But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia shook the rain from her coat as she slipped under the shelter of a thicker group of trees. Oh bother! The gentle, cool rain was a relief from the heat of mid-summer but Lydia had been hoping it would hold off long enough for her to gather her yarrow and get back to her temporary den. Alas, it wasn't to be. She sat and wrapped her tail around her paws as she watched the water droplets roll lazily off the tips of the leaves. Lydia knew she ought to get moving again soon. It was late afternoon still but once the sun went down the air was going to get a lot colder. She stood on all fours again and worked out a plan of attack.
 

The Easter Bunny hops on by!

On her way through, she drops an egg at the paws of Lydia.

Jouko had been trying to get out of this unfortunate funk he'd found himself in. Apparently he missed that crazy sibling of his more than usual when she just vanished for this long. Honestly he was a bit concerned, but he didn't know where to look so he just kind of wandered all over Boreas. Wandering through the foliage aimlessly was better than lazing around feeling sorry for himself, right?

He moved with less of his usual jaunty bounce, opting to stride smoothly as he made his way to wherever his paws might take him. He only stopped his march when he caught the scent of another wolf not far off. Welcoming the distraction, he sought her out, approaching with a warm smile. "Nice day for a walk, hm?"

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

When she'd decided where she wanted to try first she was about to take a step when she spied a man wandering through the foliage. She froze and watched him for a moment. He seemed like a fairly normal individual and she marveled at his unusual markings. The stranger didn't seem at all bothered by the weather. Lydia liked the rain and they certainly needed it but she didn't care to get to wet. Though, her need to fill up her herb stores was certainly a greater need than staying dry.

She nodded lightly. "I suppose, I still need to dry off from time to time though and I don't much look forward to digging in the mud but I suppose it does have it's benefits. My name is Lydia, what's yours?"
 

He beamed at her with that characteristic good-natured expression, jaws parted slightly. Really it only took having someone else around and her being friendly enough to start lifting his spirits. "At least mud's softer?" he offered with a small shrug. He preferred loose ground if he was planning on digging things up. It was easier work, and you were less likely to tear your plant up! Win-win.

Oh, but where were his manners? "I'm Jouko Aldfinnr, pleasure to meet you, Lydia." It suddenly struck him that she was probably looking for herbs if she was planning on digging in the rain. Maybe she'd be willing to allow a tag-along, if he was lucky. He still didn't know where he wanted to stay, or what he wanted to do, so he wasn't sure how much he wanted to stock up on herbs lest he pick up and move far. It'd be a pain to carry too much, and he wasn't about taking multiple trips. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for herbs, would you?" Honestly he'd be grateful if she just let him follow her and chat a bit. The company would be great.

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

She grinned shyly at him as he mentioned that the mud would be softer. It had been awhile since she'd been around someone with such a sunny outlook. It was nice and she admitted she could use an upturn in her mood. He introduced himself as Jouko Aldfinnr. "Pleased to meet you as well." She gazed out as the rain seemed to be letting up and she nodded as he asked if she was looking for herbs. "Yes, actually. I was on the hunt for some yarrow. What about you? You mentioned digging… are you herb hunting to?" A beam of sunlight slipped through the darkened sky as the rain shifted from a steady fall to a misting sprinkle. She stepped out from her shelter. "You'd be welcome to accompany me if you like."

He was just starting to feel a little damp at this point, so when the rain began to let up it was a relief to know he might escape the day without becoming entirely drenched. Shaking out his thick fur for good measure, the man offered a shrug before collecting his thoughts to reply. "Well not at present, I was just kind of... not doing anything productive actually," he laughed with a sheepish look somewhere between a smile and grimace.

Jouko brightened quickly, recovering and nodding with a bright smile, "I'd enjoy that very much!" It'd been too long since he bothered collecting herbs. He really ought to pick a place to make his own little base and store herbs in, that way he could get to collecting them more frequently and not be so aimless. Not having anything to do, as it turned out, actually kind of sucked. He moved to let her lead the way if she felt so inclined, asking, "So, have you found any here before or are we exploring uncharted territory?"

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Jouko seemed a very pleasant man and Lydia grinned as he agreed to accompany her. The rain had let up and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds though water was still falling from the leaves of the trees, dribbling down to the ground below. She shook out her coat and started on her way, navigating through the trees, pausing every so often to survey her surroundings. "Ah… no, this is something of uncharted territory for me. I was actually doing a bit of exploring before it started to rain. I really should probably get a better lay of the land before I do more herb hunting but I'm sure yarrow grows around here somewhere. What of you, are you familiar with this land?"