She stood with her paws in the water, soaking up the tepid temperature with glee as she made splashed now and then with her front paws. It wasn't necessarily a cold day, but the water on her fur as she splashed it up against her sides felt nice. Initially her plan for the day had been to search out some specific poisonous plants with the idea to do some experimenting on a small prey critter to see exactly what would happen, but she quickly had become distracted. Now she just wanted to have some fun and play. When she felt thoroughly soaked, Inoki hopped out of the water and began to prance around almost like a young fawn, shaking out her fur as she danced to and fro, her motions wild and erratic. A giggle bubbled forth from her maw as she jumped around wildly, before freezing in place in a partial crouch, panting only somewhat heavily. She stayed in the position for a few moments, and then suddenly sprang forward in a sprint towards one of the willows trees, snapping her jaws at the hanging foliage to grab some in her maw. She then danced around with the long tendril dragging on the ground, letting out some playful growls that was certainly alerting all creatures around her to her presence.

The weeping woods made her nostalgic, and maybe even a little homesick. Not that the willows had ever been her home, but she spent more than her fair share of time at her mother’s birth pack, the pack her aunt and cousin had run together before she left. Sometimes she wondered what if she had gone there instead?

It was unusual for the woods to be anything other than tranquil, so when the silence was interrupted by the sound of ripping boughs, silver eyes narrowed. Were the deer being foolish and wandering too close to pack lands again? An ear tipped in the direction of the ruckus and she let out a sigh. She knew that sound well enough from her own youth and watching other people’s children. She fixed her best scowl to her face and stalked forward, expecting she was making rather a good impersonation of her mother, if a little rounder about the hips.

It wasn’t a wolf she recognised, and not one that was implicitly trespassing… not yet anyway. “Jus’ wha-der-yer-think-yer-doin?”

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Her jovial frolicking was interrupted by a stern voice, not all too dissimilar from how her mother had sounded while scolding her when she was a young pup and up to no good. She stopped, turning her head to look at the wolf who had intruded on her play time, eyes squinting as she looked over the very much larger wolf. Not as large as some she had recently seen, but still very much larger then herself. "I'm playing with a branch," Inoki said simply, tail giving a few wags by her hocks as she stared at the other woman. Sure she was stern, but maybe there was still a dash of young excitement in her body. "You wanna... join me?" She asked, now fully turning around and lowering her front end in a play bow, a teasing growl leaving her clenched jaws as she shook her head from side to side so the willow branch foliage scratched along the ground. It was a clear invitation for the other woman to join her, but she wouldn't be too put off by a refusal. Some wolves just didn't like to have fun, after all.

Playing with a branch… Well obviously, still her face screwed up at the thought, “Surprised yer can stand th’ taste. Bitter shit, really…” She remarked casually, dropping her own front end down and allowing her tail to flag in a wave over her back. The other woman was smaller, but if she wanted to rough-house then who was Sedna to deny her?

“Jus’ watch yer don’t eat too much o’ it. Don’t want anyone spewin’ up or shittin’ blood so close ter me borders. It’s a pain when they call me ter deal with dumb shit like that.” A smirk was the only warning she gave before barrelling forward to try and use her chest to shove the smaller wolf, jaws opened wide with a playful growl.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Lesson 1/3

Her ears twitched as the other woman remarked on the bark of the willow branch having a bitter taste, and gave a tentative crunch of her jaws. Oh yes, now she could taste it. Black lips pulled back in a grimace, but she didn't let go of the branch. A little bitterness never hurt anyone, after all. She let out another playful growl as the woman mimicked the play bow position, stamping her front paws on the ground as if daring her to make the first move. However the woman's next words had her faltering, head canting to the side at the mental image she was seeing. That didn't sound very good, especially the latter part. But hell, a bit of danger mixed in with some fun was always a recipe for a good time. When the woman made a dash towards her Clover stood her ground, allowing herself to be shoved backwards with the force of the much larger wolf, feeling her hind legs scrape along the ground. She giggled in glee, and whipped her head around to somewhat moderately smack the tip of the willow branch into the woman's side, before darting away with quick hops. "Is there anything not bad about this willow branch?" Inoki asked as she spun around to face the woman, tail wagging behind her hard enough to make her entire body wiggle.

Lesson 1/3

This was an enjoyable encounter for the Archer-Lyall, even if it was a little of an atypical way to go about things. She swung her head to snap at the flailed branch, snatching a few leaves from the long frond before the stranger girl pulled it away with her retreat.

She used the dark woman’s question as an excuse to catch her breath, squaring her feet and dipping her chin. “It’s good fer lotsa things too, like any poison, it’s in th’ dose.” She lunged forward with a harmless snap, tail waving before retreating again. “Yer can grind it down an’ add it to tea ter help with swollen injuries, takes th’ edge of pains in joints. Yer can add it to a poultice fer open wounds. More effective ter drink it, or eat in a pinch, if yer can bring yerself ter swallow it, that is.” Another grin was offered before she charged again, set on another collision course.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Lesson 2/3

The other woman snapped at leaves on the branch, successfully pulling out a few, and Inoki let another rumbling play growl in response. The branch wasn't as fun to wave around if there were no leaves on it! Her attention was caught at the mention of the word poison, her fascination with the concept leaving her hanging onto every next word at the cost of not keeping track on the woman's movements. The first snap caught her by surprise but the woman hadn't come close enough to broach her personal space bubble, and so she stayed put, stamping her front paws into the ground with a couple muffled yips. She'd be more ready for the next one. Inoki didn't have much knowledge on making teas, but she knew enough to at least make it drinkable, even if she stepped it for too long or not long enough, making it too bitter to be enjoyable, or tasting just like mildly flavoured warm water. But adding a herb into the tea to give it a medicinal effect? Now there was a good idea, and one she would try out at some point once she figured out how to start a fire. She also needed to find a willing test subject. Hmm. The second snap and charge caught her less by surprise, and Inoki moved to leap backwards, hoping to lesson the force of the impact compared to the first one. There were only so many hits her small body could take, after all. "You mentioned throwing up and shitting blood if I ate too much of it, are there any other bad effects I should know about?" She would then wildly shake the willow branch around again, letting it act as a barrier between the two wolves, and hopefully make it so the other woman would get a moderately hard whack if she got too close.

Lesson 2/3

The girl asked the right questions and Sedna considered that perhaps if she were to take an apprentice, she might prefer one like this. One willing to ask questions, but not afraid to let a little loose when circumstances weren’t dire. This little interlude had parted the clouds that had been gathered over her head, if only a little.

“It does funny things ter th’ blood, which can be great if yer patient is about t’ cook their brains wi’ fever, but yer gotta be careful yer don’ damage other organs in th’ process.” After all, if someones guts were hanging out, wolves didn’t really have a way to stuff them back in, did they? “If yer lookin’ ter bump someone off, there’s far better options around…” She teased with a twinkle in her eye, wondering if the younger wolf would take the bait.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Lesson 3/3

Inoki listened attentively as the woman continued to explain, brows raising curiously as she interlocked that information with the other knowledge she had of healing. So it could be used to lower a fever then, at the cost of damaging the other bodily organs if too much was given. How interesting. There were certainly other herbs that could be used for fevers and illnesses, but the latter intrigued her greatly. Surely that would be a terrible way to die, having your own blood and organs basically turn against you. Perhaps she would be careful to not swallow any of the bark bits that were sloughing off as she grinded her teeth against the branch. "I'll keep that in mind then." She pranced around the woman in a quick circle then, legs stepping high and playfully, before coming to a stop in another play bow when she began to speak again. Her head cocked to the side curiously, eyes narrowing with a deep thoughtful expression. Inoki had already learned about Hemlock from that other woman a while ago, and how it would cause a slow and painful death when ingested. If there were other similar plants around that could be used for more nefarious actions, then she definitely wanted to know. "I know a bit about toxic plants... but I'm listening." She saw the glittering look in the woman's eye, and wondered just what she would want in return for giving Inoki all this information. Surely there was something the woman was after?

Lesson 3/3