Summer meant a rise in temperature and with that came summer storms. Rain had held off for over a week before that day. As the morning rolled into the late afternoon, the clouds above grew darker and darker. They threatened to dump an ocean’s worth of water as a tumultuous rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Slowly, the sun would fade away behind that curtain of clouds and allow the dry heat to dissipate. It would send a wave of relief over the creatures that called Boreas home. One of those creatures being a rather petite and young pup by the name of Delphi. Her band, the Stargazers, found themselves traveling back through the willows from Ashen territory to head on toward the Northern Territory of Armada. It was a lot of traveling for the her and her siblings so they had decided to stop in a place that was familiar. While everyone else found themselves napping along the outskirts once the temperature had fallen, Delphi found herself staring at a willow tree. Her face is scrunched up as she wracks her brain for the information she wants. Boy would it pay her to pay attention once in awhile when her sister or Ulmaria were teaching her about all that healing business. She was trying to remember what willow bark was used for. Reaching out a paw, she peels a strip away and holds it close to her nose. Sticking out her tongue to get a good lick, she shakes her head. Nope, gross and definitely not as good as Cannabis was. Even though that had been gross too.

Healing seasonal - figure out what willow bark & other stuff is used for - word count: 272/1500

Traveling into the western territories of the continent hadn’t been on Sephiran’s agenda. At least, not until his spark of interest in the islands just beyond the shore had flared up again. A season ago, he had seen them looming along the horizon the night he partied with the pirates. He was interested in what might inhabit them, or if they were inhabitable at all. And there was only one way to find out. He would have to journey back to the shore, where he could swim across the ocean and into the channel of islands. Which meant he had to go through these western territories first.

With the heat of summer, it was more tolerable to travel at night, which meant Sephiran spent most of the day sleeping. But with a storm brewing nearby, inching its way towards the forest enveloped with willow trees, he decided to avoid it before it became an issue. He had slept until late afternoon before leaving his makeshift den behind, probably to never return. Although this place was pleasing to the eye, and there was plentiful prey, he wasn’t interested in staying.

He was walking along a path that made a perimeter around a large pond, lost in his imagination as he fabricated an image of what the islands might look like in his mind. His ears twitched upon his skull, swiveling in the direction of the south where thunderclouds released a sudden boom. The damp scent of incoming rain became thicker in the air, the humidity leaving droplets of water along the tips of his fur. Which made his pace quicken, as he was still determined to leave the forest.

As he came around a bend in the trail, a small clearing appeared before him. And, to his surprise, sitting in that clearing and staring at the base of a towering willow tree, was a small girl. Sephiran stopped in his tracks, skull raising as he peered beyond the foliage to observe her. The rain smell had diminished her scent so much, he didn’t know she was here until now. He arrived just in time to see her clawing at the bark to remove a chunk before smelling and licking it. Was she one of those stupid kind of wolves? He was already making assumptions, paws shifting beneath him as he strode towards her. If she didn’t take off, he would suddenly appear from the other side of the tree, creeping out from the underbrush like the serpent he was. “Hungry?” He crooned, thinking she was trying to eat the bark given that she licked it.

"Speech"

Code by Sea

ooc: 707/1500

Delphi continues to think as she pulls the bark away from her mouth so that she can examine it rather than either it. Entrapped in her own little world, she flicks through her database of knowledge. Willow bark had to be used for something medicinally, right? There was some recollection of a lesson she had had with Ulmaria about different items. Aji and Maki had been there too. They were better listeners than her though. Her brow even furrows as she thinks really hard about it. So hard that she barely notices the big purple guy pop out from around the tree. His smooth baritones break through her focus. Looking up with wide bi-colored eyes, Delphi tilts her head slightly to the side at his question. Glancing down at the bark for a moment before back up at him, her brow furrows again. "Why would you think that?" She questions the guy as she places the bark onto the soft ground. There is something about his eyes that made her heart flutter and belly flip flop - but not in a necessarily good way. Why had he been hiding behind the tree? Some sort of concern is tickling her brain but the young pup pushes it aside for now. He had merely asked a harmless question after all. "I'm trying to remember what to use Willow Bark for," Delphi speaks slowly at first since her brain is still trying to process everything that is going on. She hadn't been expecting company so for her to switch from thinking of bark to talking to the stranger was a tad difficult. Wait, maybe he could help! The light bulb goes off in her head as she suddenly beams up at him with a toothy smile. "Do you know what Willow Bark is used for?!" She exclaims excitedly as her tail wags a few times against the soft ground.

1022/1500