But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia enjoyed the shade provided by the tall oak trees. Their great branches helped block out some of the sun that was currently baking the whole of Auster this summer. She was dutifully continuing her studies and her herb gathering. Today the gathering was personal. She needed to find some motherwort before spring blossomed in Boreas. That would be her first heat and she'd heard such terrible stories about the experience that she wanted to take as many precautions as possible and have a good herb store she could fall back on. She kept her eyes peeled for the unique leaves of the motherwort plant all the while taking in the lay of the land. She'd set up a storage den not far from here so she hadn't bothered to bring her rabbit skin. She'd take what herbs she needed and then haul them back. Gazing at the strands of sun slipping through the leaves she sighed. It was a lovely peaceful day.

It was her heat season and to say the least she was miserable. There was a constant itch but nothing to scratch it with sort of feeling. Of course she knew now that there was another fox, and this one was male of all things, but a floozy she was not. She was not just gonna walk up to him and throw herself at him because her body told her she wanted it. No she of course had more couthe than that. In fact she had moved to where she knew there would be motherwort, to curb the side effects. Though she wanted to somehow blame him for this heat season being as bad as it was, but she knew better. He had nothing to do with this season and it all had to do with mother nature. She was intent on digesting a few and then finding as many for her stores as possible. After all she didn't need him to come around and sniff it out and think he could just have her like that. No if he wanted her she would make him work for it.

She was in the midst of chewing the last of her motherwort when the scent of another touched her and not even a moment later there was a female to go along with the scent. She stopped in her tracks
She was unsure of what to do. From there side of her mouth was half a leaf and she almost forgot about the bitter thing for a second. She hurriedly finished chewing it before swallowing. "My apologies, I wasn't expecting to find anyone today." her voice was soft and quiet to hopefully make up for her staring with the apology. She really just needed to find more motherwort and go back to the lake before Dart went looking there only to find a den full of herbs and the scent of heat. It would be embarrassing to her.

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia struggled to focus. She'd been busy all morning and the whisper of the wind through the trees and the warm sunlight streaming in was like a lullaby. She was tempted to just curl up and rest here but she didn't want to risk it. No, the girl had things to do. Time to focus and get to work. Her nostrils flared, searching for the pungent odor of the herb she sought. Motherwort's distinctive smell made it easier to track by scent rather than by sight and as she maneuvered around the oaks she spied some growing under the hedges. The five-lobed leaves with their little hairs and dull green coloring greeted her and she grinned. Success! She was about to go gather some when she heard a rustling and she turned to see a lovely little fox with a little leaf sticking out of her mouth. Lydia wrinkled her nose. She recognized the hint of leaf as motherwort, the very herb she was seeking though she'd always heard it had an awful bitter taste.

The fox finished swallowing and Lydia smoothed out her expression and smiled. "Oh, I apologize to, I hope I'm not intruding on your garden. I was just looking for some motherwort here. If… if I'm not being to nosey is that what you were just eating?"

She pressed her ears back having a slight touch of embarrassment as the female before her apologized to her. She had thought she had stumbled upon the wolfess' garden, but it appeared she thought much the same. She could still taste the bitter leaf even though none of it remained in her mouth, she'd have to rinse her mouth out in a bit. "No no it's not my garden. And yes it is. It's my heat season and I'm trying my best to stave it off. I have a friend who's a todd and I'd hate to make him uncomfortable around me should he visit." she gave her a gentle smile as she spoke. Perhaps this girl wanted to be a healer, so perhaps that is why she asked and wanted to gather some. Amary wasn't about to stop her that was for sure.

She lowered her haunches and sat with her eyes on the taller woman. Her tail wrapped around her paws as she did so. "Are you perhaps looking to become a healer then? If I may be so bold as to ask." she pricked her ears once more and her smile never faltered. Some may call her too trusting but she liked to think that should she be nice and friendly to all then it would be paid back tenfold. And she was more likely to earn friends that way.

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia nodded sympathetically at the mention of heat season. She'd had to endure her first heat cycle when she'd turned a year and it had been absolutely miserable. In that regard she was not excited for spring for it meant she'd have to go through all that misery again and she had no intention of having pups. The thought of her scent suddenly making her attractive to males made her want to hide. Maybe she'd spend her spring as a hermit. "A todd?" She'd not heard that term before and wondered if that was what they called boy foxes.

"Yes, I'm a healer. I've been training since I was quite young. My name is Lydia, what is yours? If I may, could you show me where you found that motherwort?"