Speech // thought // French

The early spring was setting the bristling thickets to a bright yellow bloom. Scotch broom and forsythia grew copiously throughout the thickets. Her own wildflower eyes spied pink salmonberry blossoms and the early signs of yarrow growing among the roots.

The young woman Iris glided through the gilded thicket fluidly, dancing between the thorns and catching vines. A dainty string of cleavers clung to her dark legs as she passed it. She wondered if she could find a rare herb among this thicket—either Solomon's seal or the elusive trillium plant. Unfortunately, between the roots and branching trunks, she could only find ramps and some button mushrooms. She collected a few of the choicest of those and wondered if she could find some early nesting birds that had already laid a few eggs. It'll make a good lunch for the healer. She wasn't overly cautious of her footsteps and even whisked her dark tail over the plants to make them rustle intentionally, just because she liked the sound.

With the assistance of her siblings, Pythia was off on her first adventure outside of Raider lands. Only while the raid was going on and then they'd be around to take her back home. Trusting the older ones was always a risk, but so far, Sid and Navis seemed to be the most trustworthy of the bunch so she wasn't much worried. Plus, she had the potential of meeting that healer boy, Bancha, again. He seemed rather knowledgeable and Pythia was always looking to learn more.

As always, Pythia is cautious as she moves. Her long legs pressing her large paws daintily into the ground through sweeping motions. Feeling for rocks, logs, anything that would get in her way as she walked. With her head kept high and nose turned upward, she utilized her nose to scent the rustling wind and her attentive ears to listen to the sounds around her. Though she could not see with her eyes, her other senses painted a picture for her in her mind. Forging deeper through the thicket, with sharp thorns prodding at her shoulders and hips, she tried to stay small and careful.

Her nose picks up the scent of fresh sprouting yarrow and her interest is piqued. Perhaps she could gather some while she wandered. With no real objective for the day, she was free to get into some trouble. Or not trouble because that would probably be preferred. She begins to sniff out the yarrow, stepping through the dangerous thicket until the sound of fur sweeping over plants catches her attention. Someone was making intentional noise outside of their paw steps and that much, Pythia knew, was abnormal.

"Hello?" Pythia calls out, ears alert and body frozen with anticipation.

"speech"

Speech // thought // French

The woman's violet eyes look up into a thorny bush. A cluster of twigs, hair, fur, and leaves are just within the confines of several thorny branches. She was sure there would be either small baby birds or a few eggs laying comfortably inside. How to get past the sharp thorns though?

A call rings out and sends a few birds fluttering away from the branches. Well, that at least clears the area of dive-bombing bird parents.

"'Ello, petite one." She calls out to the pale girl, spying her easily in the shadows. "You are lost, mon cher?" She asks in her thick accent, absently looking for a long stick devoid of thorns. What was a child doing here in this thicket? She could share the spoils of the nest with her if she found a way to get to it. No luck, ah but what's this? A bushy plant, with opposite bracts along the stem, and teardrop leaves, yes! Solomons seal! The tiny petals under the branches are exactly what she was looking for!

The scattering of birds taking off through the thicket causes her ears to fly backward. Paws take a few steps away until the accented voice speaks back to her. Her head moves, turning to search for the voice as her ears press back forward. The stranger's question has her lifting her brows slightly, head giving a slight shake. "Can one truly ever say they are lost?" Pythia poses back as she holds her ground, keeping her stance confident for the moment.

"Do you search for something?" She asks, head turning away from the female to scent the area. "I smell something citrus, but this doesn't feel like a fruit orchard," Pythia comments, curious and insightful. Orchards were always more airy, bright, full of fruity scents while this place smelled damp and dark. Her face turns back to the woman, waiting patiently for a response now.

"speech"

Iris smiles as the child comments back about being lost. The French woman had a few opinions on that herself but she wasn't the type to argue much, not with a child.

She examines the bush of Solomon's seal, the delicate branches and flowers exactly what she was looking for. The girl's words draw Iris' attention more closely. The girl was scenting the air heavily and remarking on a citrus scent. Hmmm... Mon Dieu! She is blind! No wonder!

"Ohh... you must 'ave a strong nose petite cher! Per'aps a fruit tree is somewhere near. Come closer, I'll show you zhis 'erb I found!" She would pluck a branch, heavy with flowers and leaves, and brush it against the girl's leg, hopefully for her to grab it and examine it in a way she's more comfortable.

"Zhis is Solomon's Seal. Zhe root is good for bruises on zhe body and for clearing Zhe lungs when disordered. No eat zhe leaves or berries!" She dug into the base of the plant, gathering a younger shoot of the plant and a few subsequent rhizomes covered in dirt.

Pythia's head tilts back the other way. Did the woman comment on her sense of smell because she was blind? Her brow furrows a moment, unsure, but not bold enough to ask. It wouldn't quite matter. She was more interested in whatever the woman was doing. A plant nearby did smell quite different than the rest of the thicket.

Taking a few ginger steps toward the sound of the woman's voice, she stills as the branch brushes against her leg. Reaching out to grasp the branch carefully from the woman, she sits back on her haunches and grabs the herb with her paws. Feeling it gently, she takes note of the texture of the branch and the leaves, how many there are, and its rich scent. This was definitely the plant she was scenting!

"Could I keep this?" Pythia requests, wishing to keep it so she may go back to examine it if she ever needed to. "So only the root is safe?" She adds on, feeling the piece of herb once more to see if she could feel for roots.

"speech"

The girl takes the plant while Iris digs into the moist soil. She grabbed a part of the plant and separated the rhizome from the others, making sure it would also hold a healthy sprig with it. Now that she was close to the plant she could smell the citrus scent mixed with the lily fragrance she had initially noticed.

"Ohh! Zhis was the fruit scent you noticed. Oui, petite chou! (little cutie) You may keep it, and zhis is pour toi aussi...for you also, I mean." She replied and offered a small section of the plant with a few small shoots attached to a few healthy roots.

"Zhe root has many excellen qualities. Zhe other parts, including zhe berries, can give one terribull tummy upsets." She mentioned. She wasn't used to finding them fresh, she mainly knew them from description and dried.