gunning for that promotion

Jigsaw was off on his adventure to collect every herb that ever existed - medical or non - and deliver it to Recluse as irrefutable proof that he deserved a ranked position of healer in Habari. It was a very important quest, and to help him succeed he'd even had his brother craft him a tiny sachel to carry his flowers in. Already he'd prescribed his first treatment to a patient, collected two whole flowers, now he was ready to conquer the monster. To collect the towering sunflowers he'd seen in the distance at the far edge of the territory.

Their pedals were massive, their stems were massive, the inside circle where the bees gathered were massive. In fact, there was a massive beehive not too far away that frankly terrified the boy but he wasn't about to let some stupid bees get in his way of his life's goal. He was here with a purpose, and as he strode up to the flower that towered twice his height, Jigsaw oozed confidence.

His confidence however faltered into the negatives as he realized exactly how big the plant was. Not only was it so big that he thought for sure it was the best healing flower that existed, but it was also so large he'd never be able to get it home in one piece. The trip would be long and hard and Jigsaw figured he might be a few different shades of yellow by the end of it, but if anything that only made it sound even more important to him. Recluse would be impressed, his father would be proud, and Jigsaw would achieve his dreams. It was time to buckle up and get things done like a real healer would.

The soft buzzing of the bees in the distance was concerning, though for the moment they did not appear interested in his choice of trophy. He figured he'd start with the most logical step - knocking down the thing gently enough that the pedals remained intact so he could carry it home. First he circled it. Then he circled it the other direction. Without new ideas he circled it a few more times, his tongue sticking out from his lips as he thought as hard as he could. Eventually he decided he was being ridiculous and to bite the bullet (literally) and moved forward to wrap his jaws around the thick stem. Generally the flowers he picked didn't really have a taste to their stem, but this one was so large that it left a distinct bitter flavor to his tongue. He managed to gnaw his way through it regardless, and with a loud "timber!" of warning made the final bite to have it fall to the ground.

NO, NOT TO THE GROUND! Jigsaw pictured the heavy flower hitting the dirt, all of it's beautiful pedals separating from it's top and blowing away in the wind. The little pup shot forward, his face frozen in fear as he threw himself onto his belly before it. Just as his breath was kicked out from him, he felt the gentle touch of the pedals thump softly onto his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. Step one complete.

The pup wiggled his way out from under the large flower, peering down at it suspiciously as he thought on his next move. It was as large as his bag was if not larger, and there was no way he could drag it home without it tearing the pedal in his mouth. A small part of the stem was remaining, but he couldn't drag it from the stem either or the pedals would simply scrape against the ground until they ripped off. He sat and stared at it, trying hard to think through the louder growing buzz of the bees nearby.

The idea came to him after what felt like hours, and he jumped to his paws in glee. Running to the bee's tree he placed both paws upon the bark and leaped up towards the closest branch. It took a few tries, but eventually he grasped it in his jaws and snapped it off with a loud crack. Step two complete. With renewed confidence, the pup sauntered back towards the downed plant. He laid the thin branch out just beneath the sunflower stalk and with his paws worked the flimsy stem onto the stick to give it some strength. Some liquids oozed out of it, but that only encouraged him further and before he knew it, Jigsaw had a sunflower on a stick. He grasped the stick-filled-stem in his mouth (the weight causing one side of his head to tilt lower than the other) and headed back towards home, aiming to find his aunt and insist she explain to him every single use of this magnificent flower so that he could be fully prepared when he presented it (and the rest of his herbs) to Recluse.

WORD COUNT: 824