The weeks following to her encounter with her lost sister had been a bit easier in terms of now feeling accompanied and not on her own. Yet it wasn't as if this would take away all the trauma and hostility she had professed against others. Victim of the constant fear of being tortured again, of being cruely marked in her already damaged frame.

She had wandered off where she had stayed with Atreyu, seeking plants as she wanted to become a good healer, one who could help her family and do so that way. She was small and weak compared to her siblings, and thus she knew too well she couldn't fight like they did. So she had opted for the road of a medic, where she could mend them.

She walked on her own through the lands, finding a waterfall, there she aimed to search for medicinal plants which she wasn't able to spot, it was all partially frozen, under Austerian's winter.

Like this she didn't know how she would find the needed plants.

WC: 175 / 1500

"Petra Morningstar"

Speech // thought

An inky wet nose lifted into the air, puffing steam around her white and purple maw like a dragon. The hard frozen ground was awful on the pads. She was grateful for her thick winter coat. The herbal stores were going to need to be stretched through the season. The now yearling knew that no new plants would be coming up until a good thaw in the spring.

Alexa raked a few black claws over a spot of ice, just to see how permeable it was. Alas, her efforts only marred the surface of the thick ice coating everything that would not move. Mismatched eyes darted over the ground as she walked. Carefully, carefully, hoping not to slip, hoping not to reveal herself too readily. The trees offered protection from prying eyes, though she had a feeling her brother wouldn't come out this far anyway.

She spied the falls up ahead. Her eyes wandered over the frozen soil to the frozen stream then up the half-frozen waterfall. It was nearly solid except for the trickling and running water feeding the streams under the thick layers on top. How would she find herbs in this? The soil was barely viable to dig through! The roots would be hard to get in this harsh weather!

A shadow shifted and she jumped back with a gasp. They were camouflaged so well in the shadows of soil, cliff edge, and tree!

"Sorry! So-sorry!" She squeaked and hid back behind a tree. How would she dig for herbs if there was a stranger this close!? Who were they? They weren't a Raider, were they? Were they a slaver? Oh gods! She should have brought someone with her!

"Please... Please don't-" She begged with her face pressed into a tree. She didn't know what she was begging them not to do exactly, just don't do anything!

485 / 1500

"Nothing," She muttered as a frustrated sigh left her severed lips. There were plants but none that she could use for healing, and her anger a bitterness were starting to get the best of her. She didn't want to fail her family, not again, she had to make up for her lack of strength and migthiness she always saw on her sisters. She knew they would never treat her any less due to her reduced size and now clipped appearance, but herself being her biggest critic felt like she had to push more and do more things in order to feel like she is doing anything good for them.

Finally she spotted only a few plants, barely enough for any real use. Ears pinned, but at least was something right? But as she went to catch it with her jaws a noise followed by an squeak broke with the dead silence this place had held, making herself to jump and get on defensive posture, tail rose above her back as her lips curled back showing up her teeth.

Her only good eye narrowed. "Who is there?!" She snarled. Perhaps it was a tad bit of an exaggerated reaction but after all she had been through there were no room for softness any longer. "I am not afraid to fight if I have too!" She stated as she walked towards, finding a wolf yet one who didn't seem to be a threat but she knew better not to trust. Yet she dropped her aggression a bit.

WC- 740 / 1500

"Petra Morningstar"

Speech // thought

The purple girl had just entered her first year and started venturing further afield on her own. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. But the stores of herbs were getting low and she needed to find some! Haydee needed them! She had to be brave. She had to stand up for herself! She looked at the older teen who was scarred severely as they came around the corner.

"I'm just-I'm an herbalist!" Alexa replied in a hurried whisper. The scars on the other were intimidating! What had she done to get those? Was she in a fight? "I'm just looking for herbs, I'm trying to find a way to make them stretch..." Alexa uttered nervously. Her pale and purple saturated build was nothing of a fighter, she was all teen legs and skinny arms.

wc 875 / 1500

Quickly the rush of fera that had turned into aggression dropped and a sensation of warm solid relief replaced the yearlings desire to fight for her life. She sighed kind of feeling embarrassed for acting this way. Though she had get good reasons to be, it was that or being seen a weak and attacked by the wrong wolf.

More relaxed, she heard her rushed speech. "Herbalist, much like me then.." She said mostly to herself but loud enough to be heard by the other who also seemed to struggle with herb stores. "I don't know if that can be stretched without making the wrong medicament.. some herbs cant be mixed.." She said now in a soft yet wesving voice. "I am sorry...for snapping.." It was the least she could do to mend the stress caused to her poor girl.

She began to think, think if there could be a way to make the limited resources usable still, maybe making gardens? Planting on a place? Or with water? Many questions arose.

1046/1500

"Petra Morningstar"