Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Dusk probably was not the best time to go hunting for elderberries but the journey through the barren heat of the westlands had taken her far longer than she'd expected. She needed to do a better job of exploring the surrounding territories. If she did she'd have known how to plan her time better. The plains of the dancefloor spread out before her as the stars began to fleck the sky and for a moment she was content to admire the rusted beauty of the horizon before she set her mind back to the task at hand.

Lydia slipped through a taller portion of grasses, eyes intent on the taller, barked stretched of the elder bush. She was more interested in the bark but the berries would be a nice treat. It was a shame she hadn't discovered a better way to store them. Drying was the best she could really do.  As she moved deeper into the plain she yelped as a grouse suddenly took off into the air.  Ahh… yes… she supposed with autumn fast approaching the birds and small animals would already be starting their winter preparations.

Kahaia was off in search of herbs, nothing in particular. Something to bring home and experiment with. Since her run-in with the big brute she healed, she'd been more interested in what other concoctions she could manage. The dancefloor of the gods seemed like a good place to start. It was always so wonderful there anyway, stars more obvious here. The sight alone almost tempted Kahaia to stay there, beneath them. Still, she had a job to do.

Since she wasn't looking for anything in particular, emerald gaze scanned the plains for something that caught her attention. What she found next wasn't an herb, but maybe someone on the same quest as she was. They seemed to be fixated on an elder bush, something Kahaia wouldn't have even noticed had this stranger not been there. Wolf seemed to be distracted by something for a moment, and Kahaia took it as her chance to run up and introduce herself. Lean frame maneuvered through the tall grass, and her delicate paws kept her from making a ridiculous amount of noise.

Finally, a few feet away from the other wolf, Kahaia decided to speak. "Looking for herbs too? Are you experienced?" Kahaia had only healed one person successfully so far, so any tips she could gain from a fellow healer could do her some good. They may even find a rare herb, so it had the potential to be a win-win situation.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Turning her focus back to the task at hand Lydia approached the elderberry bush. She gazed up at the familiar clumps of foilage weighed down with clumps of small dark berries and opted to go ahead and gather what she could of both bark and berries. She'd need good stores with winter on the way. The inner bark was best collected in autumn but it would take some work to get to, she could then take it and dry it. She'd probably gather some leaves as well though that would've been better in the summer. Lydia decided she'd start with the berries and just work her way down so she wasn't being so rough on her teeth right from the get go.

Standing up on her hind legs with her paws leaning against the bark she elegantly lifted her head and gingerly snipped off a clump of berries which she quickly set down. She was just about to lift herself again when she was approached by an earthen-colored yearling. The girl seemed friendly and at the mention of healing her ears flicked forward. "Yes, I'm gathering some pieces from this elderberry bush. I suppose I'm reasonably experienced. My name is Lydia. What's yours? I take it you're a healer as well?"

Kahaia watched the woman, curious as to what she was taking from the bush and why. It looked like more than just the berries, but what could she use the rest for. "Kahaia, and yes, I'm sort of training myself to heal. I just healed a man actually, it seemed to work fairly well. I was just out looking for some more herbs that I might be able to mix together. I used Dandelion and Marigold on him." She was rambling, but the girl was quite proud of the little skill that she had. It was much more than she could do only a week ago! Emerald gaze was drawn again to the leaves and berries in the woman's possession, and of course, the girl didn't mind butting her head into other peoples business.

Her head moved to sniff at the herbs in her possession before pulling herself back. "What are you going to do with the leaves? I thought it was only the berries that benefit your immune system. Is there something else this herb is capable of?" Kahaia was interested in learning as much as possible, if she and the man she healed were going to travel together, she would need to learn how to properly treat him. He seemed to get himself into a lot of trouble, she could use all the help she could get.

"Talk."

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Lydia gently plucked off some leaves as the other woman introduced herself as Kahaia. She was a healer in training and it seemed she already had a fair amount of experience. "A useful combination! I've always been fond of marigolds and it's good that dandelion's are so plentiful." Lydia gently maneuvered the leaves and berries onto the rabbit skin she was using as a temporary means to carry her herbs.

Lydia nodded at Kahaia's question. "Oh yes, both the leaves and the bark have their uses as well though you are quite right the berries are really the best for boosting the immune system. The leaves have an unusual smell when you mash them that will help deter insects, this can be useful for keeping bugs away from wounds and fly bites. They also help reduce swelling in sprains and injuries." She moved to the tree once more and on an older shoot began to strip away the outer bark as she sought to get at the inner bark. Once there she gestured to her work. "This is the inner bark, its best to gather it in the autumn. Once harvested you can dry it in the sun it's used more for purging and as a diuretic than in wound treatment."

Carefully she reached in with her teeth and began to harvest the bark, stripping it and setting it down upon the rabbit skin. It had a slightly sweet taste but grew more bitter the longer it was left in the mouth so Lydia worked quickly. Once she was satisfied she turned back to Kahaia. "I should add the bark is useful for making tinctures to help with asthma and respiratory issues. An old healer in my pack said the bark could help with epilepsy but I haven't seen it myself so i can't say that it's true."

Kahaia listened carefully as the woman spoke, taking note of the many uses of this herb. So many things she had been unaware of before, but nevertheless they all seemed to be useful facts. Kahaia inched in closer to the bark, inspecting it carefully. "Do you mind if I might get some too?" She had watched the woman harvest it, so the young girl felt confident that she'd be able to gather a decent amount to make due with. Still, there didn't seem to be much left of this bush, the little one began looking a little further past the elderberry bush. Sure enough, her suspicions were right, there was another bush not far off from the one Lydia had been collecting from. It only made sense for there to be more than just one bush, considering they grew in the same soil, the same climate, they had to all be around the same area.

Kahaia proceeded towards the bush, expecting this new woman to follow behind her. Kahaia collected some of the berries and leaves, picking them off carefully as the woman had done. She was so afraid to ruin a part of the leaves, so she moved a little slower than she normally would. When it came time to collect the bark, the little flower wasn't so sure how to go about it. Eventually, after thinking about it for a moment's time, she decided to just peel at it delicately with her teeth. Her small build allowed for that, her maw and teeth were not huge like most of the other wolves she had seen. This gave her opportunity to take a chance at harvesting the bark without completely destroying it. As she looked at her little pile, she realized she had nothing to carry her herbs in. The girl, again, looked to the woman seeking any kind of guidance. "How do you collect it all and bring it back. Also, how am I supposed to dry it out and store it?" There were so many questions she wanted to ask about this new method of healing. The yearling was afraid of doing it wrong, she wanted to get things right the first time around. Healing could be a hit or miss for someone inexperienced, but the girl wanted to be wise and experienced like so many other healers she had come in contact with.


"Talk."

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Lydia mentally ran through the stockpiles she currently had in each of her four storage dens. She only had to stock the one in the south yet so she should have enough gathered to get through the winter alright, especially if she decided to winter in the southern region. She smiled at Kahaia. "Not at all, go right ahead." She seized the rabbit skin she'd set her herbs upon and shuffled back out of the way so the other woman could gather up what she needed. Seizing the bundle in her teeth she trotted after the other to a larger elder bush.

Lydia set her bundle down and carefully unwrapped it. "I used to just carry my herbs in my mouth but it's so easy to crush or bruise your plants, especially if you're trying to carry berries.  If you have larger leaves you can place the smaller ones there and carry it but I'm not sure of any around here that would work. I have this rabbit skin that I've been using from an old kill. I removed as much flesh as I could then dried it in the sun." She looked around, eyes searching for what she could give this woman to help her carry her items. There were numerous plants in this territory but she wasn't sure of any with leaves large enough to be useful.

Lydia's eyes landed on an old birch tree whose bark was peeling. "Oh, that might work." She scampered over toward the tree before gingerly setting her teeth against the bark of the tree, a peeling piece of bark between her teeth as she gently pulled it back until she had a good sized piece of curling bark. Returning to Kahaia she set the bark down. "You could try placing your herbs in this and carrying them that way but you'd have to be very careful. Do you have far to go? If so, how about you take my rabbit skin instead? My western storage den is close by, I can store my herbs there until I catch another rabbit."

It was then she recalled Kahaia's other questions. "To dry out the leaves just place them out in the sun, you can drape them over rocks or branches, just do so in a sheltered area so the wind doesn't take off with them. You do the same for the bark and the berries but the berries you have to watch very carefully. Birds will try to make off with them." She'd lost several gatherings to birds in the past. It was always such a shame to loose a hard days work to the pesky scavengers. "I prefer to store mine in a little makeshift den where it's dark and cool. I store most of it dried though I do like to keep a bit of fresh on hand if I'm worried I might need it. Does that help?"