ooc:  Shilah is looking at a yarrow plant

Evening sunlight reflected off the feathery leaves of a plant that was growing just on the edge of the cathedral where the great overhanging branches did not shade it. The plant grew strong from an angular stem and was roughly two feet tall and covered in fine white hairs. On top of that it had an interesting scent and so it had caught Shilah's attention. He'd been staring at the plant for probably ten minutes trying to decide if he wanted to pull anything off of it. He didn't know what it was. It could very well be poison, but how else was he going to learn?

Shilah did not expect to see his mother again. While part of him certainly hoped he would the more practical part of him insisted that he prepare for the loss and start weaning himself off of that hope. His sister was back at least so there was that but what would become of their relationship?

Reaching up for the plant he gently batted it with his paw, waiting to see if he felt any foreign sensation on his pawpads. There was no burning or itching so that was a good sign but just to be safe maybe he better wait a little longer. The sun was dipping lower and Shilah knew he'd have to head back to the den soon. It didn't really feel like home yet. It was just a dank, dark hole in the ground and he sought to stay in the sun as long as he could.

Serene Validis At long last, Serene had a break in her motherly duties and could slip away for some much needed personal time. It was not easy to care for five bounding pups, and yet it seemed, at least for now, that all of her children were growing steadily with no immediate issues or concerns. Which that in itself was an accomplishment that she took with pride. Malleus had generously offered to take the pups for a little while, to entertain them while Serene went out for a bit of a breather. Her ever so sweet and loving mate, always taking care of the fawn woman and their family. She was lucky to have him; if she had been left on her own like her own mother had been, Serene was sure she would not have been so successful in raising her young. Golden flecks of hair danced about the soft breeze created by the woman's movements through the cathedral, heading in no particular direction, just to create some much needed distance so she could enjoy some peace and quiet for a time. That was, until amber orbs caught sight of a somewhat familiar patch of deep charcoal and bright golden fur. Was that one of the orphaned pups? One of Razi's young? It always amazed her how similar their coloring was to their royal mother. Their lineage shining bright and pure. A bang of guilt stoke her heart at the reminder that these pups were alone, their mother lost in a raging flood. It was this guilt that Serene turned course to approach the young one, hoping to, at the very least, make a friend of the young lad. "Hello..." she would softly greet as she move small movement to approach the young boy, not wanting to frighten him away form her. The fawn woman would come to sit a few feet away from him, eyeing his golden markings as they reminded her of the Razi woman. "You're one of Razi's young, right? Her son Shilah?" Mentally Serene slapped herself across the face. Why would she even mention the absent mother's name? Obviously it would be a sensitive topic for the boy! A great way to start a friendship. After a few, awkward seconds, Serene would see the herb standing before the pair and smile. "Quite the herb hunter are you? I had no idea Yarrow grew this close to our home." Gods, she hoped the boy took an interest to herbs to save her from her own stupidity. "Speech" <

A breeze blew in and ruffled the little white flowers in a mesmerizing dance that cast Shilah's thoughts far into the air. He didn't even hear Serene when she approached and he jumped slightly at her soft greeting. Dipping his head gently he stammered, "Uh… h-hello." He didn't know her very well though she seemed nice. He nodded at her question, let his mother's name slide off his back. He'd done nothing but think of her since the flood. Now he was forcing her memory to the back of his mind where he hoped it wouldn't cause as much pain.

"Yea, that's me. I'm sorry but I don't think I know your name…" The silence stretched between them and Shilah shifted uncomfortably. He didn't really know what to say. He wasn't even sure whether or not he wanted to be alone. Then she mentioned the plant and he glanced at her, daring to make eye contact. "Yarrow? Is that what this is? Is it poisonous?" He gazed at Serene, wondering if she was a healer.

Serene Validis Ah, so it was Shilah. Well that was a relief; at least hadn't confused the young boy with someone else. The golden healer would smile, and bow her crown slightly in greeting. "My apologies Shilah, my name is Serene, I am Alpha Malleus's mate." She offered her relation to Malleus because of two things; firstly, she knew many Abraxas felt more comfortable around their own, which Serene, no matter how hard she tried, would never be. Secondly, perhaps knowing she was mates with the alpha, the young lad would feel safer around her. Though it would never be official, Serene had recently thought of herself more of a motherly figure to the pack, especially to the young, seeing as they had so many. Her attention back on the plant, she offered a soft chuckle as she shook her head. "No, not really. If used from time to time, and not very often, Yarrow is perfectly safe to use. If taken too much for too long however, it could become quite the toxic little plant." She had only seen a creature suffer toxicity from Yarrow once; an old groundhog that suffered from daily nose bleeds stole her mother's stash and suffered the consequences. Thankfully, Esmeralda had charcoal handy for the grumpy old thing to detox. Reaching out with one of her paws, Serene would gently turn leaves over in her paw, inspecting the plant for disease or withering. "Yarrow could be very useful after a battle; the plant secretes a clotting agent, so it can stop minor bleeds from cuts or puncture wounds." Suddenly, Serene realized she was rambling random nonsense and the poor child probably didn't have a care in the world for healing. "I'm sorry, do you even like plants Shilah?" "Speech" <

Shilah felt a bit embarrassed as the woman gave her name. Serene, Malleus' mate. He should have guessed that from the meeting but his thoughts had been in so many different places that he admitted he hadn't been paying the best attention. Seiran was back, so at least he had part of his immediate family back with him again, even if his mother still remained missing. Shilah needed to talk with Seiran if she wasn't off wandering. The crisis seemed to spurn her to move while it simply pulled Shilah down and rooted him to the spot. That wasn't like him. He used to love to wander and explore and maybe some time away would help him get his thoughts in order. Of course, he was too young to wander alone but with Seiran…

Shilah was pulled out of his thoughts as Serene stated that yarrow was not poisonous and was in fact quite useful. His ears pricked up. She continued to explain and he fixed her with a curious gaze. So yarrow could be used after a battle to help with bleeding? Ok, that was definitely useful. At her question he quickly nodded. "Yes, I've been wanting to learn about them for awhile. I was taking lessons from my mother before…" His voice trailed off and he felt his stomach flip. Pushing back the pain he turned his face back to Serene. "So, yarrow… how do you gather it and how do you know how much to give someone? Can you teach me?"