The noonday sun is bright as Fern weaves her way through the garden paths, picking flowers here and there. As the wedding draws closer, the gray girl has taken it upon herself to gather things that will make beautiful centerpieces and… something extra special. Paws gently pluck at the plants, taking only what she needs and no more. By the time she heads back to the courtyard, the basket that she carries in her mouth is filled with a wide assortment of not only flowers but ivy, sticks, stones, and various other things that she thinks are pretty. She had already spread a fur out on the grass to give her and anyone who wished to join a soft spot to rest on while they crafted and it is there that she deposits her basket. Humming to herself, Fern begins to sort the items into piles, grouping things together to make it easier to find.

"Fern"

Fern has a female stoat companion named Puff. She is always nearby.

Lia spent a lot of her free time out in the gardens. Her own little plot was slowly growing as she finished planting the seeds Halo had given her. Occasionally she sang to the little growing seeds. She had heard somewhere that it could help them grow, and had taken to the task.

As she sat by her plot, she saw the grey form of a Hallows wolf she had mostly only seen in passing make her way to the courtyard. Her mouth fill of an assortment of interesting things. It was the ivy that got Lia’s attention. The handmaiden got quickly to her paws, and trotted after the other wolf. She didn’t seem any worse for wear, but if wasn’t a healer then Lia felt compelled to let her know the danger. “Hello, hello” she said, a little shyly, worried she was intruding. “Are you familiar with ivy? It’s poisonous, so you should be careful handling it. If… you don’t mind me saying”

"Speech"

Fern is spreading out the items on the plush pelt when the large form of a wolf appears. Ocean-colored eyes look up to the flame-clad wolf and she offers the woman a smile as the wolf greets her. The shyness in the wolf’s voice does not unnoticed by the gray girl and her smile softens. When the wolf cloaked with flames speaks of the ivy being poisonous, Fern feels heat creeping up her neck and her eyes round in surprise. She was hoping to use them as part of the decorative piece but maybe she should just chuck them and use something else. With a soft smile, she says, “Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. I was hoping to make some pretty centerpieces for the table when we have the feast for the wedding. Do you think I should get rid of the ivy?”

Her eyes are kind as she looks at the flame-cloaked wolf, Fern truly wants to know if she should get rid of the stuff. Thinking for moment, she scoots over to make room on the pelt and pats the area beside her while saying, “Here, why don’t you come and help me? You seem to know your herbs! I would hate to poison all the guests at the wedding. Wouldn’t want the happy day to go down in history for all its deaths.” She jokes lightly as she wonders what others would call it if all the guests suddenly died. The purple wedding? The wedding of doom? No, not a good way to start a happy marriage. As the other wolf gets settled, the gray girl says, “My name is Fern. And thank you for helping me.” A bright smile follows her words.


"Fern Lark"

Lia settled herself down across from the grey wolf, when the Knight did not shoo her away. The handmaiden considered it for a moment. Thinking through the ways to handle the ivy, or other plants that could replace it. Before she could come up with an answer, the silver wolf was speaking again.

As the Knight moved over, Lia got up from her crouch and made her way over to the pelt, seating herself beside the other. “That is one way to be famous” Lia agreed, a little drly. “I’m Lia, Briar’s handmaiden” she replied as Fern gave her name. “We could keep the ivy if you want to, we would just have to be careful it doesn't break off and get digested by accident.” She paused, eyeing the parts Fern had brought. “Creeping Fig has a similar look to ivy. It can still cause some skin irritation, but it's much more mild. How did you want it to look? There's actinidia too, for something completely safe, but it might be harder to find. It's often tinged with pink” she explained.

"Speech"

Fern watches the woman and, when she makes the joke about being famous, the girl gives a happy, short bark of laughter. Eyes dance with mischievousness as she says, “Well, I always did want to be famous.” Giving a wink and a giggle, she then dips her head in greeting to Lia. The woman brings up some alternatives and options, which makes Fern scrunch up her face in concentration. What does it want it to look like? Hmm. Finally, she looks to Lia, a sheepish expression on her face as the girl admits, “Oh, uh, I had a very specific idea in mind. They have to be pretty.” The grin is shy as Fern admits she really has no idea what she is making.

Clearing her throat, she adds, “I was hoping to put some flowers together and maybe put them in pots along the tables. I picked some sunflowers and roses but I know there are others we can find. I picked the ivy because it is green and thought it would make a good contrast. But, uh, that was all I really have.” Shyly she looks to Lia for help. Fern just wanted to make pretty decorations for the feast. She had no idea that she could kill others if she picked the wrong thing.


"Fern Lark"

Lia gave a soft laugh as Fern admitted she had no idea what she was doing. That didn’t matter, since clearly the knight was trying anyway. She had wanted to do something lovely for the happy couple, and the act of that endeared her to Lia.

“That sounds lovely” she admitted as the other wolf spoke of some colours, and green for contrast. She then gave Fern a mischievous, happy sort of smile. “If you're after some green for contrast, ferns are my favourite green and growing thing.” She tipped her head towards the silver girl as she mentioned what the other was likely named after. “I know where to find some Maidenhair, one of my favourite ferns. We could grab some, and see what you think?” She offered. She hadn’t planted any ferns in her garden because they would take up a lot of room with no medicinal use. But she knew where some were, and occasionally cared for them if she had some time and was going past. There were some that could do with a trimming without causing any harm to the plant itself.

"Speech"

Lia’s laugh has Fern’s smile growing and her tail thumps happily against the pelt. The approval that the fiery pelted wolf gives makes the gray girl happy which makes her tail thump even harder. When a mischievous, happy smile appears on Lia’s face, Fern finds her eyebrows lifting as she wonders what Lia has up her sleeve. Then she speaks of ferns being her favorite green things and the girl giggles madly while her eyes dance with happiness. Lia offers to show her where some Maidenhair grows and quickly Fern leaps to her paws while joyfully saying, “Let’s go find some! Oh, while we are out looking, let’s see if we can find any orange flowers. The red and orange can be from you and the ferns from me! Does that sound good?” Fern’s tail wags lightly at her hips as she prepares to follow Lia.

"Fern Lark"

Lia was not one to venture beyond the pack walls alone. But she trusted that Fern knew what she was doing and could watch their back. Or did she expect Lia to? Lia was the larger among them. She stewed on that for a moment. Wondering what Briar would say if she knew Lia had ventured beyond the safety of the Hallows Borders.

She cleared her throat as she got to her paws. “That sounds like a lovely idea. I don’t. Err… I don’t normally leave the Hallows without a fighter. You're a knight, right?” she asked for clarification. It would be a long time before she forgot what happened when she had left the Armada borders without Briar.

"Speech"

Fern is ready to leave and go find the plants but Lia seems hesitant, which makes the girl tilt her head is curiosity. When the flame-cloaked wolf asks if she is a knight, the gray girl understands her hesitation. The world beyond the castle walls can be scary and filled with unknowns. Offering Lia a warm smile, she dips her head and says, “Yes I am a knight. I know what will help keep us safe! Would you mind waiting here one moment? I will be right back.” Waiting for Lia to give her leave, Fern will then race up the stairs of the castle and disappear inside.

Pale paws carry her up to her room where she grabs Lark’s Song from the sword rack. Puff pokes her head out from her basket and questions sleepily, “What’s going on?” Blue eyes look to the stoat and she ushers the small creature to her. Buckling the scabbard across her back, Fern waits for Puff to climb onto her back before quickly making her way back downstairs. She lopes the rest of the distance to where she left Lia, returning with her sword and stoat to show she will protect Lia.


"Fern Lark" |  "Puff"

Lia blinked in surprise as Fern, aftering hearing her concern, told her to wait and vanished. As she waited, she emptied the rest of the basket. Arranging them carefully on the pelt, and then folding the skin over them so that they wouldn’t get blown away while the two women were gone.

When Fern returned, she looked the part. A deadly looking blade strapped across her back. There was definitely the influence of Art in the sword-wielding wolves in the Hallows. Lia loved that, knowing that Art was a leader to be looked up to. Lia picked up Ferns basket, and nodded her head towards the Knight. “I feel safer already” she agreed, offering the other woman a friendly smile, as she led the way to the Maidenhair not far out of the pack lands.


"Speech"

When Fern reappears with her sword strapped across her back and Puff in tow, she offers Lia a reassuring smile. Hopefully this will give her companion some comfort while they gather the plants and the gray girl will be extra vigilant while they are out. As Lia gathers up the basket and nods, saying that she feels safer already, Fern offers her a huge smile while saying, “Don’t worry, Puff here has the sharpest eyes and will keep a lookout for any danger.” The stoat looks to Lia and smiles, saying “Nothing will happen while we are around.”

Then they are off to gather the Maidenhair with the girl following her flame-cloaked friend closely. She keeps alert and ready for any predators, scenting the air every now and again. As they go, Fern asks, “Hey Lia, do you have a favorite flower? Or, plant? We can add it to the decorations!” Paws are light as she bounces along beside her friend.


"Fern Lark" |  "Puff"