travel now brought him to the lake, the vegetation less dry here and plentiful. whatever happened at Lirim aside, he was going to make a cache of herbs. he'd start with the common ones. treating wounds was a good start and he would seek out lamb's ear. the most appropriate western herb that did grow well in the humidity of this area. rummaging around the earth with his nose to the ground, he'd sniff out the herb through instinct alone. he'd come into contact with it before his travels here, and Holland was just thankful some of the ones he learned so far were flourishing. he'd hate to have to re-learn all the native plants but wasn't exactly opposed to it.

finding the lamb's ear was easy. the soft-looking plant did earn its namesake. curled upward in small green rolls, Holland would begin to gather. he'd remark that it did look like a baby lamb's ear. well, several of them. huffing with some amusement, he'd dig around the plant to push the earth aside and gain the roots. bending his head, the budding healer would grasp the roots and pull them upward along with the rest of the plant. good, he was getting better at this. the plant gave way and rolled onto the ground but was otherwise unbruised. turning, he'd find another lamb's ear and got to work gathering it too.

he was completely unaware, too absorbed in his work, if someone approached.

Things had been admittedly strange for Caelia as of late. She was aware that her siblings had gone on a trip of sorts without inviting her - and it didn't settle well with her at all. She'd been spending most of her time training with Aurielle, or otherwise exploring the borders on her own. She didn't tend to stray far from Valhalla's lands in the west, but today she'd decided to take a stroll to the east. Luckily the weather was a welcome reprieve from the frequent storms that had been plaguing the lands, and the midday sun was doing a fine job of drying out whatever moisture might be left clinging to the soil. It wasn't a scorching hot day by any means, but the rays of the sun were growing quite warm after a long morning of travel. Stopping by the lakeside seemed as fine an idea as any. Perhaps she might even take a dip in the waters, if she found herself alone there. As she drew closer she realized she was definitely not alone; an earthen-hued male stood near the edge of the lakeside, pawing at the dirt. That was what it looked like to her, at least - nothing more than playing in the dirt. Another few long lopes forward told her he was likely doing something with herbs - something her brother Geoffrey would know more about - but she wasn't sure. "Aren't you a little old to be playing in the dirt?" Caelia questioned curiously, her expression plainly neutral as she assessed him from a distance.

Holland nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice, but practice kept his head cool and outwardly calm. except he did give a big flinch. "hm." was his only reply to her words, looking briefly up at the yearling and finding nothing remarkable enough to keep his eyes on her. his face dropped again as he dug around the lamb's ear, bending over to grip it in his teeth and gently pulling it out of the ground too. he knew he wasn't just 'playing in the dirt' but why explain it to her? she didn't have the smell of Lirim on her. she wasn't his pack. so, therefore, he had nothing to explain to her. he didn't have to explain anything. if that's what she thought he was doing, she had an untrained eye and zero interest in learning. there was no point in it. "do you live around here?" he did smell pack on her, but not one Holland had ever encountered. the only one he had approached was Lirim, the only two people from there he knew was the alpha, Torin and his sister, Kairi. this girl was neither of them. but at least he tried to keep the conversation... going, in a sense. whether the other answered - truthful or not - was something up in the air.

Her sudden approach clearly surprised him, and if her expression wavered at all, it only did so when he flinched slightly and glanced her way. Only the faintest touch of a smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth, though her expression hardened just as quickly, replacing any sign of amusement with a more serious, studious expression. He didn't answer her, and so she waited - as if he might decide to after a moment. Instead, he returned to his plants, and Caelia watched as he pulled one gingerly from the ground, with far more patience than she could imagine conjuring up for a plant. No answer came, and she fought back a frown. Instead he asked her a question in response, one that she had no problem answering. "I'm a member of Valhalla," she explained, her voice rising as she spoke, pride audible in her youthful tones. "Our lands are just due west of here." Her gaze was nearly unblinking as he continued working, and she took a few small, deliberate steps closer. Nothing about her posture was threatening, just curious to the point of voracity. "My name's Caelia Blythe Adravendi," she offered expectantly, after another moment of silence.

the fact was, this girl wanted to keep the conversation going. he'd turn to her again as she spoke, feeling a bit bad for her since he wasn't much of a talker. there was pride in her tone as she atested to the fact she was from a pack called Valhalla. maybe he should be making an effort to ask about it, and he was going to try his best. "haven't heard of them" he'd respond truthfully "I'm with Lirim. I'm a healer there." which gave away why he was rooting in the dirt like some weirdo. she even gave him her name, earning a nod of politeness from the man. "Holland. no last name" he'd attempt a joke, an uncertain look on his features. it wouldn't matter if he gave his previous last name anyway. he had been exiled, stripped of his surname and cast out. what a world. Caelia though was trying to be nice. he had no reason to be so rude to her. she even displayed some curiosity as she looked at him. "lamb's ear." he'd grunt, prodding a bit at the gathered plant.

He didn't seem to be much of a talker, though she wasn't bothered by that.. truthfully neither was she, at least not in the traditional sense. Caelia was fueled by what felt like an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, even if that knowledge came with.. some other unintentional knowledge, like... minor herb knowledge. Maybe knowing the basics wouldn't be all that bad. She nodded, though continued watching him, as if completely unfazed by his apparent lack of interest in her. He gave his own name, and if she caught on to his joke she made no sign of it, her expression as serious as ever as she regarded him - all she did was nod in understanding. She was well-aware he wasn't just playing in the dirt, despite her quip, though knowing he was part of a pack - and a healer there, no less - definitely made his current activity seem that much less strange to her. "Lamb's ear?" She repeated the name, certain she'd remember it much better if she said it out loud, squinting at it as she took a hesitant step closer. "What's it do?"

it surprised him that she was still here. though he mainly kept that surprise inside of him instead of voicing it. most wolves just gave up and left by now, but Caelia inched closer to him with an expression of curiosity. maybe there was hope for her yet. "it, uh..." still a bit shocked she remained, he fumbled for his words before shooting the lamb's ear a look "it's good for treating bites and burns. also cuts, scrapes... stings too." it was one of those universal plants. Holland reached out to touch the leaves of the lamb's ear. "the leaves can be used to make a bandage; they're absorbent" he'd explain, getting more and more talkative the more he spoke of the plants he loved so much. he took in a breath, his voice having been quickly said and without much pause. it was quite clear he liked speaking of healing and the various uses of the foliage. he'd glance up at the girl. "what's, um, Valhalla like?" it never hurt to learn more.

Caelia showed no real signs of abandoning the conversation yet, even if Holland thought it might be doomed from the start. Though she wasn't really interested in herbs in general, knowing the basics wouldn't hurt - what if she found herself in a scenario where calling for one of her siblings wasn't a viable option? She nodded at his simple explanation, trying to remember the information he was giving her. Good for bites, burns, cuts, and scrapes. They could be used to make bandages. Interesting. What was Valhalla like? Her attention had been briefly captured by all this talk of plants and healing, and the question caught her off guard.  "It's... a wonderful pack," she started carefully, trying to think of how Aurielle spoke at their pack meetings. How would one even go about explaining what the pack they had been born into was like? It was all she had ever known, though admittedly it was different now that her mother was gone, and now that her siblings felt like they were slowly drifting away. 'We're small, but.. we're a strong group." Caelia hoped her voice didn't betray the uncertainty she felt behind that statement. It was hard to feel truly strong when half of her siblings were out doing.. whatever it was they were doing lately. "And what about Lirim? What's it like - have you lived there long?" The truth was that she knew a little about Lirim. That day at the Battlefield, when Aurielle had taken her to watch the drama unfold, she'd met Torin there, as well as one of his packmates.. but she was curious what Holland had to say about it.

he didn't expect the girl to tell him pack secrets or much about the pack honestly. her reply was acceptable enough to him. Holland gave a curt nod to her words. pack secrets and pack information should remain in packs. though he didn't know her true feelings, he assumed this was the case. "same as Lirim" the man replied to her sentence about 'small but strong'. he furrowed his brows once more, staring at the ground before lifting his eyes to focus on Caelia. "n-...not long. I was, uh, just accepted in." given the rank of a healer and a free den. a good investment. Caelia could probably tell by his own words that he was trying to do what he could. if he was new, he wanted to prove himself. he was gathering lamb's ear for this very reason. he thought of Torin, of Kairi... how they were related. how they all seemed to be related and he was the odd man out. Holland shook his head. "it's like a family." which was the truth, but a family he wasn't apart of. it was like he was outside looking in. as if he had no right even being there.

Quickly he replied that Lirim was the same - small but strong - which earned a nod from her to signify she understood. She wanted more, more information, but she wasn't quite sure what questions or ask or how to go about prying. He admitted he was a relatively new member, which earned another nod from her. It was strange to imagine leaving Valhalla to join another pack, and briefly she wondered if this man had been a loner before joining Lirim or if something had caused him to leave another pack. "Lirim is allied with Valhalla," Caelia admitted suddenly, with a certainty that she didn't quite feel. She knew they were allies - did Holland, she wondered? A polite smile returned as she reclined backwards onto her haunches, rocking there for a moment. "So to hear they're like a family.. it isn't surprising to me." It was hard to imagine Aurielle allyng with a pack that was drastically different from Valhalla, at least when it came to values. "I should get going back home, though. It's been a pleasure, Holland," Caelia finished, offering a curt nod before rising and turning to head back to more familiar lands. Perhaps they'd meet again someday. - exit Caelia -

luckily, the girl didn't ask a lot of questions. she probably knew he knew little, considering he was new to the pack. Holland could only give out the alpha's name, his sister's name and the territory they were living in. he didn't know much else. and he didn't know anyone else but two people so far. but Caelia did seem to want to ask more, before considering her own words and informing them that they were allied with Valhalla. "I see" so he wasn't fraternizing with an enemy. that was good to know. he'd have to ask Torin or Kairi when they were free; who else was Lirim friendly with? but before he could ask Caelia, she promptly excused herself. his head looked skyward, seeing the daylight hours coming to a close. it wasn't night yet, but it was evening. "guh-goodbye. safe travels." he added in hurryingly after the girl. he wasn't sure what else they could talk about though, so he wasn't hurt over her departure. taking the plant with him, he'd turn and head back to his new home. /EXIT HOLLAND