Peregrine was stunned to silence by the impressive terra she had found herself in. Gnarled trees as old as time itself had grown tight enough to weave a loose ceiling above her. Through their interlocking claws was a tangle of vines, a nest of knotted tendrils, slowly suffocating the trees which bore them. Their branches were weighed down with the burden of it all. Little light made it through the mass, and what did beamed down in bright columns, illuminating swarms of bugs and motes of dust. Tsiry clung to the dark fur of her mane, reaching out every now and then to try and grab something out of the air. "I'm telling you," she said, for the hundredth time, "you should just winter down here. It'll be much more pleasant." Pere scoffed, jouncing a bit too much over a tangle of roots. Tsiry pitched to the side and grumbled her displeasure. The earthen fae knew her new travel companion was really just dreading the chill of the north, no matter how man times Peregrine had tried to reassure her. "What, and miss out on the first good blizzard of the year? I wouldn't dream of it!" Tsiry tugged a bit too hard on her mane, causing Pere to wince. Her ears flattened and she coughed. "Right, well, thanks to your help finding this bag," she flicked her tail around to brush it, "I've got good reason to hang where things are actually still green." And for as long as she had a local guide to help her out. Tsiry said her family came from the far south, but she'd traveled as far as the Bifröst, and so far Pere had found her to be quick-witted and lively. She liked to sing and cajole and generally make a ruckus. They worked together quite well. It helped that Tsiry knew a thing or two about herbs, and had agreed to shared her knowledge in exchange for transportation. Pere hastily accepted. For the moment, they sought out Motherwort. She'd told the smaller mammal about her plan with the alfalfa and she swore that this was just as good. "Guess what I'm thinking!" Tsiry proclaimed after a moment of silence. Peregrine chuckled and then hummed, taking a moment to think. "Fruit?" The small russet lemur gasped and put a hand on her chest as if amazed. "How did you know?" It was always fruit. The young lemur had definitely made traveling around a lot more enjoyable, and the two were quickly becoming quite close friends. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

He returned south. Potentially returning to the place of his birth, but he had doubts about going back. Unless someone had rebuilt after the war, there wouldn't be anything there. An audible sigh slipped past the gentle giants lips, large paws walking almost quietly as he lumbered along. He'd been here before as a pup, and quite frankly, he kind of missed the south. The suns rays barely made it through the twisted canopy above, and as the male stopped and stared up, his ears twitched as voices suddenly caught his attention. His head whipped in the direction it was coming from, head tilting as he listened. Granted, he couldn't hear everything, but he made out a few words, one of them sounding like it had to do with a herb. He was hesitant to approach, but the gnawing loneliness and need to socialize forced him to go investigate. His heart hammered as he moved along, the scents of the creatures getting stronger. The male slowed his approach, catching glimpses of a figure through the trunks of the trees. He stood by, peeking around to find a wolfess and one of those odd creatures he used to play with as a pup. He noticed the satchel on the woman, ears perking in interest as his tail wagged a little. He was doubtful about whether to approach or not, but it wouldn't hurt would it? But how to approach? Just walk out there and practically bar her path? No. He wasn't trying to look intimidating. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Excuse me, miss? I couldn't help but overhear something about herbs?" Smooth. Real Smooth. "What I Say" "What I Heard" What I Think

Peregrine had become so distracted by Tsiry's antics, neither one of them noticed the titan's approach. Of course, once he made his presence known it took Pere scant seconds to find him. He was, er... Well, what once might call vivid. Her eyes went wide for a breath while she took it all in. Head to tow he was much taller than she, and the colors on his pelt were unlike anything she had seen before. Certainly the occasional flash of purple or blue but nothing quite so ostentatious. Her jaw dropped open and she sputtered, "Well, aren't you a looker! You heard right, what about it?" Tsiry spring from her shoulders and onto a nearby vine. She swung through the trees as easily as flying, darting around nearest trunk so that she could get a better look at him. "Grab a tuft for me?" she joked, watching the exchange closely. Pere sent her a quick and quiet glare, not really wanting her new traveling companion to piss off someone so much larger than herself. She turned back to the behemoth and smiled. "My name's Peregrine Myre, and this is Tsiry Cosoi. We collect things, herbs happen to be one of them." She lifted a brow at him, seeing what he would make of that, before turning and returning to her work. After all, it wouldn't do at all to become distracted, would it? Never mind how distracting the distraction may be. She flicked her eyes back to him, wavering for a moment. The soil here was just right, but Motherwort grew in thickets with a bit more light, and it was hard enough to know up from down here, let alone where she might find a clearing. She wondered if maybe she ought to ask if he'd like to help... "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

The titan male tilted his head slightly, ears flicking in embarrassment at her remark. He was unused to such comments, but it certainly didn't hurt to hear it once in a blue moon. "Well, I-" His words cut short as he watched the lemur leap into the trees, his curiosity intensifying. He'd played with the creatures before as a pup, but he'd never seen one travelling with a wolf before. The Lemurs question made him chuckle, tail swaying. "I was going to ask you something, but perhaps we can make a trade instead."

Of course, the light bulb had lit. Now, if they were up for it then it would benefit them both, no? He turned his attention back to the woman as she introduced themselves, his head dipped in greeting as another flash of thought flew through his head. "Arvandor Belthil. Most call me Aure for short." He did prefer his middle name, it was the name his mother had given him before she died. He looked curiously at the pair, wondering if they would be willing to strike a deal. "If you're looking for herbs, I know where to find some. I was born and raised in Auster, so maybe we can work something out?" His posture was relaxed, no sign of aggression just in case that idea crossed her mind. "I'm looking for a little herbal knowledge."

Monochromatic gaze rose to meet here, a friendly smile forming on his maw. "Perhaps I can show you the best places to find what you need, and," he looked up at the lemur, gaze thoughtful. "You can have your tuft of fur. Whichever color you'd like." His gaze returned to Peregrine once more, "In exchange for a healing lesson. What say you?"

The strange man proposed a deal, and if anything Peregrine liked his moxie. He was a quiet sort, or so it would seem, more prone to thinking than talking. He claimed to have grown up in this region, claimed to know where certain plants could be found. She let a grin split her face, and chuckled to herself. Fate worked in mysterious ways! "Sounds like you've got yourself a deal. I'm looking for Motherwort. I'm told it's good for pregnancy complications, and I'm planning to haul some back north for the birthing season." Perhaps what she did was unorthodox, but truthfully Pere was just a god awful hunter, despite her namesake. If she didn't have something of value to trade, it could be difficult to get a meal. Peregrine looked to Tsiry, who was working her way farther up into the tangle of vines which seemed to hold this queer forest together. She would have no problem traversing them just as easily as they walked the ground. She claimed that lemurs had good eye sight and she'd be more use from above, but in truth Pere wondered if maybe she just felt safest there. She turned back to Aure and said "Motherwort supposedly grows well in most conditions, some taller than any wolf I've ever seen, but I believe the season is working against us." Auster had seen several weeks of dry, hot air that was thinning the already spotty plant life. She continued to root around shrubs and other tussocks of grass, hoping to find the plant young and still fresh with life. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"