Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

He’d ventured south of the wall, into the Estuary, in search of Blue Flag. He wore his harness and a lining of sheep skin from one of the last sheep Valhalla had owned and deerhide overlaid. On either side he bore his large pouches, ready for a day of cold, wet digging. The Irises were only part of what brought him here. He could always use to add more water min to his stock, and so he padded slowly through the damp, reed-laden area, eyes scanning with practiced skill and observation over the winter-dormant plants. They wouldn’t be dormant for much longer, unless winter chose to cling on for longer. Finally, his eyes lit upon the familiar signs of the Iris plans, and he bent to gently prize the mud away from the plant with delicate toes.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

Traveled paws seemed to sting just a little bit less here where the soil was damp and soft. Karine had lost track by this point of how long she'd been traveling. Not all this time had been spent walking, either; first it had been running, screaming, wailing...but that was months ago, now. Her voice had long since recovered from its hoarseness, her heart from its surprisingly nonlethal aches and spasms. One might not have even been able to tell by looking at her that she'd been fleeing from anything at all--or that she'd just lost everything.

And yet, there snuck from her lips soft words of thanks to the merciful soil between her toes.

The fallen priestess avoided the puddles and pools for now, not wanting to have to waste time later on scraping icy droplets from her fur. Exactly what had led her into a marsh she didn't quite know, but then, Karine didn't really bother questioning herself anymore. It wasn't as if she had anywhere to go, anyone to find--at least, not until she had a lead. This wasn't a place of kingdoms to the south, tribes to the north, and bloodthirsty empires in between. In some twisted change of fate, she finally had what she wanted: freedom...to do whatever she wished. If only that wish wasn't to be buried in patients, nieces, and nephews.

Her stride was smooth, but her eyelids were heavy. She wondered how long she might sleep once she let them close. So tempting was the thought, as she spotted some meager shade and a drier patch of ground...but there was something, someone beyond her point of focus that managed to grab her attention before she could think to collapse and doze away the day. The woman paused, her attention shifting to it, velvet ears folding as she took a quiet moment to let herself be absorbed by what the stranger was doing--the motions of his paws, the care with which his toes carved the little plant out from its spot in the earth. How she missed that. She missed her healer's pouch, her massive den with its shelves in the walls and its many beds strewn about the floor, its decorations so lovingly provided by her apprentice....Suddenly, she was tiptoeing forward, her steps delicate as if she were about to indulge in something forbidden.

"As beautiful a gift as it is a medicine," she hummed at last, though at first her weary amethysts refused to lift from the flowering plant. The smile on her face was subtle, warm, and unwavering...despite how much it wanted to.

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

His eyes lifted from his work at the tread of paws, studying the unfamiliar woman until she spoke. Briefly, his snowy tail waved in agreement. He resumed his gentle exhumation efforts of the root. “A bit late to be harvesting it, but it should transplant well enough in my little garden. How goes your morning, Lady?” His accent lay heavy on his tongue, inflections playing with certain sounds and words, adding a faint whistle where another accent would leave none, lilting and educated. And, above all, companionably friendly. He remembered teaching Sterling about the Iris plants, though that had been at the Lake that Aerie now claimed. She’d been eager to learn, and in hindsight, he could see that the eagerness was her own, and not due to having been scouting for Dragon. He could only hope the girl, now a woman as aged as he was if she still lived, was alive and well. He wished he could ask her why she’d left without a word.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

"Lady. The word was enough to send a tickle of bittersweet nostalgia through her limbs, but Karine merely broadened her smile a little in acknowledgment of the stranger's response. She could agree that he was being ambitious in his attempts to salvage the flower. To be fair, though, it was rare for something of such color, versatility, and fragility to bloom amidst the chill; she couldn't blame him for trying to take it while overall pickings were slim. If this particular specimen was so far able to withstand the winter weather, then it would certainly survive being transplanted.

"A fine one so far," she offered to his question, voice rolling like butter off a practiced, steady tongue as she huffed a single chuckle. "It's been quiet, but I can't complain. A healer's blessing, no?" Those who dabbled in plants tended to use those plants. She was guessing about this male's profession, but something about him told her that they shared similarities in their work--and knowledge about what came along with it.

"Would you like another set of eyes and paws?"

Karine offered a soft wag of her own tail before tilting her head a little and nodding down to his prize. She had no way of toting around anything she foraged for at the moment, but that didn't mean she couldn't still indulge by assisting another.

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

Paladin nodded with a smile of acknowledgement as she admitted the day had been fine so far, a quiet day. Quiet was almost always good in a day, though privately, he added that quiet in a pack was a sign the pack needed a spark to get its energy going again. At her offer, he grinned. Her initial comment had pegged her for a healer-type, and he chuckled as his paws pulled the plant free with one last delicate use of pressure from his paws. “I’ve got this one, but I’m also on the look out for Water Mint, Woundwort, and maybe a few other plants if they catch my eye.” He gently lifted the plant from its muddy hole and twisted, nodding under the flap of one of his large pouches and tucking the root away. He marked the location in his mind as he nodded forward lightly at the woman, padding forward himself, eyes scanning the surroundings with a practiced keenness. “You seem tired, if I may be so bold as to assume?” It was a conversational tone he took, and a typical healer’s nosiness and ability to sniff out a possible ailment to treat, but there was no pressure to answer truthfully. He paused to investigate a clump of reeds for any sneaky plants, but moved on when he found only mud and an old bird’s nest long abandoned.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

Her work was the only place where Karine really became a contradiction. It was her duty to ensure the health and wellness of those under her care--and, previously, to provide damage control for those forced to suffer her kins' hubris. Yet, these duties, while having the end goal of not having to perform them, gave the fallen priestess life and purpose. Doting on others was all she'd known; it was in her blood. There was part of her, then, that couldn't help agreeing with the stranger's quiet nod, which she was sure said far more than his silence led on.

But he brightened at her offer for assistance, hardly hesitating to lay out a list of the herbs he sought. In turn, Karine perked up a little herself, her own features rising with delight and attentiveness as she just as quickly made a mental record of the names. Water mint. Woundwort. Perhaps if she found some of the same plants from her home, she'd gather those for him as well, though she wondered if this place was far too damp for such herbs to survive.

With a nod of her own, she loped past him, and from there, she settled into her headspace. Plush tail of ebony and ivory wagged gently, almost idly, at her heels as she browsed the surrounding brush, though she was sure to stay close by in case he happened to find anything himself. It was as she did this that he eventually piped up again, stealing back her attention with words she wasn't used to hearing. At least, not directed at her, as opposed to the other way around. A flick of a velvet ear brought the woman to face him again with a skull slightly tilted.

Suddenly, Karine was made aware of her own roughened skin as it pulled at her left face, her shoulder. "Tired" didn't encompass the emptiness that often stole her breath. "Tired" could never describe the toll that years of loss and uncertainty had taken on her once pure heart. "Tired" was nowhere near the feeling that still drowned her bones at night. But if she were being honest...she couldn't conjure any other alternatives at the moment.

"You'd be right, sir. Apologies," she admitted. "My name is Karine. I've been traveling for quite some time. I suppose I'm eager for the opportunity to slow down for a moment and simply...focus on my work." Her tone lightened fondly toward the end of that, the marred corner of her lip turning upward in a crooked little smile.

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

Plot with me!

Karine has scarring on her left face and shoulder. Not all her art depicts this.

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

It seemed the woman was willing to look for what he was after, and Paladin smiled lightly, padding along the narrow trail, brush and reeds on either side. Pity it was so late in the season. All the cattails would have been perfect for lining the alcoves, and perhaps to try stuffing between two layers of some of the fabrics Aurielle’s trunk held. That was certainly one of the best finds of the century. Karine introduced herself in response to his remark, and, in kind, he smiled, black tear-marked features benign as he said, “I’m Paladin Ancora, Incandescent Valor of Valhalla, the pack north of here.” He paused, examining a winter shriveled plant before moving on. “This place is far more pleasant in the warmer seasons. Though, quite noisy. Migratory birds like it here.”