[Mistral Woods] That's Not My Name

[Elowen]

They had agreed to meet. This time, they both set a trial and though Elowen did not keep track of trials by their numbers, just knowing he would be coming back, she at least could expect him this time around. And that helped her enough to manage herself, her time and activities. Still, getting a visitor who was not coming for her profession was an unusual feeling to fully grasp, but at least it was someone she appreciated. Like Caz or Vahekoh.

This time, there would be no walks in the woods, however. After the unexpected meeting in the woods with force neither of them understood and the way Ark was out of control, it was clear that Elowen needed to work harder on at least being able to call the pup to her side at any point. Problem was...she had no idea how to do it.

So she asked Cassander to help her, since he seemed to know a lot about many things. To her relief, he agreed.

She was in equal parts excited and nervous. An army of ants had moved into her body and crawled right under her skin. She couldn't stay still. Ark seemed to have picked up on something because since the moment they woke, he was trying get her to move whether that was by trying to play with her, or pester Pea in his corner therefore making Elowen chasing Ark to intervene and separate the two animals.

But now, all three of them were about to go outside lest the shack turn into a battlefield with nothing in its place anymore. It had stopped raining just a while ago and so conditions were more favourable also. They all needed fresh air and more space to move. So when she threw the door open, Ark sprinted out and jumped into the first bushy wildflower patch he saw.

Pea took his time. He did not like it when Ark was out of control. All the more reason for the girl to be able to control her dog.

The bird found his safe space behind Elowen, waiting for the pup to move off so he could make his escape and take to the sky.

Elowen on the other hand was not aware of being a shield so she stepped outside and took a lung full of air. The moisture and coolness in it seemed to placate the heat inside her. It did not make it go away, but it took the edge off. Sometimes she wondered if the fire would ever go out. And if it did, what would happen to her?

Ark barked, taking her out of her own head. At that moment, Pea took a poorly timed chance - making quick hops forward, flapping his wings, the Peaphoenix screeched as Ark charged at the bird ready to pounce.

"Ark! No!" Elowen shouted and tried to hold the pup back, but he dodged. And for a moment, things were chaos again.

Pea took off regardless, screeching. And as he flew past, gaining height, Elowen saw the pattern of lightning zigzagging across his body. He was upset, no wonder.

"Sorry, Pea," she said, feeling bad for the bird.

Ark barked again. Elowen frowned at him. But he laid his front paws down, bum sticking up to the sky, tail swishing left and right almost unbalancing him. He barked again and Elowen thought she could hear some notes of melody.

She couldn't be strict with him for long. Not when he behaved like that. She fought it, but eventually she smiled. His rhythmic barking could dispelled any sort of mood. So she play pounced at him.

Ark loved it! He jumped away, then at her. And thus they began to fool around whilst Pea found himself a safe perch on the edge of the clearing where he could calm down and observe the shenanigans his companions got up to.

[Cassander]

This time, Cassander left his horse in Mistral Village as had been suggested and made his way to Elowen’s shack on foot. Since he had first met her, he had begun to care about her. He wanted to look after her. Judging by what he had learned so far, she was all alone in the world since her mother (Or caretaker? He still wasn’t sure what exactly Meira’s role had been.) had passed away. The villagers gave him the impression of being rather indifferent, apart from where getting their medicine was concerned. They hardly ever asked if she was alright. He knew what it was like to lose your only family and be surrounded by strangers.

The first time he had visited Elowen, he had brought her a basket with dog treats as well as a bit of food. This time, he had decided on a small bottle of strawberry syrup – a bit of luxury for a girl that probably didn’t have a lot of luxury in her life – as well as a bag filled that was filled with dried fruit that she would be able to enhance her meals with. They were in a backpack as his hands were quite full. His cane that he had decided to take with him as he didn’t want to be entirely defenseless after what had happened in the woods just a couple of trials earlier was attached to the side of his backpack for the same reason.

He was carrying his dog.

The Boozehound behaved when they were at home for the most part, but out here, he stopped every couple of metres in order to sniff at something, and Cassander wanted to reach his destination before the end of the cycle, if he could. Normally, he would have been irritated by the fact that he had to carry an animal, but he’d always had a soft spot for dogs.

He could already hear Elowen’s dog before he saw him. It was a rather strange, rhythmic bark that caused him to furrow his brow for a moment as most dogs didn’t sound like that. A moment later, he shrugged his shoulders, set the Boozehound down on the ground as he was getting rather heavy and walked up to the shack, raising his hand in a greeting as he did so before he exclaimed, “Elowen, I’m here, and I’ve brought another visitor!”

The Boozehound decided to greet Elowen and Ark as well. He barked loudly and wagged his tail furiously, and then he pulled on the leash as if he wanted to run right over to them.

Cassander stopped abruptly and waited for the dog to stop pulling on the leash – with mixed success.

The Boozehound was excited!

[Elowen]

Their game of tag was ebbing and flowing. Elowen would not have known that Cassander was approaching were it not for Ark picking up a scent in the air. He stopped out of the blue, nose pointing up. The girl stopped in her own tracks and looked around, chill running over her skin. Ark's stance was so reminiscent of the Sorrowcall that Elowen's heart skipped a beat. The forest was dark as it had been throughout Saun and the young apothecary was experiencing an odd mix of fear and wonder. But she couldn't see any wooden creatures approaching. Instead, she saw Cassander who was carrying the dog he adopted!

The concern melted away almost instantly and she waved back as Ark Ark, not being secured with anything, was free to approach and he did so trotting. His own tail was swishing from side to side but there was a difference. It wasn't the excited swing, but a certain caution. He took a half circle, seizing up the new four legged visitor before approaching with head a little lowered.

Elowen wasn't far behind. She did not know, as always, how Ark would react. Or for that matter, how Cassander's dog would. But now that she wasn't oppressed by the atmosphere of the city, she was able to look at Cassander's dog better. She liked him. He looked...a little more solid than Ark. A little more down-to-earth and not just because of his stature.

"He big," Elowen said because Cassander's dog was sizeable after all. Ark was already close enough to sniffing around and at the four legged visitor.

Then she looked up at Cassander. "Happy you came. Hope they listen, we train."

Though by the looks of how the Boozehound was pulling on the leash and knowing how Ark had a mind of his own sometimes, Elowen wasn't quite sure what they would achieve. But either way, she was happy they were all here. "His name?"

[Cassander]

Ark approached the Boozehound. His tail was swishing from side to side, but his head was lowered, as if he were being cautious. Cassander briefly wondered if he should pick his dog up again, but after he had given the matter some thought, he decided that the situation probably didn’t warrant that. Ark wasn’t growling. He decided to keep his dog leashed so that he would be able to intervene more easily though. He didn’t know Ark or the Boozehound well enough to be able to predict how they would act when they were together.

He watched Ark closely as he sniffed around the Boozehound. The Boozehound looked at Ark for a moment before he started to wag his tail as well and pulled on the leash again so that he would be able to get closer to the other dog. When Cassander relaxed the leash slightly, he started sniffing Ark – or more accurately, Ark’s butt. Cassander frowned. He didn’t know why the Boozehound was doing it, but considered it to be inappropriate.

That he had a soft spot for dogs and planned on spoiling the Boozehound didn’t mean that he would tolerate this.

“Stop!” he said in a firm tone of voice and repeated the command in Gernevoir, in case the Boozehound didn’t understand Common. The Boozehound didn’t react much, but he eventually stepped away from Ark of his own volition and started sniffing at Ark’s back instead before he nudged him, as if he wanted to invite him to play. Cassander relaxed the leash further, but he still didn’t take it off. He didn’t know how Ark would react to the gesture.

“He’ll probably get bigger”, he replied when Elowen commented on the Boozehound’s size. “I was told that he isn’t fully grown yet. He’ll probably be the size of a regular bulldog as that’s the breed he resembles the most. His name is … Karl”, he introduced the Boozehound.

He said the name fondly.

Karl Venora had been one of his parents’ dukes that had died long before the fall of Rynmere. It was an appropriate name for a former king’s dog in his opinion. He couldn’t bring himself to giving the Boozehound a typical dog name such as “Gizmo” or “Fifi”. Such names were absolutely ridiculous.

“I brought a gift for you again”, he said and took the backpack off. It would only get in the way when they were training. “I can give it to you later on”, he offered. “I hope they’ll listen as well. So, what do you want Ark to learn, Elowen?” he asked her before he glanced at the dogs again, wondering how they should go about it. He didn’t remember much about Harley’s training – he’d often made his servants deal with the more unpleasant aspects of it – but he didn’t admit it, of course, preferring to feign confidence.

“How are you, by the way?” he asked.

[Elowen]

Elowen watched the two dogs with curiosity and intention. The girl did not have a leash like Cassander. She saw dogs secured in such way in the village and in Rharne when she went. But Elowen believed she had no need for it. She had observed Ark ever since he came home with her. She had learnt as much about his mannerism and moods and how these presented in his body in the period of time she had been with her. And although her knowledge wasn't perfect and the pup still was not trained at all, Elowen trusted that she would be able to step in before any escalation if Ark began exhibiting something else than curiosity. Of course, she was just a fifteen arc old girl with no experience of how sudden and quick dogs can be when their mood shifts out of the blue.

But so far, Ark was equally as interested in Karl as Karl was in him. All the way to mutual butt sniffing which Elowen found entertaining. So it caught her by surprise when Cassander handed out the command to stop. Though it had little effect on Karl, the word was packed with authority. More than she thought she could expect. Elowen wondered if Cassander was upset at what Elowen guessed was a dog's natural behaviour. Yet before the girl could step in to help with the separation, the two furry creatures had gotten their fill and began poking at each other.

It looked like Ark remembered Karl's scent from back in Rharne when he was trying to chase Karl and the other dogs. There was no hostility in him and the cautiousness was quickly replaced by recognition. He nudged at the Boozehound, then took a few steps back and barked. It was the same kind of bark he did when he wanted to play.

"Look like friends," she said. "And Karl good name. Like person."

Ark did his little side to side jump - a sign of impatience and excitement. His pup mind did not grasp the concept of a leash, having never been exposed to it. He was eager to play and didn't quite understand why Karl was standing back so much.

Elowen looked from the scene in front of her and towards Cassander with raised eyebrows. A gift?

She had learned her lesson from his first visit and soon smiled and nodded in thanks. Though...she couldn't hold back the following: "Is that...common? To bring gift every time?" She asked not realizing that such question might be seen as rude or ungrateful. But there was genuine curiosity in her words.

"I want Ark learn to come back. When I call, he comes," she then shared with Cassander and cast a quick look towards her black buddy. "Can Karl do that?"

But when Cassander asked her about...well her...it caught Elowen by surprise again. And she thought for a moment. It had been a tough cycle. A lot of adjustment and change. Discoveries that still did not quite sink in. Experiences that still revibrated through her body. Dreams she wished she didn't have and feeling she wished she could leave behind. Her face dropped for a moment. If Cassander was a villager he would not have that privilege to witness that momentary drop. And she caught herself a trill later. Even if she'd want to, and she didn't know if she did, Elowen didn't know how to express emotion to others. So she just shrugged.

"I good now."

And in that moment, it was the truth she chose to believe.

[Cassander]

“Karl was named after a person”, Cassander replied and cast a glance at the Boozehound that was finally beginning to calm down a little. “One of my parents’ acquaintances”, he added before he reached down and petted the Boozehound in order to let him know that he was a good boy. Karl looked up for a moment and wagged his tail before he went right back to watching Ark. Something about Ark was familiar, and besides that, he was just excited to have found a friend.

Karl liked making friends.

He pulled on the leash again.

“I know, I know”, Cassander murmured. He spoke in a much gentler tone of voice than he did with most animals – or people - now. “It’s dangerous in the woods though. I don’t want you to run off and get hurt”, he explained even though he doubted that the dog understood him.

The encounter with the Sorrowcall was still fresh in his mind. Everything had gone well, but he’d rather not repeat the experience. He wasn’t sure if the Sorrowcall would simply leave this time.

He relaxed the leash as much as he dared to. He’d come to the conclusion that Ark and Karl were unlikely to start a fight now – they wagged their tails too much. Karl immediately took advantage of his relative freedom and began to jump excitedly around Ark, hoping that the other dog would do the same.

Due to the Boozehound’s relatively short legs it was a rather funny sight.

“No, it’s not common”, he answered Elowen’s question while trying to keep an eye on his dog. “It’s not etiquette, at least. It’s just a habit of mine. I like giving people gifts. I just bought you a few small things”, he added, hoping that would make her more inclined to accept his gift. Some people seemed to have a problem when it came to accepting gifts, especially expensive gifts. He didn’t understand why. Was it a matter of pride?

He'd never been like that.

“I don’t know. Can you do that?” he asked Karl when Elowen wanted to know if he came when he called.

Karl ignored him as Ark was much more interesting right now.

“He can’t”, Cassander concluded and suggested, “Maybe our dogs would come if we offered them treats? Karl always comes when I feed him. Sometimes, I don’t even have to call him”, he explained.

He noticed that Elowen’s face dropped when he inquired about her wellbeing. It lasted just a moment before she regained her composure, but it made him wonder if she was truly alright. Judging by what he had learned so far, her life wasn’t easy. For a moment, he considered asking her, but then he just inclined his head and remarked, “That’s good.”

“Let me know if that ever changes though”, he added.

Having said that, he removed a small bag with dog treats from a pocket. Karl saw it and barked.

[Elowen]

Elowen nodded when she heard about the origins of Karl's name. She had no philosophy for naming anything. The reasons behind Pea and Ark were simple. Pea was shorter for Peaphoenix and Ark was like bark which was what he did a lot on their way from Rharne to the shack the first time. Karl seemed to be a name with deeper meaning and Elowen could appreciate that even without knowing the full history between the original person and their relationship with Cassander's parents.

The girl then continued to watch the man interact with his dog and it teased a smile to her lips. She did not know Cassander well enough to spot that the tone towards Karl was gentler than to others. And it was thanks to that ignorance that Elowen could appreciate it for what it probably truly was - care. And this time the warmth that spread through her was not from the liquid embers in her blood. It was from recognizing that, perhaps, Cassander, like her, cared for the world around them and treated it with due respect and a degree of love. That is if she were to extrapolate from this single interaction she was bearing witness too. Some could call it naive. But Elowen felt hopeful.

As Karl approached Ark and began bouncing on his stubby legs, Ark mimicked. He jumped at the Boozehund before sprinting away like a maniac. The girl knew this very well. He was hoping for a game of chase. It was one of his most favourite pass times.

Elowen looked towards Cassander when he clarified the gift giving custom. And she nodded, digesting the information. Ever since Meira's passing, the young apothecary realized that there was an aspect to the shack that she wasn't familiar with. It was money handling. Thankfully, the lack of knowing prevented her from spending it all. She was cautious. But she also couldn't count. One thing she was sure about however. Because she couldn't count and therefore had no way of knowing how much gifts costed versus how much she had to have to be able to afford what she needed, gift buying and giving was most likely off limits for her.

"It nice you like to give. I can't buy. But...I can give too." And she smiled a little more. Gift giving was unfamiliar, new and exciting. And she liked the idea of exchanging them with Cassander. She was sure that she could find something in her shack to serve as a gift.

At the mention of treats, Elowen's face lit up. She turned on her heels and ran back into the shack. Ark did not care. He was still hoping to entice Karl to the game of chase. Pea ruffled his feathers in the treeline and called out. But since Cassander's last visit, she was able to go through his first gift basket and discovered the dog treats in there. She returned holding that small package.

"Good gift. Can use now." And she shook the small packet as well which immediately caught Ark's attention. Moments later, he was back at their side, Karl (almost) forgotten.

Elowen laughed a little. "He know. He got some trial before. Maybe...they need busy? So they not think about treats?" And Elowen looked around for something she knew Ark played with on occasion. She drew in a quick 'ah' when she spotted it, then retrieved a thick branch that Ark stole from her dry wood pile.

The pup's eyes were bouncing then from the treats to the stick and back. The girl looked at Cassander for a moment with a wide smile, then shrugged, hid the treats behind her back and waved the stick long enough and big enough for Ark to start jumping after it. When she had his attention, she reached back and cast it within the moderate clearing that surrounded the shack.

[Cassander]

Cassander raised an eyebrow slightly when Elowen told him that she could give him a gift as well. He didn’t need a gift from her. He saw no point in taking something from a girl that wasn’t rich, judging by what he had seen so far.

When he realized that she just wanted to use the dog treats she had gotten from him her during their last meeting, he quickly put his own dog treats back into his pocket though. A moment later, he started to rummage through it, as if he were looking for something, before he shrugged his shoulders and turned to face her again.

She’d never know that he had actually brought his own dog treats. She didn’t know what was in the bag!

“I’m glad”, he remarked when she called it a good gift. Karl agreed. The Boozehound stopped barking at him and started to bark at Elowen instead. Karl really, really wanted treats!

“You’ll get a treat when you learn something”, he told Karl in no uncertain terms. The dog did of course not understand Common, but he noticed the change in the tone of his owner’s voice, sat down in front of him and looked at him in confusion for a moment, wagging his tail slightly. “And a bit of beer”, Cassander added and stroke the dog’s head.

When Elowen produced the branch and subsequently hid the treats behind her back, he smiled at her before he watched her throw the branch. Karl immediately started to tug on the leash again. He wanted to play as well, and he really wanted to finally get rid of that stupid leash.

He wanted to be able to run like Ark!

Cassander sighed.

“Do you think it’s safe now?” he asked Elowen. If she said yes, he’d remove the leash, contrary to his previous decision, grab a branch as well and throw it. Karl immediately started to run after it. Instead of returning with it, the Boozehound grabbed it and strolled over to the shack though. There, he lay down, looking very happy and comfortable, and started to chew on the stick as if it were the most delicious bone in all of Idalos.

“Karl!” Cassander exclaimed.

The dog looked up for a moment and wagged his tail slightly before he continued to play with the branch.

Cassander frowned.

A moment later, he turned to Elowen. “Do you have a treat for me?” he asked, wanting to confirm his theory.

[Elowen]

It was fascinating how quickly the dogs' attention could be redirected to something else. And the trick did seem to be in having something more valuable to offer. On a gut level, Elowen felt that aspect of nature was not limited to dogs only. But she was not aware enough of this notion to think on it.

Instead, she observed the way Cassander spoke to Karl he was an actual person although the Boozehounds gaze remained more or less the same. It made Elowen smile a little. This war refugee who most likely saw horrors beyond her understanding had a soft side. She had no preconception of how traumatized people should be like. She had only recently been exposed to that concept in Mistral. And so to the young girl, this was just who Cassander was.

When she threw the branch and Ark darted after it, the matter of safety crossed her mind only briefly. She had never seen Mistral as dangerous in terms of any harm coming to her directly from the forest. But their last experience was out of the ordinary. That was for sure. So although Cassander's question made her pause, she nodded at the end.

"Mistral safe here," she said and watched Karl finally getting his freedom. She could almost feel the dog's excitement when the leash was withdrawn and part of her wanted to run around with the dog. She did cast the leash a subconscious mild mean look not realizing it could be seen as judgement even though that was the last thing Elowen would ever do. But she couldn't help it. She never knew this about herself, but she seemed to take issue with restrictive apparatus.

She watched Karl collect his stick and then make cosy on the ground with it. Ark, on the other hand, was treating his branch like a live catch and was shaking his head from side to side, chucking the piece of wood around.

The girl offered Cassander the bag with treats before she retrieved one herself. "Let's try," she said with another nod.

She stepped to the side, feeling that distance between her and Cassander might somehow help Ark to perform better. Maybe a clear visual contact or enough room to avoid collision with Karl could assist her pup in learning.

She held the treat in her hand and for a good measure, she raised it too. "Ark!"

[Cassander]

“I trust you“, he replied when Elowen assured him that Mistral was safe here and inclined his head. She knew these woods much better than he did. Contrary to his initial assumption, the Sorrowcall and whatever other beasts lived there probably never came that close to the hut. Besides, as memorable as the experience had been, the Sorrowcall was only a minor thing compared to what had happened in Rynmere.

He was not a coward.

If the dog ended up trying to run away, he’d get him in time.

“Thank you”, he said when Elowen handed him the bag of treats and proceeded to remove one treat from it. A moment later, he called out his dog’s name. Karl ignored him completely of course and continued to chew on the stick as if it were the most delicious food in Idalos.

Cassander frowned and wondered what he was supposed to do.

“Karl!" he repeated. Instead of using a single treat, he shook the entire bag of treats this time. Karl hadn’t reacted to his name, but the sound that the bag of treats made caught his attention.

He raised his head.

“Come here!” Cassander told him, his tone of voice firm.

Karl looked unsure. He glanced at the bag of treats and at his owner, at the stick between his paws and at Ark and Elowen. There were too many things going on, and he didn’t know what to focus on!

“Come here!” Cassander repeated, his voice louder than before, and shook the bag again. Finally, Karl stood up and trotted over to him, wagging his tail. He positioned himself in front of him, tongue hanging out of his mouth, impatiently waiting for the treat.

“Good boy!” Cassander praised him, placed a treat on his palm and offered it to the dog, furrowing his brow slightly as Karl took it. Coming in contact with dog saliva wasn’t something that he was particularly keen on. Still, Karl deserved a reward for obeying him.

“Next time you’ll come and bring the stick!” Cassander told him. He couldn’t really tell if Karl understood him or not. The dog wagged his tail though which he interpreted as a good sign.

“Now watch Ark! Maybe, you’ll learn something from each other!” he told Karl and nodded at Elowen.

It was Ark’s and her turn now.