She often went through her herbs, carefully cataloging them, and checking them for spoil. It was with great shock that she would realise moisture had seeped through the wall of her den and destroyed the herbs she had kept closest to that spot. The Marshmallow herb was essential for winter, it eased sore throat, soothed coughing and cleared congestion. It was also a gentle herb, with very little side effects. It was perfect for winter, when the body caught a cold and needed a little something gentle to ease away the effects of an infection. She tsked as she cleared away the damaged herbs, digging a small hole outside her den, taking her time to break through the heart earth, to make a small indent. She placed the herbs inside, and buried it over. She wouldn’t have them mixing with good herbs or being found by accident. Mold had already began to eat away at them, and it would only make someone sick. This done, she would get soil and dried grasses to rebuild the wall behind her shelf, and places a thin rabbit coat against the wall. Hopefully that would fix the problem, if not, the rabbit fur could soak up the moisture. To be extra careful, she cleared off her herbs from that particular shelf until she had evidence that her fix had worked successfully. Fixing the wall didn’t solve the main issue, she was still now out of an important winter herb. She tsked as she considered the land, she had done a great deal of exploring before settling down in Kesali, and knew a lot of the lands near by. Most Boreas was a harsh place in winter, and not fit for growing things, but Marshmallow, well, that prefer wet, moist areas. Perhaps the swamp hadn’t frozen over, and she would find the herb it the wetlands there. She packed a small bundle of herbs, packing them into her ribbon. She didn’t like to go anywhere without at least something, in case an accident happened near her. She stopped by Branch’s den, and explained to her new Alpha where she was going and what she was doing. She wouldn’t deprive him of a healer without his knowing, and it did good to have others know where she was. She had never had this security before, and it left her feeling oddly pleased. She bade farewell to Branch, before exiting the Northern part of Tall Grass plans and making her way towards the swamplands. The journey was a pleasant one, if a bit brisk with the winter chill, and she passed the time by noting the lands and exploring as she went. She reached the swamp without a hitch, and began the task of sniffing and searching for her herb. She was right that the swamp wasn’t frozen over, but the water was chilled to the touch, so she tried to avoid the worst parts of the land. Still, by the end of it her paws where damp, and she could feel a chill in her pads. It was worth the struggle when she found a small cluster of the herb, and would begin the task of harvesting them. She dug as gently as she could around the herbs and freed them by their roots, collecting them carefully and tying them into her ribbon. She was surprised at her luck, as she was able to gather 8 good roots, and two partial where they had begun to die from the winter weather. They they had preserved for so long was a miracle. Once she was finished, she backed out from the swamp, being very careful not to jostle her prize as she departed the swamp lands again. The journey home was quicker, now that she was more certain of her route, and she was back within the comfort of Kesali in no time at all. She spread out the roots before her, and carefully pruned them, storing the flowers, which were less potent then the roots themselves. The roots she would start the process of drying them carefully in a dry, warm spot. not an easy feat in winter, and she would have to keep a careful eye out for the weather. But, with this done she felt a lot more relieved. If a cold stuck the pack lands, she would be able to make an oral medicine that could be taken to relieve the symptoms. “Sore throat, cough, congestion.” she murmured quietly to herself, as through repeating a mantra. She remembered well the lessons of her childhood, and this had been a favourite herb of her mentor. She sat herself outside her den, there was a coolness to the air, but the sun was out, giving her herbs a chance to dry. She was glad she had found a good day for, and that the herbs themselves had survived this long. They would be hardy herbs, and well she was glad to have them, she was always happy to not need them. ""

WITH YOUR FEET IN THE AIR AND YOUR HEAD ON THE GROUND There wasn't too much to be done once his morning patrol had ended, so when he caught wind of a familiar scent, he headed in that direction. Tongue lolling from his jaws in a dopey grin, he sought out Riva. He hadn't seen much of her since the meeting where Branch had raised the pack, and before that their first encounter had been quite the whirlwind. To say he was excited to see her again, for real this time, was an understatement. If she wasn't such a delicate little thing, he might have been planning to tackle her. Instead, he was going to tone it down, and be friendly in the way he was with his smaller siblings. Her dark form was easy to pick out amongst the waving fronds of the willow trees. He let out a friendly bark, trotting up behind her to loom behind her. Peering over her slender form was easy, and he could get a good look at what she was doing just by craning his neck over her shoulder. Bunch of plants, is what that was. He blinked at them, recognizing a few, but not by name. A clan of healers was helpful, sure, but he was more of a brawler by nature. "What'cha doing?" he questioned in a casual drawl, not bothering to move out of her personal space. They had cuddled it up at one point, he doubted she would be freaked out by rubbing shoulders here and there. Right? Gods above he hoped so, otherwise she was going to hate him. "speech"

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She was spreading herbs out before her, considering what ready made concoctions she should put together, when a bark drew her from her musings. She blinked, startled, and by the time she craned her neck around a wolf was already there, towering above her. Despite residing in the same territory, she hasn't seen much of her one and only pack friend. Her tail gave a friendly wave, gently flicking against one of his towering limbs, and she was already getting a sore neck, craning up to look at him. "Turning some herbs into a paste to extend their shelf life until spring" She explained to him as he questioned her. She was surprised that he hadn’t moved from her personal space yet - or perhaps it wasn’t that unexpected, he was raised in a large family and sharing den space sounded like a common occurrence. Riva had been raised an orphanage, and a rogue, so the feeling of another wolf in her space was slightly unnerving. She didn’t call him out on it, scolding Birch was like yelling at a puppy, and she just didn’t have the heart to do it. She hummed some more as she looked at the herbs, but found her concentration wasn’t the same with Birch over her like mountain. “Your blocking out the sun you know.” she teased him. ""

WITH YOUR FEET IN THE AIR AND YOUR HEAD ON THE GROUND The soft brush of Riva's plush tail against his forelimb sent a soft burst of light through his chest, thrilled to be spending time with another wolf. He missed being so close to his family, and he was still getting used to the dynamic again. Being able to track someone down and cuddle them into submission had become unfamiliar while he was travelling, and his brief stint as a loner hadn't helped much. He caught her gaze, listening intently as she explained herself. "Turning some herbs into a paste to extend their shelf life until spring" Well, he wasn't all too familiar with that one. He continued to loom over her while she examined the spread of herbs before her. The soft hum was soothing, it brought back memories of his mothers as they tended their herb stocks or did small tasks around the den. “Your blocking out the sun you know.” she broke him out of his nostalgia with a taunting tone, and he grunted in surprise as he made a point of shuffling a few steps back. Dark paws scuffed the dirt as he settled himself into the space at her left side instead, dropping onto his haunches. "What kind of paste are you gonna make?" he asked next, lowering his crown to try and get a sniff of the assorted plants from his safe distance away. "speech"

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At her words, he would give her some space, settling in on her left side as he too, appraised the herbs in front of her. She was comfortable with him beside her, and relaxed now with a smile. This was good, surrounded by herbs and a friend, the mixed scents of her craft around her. He questioned what paste’s she was going to make, and she gestured first to a small jar at the center of the pile. “That there is oil I gathered from pressing olives.” she explained. She then moved a paw to a small pile of boneset leaves and flowers. “I’ll push these into a paste, and mix it with Elderberry juices and marshmallow, then mix it with the oil to preserve them, and store then in a cool, dry place” she explained, looking over the herbs again with a critical eye, before glancing back up at her friend. “At this stage, i’m just working out my stock levels and what’s perishing the fastest, and make mixed pastes of those herbs in a way that creates the most beneficial outcome for certain issues, the one I just mentioned for example is for colds and fevers.” "Speech"

WITH YOUR FEET IN THE AIR AND YOUR HEAD ON THE GROUND Without a moment to lose, Riva launched into a brief explanation of her plans for the day with her assorted herbs. “That there is oil I gathered from pressing olives.” she began, gesturing to a small jar kept apart from the rest. He stooped to inspect it more closely. A little.. yellow looking. Maybe she was pulling his leg, and someone had peed in the jar. That would be gross. However, he didn't comment. That would be rude. The giant returned his attention to his friend as she spoke, rocking back on his haunches to fix her with an evergreen stare. Her delicate paw moved to gesture to a small collection of herbs, tiny white flowers on long stems. “I’ll push these into a paste, and mix it with Elderberry juices and marshmallow, then mix it with the oil to preserve them, and store then in a cool, dry place” He nodded along, pretending he had any hope of understanding what she was saying. “At this stage, i’m just working out my stock levels and what’s perishing the fastest, and make mixed pastes of those herbs in a way that creates the most beneficial outcome for certain issues, the one I just mentioned for example is for colds and fevers.” she finished off without the flourish that he was used to from his siblings when they were trying to impress him with their knowledge of leafy greens. "I can mush the flowers if you want," he jerked his chin towards the pile of flowers she'd mentioned. "might as well use these big ole things for something, right?" he lifted one massive forepaw, giving it a quick shake for comedy's sake. His smile had returned, waiting for her to giggle at how silly he was. "speech"

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He paid close attention as she spoke, watching as she pointed with a paw to this herb or another. She was rambling a little, but he actually looked attentive, interested in what she was saying. It earned him a grin as she glanced up into his brilliant, emerald gaze, before the herbs had her attention once more. “Actually, that would be really helpful” she admitted, shaking her head as he lifted up one giant paw, shaking it where she could see. “Just try not to crush anything into oblivion, giant.” she teased him. Truth was, she enjoyed his company, and he was the only Kesali wolf aside from its Alpha who she had spent any time with. She would use his big paws well he lent them, and steal some more time with the friendly mountain. “I’ve got this until I can find something more appropriate” she explained as she moved to the side of her den and showed him the somewhat flat stone that had clearly been cleaned at some stage recently. “If you can crush them here and tip them into one of the jars, that would be a great help” she explained, and she could measure up the herbs, squeeze the elderberry juices and combine the oil. "Speech"