Gavroche had been on the hunt for more lavender, as well as some other herbs, as he traveled from the North into the south. After the knowledge that Bellamy had lashed out at a woman in Fern Gulley, he had made it a point to avoid the herb-rich area. It was a shame, considering it would have been easier to head there to search for things, but alas… The winged male cut his losses and traveled a bit further. He had hoped that everything would be alright - Bellamy wasn’t with him but that was alright. He could do this alone, just himself and his companions. It was night too which was good for Jessie, the little bumblebee bat awake and alert. “Have you found any of the main herbs you’ve been looking for yet, Gavroche?” The tiny bat asked, whispering into the ear she clung onto. Gavroche furrowed his brow a little, resisting the urge to nod less he accidentally shake her off. “I’ve found some,” The male told her. “The boneset was a good find. I ran out of stock when I was treating Lucette and Bae-Syl. I’d ideally like to get some more lavender though, maybe even some agrimony, marigold, or motherwort too.” He felt his cheeks burn a little at the last one. He had hoped to further his family with Bellamy again this year. He knew they had adopted Saga, but the man had missed having little ones in their den. It could be a challenge, he knew, with his smaller size and Bellamy’s larger one. Lucette had come out so tiny… but then there was the chance with a larger litter that some pups might be bigger too. What if the runt got crushed? Perhaps it was fortunate Lucy was an only child for the moment. Still, Gavroche was willing to do whatever it took to ensure himself and his mate some happiness. Even if it meant getting a little down and dirty in the process. All in life, love, and even herb hunting. After coming across some of the mentioned motherwort Gavroche set to digging. Dried dirt already stuck to his forelegs as he dug, his bag set off to one side along with Jessie and James. He hummed as he worked, ears shifting at every sound in the night. He didn’t want to get snuck up on… Especially not while he was harvesting the plant. Goodness though he was going to need a bath after this! The soil was softer here, more… muddy. He frowned down at his dirty forelegs after he clicked the herb off with his teeth and tossed it to James to place in the bag. Eww… gross. Maybe he didn’t need to get them up roots and all here. He felt dirty and uncomfortable, and his gaze trailed to a river that wasn’t far off. That was it, he needed a bath. He gathered up the bag, and his companions, and set off for it, green eyes glowing softly in the night. ------------------------------------------------------ 503 / 1,500 Words "Speech" 'Thought.'

The storms that plagued Boreas this season had gotten things extra muddy. The silver fae had trekked across the Bifrost some days ago, traveling to the west to see if perhaps her siblings were around there, but she was mostly curious to see what lay in these parts. She wasn't particularly well traveled. Her and Greed had mostly stuck to the North lands up until they traveled down to Auster to join the Hallows. Now her coat felt gross from the salty air and water, and the mud she had to walk through to get here made her feel extra gross and dirty. She looked like she had been like this for a while now despite it only being a few days, and she yearned for the chance to be able to clean herself off. The only problem was, she was in unfamiliar territory. She didn't know where there was a safe spot to be able to bathe without someone potentially sneaking up on her for an attack (though it was unlikely to happen, she was paranoid since she was on her own and Greed had stayed behind at the Hallows). She flicked some mud off her paw, frowning at how dirty she must look. If you didn't already know her, you wouldn't even know she was monochrome in color as opposed to the arrays of brown she now bore. Her fur stuck up at odd angles, tangled in others, and she longed to get all of the ick off of her. At least before she returned home...she had never felt so dirty in her life! And although she aimed to be a warrior someday, she was a lady first! And a lady should not be looking like this! Her mother's old companion chirped a subtle warning above, and Claire's gaze followed the direction she was flying. It wasn't the type of warning that indicated something bad. But rather, caution that someone was nearby. And sure enough, in a matter of steps, she heard the rustling of grass and out came what she assumed to be a bird, but then...she realized it wasn't. She stood shocked. Eyes wide as the smallest wolf she'd ever seen in her life crossed her path, and not only that, but the calico creature had wings! His feathers were an assortment of colors, larger than his small body, but he appeared to be older than her. She had seen an assortment of things in her life, but this definitely took the cake by a landslide. "Y-you have wings!" She exclaimed in surprise, but then quickly folded her ears back as she realized how rude she was being. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude! My apologies!" She bowed her head in apologetic shame, hoping she hadn't offended him. WC: 967/1,500 "Speak

The small steps that he took made the distance to the river feel even longer. He felt heated, a bit sweaty, and his front legs especially were so muddy that Gavroche felt like his skin was crawling beneath the fur. He was used to digging up herbs in dry soil, but the mud had been too much. He didn’t like feeling so dirty… not that he was usually so focused on such a thing, but to be fair he normally didn’t get this muddy! The older male supposed he was also just getting too old to like the idea of getting down and dirty too. He preferred to feel clean and refreshed, and so for him there was really no other option than slipping into the river once he got there. First, however, Gavroche removed the bag from around him again. He hadn’t realized it but he had been sweating considerably since his last bath too. Darn wings, he thought to himself. He wholeheartedly blamed the feathered appendages for making him feel even more dirty and unclean. He let James climb down and Jessie flutter down onto the bag as well. They weren’t as bad off as he was and they had to be careful giving Jessie any sort of bath especially. They didn’t want her to get washed off down the river… or worse. Neither of her companions, be it the wolf or the pygmy marmoset wanted to think about that. Once companions and accessories were removed from him Gavroche started into the water. It was cool on his ankles, the flow not harsh enough to cause him any sort of discomfort despite his tiny size. This was a relief for the male. He was about to head in deeper when a voice gave him pause. Someone exclaimed in surprise over his wings. Oh, right, people still did that, didn’t they? He blinked, turning his head to see a woman that was roughly his mate’s size in height. He offered her a friendly smile; not everyone had met a winged wolf after all. And it wasn’t like he was dangerous or anything. “You’re fine, I assure you. I’ve only ever met one other like myself in my lifetime. It’s… interesting to come across someone with wings when our kind is grounded.” Gavroche dipped his head politely to the younger woman. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Just don’t ask me to fly… I’m afraid I can’t.” He looked her over. She appeared as though she needed the bath as much as he did. “Why don’t you join me in the river? You look like you could use a soak as well. I promise I don’t bite.” He chuckled softly. What would he go after on her anyway? A leg? Her ankles? She was welcome here. ------------------------------------------------------ 1,433 / 1,500 Words "Speech" 'Thought.'

She couldn't agree more with what he had said. Wolves weren't known to have wings, but apparently, there were. And not just him, but there was another out in the world that had the same mutation. She was curious about that one too, but she wasn't going to press for information, that wasn't really in her nature. She laughed a little as she shook her head, "As interesting as that would be to see, I wouldn't ask that of you, even if you could." Though it was interesting as well that he couldn't fly. Could it be that their bodies were much too heavy for the wings to carry them? From what she had learned from Greed, bird bones were hollow. Most birds were able to fly with the exception of chickens and things like penguins that she could think of off the top of her head. When he urged her into the river, she felt a blush in her cheeks when she remembered she was covered in mud and muck. Woops. She felt embarrassed by her current state of appearance, but it seemed he had been in the same boat and taking a much-needed bath as well. "Yes, that sounds like an ideal plan!" He didn't seem to mind at all and seemed kind enough. She headed towards the river, stepping into the cool waters that had been fed by Boreas' storms. She sighed with contentment as she soaked her dirty fur, using her paws to rub off the dirt on her forelegs and wherever else she could reach before lowering herself up to where she could still talk while she relaxed. "Spring has been the worst this year," She commented. What was up with all the storms?? WC: 1,722 "Speak

The man was thankful she wouldn’t ask such a thing of him, even if he could. As much as Gav yearned to fly, and be able to be one with the skies, it simply wasn’t possible. He was still grateful for the mutation, even as odd as it was. He shifted a little in the river, letting the water run over his limbs and sides. It felt nice and he could feel the mud washed away. Now he lingered just because the water felt nice. Given the woman’s current state she looked like she could enjoy the river too, and it didn’t take long before she joined him. The river was thankfully still flowing lazily, even after all the rains that the spring brought with it this year. It seemed the woman had the same thought. “No kidding. The storms have been a bit wild this year. My daughter and her best friend were caught in one. Both of them got sick from it too. A complete downpour.” Gavroche shook his head. “At least the weather seems tame for the time being. I’ve been taking advantage of it to collect some herbs. It’s always a good idea to stock up on them when you can.” He stretched his wings out a little, letting the water run over them. He sighed contentedly. “What brings you out this way? I doubt you got here just on a leisurely stroll.” "Speech" 'Thought.'

The pair enjoyed the flow of the river as it washed away the dirt and debris on their fur (and the male's wings). She was feeling cleaner already, and she couldn't wait until she got the chance to dry off so her fur could return to its usually fluffy state. She sighed before dipping her head under the water for a moment to try and get off any mud or dirt that might have accumulated there, and then the little winged wolf told her that the weather had been pretty bad lately and how his daughter and her best friend had gotten sick from it. From the sounds of it, he must be a healer if he was taking advantage of the break in the storms to get herbs, right? "I can see why!" This much rain was downright terrible and miserable! He asked her then, what brought her out this way. "I used to live in the North. I was born there before my parents died. I figured I'd maybe take a trip up there to visit their resting places..." She hadn't told Greed that that's where she was heading. And she didn't know if a pack had claimed those lands yet, but she supposed she'd find out when she got there. "Oh! How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Claire Ancora, one of the newer members of the Hallows down in Auster," Okay, so she wasn't new new. She'd been there for a season or two now, but she still felt new there. "Speak

So Claire had once lived in the North, born there before her parents passed. It made sense to want to visit their resting places though, and Gavroche could sympathize. If things hadn’t been so when Houdini and Melanthios died the tiny winged man might have visited where they fell… but it had been hard to make heads or tails of where that was when the volcano had erupted. It made him feel bad he couldn’t come back to them… But there was little that could be done for them now. If only he’d been bigger… stronger… he might have been able to help his cousin… he sighed. “I can understand wanting to visit their resting places. I lost a companion and cousin here in Boreas, ones I wish I could go back to visit… sadly… their resting places would be much harder to pinpoint.” Then the woman introduced herself and Gavroche gave a small nod. “I guess we both did, didn’t we? I’m Gavroche Kedieo, a new member of Menagerie in the Northern reaches of Boreas.” The man shifted a little. “I joined the pack with my mate, Bellamy. The alpha, Wren, has been good to us and understanding despite things.” The man glanced towards his companions resting on his bag. “My companions are Jessie and James. It may be a bit hard to see Jessie - she’s rather tiny, but I assure you that she’s there.” He chuckled. “We’re a bit of an odd family, my mate, our companions… we even adopted a polar bear cub as our daughter recently.” It was fascinating to him just how different they all were… yet they made it work. He shook his head and glanced back at Claire. “You have other kin? Maybe with you in the Hallows?” "Speech" 'Thought.'