The Gardenkeeper's Daughters

Natrina- 15

 We come to a large clearing in the forest, which is built into some sort of gorge wall of a river that no longer runs through here. There are dens sculpted high into the sides, and the wolves stride about confidently, speaking to each other in low voices. As I move through the mainly grassy campy center, my leg slides over something soft. I look back and see a clump of flowers.

A garden in the middle of camp.

It's just a pack, I realize. Verhamera has bought us back to our home and yet nothing is ever going to be the same again.

Gash seems to notice my uneasiness, but he doesn't say anything and instead leans even further onto me. Though it feels nice as it always does to be so close to him, my love, it's actually very hard to walk with his whole weight pressed into me.

"Come this way." Dark Rainbow says, walking us into a small den that smells of herbs and warmth. "This is one of our most protected dens. The mothers and the pups live here."

She pulls away from Gash and he slumps down into one of the dens. Small pups clamber up to him curiously, though Dark Rainbow warns them away with a growl. "Ay, they won't bother you too much. This should be nice and warm for the time being."

"Can't you do anything else to help him?" I ask, placing some of the leaves over his wound.

"There's not much more we can do beyond stopping the bleeding." Dark Rainbow sighs.

I open my mouth, about to protest that I know how to do so much more, but I have a feeling my contributions won't be appreciated. I look to Vivian and Lotus, who seem to know exactly what I'm doing, and I mouth "Cover me" before saying aloud, "I see how it is. My friends and I would like to hunt quickly, and we'd prefer not to deplete your own pile. Aislyn, Vivian, why don't we get Gash something to eat?"

"If that's permittable with you." Vivian adds, struggling to keep the indignance out of her tone.
"If you must. I suppose I'll just have to question these two on what really happened here."

Lotus looks terrified. "M-me?"

I bite my tongue, turning around suddenly. Of course I had forgotten to never trust the natives. However, there's no way to save my sister now.

We're on the same side as the wolves. I remind myself.

"Yes, you. Tell her everything." I say, putting an a slight emphasis on 'everything'. With a quick nod, I walk away into the forest.

"Alright. What's the plan?"
"Get rid of my cloaking." I tell Aislyn.

Aislyn agrees, though she and Vivian keep their wolf forms. Quickly, I close my eyes and imagine a host of large and elaborate plants, including several that only grow in Dreamland. Opening my eyes, I find I have the proper medicine to heal him. I wrap what I can in a leaf. "Alright. Can you guys catch something so it at least looks like we tried?"

Vivian spots a nearby bird and slips a paw through a portal, another suddenly appearing close to the bird and slapping it out of the sky. She bounds over and picks it up. "I miss portals." she says, levitating the bird carelessly, "All the animals on these planets haven't evolved to deal with Canis hunting strategies. It's hilarious."
"They haven't evolved for you, Vivian. Believe it or not, most Canis can hardly do anything with their powers." I say. "All Nat and I could do before this was grow plants."

"Stuff the herbs in there." says Aislyn.
I nod, thankful for the suggestion, and begin stuffing the herbs he's meant to ingest into the bird's tender flesh. I take the larger, stickier leaf and hold it in my mouth, and gesture for us to return.