We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Beru was taking longer than expected, which meant that the yearling was free to do as she pleased now that her brother had set the precedent for gallivanting across the continent when he grew bored of waiting for her, so once Wari decided that she was good, and bored, and very much sick of waiting, she let her paws carry her south and east through the night. Truthfully, though, it wasn't revenge that spurred her on, but rather, time and peace to weigh her options without Beru's added pressure. She wasn't sure what their next move was to be, if they were to return to Tojo or if they would continue to rough it out here together, but either way, the yearling felt as though the decision rested squarely on her shoulders. Wari pushed further south, past deserts and hills, until she found herself in a budding meadow, already flush with color. In a few weeks time this place would be a healer's dream, she was sure. Perhaps the yearling would come back to see it, though that really hinged upon where she and Beru decided to go from here. This was, however, the end of the road for her. She'd go no further south, not without her brother, but Himawari wasn't exactly ready to return either. Thus, she found herself a nice, solid rock to curl up on, as she waited for the sun to arch over the horizon. H I M A W A R I speech

Kitsune may have been promoted to a rank that required her to be more of a busy body at home, but the young girl still had a love for exploring and adventure. She wouldn’t admit it, even to herself, but she was also hoping to find any hint of Iho out in the world as well.

Her journey today took her East a few lands over. She had been to Fern Gully a few times before, and found it to be a good hunting land. Lush with prey, and spring only heightened the scents of growing things.

Her paws took her carefully over the grassy territory as she took in the scents. Finding, not the scent of Iho as she hoped, but that of another stranger. She let her eyes roam the territory until they fell upon the rock that housed the stranger. “Hello” She called out, so the other wolf wouldn’t think she was lurking.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to keep the migraine dancing just behind her eyelids at bay, while she considered her options, so imagine her surprise when the voice of a stranger jolted her right out of a dream. Wild peach-toned eyes searched for the source, half-expecting to see some monster-like creature ready to give chase, but when they landed upon the stranger's form, her own body visibly relaxed. "Ah. Hullo." She called back before pulling herself into a sit and shaking the sleep from her coat. "Thought you might've been a giant sturgeon or something trying to lure me to the shore." She huffed a laugh as she referenced the monster of her puphood, or really, the monster of her mother's. H I M A W A R I speech

Kitsune waited politely while the other wolf’s gaze sought her out. Smiling as the burnt-orange gaze found her. “A sturgeon?” She asked, casting a glance behind her in the general direction of the ocean. “No, just a wolf.” She admitted with a warm smile. [bb] “Sorry to disturb you”[/b] She added in, in the spirit of being polite.

“I’m Kitsune, do you come to the Gulley often?” She wanted to know. She’d never seen the wolf before, but that didn’t really mean much. Though, now that she thought about it, there was something almost familiar about her markings. A hint of koi in the colours that wrapped her bodies. Or perhaps her father was simply on her mind.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari couldn't help but offer a single, amused nod at the woman's question.  A sturgeon indeed, though the creature she had in mind wasn't your average, every day fish. It was.. something else. Something other. A nightmarish beast with a penchant for cubs who strayed too close to the water... "That's good for both of us, I think." Unless the stranger really hated being a wolf, which seemed absolutely preposterous. "No worries. I hadn't meant to doze off, so it's good that you did." And Beru would start to worry if she didn't begin the arduous journey back soon. Himawari took note of the woman as she spoke, of her coat that reminded the yearling of dying embers, of her horns, and fur, and height. She was quite interesting. "Wari." The fae presented her name with a slight tip of her muzzle. "And no.  This is, unfortunately, my first time here, but I take it you do?" Since she knew the name for it, after all. H I M A W A R I speech

“Might be nice to be able to swim like one, but yes.” Kitsune agreed with a soft laugh. She nodded her head in regardless to the other girl’s comment on dozing. “Well, glad I could help.” She said, for something to say. As the other woman moved about on her rock, she took note of something strange and glinting around the back of her neck. She frowned, and paired a little closer before gasping.

“Don’t move!” She warned the other woman, “it looks like you’ve rolled in something sharp. Let me take a look before you nick something. It’s okay, I’m a healer” She said as she quickly closed the distance between them.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari wasn't quite sure she cared to swim like a sturgeon, not with the knowledge that anything could be lurking beneath the surface, and regardless of how fast a swimmer that might make her, there would always be something faster. The yearling watched as her new companion frowned in her direction, causing Himawari's head to tilt. Had she done something to -- the sudden gasp and shout made Wari jump. Gods, that was the second time she'd been startled by this stranger. "What?" Before her brain had time to catch up, Wari found herself taking stock of her otherwise frozen body, checking the areas that were visible to her and making sure that nothing hurt. When she came up short her peachy gaze returned to the woman, who was now approaching. "Where?" Wari knew she probably looked slightly panicked, but there just wasn't time to hide it, not when the stranger was closing the distance so quickly, and she had apparently rolled in something sharp. And then it dawned on her, much, much later than it should have. "Oh, uhh... d'ya mean my crystals?" She said, motioning toward her nape with her paw. H I M A W A R I speech

Kitsune closed the gap and reached the stranger. Already moving to look at the back of her neck when Wari spoke. “Yes, it looks like crystals, there's so many of the-- wait.” She frowned, brushing a paw gently across the woman's fur. Touching the crystals without placing enough pressure to cut herself on them. “Oh my.” She said as understanding struck. It wasn’t the first time she had encountered a wolf with strange anomalies - Kit herself had the antlers of a deer and claws of a cat. Strange things happen. But crystals?

“They’re a part of you, aren’t they?” She said with understanding. She touched a crystal again, just to marvel at it. “They’re… beautiful. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you - again. I’ve never seen anything like it. Oh! And I’m touching you, I didn’t ask, I’m sorry!” The Princess flushed furiously and stepped back. The crystals had completely knocked her off her game. Her manners had slipped right out the window, and she was mortified.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari's ears flattened as the woman's paw brushed over her crystals, and a slightly uncomfortable smile swept across her maw. Given where she'd grown up, it was easy for the yearling to forget that her particular mutation wasn't exactly a common or maybe even a normal one. After all, outside of herself, Beru, and their mother, she'd never met anyone else with their peculiar affliction.   "As much as your horns are a part of you." She angled her head towards the woman as she spoke her analogy, though she had a feeling that the differences there were still pretty vast, and now she actually wasn't sure if that was a good analogy at all. Wari turned away at Kitsune's next statement, hoping to hide the heat that suddenly flushed her cheeks. "Oh, uh.." She tried to sound unbothered as she spoke. "No, you're okay. Believe it or not, this isn't the first time that something like this has happened." Though the last time it happened it had been to her brother, and the crystal toucher had been far older, and far ruder about it. "And.. uh.. thank you. Your horns are pretty too." And then, in an effort to change the subject the yearling asked, "You said you were a healer?" H I M A W A R I speech

Kitsune nodded in understanding. She knew what the wolf was getting at, and given time to process she might have handled it differently. She had thought… well, she had thought that they were hanging in the wolf's fur, and a bad turn of her head would end up with something sharp in a vein. She had panicked.

“Still, I feel terrible, sorry. Believe it or not, I don’t normally grab wolves without their permission” She gave a soft, awkward laugh. “Oh, thank you” She said as Wari complimented her horns. “Oh… I have the training, but I’m a warrior first. The healing was something I learned to help my pack.” She explained. She knew healing, but it wasn’t her biggest passion. She had always had more interest in fighting. “And I guess I figured if I'm going to learn how to hurt people, I should learn how to help them, too.” Now she was babbling. She needed to get control of herself. She had really gotten off on the wrong foot here, and she was doing a bad job of trying to rebalance.


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Slowly, Wari regained control of herself, even huffing a laugh at Kitsune's proclamation that she didn't usually go around grabbing wolves without their permission. "So, just occasionally?" She flashed a playful grin, well aware that that was not what the pretty ember-coated wolf had meant. Her playful grin softened and her ears pricked as the fae rambled on, though Wari actually found her words to be interesting. "Ah. I'm a healer too. Or, well, I guess I was supposed to be, but I kind of skipped out on the rest of my training in favor of adventure." Which, in retrospect, was not the greatest idea, considering education had once been a priority for her. "But a warrior I am not." Battle medic, maybe someday, but she'd always dreamed of a large, herb-lined den to call her own. "There's no special reason for me being a healer, though. It just runs in the family, I guess." Wari shrugged. "We've got a knack for it." Not that she didn't love it, because she did, but the koi-wolf had simply never considered an alternative. H I M A W A R I speech

“No, only when they’re special, I guess” She jabbed back lightly, glad that the other wolf wasn’t at all offended. Kite was hyper aware that she walked around with Ashen - and her mothers - name, everywhere she went. She didn’t even realise how the words might come across until the words were out of her mouth, and far too late to bring them back.

“Oh, I can understand that completely. I did something similar - I took a break to detour around some of Boreas” She explained. She had done so with Iho, and then returned home alone. That still stung, but she brushed it aside. “Do you enjoy it, at least?” She asked curiously. Wondering if Wari did it because it was tradition, and her family did, or if it was something that she actually took enjoyment from.

"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari's brows rose at the jab, her playful grin returning. "Well, then I'm honored." She gave a little mock bow. Ah, so Kitsune got it, at least. "Yeah? Was it worth it?" Wari asked the question more for the sake of her own sanity than anything else. Had her own trip been worth it thus far? Not really. The yearling felt as though she'd be a lot further along in her studies if she'd just stayed home. "I do. I actually only agreed to follow Beru--" Weren't they.. not supposed to give names or something? Well, too late now. "My brother around in hopes that I might pick up different ways of doing things beyond what mum could teach." Which, now that she was saying it out loud, sounded like a stretch. Was there.. even anything that her mother didn't know? "It just.. somehow didn't work out that way." Survival itself was hard enough without trying to memorize the use of every single plant in regions that didn't even matter. "What about you? Since healing comes second, do you enjoy it at all or is being a warrior really just that great?" H I M A W A R I speech

Was it? “I guess I’m still deciding” She said. “It was a good experience, It’s just…” She trailed off, not sure what to say. After all, Wari was almost a complete stranger to her. She didn’t feel she could simply go out and say how much it had hurt that Iho hadn’t returned home with her, that she didn’t know if she would see him again.

“If you’d like, maybe we can exchange some knowledge? It doesn't have to be a waste.” She suggested warmly. Wari it seemed had also found issues with her adventure that made it not all she had thought it would be. “I enjoy healing, I guess I just like… like being able to hold my own in a fight. I get underestimated a lot because of my size.” She grimaced. It was definitely unfair that her siblings had all gotten the tall gene and left her in the dust.

"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn "Just what?" Wari leaned in, unable to stop the question from leaving her lips. The yearling was curious as to what the woman had left unsaid and what it could mean for her own sabbatical, if anything, because right now, she could really use all the advice she could get. Himawari brightened at the suggestion. "I'm not sure how much my knowledge might be worth, but I've got a feeling that you'd be able to teach me a thing or two." Or three. And she definitely wouldn't say no. "I get that." And really, she did. Wari wasn't the largest of her siblings, though at least she wasn't the smallest. Fuji probably understood the woman's plight a lot more intimately than Wari herself. "I'm pretty small in comparison to most of my siblings." By at least 4 inches, sometimes more. " And I'm a lot less strong than.. well, all of them, really." Even Fuji could probably best her in a spar. "But I like to think that what I lack in brawn I make up in intelligence." Sometimes. "And I like being able to patch everyone up when it's all said in done, though I've been told my bedside manner leaves much to be desired." The fae made a show of rolling her eyes. H I M A W A R I speech

Kitsune paused, looking at that hopeful, curious expression on Wari’s face, and let out a soft breath. Aw, she didn’t really want to say, but how could she say no to a face like that? “I started out the adventure with a boyfriend, and came home without one. So, I guess that’s my regret with my adventure.” She admitted, voice soft.

She was more than happy to share what knowledge she could. She had been vigilant with her studies, determined to get them right, and earn her mothers trust in things related to healing. “Alright… let's start with this meadow. Are there any herbs here you don’t recognise?” She asked, seaking the lay of the land in regards to Wari’s knowledge.

“Yes, exactly! My siblings are giants. But you don’t always have to be stronger than them to best them” She said conspiratorially. “I don’t know… I bet your bedside manner is great”


"Speech"

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn (The plant she's describing is wintergreen) "Ah." That was.. really, really unfortunate. She hadn't thought.. she shouldn't have pressed. Himawari's ears flattened as she instinctively reached out to press her muzzle into the woman's neck, stopping short and pulling back as she caught herself. "I'm sorry, Kitsune." And truly, she was. It had not been the yearling's intention to make the woman relive whatever misfortune had befallen her and her boyfriend, be it a break up or something worse, and the fae had no intention of pushing the subject any further. Wari's tail gave a swish behind her, as peachy eyes searched the horizon. Plants generally came easy to her, but this was a new region, and with it would likely come at least a few.. there. A small bush-like plant with red berries that kind of reminded her of a fallen holly branch. "That one over there, the dark leaves and red berries. I'm not sure what that is. I think I know everything else I can see.. just not that one." She flushed a fraction, a little ashamed that she couldn't place the leaves or their uses. Mischief flickered in her eyes and a matching smile found its way to Wari's lips. "True. Though I imagine it'd be leagues more satisfying to best someone in a spar than to best them with words." But words were good too. "I don't know. I've been known to be a little.. heavy handed and I don't care much for whinging." Both of which Beru knew a little too well. H I M A W A R I speech

"Oh!" She said in surprise as Wari pushed a muzzle against her. "Oh, that's alright. If he wanted to stay, he would have. Better to know." She admitted, through her voice was quiet. She had thought her and Iho would have so many more adventures ahead of them. Better to know and rip off thr bandaid. Right? She wasn't totally sure she believed herself.

She looks to the herb as Wari described it, and moved to pluck it. Holding up the little herb between her paws. "This one is Wintergreen. It's used as a pain relief, but it's better used topically. It can be poisonous if you ingest too much." She explained, and then handed the herb out for Wari to take.

"Speed and cunning aren't to be underestimated in a fight" She explained as Wari mentioned besting them in spars was far more satisfying. "No-nonsene sounds like an asset in a healer." She added lightly.

We ride the breeze to cut patterns in the earth And in time we find some shelter, Spill our seeds and then wait for our turn Wari felt a tinge of relief in hearing Kitsune's response. Thank the gods that it hadn't been a case of him passing away or something. Not that it probably felt much better to have someone choose not to stay with you, but at least the yearling was able to offer up a firm, "And if he didn't want to stay, then he wasn't worth it." Nobody deserved to worry about someone that didn't worry about them, and Kitsune was far too pretty to be worried about some guy that had, for some unfathomable reason, decided to leave her. "It's better to know." She agreed. The fae watched as Kitsune plucked the herb, taking care to note how she had collected it, and memorize the uses she listed, before taking it into her own paws. This particular piece had four shiny leaves on its stem, and a few off-red berries, but what was easiest to note, was the plant's smell. Like mint, maybe? But slightly different. "And where does it grow?" She questioned, already noting the area her companion had just plucked it from, but it was always possible that this wasn't its preferred habitat. "Maybe you'll have to give me a lesson in that some time as well." Her dark brows rose. Fighting really wasn't her thing, but she'd never pass up an opportunity to learn something new. "Wish my brother thought the same." The yearling huffed a laugh. H I M A W A R I speech