It wasn't like her to make such a big trip, not when her daughters were so little still. But her herb supply was quickly fading away, it would seem that no matter how much she tried to gather in the greener season, her stocks always got too low. With this winter being so cold and harsh, there had been many colds and flu's in Fiori, and she desperately needed to gather more supplies. She knew that the West was a lot warmer than the South, and that she should be able to find patches of green somewhere. So the tiny woman packed up and headed off, eager to get home to her girls as fast as possible.

When Amalia finally reached the West, she stayed clear of the more dryer places, looking for a lush green pasture. When she heard the sound of bird calls she paused, russet head raising as her ears perked forward. Birds survived off of greens, berries, and nuts. If there were that many birds in one place, surely there were herbs there! Her little rabbit tail wagged behind her, rump moving along with it as she trotted after the calls. Soon enough she saw the break of green in the barren land, and her excitement only grew. Oh, finally! It felt like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders at the sight of the estuary, a heavy sigh leaving her lips. Sniffing the air she did indeed smell herbs, and quickly pushed her way further in to find what she was looking for.

Amalia found a bonset plant with ease, and quickly began to de-root the herb. Paws already covered in earth, she grasped it in her jaws and put it off to the side, moving to the next bundle of white flowers she could find. This was the very best against colds and flues, she needed as much as she could get! And so the tiny woman worked without tiring, trying to collect as much as she could.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Navigation - Avian Estuary

Rœkia's search for ever warmer weather would lead her into the West of Alacritis. The weather here was pleasantly warm, even a bit humid and best of all the plant life still bloomed green around here which was much better for herb gathering. Since she didn't have a pack maybe she should just start migrating with the weather? She'd need to have several store dens but perhaps she could manage, it was something to think about anyway during the winter months.

Wolf soared above her as Rœkia slipped deeper into the wetlands, listening with delight to all the birds singing around her. "Hey Wolf! Think we'll find any magpies here?" The magpie landed lightly on a nearby branch. "If you start trying to set me up on another hair-brained date Rœ-Rœ I'm going to pluck out your tail." She laughed at the birds threat, eyes gazing teasingly at him as if daring him to try. "Awww… that was just a spot of fun my darling Wolf. Come on now I bet this place is crawling with fascinating herbs and new poisons."

Rœkia continued on her way, focus intent on finding some poisonous mushrooms or strange smelling plants she could test on a few unfortunate subjects when she heard the sound of rustling. Creeping forward she turned to see a small woman uprooting some boneset. Ahhh…. yes, a wonderful, useful herb but so damaging in improper doses. It was the herb she'd threatened that sibling duo with when they'd try to pin her down. Her gaze drifted over to a crop of odd little mushrooms growing out of a rotting log… she drifted over to them, sniffing lightly. Morels… not poisonous. Wolf gazed at the mushrooms for a moment before picking at them. Her paw smashed into the log as she rooted around through the bug-infested mess, eyes glancing to the smaller woman. "That's quite a crop you're gathering… is there a plague I don't know about?"

"Speech"

Zuriel's words echoed in his mind. Boneset... A hundred times over he'd reviewed what he'd learn, gods forbid that he ever forget it. That just wouldn't do. No, he was going to master his knowledge of herbs, and that would start with this one. It seemed like a perfectly useful plant! And he wanted to find his own sprig this time around, now that he'd run out of the boneset Zuriel had given him. His cold, of course, was a tad more stubborn and refused to dissipate in it's entirety. It may have had something to do with the plant she'd chosen for him being frosted and shriveled. Still, the symptoms were utterly livable in comparison to the torture he'd been facing before. He breathed in deeply through his nose until... At last! That familiar scent drifted to him on the wind. With a self-assured smile he picked up the pace, trotting forward into the marshy land. Bird call echoed on every side, and more than once he flushed a large flock of fowl out from their hiding place. Perhaps after a good days work he'd find himself a meal here too. For now though, herbs. He passed several other potent plants on his trek but he knew better than to go investigating them without knowing what they were or what they did. At last, when he stuck his nose to the roots of a stalk, the familiar scent of boneset flooded him. At last! He began to dig at it, but managed only to halfway uproot it before he was interrupted by a voice. He jolted in surprise and mentally kicked himself for not being more aware. Leaving the plant for now, he turned towards it's source and cocked his head to the side. To go, or to stay? He pondered for only a breath before the brilliantly hued man trotted forwards. He came upon two women, both smaller than him and one smaller by a great deal. He hadn't the foggiest who'd spoken, but he did focus his attention on the pile of plants at the woman's feet once he got around to noticing them. "Boneset," he said simply. It was not a question, merely an observation. The thought flashed through his mind to take the plants and make a run for it but, no. Clearly the woman had been educated, and she would be of more value to him while happy and complacent. He sat down, wrapping his tail neatly against the side of his body, posture straight and prim like his mother had taught him. "Hello, ma'am. My name is Ankaios. Would you mind terribly if i sat with you for a moment?" The words felt rigid and rehearsed inside his head, but if it sounded polite that was all that mattered. Already a frustration was mounting inside of him at the thought of the woman saying no. He was a patient man, but if did not wish to wait for this knowledge. He wanted to be greedy instead, he wanted it now. It did not occur to him that he'd been paying the other female absolutely no mind at all, and that some might consider that rude. "Talk" "You" Think

LORD, I AM CLIMBING HIGH MOUNTAINS TRYING TO GET HOME Trying to get home...   Lyndvarr wasn't quite sure how he found himself this far West. Well… that wasn't true. Lynd had been working on his sparring skills but as ever his interests drew him right back to the healing arts. Arts he probably wasn't supposed to be focusing on as much. Arts his father insisted were the tasks of women. But that didn't seem quite right to him. Kassander was a man and a healer in Yfir so surely it wasn't as taboo as Scylding led him to believe? Lynd sighed, hoping one day he'd stop feeling like he was doing something worthy of a guilt-trip every time he went herb gathering. Carefully padding into the marshland Lynd found himself in a terra full of life, flora and fauna alike. In some ways it was a nice change from the North but he couldn't help but feel out of place in an environment like this. He was carrying on through the estuary when he spied a pair of women and a very strangely colored man. Lynd's eyes widened….. could…. could this be one of the gods? Lyndvarr hesitated, just watching the three, uncertain if he should say anything or go over to them. He would love to talk with one of the gods but the gods could be temperamental. He didn't want to upset one.

Amalia was so busy with her nose in the earth that she didn't smell the stranger enter the area, nor did she pick up any sounds of her at all. So when a voice cut through the silence the small woman let out a soft yelp, leaping back with her heart hammering in her chest. Deep blue eyes soon fell on the spotted woman, her russet face calming down right away. Ah, goodness. That was a heart attack and a half! A soft laugh left her black lips at the strangers words, tiny head shaking back and forth. "No, no! Of course not. Its just cold and flu season, is all. I've got a whole pack of hooligans to look after and my supply of bonset has dropped dangerously low." Her gaze fell down to the rotten log that the woman was pawing through, head tilting to the side. "And what on earth are you doing, miss? Its not often that I see a woman getting down and dirty in grubs." Amalia said with another laugh. The tiny woman noticed the magpie that was sitting on the log with the woman, and very, very close to her. Huh, a friend, perhaps?

Soon another voice broke through the silence, or relative silence with all the bird calls echoing around them. Ears flickered as her head whipped around, and then up, at the man who spoke. Amalia was used to being shorter than everyone else, but he was a pretty big boy! And very.... well, pretty! He looked like a burning sun, bright oranges and yellow adorning his coat. Realizing that she was staring, she shook her head back and forth, an ever pleasant smile on her maw. "Yes, bonset." she answered softly, pulling her rump to the earth so that she sat before the two strangers. The boy would introduce himself, and she was quite impressed at his manners. "My my, your mother must have taught you well, Ankaios! Of course you may join us, if this miss doesn't mind as well." she said, blue gaze drifting over to the spotted one who had not yet shared her name. "My name is Amalia, and you were good to spot the bonset, Ankaios. Are both of you interesting in the art of healing?" Amalia asked, drawing two and two together. Not just anyone could spot an herb like that, and with the other woman digging in the log she thought that she had to be looking for something.

The dame was about to move on to ask if they wanted to study together, when her eyes landed on an even larger man. "I think you are all destined to make me feel tiny!" she said with a little squeak, dark blue gaze resting on the pale man. He seemed... rather stunned by something, and she eyed their little gathering of misfits. "What, never seen a tiny woman with herbs before?" She said in a teasing manner, coming out more like a mothers scorn than anything else. Amalia tilted her head towards their gathering, inviting him over. "Are you interested in joining out little party? I was thinking now that we are all here, and if we all hold the same interests, why don't we teach each other a few things? I don't think that there is ever a bad time to learn some more about healing." She said with a grin, patting the earth in front of her with her front paw for everyone to join her. "I am sure we each have our own specialties and interests, me for instance. I have been studying not only normal healing of wounds, but I also hold an interest in children and the best way to heal them as well, as well as trying to heal any ailments while they are within the womb. I would love to see the amount of stillborn pups drop, and it is what I have devoted myself to." There was a touch of sadness in her vocals. But no time for that! She offered a smile to the others gathered there, leaving the floor to them.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Ankaios began to feel... Uncomfortable. To begin with, this tiny woman was far too chipper. He certainly preferred it to outright aggression, but only slightly. Her way of speaking was cheery, her expression was eager and kind, and in all it just skewed him a bit off balance. And then there was this other fellow, larger than Kai, and quiet. Him, he liked. Probably. It was hard to tell, seeing as he didn't bring much to the table. Ankaios sniffed, but even he could not say if it were due to his linger cold or if there was a grain of contempt. This was supposed to be his healing lesson, after all. He had never been good at sharing. The tiny woman spoke, and to her credit one of the first things out of her mouth in regards to him was a compliment. The living ember sat up a bit straighter, ears perking with appreciation and gracious acceptance of the compliment. "She did what she could, Miss Amalia," he purred. "And yes, I've been taking pains to learn the art, but I unfortunately lack for a teacher of any merit." Her spared a moment to look towards the others in their group. A female of smokey pelt, smaller than he, and a man of mixed hues who loomed over him. They made an interesting gathering of course, but Kai had no strong urge to investigate them further. He watched them with a level gaze, waiting to see what they would make of themselves. Perhaps one would be useful, though hoping that both might be seemed to strain against probability. Once more Amalia would speak, taking time to address the larger man before divulging her own particular interests. Kai did what he could to stifle any sort of sourness he felt inside. If he truly wanted to learn, it was more than likely he would be doing so under the tutelage of gentle souls, so he may as well learn to tolerate them. Her saccharine ways were irksome, but she was clearly a learned creature, and he told himself that he would just have to make do. "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: If you feel I'm being to slow you can poke me, I'll bump Rœ's post higher on the list xD I'll post with Lynd right away so please give me a minute so he doesn't get left behind.

Rœkia nodded, yes packs tended to be a bit more afflicted by colds and flu. "It's a useful herb, I'm well stocked with boneset. Looking for more exotic plants today…" She debated asking the woman if she had any help to offer but this was a personal quest that Rœkia had been at for quite some time and she was determined to find her quarry herself. Rœ laughed at the woman's question. "Well, I do like grubs but I'm hunting for various medicinal fungus right now. It's hard with winter taking over most of the land." She continued sniffing around, Wolf landing on her back midway for a moment before taking off in a nearby tree.

Rœkia rolled her eyes at the male voice that said 'Boneset'. No shit sherlock. She frowned at the other woman's praise of his knowledge. What healer worth their salt didn't know what boneset was? She, on the other hand, had rarer prizes to find and she continued rooting through the log, paws flinging loose some fungus that she'd found…. white rot. She eyed it uncertain if it was worth anything. Now if one of these wolves knew if any of this stuff had medical properties then she'd ben impressed. The male definitely seemed foreign with his freakish pelt and she wondered if he had any knowledge worth sharing.

Wolf hopped up her back, perching on her head, his beak parted in wonder as he started at the pretty wolf. So…. pretty, oh, oh he really wanted a golden hair. Rœkia ignored him. He wasn't that handsome. Freakish if anything… Her ears flicked up as the woman introduced herself as Amalia. The male was Ankaios. Names noted she looked up from what she was doing, giving Amalia her attention. "You could say that." She grinned at the mention of height. It wasn't often she met wolves shorter than her, especially not in this land where everyone seemed to be a giant.

Ears flicked at the sound of approaching paws and she turned to see a snowy male with blue eyes staring at Ankaios. Amalia would continue to chat away mentioning her specialties, namely the healing of children. She debating if she should honestly word her specialties or not. There were those who would immediately assume the worst of her. "I'm fascinated by the negative effects of various healing herbs as well as plants that are best avoided. I've seen the negative effects of an overdose of boneset first hand but that is not my quarry this morning. I am well stocked of it." She eyed the striped male. "Well? You going to stand there gaping all day or introduce yourself? I'm Magpie."

"Speech"

LORD, I AM CLIMBING HIGH MOUNTAINS TRYING TO GET HOME Trying to get home...   Lyndvarr would watch them carefully, taking a few steps forward. The short woman seemed to be trying to address him and he blinked lightly in confusion as he'd thought he'd clearly been staring at the colorful male and not at her. He would tear his gaze from the other male as a speckled gray woman poked at him. His eyes narrowed. "My name is Lyndvarr. I apologize I just… was wondering that man among you had been touched by the gods." His left ear flicked back slightly in embarrassment. He knew the wolves of Alacritis did not hold much belief and he knew they probably thought him foolish. He glanced at Ankaios once more as if seeking some sort of confirmation or denial. He nodded at Amalia's words. "I would like to learn more if at all possible. I'm studying battle medicine." He glanced at Magpie, the woman who was interested in the harm of words but he chose not to address her. "How would you like to do this Amalia? Shall we all bring an herb back to share with the others?"

The spotted woman said that she was looking for more exotic plants, which caught the tiny woman's attention. She was curious and wanted to ask, but didn't want to be rude and push the stranger. When she commented on grub, she smiled at the others smile, but her ears stood fully erect as she mentioned medical fungus's. Oh, that was very interesting! She hadn't heard much about mushrooms and the like being overly useful for healing, the only thing that she had ever heard of was agaric mushrooms, which could relax even the most stressed out patient. "Aren't fungus's mostly poisonous? I have never heard of many being very useful other than to end someone's suffering." She said softly, russet head tilting to the side. Amalia's deep blue eyes blinked as the magpie that had been on the log fluttered onto the wolf's back before taking off, and she watched it fly to a nearby tree with interest. She had never seen many wolves who had feathered friends, and she wanted to ask the woman about that as well. But one question was enough for now! She didn't want to overwhelm her, which seemed to be a habit of hers lately.

Her attention was pulled away from the spotted one as the other male joined them, and at her compliment she saw him sit up taller. Amalia flashed him a beaming grin, although her ears pulled back slightly as he mentioned not having anyone to teach him. "Well I am always willing to offer some teachings. You could always travel to the pack I belong to, or we can come up with some sort of meeting post! I love to teach, its how I made my way up to head healer!" she barked, pride making her tiny pale chest swell. If only Pip were here to see this, she just knew that her mother would love to see her helping others.

Amalia brought up her own specialties, and the ember coloured male stayed silent afterwards. She bet from earlier conversation that he didn't have one just yet, and was more interested in general studies. The spotted female spoke up then, and the dame's eyes grew wide. Negative effects? "You mean like poisons?" she asked with a squeak, horror washing over her tiny face. She had to admit that knowing the overdose of herbs was good, and she knew about the negative effect of bonset as well. "Everything in moderation, even herbs." She agreed with a slight nod of her head, trying to shake off the look of shock on her face. She was not here to judge others, not at all! Plus, there was always something good to know about too much of this plant, and which berries to avoid. It could be the difference between life and death, which is why she took her art of healing very seriously, even if she seemed to be chipper. She finally introduced herself as Magpie, which had Ama raising a brow and looking to the magpie on the wolfs back. Was that how she got her name?

When the larger russet backed man spoke, Amalia found herself blinking at him as she dipped her head in greeting. She was not a religious wolf, and did not believe that there were gods. Curiously she looked from male to male, staying silent, for once, as she studied the two. Why did Lyndvarr think him to be touched by the gods? Was it the fact that his coat looked like a dying sun? She wasn't sure, and wasn't about to be rude and ask. Instead she left space for Ankaios to answer that one for himself. She focused on him once more as he said that he was studying battle herbs, and she flashed another smile at his suggestion. "I think that that is a grand idea, Lyndvarr. Since we each seem to have our own focus, it would easy enough for us to find herbs that the others might not know about. So, we shall find something and meet back here, yes?" She asked, before raising up and leaving her pile of bonset where it rested. It was a well known herb, and she already knew that the others knew of it. She wanted to see if there was anything here that focused on her studies alone. So she wandered away from the group, nose to the ground in her hunt.

Clutching a bloom of small, budding pink flowers with most of the roots intact, Amalia headed back to the meeting place where she had broken off with the others. Settling down into place once more, she waited for everyone else to get back with their own chosen herb. Amalia would go last, and left the floor for others. Carefully keeping her valerian flower and root away from the bonset, she nearly wiggled in excitement, eager for the training to begin.

"Speech"
'thoughts'