Winter in Boreas had killed off any herbs she had wanted to gather. Between the frost and snow, nothing was salvageable in the miserable temperatures. Well, it would be pretty damn difficult to work on her healing skill if she didn’t have herbs to work with, wouldn’t it? So she found someone who was willing to travel with her down to Auster and set off for warmer lands. Rivin wasn’t all that familiar with Scald, but she knew that he was Gil’s kid. Maybe he wouldn’t be too bad? Thus far their communication had been for necessity only, the red streaked girl far more focused on getting to Auster rather than worrying about getting to know him. Now that they were out of the cold and a bit deeper in the lands Rivin had finally relaxed enough to attempt striking up a conversation.

“So, Scald… Thanks for coming with me. I know I kind of rushed getting here. Are you all that familiar with Auster?” She slowed to walk beside him, casting a look to the multicolored land before letting her green gaze turn to the lands around them. The grasses here were bright and lush but what had really caught her attention was the scent of water in the air. The soil here seemed fertile… ripe conditions for an uncommon herb by the name of horsetail. While it could be used to bind open wounds, chewing it into a poultice could treat infection and stop minor bleeding as well. That would be the first herb on her list to find. Shame she wasn’t more familiar with different lands… the last time she’d come this way was for the raid on the koi wolves and well… she flicked an ear back in thought.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Scald didn't mind the lack of conversation. Like that of his father, he wasn't one for a bunch of words. He had noticed the ones who spoke a lot were usually... lacking in the brain department if he put it nicely. So instead, he enjoyed the journey south to Auster. Through the archipelago, across the sandy Bifrost, skirting carefully around Hallows lands, and toward the beaver dams that lined the river that moved south. His mind wanders to the boy he had met at the isle that was south of here. Would the boy still be there? Would Rivin want to go check it out with him? Eh, not that he needed to get his hopes up. Everyone he seemed to have an interest in liked to magically disappear anyway. While he notices the waterline along the river is rather high for this time of year, one of his ears is pulled in the direction of Rivin's voice. He listens silently and shrugs at her apology. There was no need for that, was there? He lifts a brow and lets out a thoughtful noise. "Not like Deluge or my father, but a few times I've been here," Scald comments, his deepened tones an almost gentle lull that he didn't mind listening to. Self-centered? Yes. Glancing at Rivin for a moment, he wonders why they had not interacted soon. Then again, he hadn't really taken time out of his days to seek out the others either so not that it was her fault. "You ever been?" He asks as his gaze moves away and back toward the river that splits the line and the aspens that dot the grass landscape. S C A L D

Scald didn’t seem bothered by the fact she hadn’t said much it seemed. He didn’t acknowledge the apology, but that suited Rivin fine. She didn’t exactly like doing so anyway. The further they padded into the lands she could feel the soil start dampening at her paws. Lifting her gaze to the horizon spoke of why. The water she had smelled before belonged to a creek littered with various dams. Huh, it seemed the beavers had been left unchecked here. The femme flicked her tail back and forth with amusement. And even better, a cluster of the very plant she was looking for was dead ahead. Fairly tall, the specimens she looked at had to be close to three feet tall. Ah, perfect!

Rivin gave a small nod as Scald spoke, telling her that he hadn’t been here as much as his sister or father, but he’d been there. He turned the question back around on her and Rivin frowned. She hadn’t expected to need to bring that up but… “Yeah, the first raid I went on brought me to Auster. We fought those koi wolves, me and my companion left a pretty good wound on the first opponent, but well…” The scars on her face suggested what had come of the second one. Rivin shrugged. “Still, nice to have a chance to see what the lands have to offer.” She stopped by the horsetail and set to digging around the plant. The wet soil made digging easy, thankfully.

Her brow furrowed, focused on the task of preserving the plant. She wanted to get as much of it as possible. While cutting it down could make carrying it in her bag possible, she actually wanted to leave it intact and finagle it under the bag so she could carry even more plants back with her. Might as well make the most of the trip. Besides, there could be even rarer finds deeper in Auster if she just took the time to explore it. Would Scald be up for an extended trip, she wondered?

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Her answer to his returned question was unexpected. Scald casually glances over to the scars that line her face. Well, how had he not noticed those before? Probably because he thought of the girl as a sister and didn't often stare at wolves he considered family. Lingering stares were left for... Others. Anyway, he nods back in acknowledgment. Would it be awkward if he apologized for her scarring? Or would it just make him sound fake? Or like he pitied her? He squints, confused at the feelings in his head before brushing them off. Better to just move on, and leave the hard feelings for another time. "Yeah, from what I've seen, Auster ain't bad," Scald says as he moves a few feet away from Rivin as she begins to dig up some horse tail. Instead of offering his help (because she was capable of her task, duh), he goes to investigate the nearly overflowing creek. Glancing around, he too notices the multiple beaver dams that spread across the creek and force the water to build up. His gaze then lifts and his nose tilts slightly into the air to see if he can scent anything. When the breeze finally drifts his way, he scents... no one. Maybe a few faint trails, but nothing like when they skirted the grove. Why hadn't one been out here to keep the beaver population down? "Jus' need the horse tail? Or got somethin' else yer lookin' for?" Scald asks as he looks over his shoulder to see how Rivin was doing. S C A L D

Well sure, when you weren’t only going to make someone bleed it wasn’t bad at all. The lands were nice, and it briefly made her wonder why Gilgamesh had chosen the islands for their base of operations. Still, as a pack it wasn’t like they could just freely move between lands. And besides, being away from prying eyes did give them a chance to brush up on their skills. Now that she was able to focus on the healing arts alongside her fighting Rivin felt like a weight was lifted. And since she wasn’t worried about getting better at that, she was able to relax more. It quieted that voice within, but it was still there. Shifting, lurking, waiting for an opportunity to rise again. But she wasn’t worried about that right now.

She managed to free the horsetail and pulled it up, tossing it over her back for now. That was when Scald spoke up again, asking about the horsetail she had dug up. Rivin lifted her gaze back to him, a bit of a cocky grin appearing on her face. “Hell no. I intend to find as many herbs as I can to stuff in this bag and carry back to the Raiders. Between winter and our activities, we’ll need plenty for treating wounds and even some stuff to tend to colds. If we’re lucky, the beavers won’t have drowned out the next one I wanted to find.” Rivin started towards him, more interested in the spots directly next to the creek.

“Looking for a plant with a tangy smell. It’s got scalloped dark green leaves, soft ones, and yellow and white flowers. Typically grows by the water. See any along the banks?” Her next goal was finding some feverfew. It would be necessary for chills and fevers, as well as handy for aches and pains. She wasn’t keen on the idea of using it for headaches but if it was all they had she supposed depending on how much she could gather.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

If this grove of aspen wasn't so... wet, Scald thought that maybe this would be a good place to spend some time. There was ample enough beaver to go around and Auster weather was considerably better than Boreas. He considered all this, tucking it away to tell his sister when he heard Rivin start answering his question. With his toes practically stuck in the mud, he turns his head instead to look at her shoving the horsetail into the bag. Her cocky grin has him curious as she starts to move toward him. Honestly, none of these plants looked like anything to him other than well, plants. Sure, he ate the ones he was told to eat, but he had no idea what they were called or what they did. Rivin came closer to him and began describing a specific plant. He glances around and his brow furrows. Didn't they all look green and yellow? What did she mean by soft? Scalloped? What the hell was she goin' on about? "You sure you know what yer lookin' for Riv?" Scald asks, confusion clear in his tones as he moves along the bank to try and help her find what she was looking for. S C A L D