Summer blazes on in Auster, the oppressive heat chokes each day and suffocates the nights, making it difficult to escape. The only relief Strix has found is near the water, where a cool ocean breeze penetrates his coat and leeches the heat from his body. Because of this, the boy has taken to patrolling the beach as much as can. In fact, he would be there now if Cináed had not sent a requested the clouded boy’s help. The heat hasn’t just been rough on the Klein family, it has also taken its toll on the pack slaves. The fiery pelted male had been tasking with figuring out a way to keep them cool and healthy. Cináed had thought of misting the overheating wolves but they still needed to keep them health.

Cue Strix’s help. The boy had gone to his kind mother, filling her in on their project and requesting herbs to help the sickly wolves. Of course, Aliana had happily obliged the boy, pointing out the different berries and listing off their names before wrapping them in a loose piece of leather. She stuffed some herbs in the bundle as well before tying it off and handing it to her son. After a quick kiss to his clouded mother’s check and a hug, Strix had quickly made his way to where Cináed works. Bundle clasped tightly in his jaws, the boy trots up to working red wolf and deposits the herbs.

Looking at the tall wolf, Strix gives him a happy wag of his tail as he says, “Okay, so, mom says we can feed them the elderberries to help keep them from getting sick. They also need to drink a lot more water.” As he talks, Strix’s undoes the tied bundle and points out the berries, before pointing at the ginseng root and saying, “And we can steep this root in some warm water for them to drink. It will boost their immune system. She also gave me other stuff to help… um.” Mismatched eyes look over the herbs as he tries to remember what everything does.

WC: 350
Total WC: 350/1500
"Strix Klein"

Ciná didn't exactly know what he was doing when it came to helping out these slaves that were getting over heated in their enclosures, but he had been tasked with figuring out a way to help them so that's what he was at least attempting to do. Short of just chaining them up and leading them out to the beach to cool off he wasn't sure what else to try so now he was turning to others that had a better idea of healing practices than he did to think of something that could at least boost their immune systems and make them a little sturdier if nothing else. Dead merchandise wasn't merchandise at all after all, was it? Really he just needed to keep them from dying or getting too sickly and they could just ride out the rest of this heat wave. Maybe that wasn't the best plan, but that's what he had so far.

Right now he was at the slave house, working on digging a trench of sorts to channel water down from a near by stream so that there would be an easier and more consistent source of water without having to carry buckets or rely on rain water collecting in buckets outside. He had slowly been working on this for a couple of days, but it was also too hot for him to work for too long without getting over heated himself. He had just stepped into the shade of the roof that hung over the slaves' pens when Strix walked up, reporting back after going to check with his mother on what they could use as far as herbs went. He had run into Chimera's sons a few times here and there and it was certainly a lot easier to ask one of them to help than to go track down one of the Queens and navigate through the whole niceties and whatnot that went into not offending or saying the wrong thing to someone so important to the King. He knew Chimera's children were just as important to him, but somehow he felt like he could speak a little more freely around his sons at least.

He stepped over to where Strix was while the smaller young man started explaining what he had been sent with. He barely retained what Strix was telling him about the various herbs and whatnot, but he at least picked out what they were supposed to do with them. Then Strix stalled out in his explanations, seemingly forgetting part of what he had been told. Ciná waited for a moment before finally just scooping up the berries so he could get started. "Why don't you uh... keep thinking about the other ones and I'll get started on this." He then went around to each of the pens where the slaves were held and dropped a portion of the berries into each of their enclosures where a dish of sorts was sitting on the other side of the gate where they would normally drop off a bit of food. "Eat up," he told them as he left their pen and for the most part they all complied except for one male who was notoriously stubborn. He frowned and doubled back to his pen when he was done, hitting the bars and pointing to the berries! "I'm trying to keep you alive here, eat the berries!" Once the slave finally—if a bit begrudgingly—started to eat the berries then Cina went out into the sun and got one of the buckets that was filled with rain water that had been sitting out in the heat for awhile. Surely that was plenty warm, right? He sat the bucket down next to the unrolled piece of leather that Strix was still examining and dropped the root thing into the bucket after breaking it up a bit so it could steep. Turning his golden gaze back to the boy he asked, "Did you figure out what else to do?"

WC: 666
Total: 1016 / 1500

"Cináed"

Although she was a trusting mother in her children's abilities, Aliana was also a prudent and realistic wolf as well. That was why when Strix had come running up to her in the midst of the sweltering summer day, explaining his need to plants to help keep the slaves healthy, Ali had given him just enough information and supplies to be... well, not exactly dangerous, but to teach him how medicines work and when to best apply them. Still, he was a small pup, and though almost a yearling, she felt he would still need a mother's touch assisting him. And so, Aliana gathered up some more of her own supplies—elderberry for the immune system, some fresh aloe and mint to help keep the body temperature regulated, jugs of cool spring water, and some freshly grown melons from their gardens—and loaded them into two large bags that she slung across her body. Then the ash and snow queen began to make her way to the north end of the island.

Aliana detested coming to the slave pens. They revolted her and reminded her of her past, but it was also the driving factor behind why she felt so compelled to care for the wolves that had become merchandise in Chimera's shop of sin. She knew who they were, what they had done, and why Chimera did what he did to them, but the compassionate nature of the woman's heart refused to let any of them suffer. Her mate would say she was too soft, too kind, but she didn't care. She found fulfillment in her work and in the gratitude in each of their faces. The going was slow as she was laden down with her supplies, but eventually, the queen did reach the pens. Clang! The rattling of metal being struck made her look up with a start just in time to see Cináed pound the bars of the cells and demand the slaves inside eat the berries she'd given Strix. Approaching the two wolves, Aliana gave a soft tsk tsk and fixed Ciná with a stern, disappointed mom stare. "The best intentions when applied with force are still acts of force," she gently scolded the young brute while she set down her supplies and looked to the plants she had given Strix, who was staring helplessly down at them. "The thick, shiny leaves are aloe. They're filled with a thick gel-like fluid that helps regulate body temperate and keep one hydrated."

Opening her own packs, Ali passed the fresh melons over to Cináed. "Be a dear and break those open for me, please. Distribute them evenly amongst the wolves and make sure they don't fight over them." The clouded queen then came over to sit beside her son, giving him a gentle smile as she pointed out the bundle of mint leaves. "Steep the mint with the ginseng in the water until it becomes fragrant. A mint and ginseng tea is excellent for keeping one cool and boosting the immune system," she explained, then began to break the aloe leaves into segments. "Give a piece to each of the slaves to chew on." Ali rose to her paws and gathered up the elderberries, beginning to distribute them amongst the slaves in the cells, all of whom took them graciously from the kindhearted queen without objection or fuss. Ali turned her aqua gaze back to Ciná with a little "I told you so" look. "See? Honey attracts flies far better than vinegar, Cináed."

WC: 584
Total: 1600 / 1500

"Aliana Klien"