Ulmaria bounded happily through the gulley. Álarr was off not too far away gathering various herbs while she went off in search of lavender. She'd been given some by the older healer to examine and smell before setting off on her own exploration. It was hard to stay focused though on finding the lavender. Around her were all sorts of plants. Dozens of colors and smells and on top of that it was a bright sunny day. Birds were singing there was only the faintest of a breeze. How could she ask for a more perfect day.

Ulmaria raced through a puddle that rested at the base of the gulley, giggling as she kicked up mud before springing back toward the side and investigating a spiky plant growing from the wall of the gulley. It was neat but definitely not lavender.

This was an excellent spot for gathering. She often returned again and again when she needed to build up her stores and with the school opening officially any day now, the stores definitely needed replenishing. Theo was carrying a large basket that Fable had made. She didn't pretend to know the intricacies of the weaving, but she was impressed with the craftsmanship. It had a wide, shallow center - perfect for piling herbs high. The telltale laughter of a child caught her ear. Drawn to the sound, Theory padded across the floor of the gulley until she came across a jubilant purple and black furred pup. "Why hello there," she said, smiling warmly. Another scent caught her attention - an adult, somewhat familiar male. Ah, so she was being watched. Good. "Do you need some help?" she asked anyway, curious what the little thing was up to on her own.

Ulmaria continued on her way, pausing occasionally to sift through the scents in the air. It was then she caught the scent of another wolf. Glancing about she noticed a black and white woman with a short tail walking down the gulley. Oh no! Ulmaria wondered what happened to the woman's tail. Had a crocodile bitten it off? A tiger maybe? "Hi!" Her little nose wiggled as she took in the adults scent.

At the older woman's question she shook her head. "Nope! I can find it myself. Are you gathering herbs to? What's the basket for?" Ulmaria didn't have anything to carry herbs in so she bet the basket would be handy. She could fill it will all the interesting stuff she found and bring it back to her uncle. Maybe that's why Álarr didn't give her anything to carry the plants. She supposed he was getting tired of her bring back samples of every growing thing in the nearby vicinity.

"Oh, that's very good then," she said encouragingly. The puppy's energy was so infectious. It prickled something in her, spreading a warmth from her hear to her brain. What would it be like to have a chubby, question-asking, energetic brood of her own? When she had been with Thalia, the possibility had seemed so far from reality that she'd shoved her desire for a family into some distant corridor of her brain. Seeing this inquisitive little soul wrenched it out of hiding and back into the light. Theo wondered who her parents were, if they diligently answered all of her questions or demanded quiet and obedience. Shrugging off the niggling thought, she nodded in answer. "Yes, I'm gathering herbs as well. This is an excellent spot for it, so whoever brought you here knows what they're doing. Would you like to help me?" she ended with a little offer. Perhaps she could teach the girl a thing or two, or perhaps vice versa - you were never too old to learn.

"My Uncle brought me!" she declared, glancing back toward where she'd last seen Álarr. She could see a thin streak of smoke rising into the sky and guessed that he was working on making a fire somewhere over there. At the mention of helping Ulmaria perked up. "Yes, yes, I can help! Oh… but first I have to find lavender. My uncle wants it. My name is Ulmaria. C'mon, let's find some plants!" With a cheer she bounced forward further into the gulley before suddenly slidding to a halt. Wait, that smell. Yes, that smelt live lavender!

"I smell it! I smell it!" She shifted course and soon arrived in front of a spiky stand of lavender. Bugs of various kinds buzzed happily around the plant and she glanced back at the older woman before seizing the base of one of the steams with her teeth and plucking it off. She couldn't remember if you used the flowers or the leaves so she figured she'd just grab the whole thing. Easier to carry that way anyhow.

Oh, her heart felt like it was about to explode. Theory could picture herself just like this, following after a rambunctious child - maybe it had the same dark fur, but white markings. The tell-tale Destruction eye markings. Maybe a short, bobbed tail like her own. The rush of hormones she felt surging through her body was enough to make her light-headed. This is pathetic. My season isn't even due for months. Trying to put a pin in her maternal instincts, Theory bounced after Ulmaria's eager steps. "Alright, lavender it is!" she called after her, grabbing the basket as she passed it. "Oh, excellent job!" Theo praised her. "Are you looking for only lavender? What other plants can you name?" she asked, carefully sectioning out another lavender plant nearby. Theo dug it up and placed it in the basket. Dusting off her teaching skills was more important than ever.

Once she'd finished grabbing a few springs of lavender she considered the older woman's question. "Uhh, well lavender for sure but I'd like to find some other plants. I know about yarrow, dandelions and meadowsweet," she said proudly. She knew it was only a small sampling of plants but it made her feel good to share the names of healing herbs she actually knew something about. "What are you looking for here? Maybe I can help? Can you teach about some new plants?" Ulmaria was eager to soak up knowledge wherever she could find it and she was sure her uncle wouldn't care if she did a bit more exploring. She had her companions with her after all.

"That's quite an impressive list," Theory said indulgently, more than happy to chat with the little purple girl. "I'm looking for all sorts of things... a pack needs many different kinds of herbs on hand to be prepared." She thought for a moment, trying to pinpoint a good, all-around herb to add to the young girl's list. "How about chamomile? It's got many uses. Have you heard of that one before?" The Headmistress cleaned up the lavender that Ulmaria had set aside, brushing away the dirt and separating the roots carefully. Theory was enjoying soaking up the time with a small, inquisitive mind. It was all good practice for the first batch of students.

Ulmaria beamed as Theory complimented her on the list of herbs she knew then asked if she'd ever heard of chamomile. Ulmaria thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No I haven't! What's it look like? What sorts of places does it grow in?" She assumed it grew in the gulley somewhere but she didn't know if it liked sun and would be out in the sunnier places or clinging to the walls. It was amazing how much the terrain could shift based on the part of the gulley you were in. She couldn't wait to find some chamomile and bring it back to her uncle. He'd be so proud! Depending on what it did mabe her dad would like some to.

The sweet expression on Ulmaria's face filled her with pure, maternal pleasure. What a smart young girl, she thought. A precious young thing. She could get used to this, filling little brains full of knowledge. "It can be used for many things, like helping to bring inflammation down, settle upset stomachs, and relieve stress. It's a very useful herb! It has a bright yellow center and soft white petals - like a very small daisy," she said, peering around for a bunch. Almost everything grew in the gulley. "It likes sunshine and good drainage - a place like this would be perfect. Aha!" She gestured towards a bunch, clinging to the dry hill of the gulley that lay in the sun.

Ulmaria listened intently, soaking up the new information like a sponge. Chamomile sure sounded like a pretty plant and she hoped to find some so she could show her uncle. Wouldn't he be surprised! Most of what Theory said made sense and in particular learning that it helped with upset stomachs was of interest to her. Being a pup she often chewed or ate what she shouldn't and had an upset stomach afterwards. One word didn't make much sense to her though. "It sounds really pretty! What does inflammation mean?" She wondered if that was the name of some sort of disease.

At Theory's exclamation she quickly followed the older woman's gesture toward some pretty flowers just like those the older woman had described. "Oooo are those chamomile?" She grinned and bounded over toward the flowers, scrambling up the hill and leaning out to sniff them.

"They are indeed!" she said, beaming at the intrepid puppy's attitude. What a bright young mind. What does inflammation mean? "Oh!" She thought for a moment on how to explain it. Breaking terms down into more digestible information that even a little one would understand... now, that was something she could definitely work on. There had plenty of puppies to pass through Abaven, but so few had come under her direct care. Even her sister's brood had mostly been taught by their parents, especially at this young age, "Inflammation means something might get bigger and could be painful to the touch - like if you step on a bee and get stung, your paw might be inflamed. Does that help?" she asked, hoping Ulmaria would ask more questions if she needed further explanation. "Sometimes inflammation can happen on the inside, where you can't even see it - if you have a very upset stomach, it could also be inflamed."

The flowers had a light but distinct scent and Ulmaria worked to commit it to her memory. Theory explained that they were indeed chamomile and Ulmaria's tail wagged rapidly. She bent her head and nipped the stems of the flowers, picking a few to bring back to her uncle. She listened attentively as the older woman explained what inflammation was. Oh, ok she understood the bee sting analogy. She'd gotten plenty of bug bites and had also noticed that when she got cuts and scrapes sometimes the skin was red and swollen around the scrap. "Yea, that makes sense! I didn't know it could happen on your insides. I think my uncle will really like these flowers. Thank you Theory! I hope we can meet again."