Log Date: July 7, 1996

Log Cast:
	Spidersilk, Leetah, Kai of Lostholt
	Thicket

Log Intro:
	Thicket's introduction to Lostholt has been, to put it mildly,
dramatic, as the first three elves of that tribe she meets are its healers.
Once they do what they can to reawaken her dead arm, another more
prosaic member of the tribe hopes to demonstrate to Thicket that not
everybody who lives in the Holt is quite so startling....

----------
Spidersilk ducks into the den, the leather flapping back down.
Spidersilk has arrived.
Spidersilk pushes aside the leather and pokes her head in. "Hello?" It's 
  asked softly.

Thicket can be seen to lie where the healers have gently placed her, rolled 
  slightly onto her left side. She stirs, fretfully, in sleep.
Thicket jerks her head up at the soft voice.

Spidersilk hmmms softly, almost soundlessly, and slips into the den. She's 
  carrying a small pail of water, and a length of leather. "Hello," she 
  repeats, still quiet.

Thicket immediately winces, and falls back slightly along the furs, fumbling 
  at her right arm. Her hand lies limp along her body -- no, not limp. The 
  fingers are trembling, unsteadily, and the ragged visitor stares at them as 
  though her digits might be small serpents, coiled to strike.

Spidersilk
Over the turns, Spidersilk's been allowing her hair to grow out, and now, 
  rather suddenly it seems, a cloud of unruly, silver-white curls follow her, 
  tumbling down to mid-back. Held out of her face, more or less, by a bright 
  blue headband, a few determined curls drip down into electric blue eyes and 
  twist into three handcrafted silver hoop earrings, two in her left earlobe, 
  one in the right. She stands somewhere under four feet in height, though she 
  tends to make up inches with enthusiasm, and comes across as a little larger 
  than life. 
She wears old leathers, well worn and comfortable, made of a pale grey and 
  stitched with blue that matches her eyes. The tunic is short, leaving 
  compactly muscled arms bare to the elements and ending just at the bottom of 
  her ribcage. A skirt rests higher on her left hip than on her right, 
  slanting down to ragged edges that meet thigh-tall boots. Slung the other 
  way over her hips is a loose blue belt, dagger riding against her left hip. 
  A second tiny dagger is slipped into the top of her right boot. 
Carrying:
dagger
silver dagger

Thicket snaps her gaze up again, at the repeated word. Her brows draw together 
  over her weathered eyes.

Spidersilk crouches, unthreatening, head tilted up slightly so her throat is 
  partially exposed. "I thought you might be thirsty."

The showing of throat catches the stranger's attention; she eyes that gesture 
  for a moment, then, left hand still clutching at her right upper arm, she 
  sniffs. Water-scent. Her tongue flicks out around chapped lips, briefly.

Spidersilk offers the small bucket, setting it down on a smooth stretch of 
  wood. A small cup is pulled from a string at her hip, and this she offers 
  too.

Thicket watches this, scowling vaguely all the while. But she at last moves 
  her left hand to push herself up, slowly, tremblingly. Her gaze fixes on the 
  water.

Spidersilk tilts her head a little. "I know your arm is hurt. Do you need 
  help?"

Thicket finally leans towards the bucket, again reaching with the left hand. 
  For a moment, she pauses, gaunt features tightening under her pale skin; 
  again, her right arm trembles, and with a low snort, she moves her left hand 
  to press the arm to her side. The fingers of her right hand are still 
  trembling, perhaps uncontrollably.
Thicket, at the question, eyes her visitor again, the scowl shifting into an 
  expression less certain. She knows?

Spidersilk leans forward, slowly, to pick up the cup and dip it in the bucket, 
  then offers the water to you, holding the cup in both hands towards your 
  mouth. "It's all right," she says, still quietly.

Thicket sniffs this out, eyes still dark. But there's no threat in this 
  Other's movements, and her own throat _does_ ache with dryness. Slowly and 
  warily, Thicket leans toward the cup, and begins to lap.

Spidersilk holds the cup steadily, tilting it a little as water disappears. 
  "There's more if you want it."

Thicket pauses to catch her breath, and, pausing, barks hoarsely, "More."

Spidersilk nods, and dips the cup again, offering the water to you in the same 
  method.

Again the stranger laps, thirstily.

Spidersilk offers, while you drink, "I've a little meat, too, if you're 
  hungry. I'm sure the healers have fed you, but I thought you might want to 
  see someone ordinary." She smiles.

Thicket's gaze snaps up. Her eyes have gone a little rounder; is that a glint 
  of fright in them?

Spidersilk tilts her head again, back, throat exposed once more. "It's all 
  right," she repeats. "No danger."

Thicket barks out gruffly, "Healers. B...brown."

Spidersilk blinks once, then nods. "Leetah and Kai are, aye. Ynderra's not."

The wild one considers this, and frowns baffledly at her arm again. Even 
  pressed against her skinny flesh, her right hand shivers reflexively.

Spidersilk says "They're from a place where the sun shines always. Like the 
  worst of hottime. Leetah says their skin is dark to help protect them from 
  the daystar."

Thicket eyes the Other, then edges back, the faintest of whines building in 
  the back of her throat. Her posture suggests a young wolf confronted all at 
  once with far too many strange scents through which to sort, too many 
  sights, too many sounds.

Spidersilk digs for a piece of dried meat, offering it to you. "It's all 
  right. They look different, but Leetah is the strongest healer I know."

Thicket lies down again, huddling on the furs, once more fumbling at her arm. 
  But her gaze flicks to the meat, the moment she smells it.

Spidersilk extends it to you, smoothly. "It'll help you grow stronger."

Thicket reaches her left hand -- which isn't exactly steady -- and after a 
  moment, snatches at the meat, hastening it to her mouth. She lies there and 
  gnaws at it, wary gaze not moving from her visitor.

Spidersilk nods, looking satisfied. "I'm Spidersilk. I hope you don't mind me 
  coming in. I thought you might be lonely."

That stops her cold, for an instant, before Thicket clamps her eyes shut and 
  takes a fierce chunk out of the meat. Her left hand shakes a little more.

Spidersilk blinks, startled at the unexpected reaction, and she reaches out a 
  hand, though stops before touching you. "Can I help?" she asks softly.

Silence. Then: "Cub gone. Mate gone. No help."

Spidersilk ohs softly, sympathetically. "I can try to be a friend," she 
  suggests after a little while.

Thicket frowns. Swallows. Then muttergrowls, "Pack here." How this is relevant 
  to the offer, she doesn't say. But her gaze has hardened, gone distant.

Spidersilk blinks uncertainly. "Aye, we've a pack here... "

Thicket swallows the rest of the dried meat, not answering the confused words.

Spidersilk watches you silently, then shrugs, letting it go.

[Spidersilk, too, goes, slipping out, uncertain how to coax further words
 out of the taciturn stranger. But shortly thereafter she gets more visitors...]

Leetah locksends ** <<searching>> **

You locksend to Leetah, Thicket's mind is there where you left it, and it 
  flinches a little, as she seems to sense you.

Leetah locksends ** <<warmth/gentleness>> **
Leetah ducks into the den, the leather flapping back down.
Leetah has arrived.
Leetah stands in the doorway. "Hello. How are you feeling?"

Thicket lies huddled in the furs where she had been left; her right arm is 
  clutched to her side, and she clutches at _it_ with her left hand. At the 
  new arrival, she sits slightly up, startledly, staring.

Leetah stands in the doorway. "May I see?"

Thicket eyes you warily, slowly moving her left hand, and then using it to 
  push herself up to a sitting position. Her right arm can be seen to be 
  trembling, reflexively, perhaps without her control.

Leetah holds out her hands, healing light glowing around them, lighting her 
  face, and part of the room. Warmth radiates from that touch as she reaches 
  to still the trembling of the newly reawakened arm.

Thicket lifts her dark gaze to your face, staring at you in something like 
  fright, something like wonder. Her arm, you can feel, is still not used to 
  being alive again; beneath her skin sensation fires on and off in 
  disturbingly random patterns, and she cannot keep her fingers from shaking.

Leetah's healing flows like warm milk over the arm, dulling the pain of the 
  firing nerves and soothing the tremors. Below that a subtle strength is 
  encouraged in the muscles, giving them more control. Leetah is lost in the 
  trance of the healing while she works, and does not notice your gaze.

Kai ducks into the den, the leather flapping back down.
Kai has arrived.
Kai peeks in.

Thicket sits staring up at Leetah, who reaches with a brown hand to the wild 
  one's arm. Healing magic flows.

Leetah is lost in a healing trance, glow surrounding Thicket's arm while she 
  works to ease the muscles.

Kai cocks hs head, watching.

Thicket sucks in a breath, looking rather dazed.

Kai settles down.

Leetah gradually comes out of the trance. "Better?"

Thicket stares now down at her fingers. Slowly, scowling vaguely, she nods.

Leetah smiles, rocking back on her heels, tired.
Leetah says "I'm glad."

Thicket stares at the fingers of her right hand. Her weathered brow furrows 
  as, with apparent great concentration, she curls and uncurls her thumb.

Leetah watches the movement with a gentle expression.

Kai reaches out for Leetah's shoulder.. "You should rest."

Leetah looks up, blinking. "Your concern is noted, Kai." She smiles, "But I 
  wish to see that she is fully well."

Kai shrugs. "But, if you overextend yourself.. you can't help anyone."
Kai says "There's no hurry.. she'll be healed."

Leetah laughs softly.

Thicket edges back, now aware of Kai, and her gaze flicks to his black hair, 
  then to his brown skin.

Kai continues.. "If you become terribly tired, what if there's an emergency? 
  What if someone needs some healing that Ynderra can't give?"

Leetah murmurs, maybe to Thicket, maybe to herself. "What do you see, wild 
  one?"
Leetah turns to Kai and laughs, "Then the two of you would have to work 
  together."

Kai shrugs. "I don't think we can do the things you can, Leetah."

Leetah smiles, "I think you just need to learn."

Thicket frowns at the other two elves, uneasily, even as she gropes at her 
  right hand with her left. Perhaps she's trying to make sure it's actually 
  there.

Kai shrugs. "I'm trying."
Kai looks to Thicket. "Better?"

Leetah rises. "Ember calls." She turns briefly, "Be well. If you need 
  anything, just send for us."
Leetah pushes aside the leather flap and crawls out.
Leetah has left.

Thicket watches Leetah go, then turns her gaze, warily, to the remaining brown 
  one. The healer.

Kai smiles, trying to look cheery, though he doesn't show teeth.

Thicket barks, bluntly, "Arm wakes."

Kai nods. "Good.. see? I told you we'd help you."

Thicket looks down at her arm again, still scowling a little, faintly. She 
  wiggles her fingers, after a moment's thought; the motion seems to fascinate 
  her.

Kai smiles a bit. "Aren't you glad you didn't run away now?"

Thicket mutters, still practicing at wiggling her fingers, "Pack here. When 
  arm done waking, I go."

Kai nods. "Good for you."
Kai rises a bit.. "I'll let you rest, too."

Thicket hunkers back down, frowning, watching you go.

[End log.]