The Bees Knees

Drífa trotted gingerly through the light layer of snow and ice that coated the mountains that held the crypt. Winter had yet to arrive but that didn't stop the weather from taking a chilly turn. She wondered if it was always so cold here this early but then Fyri seemed to be right on par with what it should be. She let the fact slip from her mind. She wasn't a navigator and she had other things on her mind. For one she needed to get fully ready for the winter and in her arsenal she needed bandages. She had a small gathering of moss from the Red Forest in safe storage but she also wanted something sturdier.

Turning out of the wind she sheltered at a bend in the old river bed as she adjusted the rabbit skins in her mouth. She'd been hard at work hunting all morning and after a stumble had to call it quits. Her left knee was sore and starting to become inflamed but she was too far from the north to stop yet. Besides she had just the items with her to make a nice poultice. Well, almost, she had one more stop to make. Drífa shifted a dried rabbit skin in her jaws. It was the product of her earlier work. She only hoped the new skins would dry before the winter storms moved in. The skin was full of fresh herbs, namely marsh mallow as well as pieces of another rabbit skin that had been roughly shredded into strips to make bandages. She still didn't have a great method for securing the bandages but she'd figure that out. You were never too old to learn.

The wind picked up and Drífa continued towards the crypt. She'd found some fantastic clay near Mount Volkan, full of minerals and something she remembered being referred to as a sort of healing clay. She had little experience with them but there was no better time than the present to learn. Unfortunately when she'd stumbled upon the source she had no good means of transporting the clay. She'd made it to the crypt carrying the muck in her mouth before she decided she couldn't stand it any longer. So she'd stashed it in the crypt so she could pick it up another day. Today was that day.  Carefully stashing her rabbit skin strips and herbs next to the entrance she gazed into the abysmal dark for a moment before slipping inside with the whole skin. She wasn't too concerned. Unlike a fresh kill the herbs and skins were unlikely to attract unwanted parties or invite thievery.

The crypt was dark and eerie and she was forced to rely mainly on scent to navigate. Thankfully, she'd stashed the clay close to the entrance and so she could use a bit of the light. On a small ledge she spied the little ball of clay and tipping back onto her hind legs she gently maneuvered the ball onto the skin. Pleased she picked up the folds and trotted outside with her catch.  Once outside she unwrapped the skin and quickly added the strips and herbs to the mix.  Goodness… she yawned and stretched her jaw.  She'd have to stop frequently to rest her jaws but hopefully it would be worth it.

Drífa was just about to pick up her haul and get going when the wind whipped up violently cold and biting. She peered northward in the direction she wanted to go and frowned at the darkening skies. A winter storm was rushing southward and she doubted very much she was going to be able to get out of the way. Probably best to wait it out. Snow flurries started to whip around her as she grabbed her gathering and slipped back into the crypt. She'd hang out by the entrance until it was ok to leave. In the mean time Drífa decided she may as well make the poultice for her knee. First step, she needed fresh water. It would be cold but that was fine for inflammation and being such a small area she wasn't too concerned about the loss of body heat.

There were a number of tiny pools where moisture had rolled from the cavernous ceiling down to the dips and ripples in the uneven ground. She'd found one that was about as wide as her paw and she delicately lapped up some of the water, wrinkling her nose at the mineral taste. Trotting back to her gathering she spat the water out into a portion of the clay and mixed it gently on a smoother stone surface til it was the right consistency.  Now for the marsh mallow. She really needed to find a better way to deal with the herbs but right now chewing was the best option and so she began to use her teeth to mash a few of the plants into a good paste which she added to her mixture.  Drífa took a portion of the poultice mixture and delicately added it to her swollen left knee before draping a rabbit skin over it to hold it in place. She positioned her body and tail to help keep the bandage in place as she watched the snow cascading down outside the crypt entrance. She really did need to find a way to secure rabbit skin bandages.  When the clay dried it would help still the herbs to her fur but for other uses… hmmmm. She continued to ponder as he snow fell in sheets outside her makeshift sanctuary.