The valley was rich in plant life and a number of plants were trying to thrive despite the cold temperatures. It was just above freezing and gray clouds still covered the sky. They'd found a series of abandoned dens and had holed up in one to rest. Once again Rœkia went off to hunt and Lukina, who was supposed to stay put, had left the den to do some exploring. She wasn't alone so she felt she could wander at least a little bit. She glanced over at her fox companion as she sniffed at the bright orange flowers which her companion informed her were marigolds. She was interested in picking them and they didn't seem poisonous but she wasn't entirely sure what to do with them.

Indigo was desperate to find some herbs, he’d been so long without seeing any greenery. It hurt his very soul to be forced through the long winter. He had hope that spring would return, but that hope was slowly dying. Indy sighed heavily as he paced onards, losing hope that he would find anything of use. To his surprise though, bright blue eyes caught sight of the lively marigolds before the dainty she wolf observing them.

The young man approached slowly, not wanting to startle the girl. He was aware of his own hulking frame, he knew he looked intimidating. His voice was soft though, ”Hello.” He greeted with a smile, an easy expression when he’d found flowers after so long. ”Enjoying the flowers? These have been kind of rare recently.” He chuckled softly as he lowered his head to take in a big whiff.

Lukina continued to investigate the flowers when she saw her companion frizz up. She turned around half expecting a bear but instead saw a dire wolf. He was a brilliant shade of purple and didn't seem as mean as the really big dire wolves. He spoke and her ears perked up. "Hi! I'm Lukina." She nodded eagerly in response to his question about enjoying the flowers. "Yea, they're really pretty. Do you know much about these flowers or what they do? Is there anything you can make out of them?" She was sure they probably had a use though even if they were just pretty the spark of color was really welcome during such a stubborn winter.

”I’m Indigo,” he returned with a sweeping bow. She was young and immediately reminded him of Briar. His sweet sister who asked him for healing lessons. One day he’d be able to do just as he said, for now everyone was just trying to get back to normal. Thankfully she didn’t show the same kind of fear her companion did, but then again Indigo didn’t wish any harm on either of them. The girl was full of questions, and her innocence caused the young man to grin.

Reaching forward he picked a bloom and just as carefully aimed to place it behind her ear. ”This one especially is to adorn the ears of a pretty girl.” He told her amusedly before he sat back. ”This is one of the most versatile plants,” he started in earnest. ”You can make it into an ointment to help soothe many skin ailment. Tea made from it can help digestion, and it helps to fend off infection. There isn't much it can’t do.” Indigo told her confidently. He was almost sure Marigold, or calendula was one of the first flowers beyond lavender that he learned about.

The man introduced himself as Indigo and she watched as he delicately picked a flower, giggling as he tucked it behind her ear. He was nice! Her ears perked up as Indigo explained that marigold was a useful plant with many different uses. She stored away this information, eager to add the marigold to her collection. Plants with more than one use were her favorite. It meant less for her to carry and as she was so small she had to be selective about what she carried with her. Granted, she could sneak plants onto her cousin's travois but Rœkia got mad when she stuffed grass in there that turned out not to have a good use.

Lukina reached out and gently used her teeth to pick one of the flowers which she set down at her feet. "I really like these! Can you show me how to make something out of them?"

He grinned back as she giggled amusedly as he placed the flower behind her ear. Maybe he just had a way with kids. Lukina was sweet and curious, his favorite kind of youth. The girl was quiet and listened intently as he spoke about the plants before them and at the back of his mind he hoped that he could bring some back to the Hallows. Their stores were dwindling, and such a useful herb would do them much good.

Lukina mirrored his actions earlier, very carefully picking her own flower. Her delicate motions left her with a bloom and the rest of the plant undisturbed. ”I can try!” He answered her brightly and got to work collecting a few more flowers. ”I don’t have any supplies but we could make a very basic ointment if you want.” Indigo found a small flat rock nearby and began to shred the flowers onto his workspace. ”You could use this on burns or open wounds to help fight infection. Or add hot water and make a tea for someone’s upset belly.” He explained before searching for another rock that he might use to crush the plant further.

"Hooray!" She cheered, bouncing up and tail wagging as Indigo agreed to show her how to craft something. She quick mirrored his actions, picking some more flowers. As she worked she put the taste and smell to memory. The more ways she was able to identify something the better. Rœkia had already warned her about plants that looked alike where one was a healing herb and the other was poison.

Lukina glanced about and spied another rock, taking her flowers over to the rock she started to use her retractable claws to shred the flowers in a similar manner to Indigo. Her companion slinked cautiously behind her, still wary of the strange man but the fox was slowly beginning to relax. "An ointment for owies would be good. I'm learning to fight so I get owies a lot."

Indigo did not disappoint and the girl’s exuberance was appreciated. She was a quick learning student, she did exactly as he did without any prompting. He grinned as he spoke, not missing her impressive paws that were so much like his own. She commented on his lesson as he expected a young pup to do and he grinned again as the paste began to take shape. ”Oh yeah? I bet you’ll be a great fighter when you’re older.” He told her softly as he continued to work the plant. ”I bet you’d never guess but I’m a fighter too.” He added a few more shredded flowers at a time and he crushed and mixed the once beautiful flower. ”I like to mix my ointments with lard to preserve them. It helps keep it moist so it's easy to apply.” He told her almost offhand. ”This is my basic start to any ointment, you can add different plants at this stage too. Or fillers like mint.” He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the finished product when he was done. He’d really only come prepared to gather herbs more than process them.

Lukina was pleased the man seemed to think she'd be a good fighter. Rœkia had a tendency to put her down and so far she'd found mixed success in her battles. Magnolia promised her it all came down to practice and that she'd get better with age. He stared up at the man with wonderment as he explained that he was a fighter to. "Wow! I bet you're really good. You're very big and muscly and have really cool teeth." She'd seen a couple wolves now with saber fangs, in particular she remembered Aris and Kitsune. Were all the wolves here so neat?

She watched as Indigo used the rock to mash the flowers more finely. She found one and scooted it over the flowers before pressing her weight into her paws on top of the rock. She scooted and rolled the rock, pressing and repeating til her mixture resembled his. She noted the lard. "Oh I know what that is. That's the fat from the kidneys right?"

Indigo was left to wonder if she didn’t get much praise, or if she had anyone beyond the fox to even do so. He hadn’t thought about it til now but it was a little odd to find such a young wolf in the wilds. He’d seen one once before, little Relm, so maybe that was why it took so long for the thought to cross his mind. Either was he grinned at her assessment. ”I guess I’m not bad.” He chuckled amusedly.

She continued to mimic his movements and grabbed herself her own little rock. She seemed to know what he was talking about with the lard though, and she proved she did know what she was talking about. ”Yes you’re right! If you can get enough fat in general though you can also make it by boiling out the water. As long as there isn’t any meat chunks left.” He told her as he very nearly finished crushing the flowers altogether. ”It’s also nice to add aloe to the marigold if you know you’re going to be using the mixture on burns.” Sometimes just having plain paste was all you could handle, but maybe if there were a lot of burns to treat. ”It’d be really useful if you start getting sunburns. You have such fair skin… I’d be careful when you’ve got to be in the sun for long.” She probably already knew all about sunburns but she was young, perhaps she didn’t.

Lukina liked Indigo. He explained things well and wasn't as condescending as Rœkia tended to be. She beamed as he stated that she was right about the lard. It felt good to receive the praise and she soaked it up. He further instructed her explaining that she could use any fat if she boiled the water out first and made sure there wasn't meat in it. She filed this information away. That would be good to know as prey was hard to come by so anything they could use from it would be useful.

"Oh, that's a good idea! I get sunburned all the time." She made an exasperated face. She seemed to constantly be tending to burns, especially as they'd been traveling. Lukina mashed the flowers even further until she had a thick paste She scraped off the underside of the rock then looked over at Indigo. "How's this?"

He really didn’t have any idea how well he might do at teaching, but he had a good student who listened well and picked up on his tips and tricks with ease. If every pupil was as quick as Lukina then Indigo wouldn’t have any trouble. They were very nearly done with their mixture now, but Indigo continued even as the girl affirmed his suspicions. She did get sun burned. Indigo grinned up at her, glad to have given her something that might help ease pain in her everyday life. That moment warmed his heart more than anything.

Indigo started to piled the mixture all in one puddle at the center of his stone even as Lukina was grabbing his attention to assess her own progress. The piles looked identical and Indigo couldn’t have felt more proud. ”That looks perfect!” He praised her highly, ”You wouldn’t happen to have an oilskin would you? Otherwise we’re going to need to fashion something a little more creative out of leaves and stems.” He chuckled, up to any task. Everything was a teaching moment and he’d sit and explain everything as he knew it as long as she wanted.