Information

Prim has a minion!

Lady the Scapegoat

Prim

The

Glade Ruffie
Owner:

Age: 3 years, 5 months, 1 week

Born: December 15th, 2009

Adopted: 10 months, 3 weeks, 4 days ago

Adopted: June 28th, 2012

Statistics

Level: 3
Strength: 10
Defense: 10
Speed: 10
Health: 10
HP: 10/10
Intelligence: 0
Books Read: 0
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Unemployed

ref

When Prim was very young, a fierce wildfire cut her off from her family and friends. Everyone in her pack was sleeping when the fire started, all piled up together. Only Prim was awake, having woken up thirsty, and was taking a drink from a nearby stream. The air was unusually warm, and she thought she could hear a strange noise in the distance. But it was the forest, strange noises weren't uncommon.

As she drank, standing in the middle of the stream, the acrid smell of smoke reached her. She looked up and yelped in surprise - fire was snaking down the slope at an alarming speed. In no time at all a line of fire cut her off from her pack. She started barking, confused and panicking. The terrified howls of her pack soon started, and she heard her mother's voice crying, "Run!"

Prim splashed across back toward her pack, but the heat of the fire singed the delicate whiskers on her muzzle. She whined and turned back to the other side, and as soon as her paws hit solid ground she started running, as fast as her clumsy paws could carry her. Fire was blossoming all around her, climbing trees and eating up underbrush. As the sounds of her pack faded behind her, there was a crack and suddenly she was on the ground. A burning branch had fallen, pinning her to the ground. She cried out in pain, fur singeing as the branch burned. She quickly blacked out from pain and shock.

When Prim woke up, she remembered nothing of the fire, and was only aware of the pair of paws in front of her. She tried to sit up, but was stopped short by a burst of dull pain across her back.
"Don't try to move much. You're still healing," the owner of the paws said. Prim looked up to see a kind but otherwise impassive-faced kumos looking down at her.
"What happened? Who are you? Where am I? Wh--"
The kumos cut her off: "You were caught by a branch in a wildfire. My name is Tansy, I am a healer. You're in my grove. I cast a spell to heal you and administered a potion to help as well. You should be back to a healthy status within two days."
Prim's lower lip wobbled as the events of the fire rushed back to her. "M-my pack? Do you know what happened to the ruffie pack w-who lives here?" she asked, voice shaking.
"I do not. My apologies," Tansy replied. "You shouldn't worry about these things right now. You should just sleep."
"No, I have to... I have to find my family!" Prim protested, struggling to stand up. Tansy placed a gentle paw on her shoulders and began muttering some incantation. Prim's limbs suddenly felt heavy and she slid back to the ground, eyelids slipping down over her eyes. "...Gotta... gotta find..." she mumbled, before falling asleep.

When she woke up again, she was able to sit up without more than a soft twinge of pain. "How are you feeling?" Tansy asked from where she was sitting nearby.
G-good," Prim responded shyly. "Have you heard anything of..." she trailed off, looking down at the ground.
"Of what?"
Prim frowned, unsure if the healer was being deliberately obtuse or just didn't know what her patient was asking. "My pack?"
"I have received news of your pack. Of the thirteen ruffies, excluding you, three perished, eight were injured and two were unharmed. I administered treatment to the injured and assisted in burying the dead. I informed your mother that you were with me, being treated for your more extensive wounds. Your father and eldest brother are among the deceased," Tansy reported, in a very matter-of-fact tone that struck Prim as borderline cruel. Her heart jolted and sank at her last statement. Tears welled up in her eyes and she let loose a sob. "What is the matter?" Tansy asked.
Prim's sorrow flashed to naive rage as she jumped to her paws. "What is the matter?! What is the MATTER?!" she barked, lips drawing back into a snarl. "My dad and brother are dead! That's what's wrong!! How would you feel if your family died?!"
Impassive as ever, Tansy shrugged. "My parents feared me. They cast me out of the pack. Well, I left quite willingly. But it was made clear they did not want me to return. I would not be upset if they died."
Prim shook her head. "What! That's impossible. Parents love their pups! That's... that's how it works."
"Not mine. You see, Prim, there are a limited number of souls available for use. New souls are made in closely restricted numbers, and old souls are recycled into new beings. However, when I was born there were no souls in waiting. I have no soul. It is difficult for me to express strong emotions, and the strangeness of my existence frightened my packmates and family. None of them wanted me. It's hard to love something you fear," Tansy explained.
Prim's bluster deflated and she sat back down. "I-I'm sorry, Tansy. I didn't know..."
Tansy shrugged again. "It's fine. I will take you back to your pack today. You may mourn when you are safe with them."

Prim spent several weeks with her pack, recuperating and helping her pack as much as she could. But she kept thinking of Tansy, especially when she caught sight of the healthy but bare skin on her back where the branch had burned her. By the time her fur was patchily growing back, she decided to go and find Tansy again. By retracing her steps, she was able to find the healer's grove after only a few missed turns. Tansy was there, accompanied by a pair of forest sprites Prim hadn't seen before.
Without even looking up from the potion she was brewing, Tansy said, "What is it? Has one of your pack hurt themselves?"
Prim shook her head. "N-no. I wanted to - to become your apprentice."
The healer stopped what she was doing and looked directly at Prim. "My apprentice?"
"Yes! I'm sure you could use help. I could find herbs for you, or mix potions, or help treat patients. I don't know how to do magic, but I guess I could learn that too! I want to help you. I'm not afraid of you," Prim said, words coming out in a rush.
Tansy thought about it, looked back to the potion and said, "All right. Come over here. Start by sorting these medicinal plants. Once you are done I'll tell you what each is."
Prim blinked, surprised it was that easy to convince her. "Oh. Um, okay! Okay!" She ran over and started pawing the leaves, berries and roots into similar piles. Her heart was fluttering with excitement and she couldn't help but keep a constant smile pasted on her face.

Prim has been Tansy's apprentice for about a year now, and has mastered the use of plants and berries in potion making. Her magical ability is yet limited, but Tansy has been teaching her some basic healing spells and she uses them often on her medicine hunts. Whenever she comes across a hurt animal, no matter how small or insignificant the wound, she always stops to help them.

art collection

x by Seeker
x by Keshi
x by TheDigitalKitty