When her brother approached her and asked if she would begin to train a new member of the pack, Iolaire agreed instantly. She enjoyed sharing knowledge and she enjoyed watching others realize their potential. With autumn having shown her face, it wasn't the best time to teach about plants, but she could always teach about healing. Really, it all depended on just what area of expertise the wolf in question wished to specialize in. Iolaire herself was a Jack of all trades. Healing, gardening, poisoning, crafting... the little woman's brain was a sponge for knowledge and, thankfully, she retained it well. Whether her new charge would be the same was yet to be seen. Everyone learned at their own pace, however, and so Io wouldn't hold it against her. Raising her little muzzle to the sky, the diminutive dame sent out a call for the prospective student. She called the woman to her own home; her stone cottage situation right beside her expansive garden. While she waited for the woman to arrive, Iolaire seated herself in a little patch of sunlight on the front porch of her cottage. Best to absorb the sun while it was still close and warm. Winter would soon be banging on their doors and the warmth of the sun would be in short supply. "Speech"

Malalia

She'd simply been exploring the grounds when the call went up, promptly pulling her whole body towards it. Malalia spun on her heels and bounded across the flats, tongue lolling freely. It's starting! Carting around stems and roots with Pia had been fun when she was a pup, but it wasn't the same as an honest-to-goodness training session.

A bolt of nervous energy shot through her, and her gait dampened a touch. She could almost imagine the woman Iolaire, stern-faced, eyes narrowed once she realized exactly how little the yearling knew. And she was behind for her age, wasn't she? Most wolves started their training much, much earlier...

Malalia blinked and slowed even further as the stone den came into view, the master lounging in the sun just outside of it. The scent of herbs drifted towards her, tickled her nose, though with her heart beating liked a trapped hummingbird she wasn't even going to try to decipher them right now. She approached the woman, tail low but swaying, a respectful dip of her head. "Hi."

A few heartbeats passed. ...Is that all you're going to say??? She cleared her throat--"Um, hi! I'm Malalia, and I'm sure Sirius told you about me already. You're Iolaire? It's good to meet you."

"Speech"

The girl wasted no time in hurrying to her new mentor. Io was surprised to see how young Malalia was. As she introduced herself, the woman decided that she was sweet, although a little shy. Iolaire's dark lips curled in a smile and she gave her a nod. "You're correct. I'm Iolaire, but you can call me Io." She patted the pile of furs next to her, inviting the young woman to sit beside her and soak up a bit of sun as they conversed. "So, my brother told me that you're interested in the healing arts, but he didn't give specifics. What are you interested the most? Medicine? Gardening? Tell me a bit about yourself." Once they established what Malalia was looking for, she would be able to plan a course specifically for the girl. And, just to ease any tension that she might be feeling, the healer added, "Relax. I'm probably the most informal wolf in the pack, I promise you." With a wink of one green-gold eye, she gave a little stretch and tucked her paws beneath her chest in a catlike manner. "Speech"

Malalia

Malalia settled on the furs next to Iolaire, tucking her tail along her side. Her nerves must have been showing, and she smiled lightly when the healer told her to relax. She was never this antsy when she was sparring, for gods' sake! But then, that was something she'd actually been put through the paces for. Healing, on the other hand...

The yearling took a beat, the sun warm across her fur, and thought of her next words. "Medicine would be my main focus. That's what I'm most familiar with. I don't have much experience with it," she admitted. "Most of my actual training has been fighting or hunting. But in my old pack I would help out my aunt in the infirmary. Small stuff like poultices for cuts and scrapes, or treating a sore throat, but that's about as far as my knowledge goes." She hadn't dealt with more complicated injuries, or something as daunting as childbirth. "Gardening would be a close second, I think? But I really wanna dip my paws in everything." There was so much she didn't know, and so much she didn't know she didn't know, but Mal was ready to take it all in.

"Speech"

Malalia settled beside her and the pair got down to business. She confessed that she wished to learn primarily about medicine, but would secondarily like to learn about gardening. Iolaire nodded. She could definitely teach the girl about both of these things. Malalia listed her experience and Iolaire's silver brows raised thoughtfully. "Very nice. So you have a bit of background with healing and healing preparation. That's good. We can continue along those lines for now since it's what you're familiar with." Rising from her place, Iolaire now beckoned for Malalia to follow her inside of the stone cottage. Once inside, she stepped aside and allowed the girl to see the walls of shelving. Each shelf was filled with containers. Each container was filled with a different type of healing herb. "Almost everything needed for healing is within this cottage. While you learn, you can take from these containers." Peeling back a curtain of the cottage, she indicated the curved steppes of an expansive garden outside. "A whole lot more can be found out there." Again she shot the girl a smile. "All I ask is that you be mindful to put things back where they belong and let me know when things are close to being empty." A good healer would be able to tell herbs apart by sight and smell. Malalia wouldn't have enough experience to know the difference yet. "Any questions you have while you're exploring, you're always free to come to me." She tiled her head slightly. "Have you ever prepared bandages for your aunt? Can you name two things that you can use as a natural bandage?" First she would test the girl, then she would provide her with more information. "Speech"

Malalia

The yearling bit back the urge to snort at herself. 'Very nice,' Io had said. And perhaps it was. But to say that Malalia felt out of her depth here would be an understatement. 'She barely knows me, though....' It wasn't as if the woman had anything to gain from lying to her. And as little as she felt knew, it was still something. Her shoulders eased down, bereft of a little tension, and she padded after Iolaire into the stone den.

Rows of herbs lined the walls, and Malalia padded closer to them, her eyes sliding curiously over every container. "That's a lot of herbs," she murmured, almost inaudibly. She wondered how long it had taken the woman to build her store, if there were even more herbs that couldn't fit here. As if in answer, new light streamed into cottage where the small woman had pulled aside a curtain, indicating the garden. The girl nodded quickly at her words—"Absolutely!" As for questions, Mal had about a million of them, starting with identifying every one of those containers, but then came the question about bandages.

Malalia thought for a beat. "I haven't prepared them myself, but I've watched her use strips of moss as a bandage. Sometimes she would soak them in something before applying them to a wound." Her brows furrowed, ears pulling back. "Is that one of them? I don't know what the other would be..."

"Speech"

The cottage was a lot to take in. The stores were expansive, but she'd been working at them for quite a while. Some she had brought with her. Others she had cultivated on her own. This cottage, the pack, her garden... it was a little slice of heaven for the tiny healer. It was everything that she had always wanted. Never before had she felt as though she belonged. She'd never felt the need to put down permanent roots. This though... this was her place. Malalia answered the bandage question and Iolaire nodded. "Moss can be used in a pinch, but it's difficult to clean. You could use the thin membrane on the inside of an egg as a bandage. You could also use spiderwebs. They're incredibly sticky and stay in place well." She had had to use spiderwebs quite a few times while out in the wilds treating injuries. She didn't like collecting them one bit, but when the decision was to let someone's wound fester or battle a few creepy crawlies, she had always chosen battle. Next test. "If someone came to you with an open, bleeding wound on their leg, how would you treat it?" Of course there were many ways to answer this question. She simply wished to see which direction the girl's mind took her in. "Speech"

Malalia

"Spiderwebs," she repeated, half to herself. She wouldn't have thought the delicate-looking strands would be suitable for bandaging wounds--but, well, they were. Perhaps spiderwebs were common enough that a wolf would try and find some use for them. Now, egg membranes? That was entirely new, and she wanted to ask the healer had come up with such a remedy.

The quiz was moving along, though. "I would clean the wound, and then try to stop the bleeding with a poultice of horsetail. As I learned it, it's also good to stave off infection. If I didn't have horsetail, though, I'd chew up dried oak leaves instead." She took a breath and went on, "If it was a smaller wound I might apply catchweed burrs to keep the poultice in place. For a larger one, I'd use moss--er, spiderwebs, to do the same, as well as help keep the wound closed. Then monitor for infection." She hadn't yet learned how to treat infection, and Pia had never gotten around to showing her, but hey, that wasn't the question.

"Speech"

Again she listened to what Malalia had to say on the matter. Cleaning the wound was wise. Staunching the bleeding was wise. Covering the wound was wise. The girl was definitely on the right track. Iolaire nodded in approval. "Well said. There are many ways that you could have answered as there are many ways to handle a wound. " Iolaire smiled at the young woman. "I believe you'll do very well. If you apply yourself, I'll have you healing wounds and setting bones in no time." Iolaire then went on to explain her process of dealing with injuries which consisted of pretty much the same things that Malalia had mentioned. The only difference was the addition of willow bark for pain if necessary. She also brought up the face that a deep wound might need to be stitched back together. "You should come by for training whenever you have a spare moment. If I have a wound to tend to, I'll call you to assist." The girl would have to be near and be on alert for the call. "Speech"

Malalia

She didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until Iolaire nodded at her answer, and the yearling immediately brightened, letting loose a small breath. "What other ways are there?" she probed. Malalia had only learned the one method from her aunt, and she wondered whether the others consisted of substitutions, or different methods entirely. Either way, it'd be important to learn.

Her tail swished behind her; otherwise, she remained still and intently focused as Iolaire went on to explain how she dealt with wounds. She noted willow bark as a remedy for pain and stitches for deep wounds, though Malalia had no clue as to going about the latter procedure.

All in good time. Iolaire invited her for training and assisting her, and Mal found herself nodding vigorously. "Of course! I will." She'd stick to Io like a tick, if the woman allowed her. "Is there anything you need in the meantime? Something I could get for you? Or something I could do on my own?" Perhaps the ask would be more helpful to Mal than to the healer herself, but the young wolf wanted to get her paws in something, if she could.

Remembering where they were, her eyes suddenly lit up. "Actually... how did you go about starting your garden? It's pretty expansive..." The whole cottage was expansive, really, and Mal had never seen such a specialized 'den' before. It seemed to suit the healer perfectly, from what she could tell.

"Speech"

Iolaire loved Malalia's eagerness. It seemed as though the girl had a hungry mind. She picked the right wolf to feed that mind. Questions were asked and answered. When Malalia began asking what she could do, Iolaire laughed aloud. "So eager. It's a nice change." Usually newcomers were so timid that they barely uttered a word when she began to teach them. As long as Malalia asked questions, she would receive answers. Bringing up the garden and questioning its creation, Iolaire motioned for the girl to follow her outside. The skin over the door was already tied open, so the pair could exit without effort. Around the side of the cottage Iolaire went, coming close to the steppes of the expansive garden. "While the effects of the volcano still harried this part of the land, the Armada lived elsewhere. When Sirius began speaking of moving to this place, I braved the disaster and made regular trips here." She had paid the price for her excursions into the ash covered land too. Never before had she had breathing issues so badly. "Little by little I cut into the hillside, making the steppes that you see now." The garden was curved and tiered. Water from the pond above would trickle down into the garden, keeping the soil moist up top and less so as the tiers descended. "I've always been good with plants, so I just transplanted them from other places. The trees too." She made it sound easy but it definitely hadn't been. "You asked if you could help. I do have a task that I need to finish if you're willing." Behind the cottage was a much smaller, more secluded garden. Stacked beside it were rows and rows of pliable willow branches, stripped of their leaves. " I'm building a little fence around my special garden here. You're welcome to help if you'd like." Iolaire pointed to the equally spaces stakes in the ground. Taking up one long, thin branch, she wound it between the stakes. First starting on the left side, then starting on the right side. "Be sure to push the branches down so that they fit together tightly. Then we just keep going until the fence is the proper height." Handing a branch to the girl, she offered for her to try. "Speech"

Malalia

They moved towards the opening. The yearling followed closely as Io padded ahead, leading the way around the garden as she talked about its history. Mal hadn't yet reached Boreas when the volcano erupted, but she had seen some of its after effects -- swathes of devastated forests, layers of ash, quieted woods devoid of prey. She couldn't imagine trying to navigate that world just when it had happened...

What Io had constructed during that time captured her attention: the steppes, the tiered levels watered by a nearby pond, the varying herbs and trees. It must have taken her quite a while to build it all and transplant everything she wanted. The pack probably didn't need another garden, but how cool would it be, to build something this grand on her own?

The two padded over to a smaller garden tucked behind the cottage, noting the beginnings of a fence. Iolaire explained how to wind the branches around the stakes, and Malalia watched carefully. When it was her turn, she drew a branch from the pile and did as she had instructed: weaving the willow branch between the stakes, first from the left side, then the right. She stared at her work for a heartbeat before giving a little "Ah," and pushing the branch down to lay flush against the one Iolaire had placed before. Simple enough. She flicked her ears and looked over at the she-wolf. "How's that?"

"Speech"

Green-gold eyes watched as Malalia repeated the process that she had just been shown. She pushed the branch down tightly against the one below and questioned whether or not she had done it correctly. The dark woman nodded her approval. "Well done. You can continue that while I put in the rest of the stakes." Satisfied that the young woman didn't need supervision, Iolaire moved to a pile of saplings, stripped of branches and bark. Picking one up, she began pushing it into the soft earth. Once it was in as far as she could push, she picked up a thick rock with a flat bottom and began hammering the rod into the ground until it was even with the others. "Speech"