Fall was a good time for seeking out medicinal roots, once the greenery had died back and it was easier to dig them out and dry them. Fall meant that the plants drew their essence back from the dying leaves to winter in the roots. That made it ideal for gathering those herbs that you used that particular part for. Assuming, of course, that you had already marked the locations of the plants you wanted to collect because it was of considerable difficulty to find them after all the identifying foliage was gone.

This was a rather unfortunate fact for Cassiel, who's current gypsy wandering had not given him much time to learn the usual locations of the various useful herbs he'd come to know. Luckily, while the greenery was wilted and clearly on its way out, enough of it was still visible to get a bearing on. That was what he was doing here, beneath the heavily shading canopy of the forest around the falls. The leaves had barely begun to fall, so they splashed incredible fiery colors above his head as he wandered with his head low - the better to see what foliage he still could - seeking out one root in particular that could come in handy in the fall and winter months as an immune booster. Goldenseal. There were other roots he'd gladly gather if he found them on the way, ginseng for instance or ginger, but the leaf-and-flower herbs were pretty much done for the year after the frost ruined them.

Home was still changing. Determining whether it was more for the good or bad was becoming an impossible task though. Her parents... well, she'd been worrying for them for some time now and she could feel that her brothers were too. Sometimes Rhea took off by herself, despite how lonely she usually found alone time to be, just so she could get a bit of a breather and relax from the usual stress and tension. Sometimes she liked to listen the the water of the rapids, other times she'd go hunting along in the dense brush of the rustling thicket. It wasn't ever what she really wanted though. Mostly, Rhea just wanted some company. Maybe she should spend some time getting to know Peggy...

After dancing along the border uncertainly for a while - for she was not nearly as wild and brave as that Caelestis girl she often saw racing in and out of the pack lands going to who knew where - Rhea finally decided to go on her own little adventure. Maybe not too far though... Just, a little ways out? Creeping through the forest and keeping close to the river so she might find her way back easier, the young woman surveyed the area with wide, curious green eyes. It was beautiful out here. With the seasons turning, the trees were changing colors and looking somehow even more beautiful than usual.

Her paws slipped on some loose rocks and they clattered beneath her as she scrambled to regain her balance on her lanky limbs. Even as she matured, Rhea wasn't really proportioning out how she'd hoped. She was more slender and long than she'd have liked. Maybe it'd look better on someone who was above average in height, but for her she just felt like she probably looked like an eternally long-limbed yearling. Her eyes caught movement ahead of her and for a moment she froze, hoping that if it was a stranger they hadn't seen her flailing about, and if it was someone she knew that they weren't about to laugh at her.

Luckily for Rhea's self-confidence, before she was even she was preparing to take the step that would send her flailing for her balance Cassiel had his head down, sniffing at a potential patch of goldenseal, bruising the remaining greenery to bring out the smell of it more strongly to allow satisfy him that yes, this was the particular plant he'd been looking for, and had begun digging in a wide circle around where the root would be, so when he heard the clatter of stones and jerked upright to see what was approaching he had to first shake the dirt out of his eyes before he could focus. Thusly, when he first saw the yearling, it was as she stood poised frozen like a young rabbit hoping to avoid the notice of a predator. He eyed her narrowly for a moment, then harrumphed. "Don't just stand there like a ninny, pup, no one's going to eat you," he barked gruffly, then added with an irritation that might have belied his previous words, "And stop mucking about with those rocks, I've got work and I don't need a load of noise distracting me."

He quite abruptly went back to digging around his roots, though he kept an eye on her as he did. Not because he was concerned, mind you, or because he cared at all about a gangly legged child, or because he felt bad for potentially frightening the scrawny little thing. Perish the thought. Absolutely not. He was watching her because if you didn't watch children, they would inevitably get into some trouble or other and then he'd be obligated to rescue them, and he wasn't in the mood to play nursemaid for someone's lost brat. He was a healer, not a nanny.

Heart pounding in her chest, heat rising to her cheeks as a general feeling of anxiety and embarassment washed over her, Rhea watched the male raise his head and eventually look her way. The reaction wasn't quite what she'd expected to be met with, but it still managed to have the effect of making her feel foolish. "Uh, okay," she mumbled, moving a half step the the side while casting a quizzical look at the apparently grouchy wolf before her. He sure seemed pretty cranky. Or all rough edges. Made her stomach feel like it was sinking.

For a second she felt like her paws were glued to the ground as she struggled to decide what to do and where to go. she kind of wanted to just leave, but once he started digging and the dirt on his face made sense Rhea found herself growing curious. Creeping a couple steps closer she worked up the courage to ask, "Are you a healer? What are you digging for?" she fully expected a curt response, though she probably wouldn't be ready for it anyway.