied to Creek, to inform her that he would ask her if he saw something he was suspicious of. After a short time of feeling useless, his legs took him away from Creek to quickly dash around with his snout to the ground, desperate to find something for her. As he veered further and further away, an acrid stench blew his way. It smelled of decay and the male felt instinctively to run from it, but curiosity got the better of him. He used his skills of tracking which he had acquired whilst hunting alone to reach the source, which happened to be a plant with white and pink stained funnelled flowers.

He thought about breaking a stem and taking it to the creamy acquaintance, but he didn't really fancy having a rotten smelling flower in his mouth, and he wasn't going to kill a plant if he didn't have to. So he emitted a short, high pitch howl, to let Creek know that it was urgent. He hoped he had cried for long enough for her to find him.

Hearing the call Creek stopped digging at roots to perk her head and crane her neck in the male's direction. My that was fast, she thought as her cream legs brought her swiftly to him. Approaching the male Creek stood astonished t the sight of the rare herbs before him. It looked quite healthy. "That's wonderful Eclipse, just wonderful. This is just what I've been looking for. My mother taught me about this when I was young, its called Blume. When put on a infected wound and sucks the infection out and falls off, leaving the wound clean, its very special. Thank you so much for finding it." She said, smiling at the male. Very carefully Creek plucked the frail flowers with a bit of stem from the plant. Holding them softly in her jaws she glanced around till she saw a ray of sun light in the woods.

The herb would need to be dried, and the sun light here would assist with that while they looked for more herbs. Overjoyed at the discovery Creek was nearly shaking with joy. "We could look for more herbs if you wanted or we could return this to my cave if you had something else to do." She said, not wanting to keep him from his duties.

Slowly he lowered his behind to nestle in the forest floor, awaiting Creek to join him. He stared with his head tilted at the flowers, wondering whether it could be a healing plant if it smelled so awful. As he head a rustle he snapped from his thoughts and turned his gloomy chestnut face towards her. Amber eyes sparkled with a slight confusion seeing her frozen there a moment until he realised that he must have found something useful. She expressed clearly in her voice that she was shocked yet overjoyed at the discovery. Huge ears of his flicked up and his tail tip wiggled ever so slightly before he controlled it. Intently listening to her words, he gathered her mother must have been a healer and taught her what she knows "Sucks out an infection then drops off?! What an amazing ability for a plant! I'm glad I found it for you, you're welcome Healer Creek"

Following her actions he got up and pulled some flowers, carefully avoiding getting any liquid onto his tongue. He twisted round to her when she spoke again. A small warmth was felt within him as she said we, becuase she could so easily have said she would like to collect herbs and he could go about his own business. It was just strange for him to have a wolf for company to do things, his solitary life had taken a toll on his thoughts, making him see things a little weird. Placing the precious petals at his paws he tried to decide what to do "Hmm, I don't mind what we do. If you need more herbs I can help you find some, but it will be late by the time we get back to the pack. Maybe we could take these back to your den and then do something. Hunt perhaps?" He stood there watching her calmly to decide what she wanted to do. Either way he didn't mind, just so long as he had something to do and someone to spend time with.

Still overjoyed at finding the plant Creek took a careful maw full along with Eclipse and stared back at him. It was getting late in the day and it would be good to get the plant back to her den before the night air hit it. Careful drying of the plant would need to commence as would storing it in small bundles. Smiling back at the male she averted her gaze slightly as he called her by her title. In her mind it seemed silly to call her that, "You can just call me Creek if you prefer, Healer Creek is a bit of a mouth full." She said as her own maw was full of herbs. "I think it would be best to head back to my den, then yes we could go out again."

Creek's happy mood faltered slightly as he mentioned hunting. Ever since she was young the task never came easy to her, even small prey was hard for her. She was very quick but had no knowledge of proper hunting tactics as she had spent most of her pup hood in the healers den. "We could go hunting, but I'm afraid I won't be much help to you. I've only ever caught a mouse in my life, and it was half dead." She said, now looking at the ground feeling silly, for what wolf couldn't hunt?

For a moment he felt stupid that he had made her uncomfortable and possibly embarrassed his new friend by calling her by her rank. Slowly he dipped his head and looked shyly to her in an apology "Sorry, I was just being respectful. I'll call you Creek from now on" Nodding his head at her decision, he picked up the flowers and stood prepared to follow her since he didn't know where to locate her den.

Eclipse detected a slight disappointment at herself in her next words. A very slight smile crept onto his maw I've only caught a mouse in my life, and it was half dead amused him because she had such little faith in herself. He walked closer to her and set down the flowers. Nudging her with his damp, dark chocolate nose and trying to speak in a reassuring voice "Half dead or not you still caught it. However, if you feel you wouldn't be able to help much, we could just hunt something small, like some hares or voles. You seem able bodied to kill so you should be fine. I'll teach you some things, but instinct is a great thing" Then he stood back and waited to see if she was okay with it.

Smiling back at the male Creek lead him through the cove back to the main lands and into pack territory. The sweet scents of home soon filled her nose as the forest and hunting meadow came into view, the main clearing soon to follow. Eclipse cept pace with her as the fae delicately cept hold on the herbs, careful not to bite too hard so as not the release any healing juices. Glancing back at her companion her ears perked as he spoke again. Her formal title was all well and good, but something in her gave the impression that a friend didn't need the formalities. Friend, such an odd word on her tongue. True, she had had friends in the past, but no really close ones here. Business was all on her mind since she had made her home in Helidos, but something in her still wanted friends, or something more.

Pushing that odd feeling back into her mind Eclipse's next words caught her like a thorn in her side. Admitting her weakness for hunting was hard enough, but now he wanted to help her? Not knowing whether to be flattered or embarrassed Creek paused in step to turn back to him. "I appreciate the offer, thank you. Though I fear even hares would be too difficult for me, perhaps voles or even bugs would be better for me. Im a waste of talent when it comes to hunting, I wouldn't want to bother you trying to teach the inept Eclipse." She said, her gaze now on the ground, her self consciousness hovering around her like a shroud.

Gliding along like a cloud in a blue sky was how he felt. No worries for where he would sleep safely or when he could hunt. The pack and its grounds were a haven, allowing him to be so much freer, and as if that was not already great, he was slowly making friends with his pack mates. The Hunter easily kept up with the fae, for he travelled fast and far when in pursuit of a herd of prey. The forest was serene and beautiful as by now the sun had begun to sink to it's slumber. Shadows began to appear and bronzes and oranges shined from the barks and leaves of the great ancient oaks.

His head snapped back to her attention at the sound of her voice and he realised she had stopped moving. A darkened head lowered below hers "My pleasure. Yes we could hunt voles, they really aren't too difficult. It's no bother to teach you, I have nothing to do and I consider it a necessity to help a friend. Don't look so sad. You're as capable as any other wolf" Golden irises twinkled to her as the fading light glinted on his eyes and he smiled slightly "Now lets go, quick"