Need a Little Ray of Sunshine

Sterling would never have suspected she'd be even remotely interested in the subject of plants or healing. But the way that Paladin spoke was captivating, and she found herself drawn into his words. It was with a higher intelligence that he uttered each carefully chosen word, yet his speech was in no way slow or hesitant. Every word was offered with a purpose and came with a calm, humble confidence; it was far from the common chatter and small talk she was used to hearing. She had guessed that he was about her age, but when he mentioned it himself, that he was merely a yearling - just the same as she was - she somehow felt surprised. How had he advanced so far in his training in such a short time? Or was there merely her perception... had she actually been slacking? She felt an unpleasant warmth spread over her face, suddenly very conscious of her lack of skills and knowledge. She was embarrassingly untrained. These Nomads sounded like a very interesting group, and they indeed sounded elite as he spoke of them. As though they were in a league far beyond anything she'd ever known. And perhaps that was true.

She found herself leaning slightly forward as he paused after her question about the plant he was digging up. His silence caused her to wait eagerly for his response, wanting to hear more of what he had to say. At last, he dug up the root and began to explain the basics about it - what it looked like,
how it smelled - and she leaned toward the root to give it a sniff, although she did not get too close to it. She would hate to make him think she was going to snatch it and run off. Sterling listened intently as he explained further about Blue Flag, or Iris, such as its uses, and then its dangers.
Her eyes followed his movement as he lay open the carrying hide and moved the root onto it. When his tone fell serious, she looked to his gleaming eyes, her silver-tipped ears pressing forward as he warned that it never, ever be used with pregnant or nursing wolves. She felt the gravity of his warning, and she nodded in understanding. She was sure that her expression was enough to show him that she was listening; she'd heard him clearly and she understood the importance of his message.

Sterling had fallen silent, as she felt there was much more to draw from listening than from speaking or offering any of her insight. Well, she had nothing to offer on this subject anyways, so her breath and his time would be wasted if she were to speak. But, as he closed the hide around the root and gazed at her with his head tilted just to the side, his next set of words would beckon a response from her. An invitation to come along with him as he dug up more of the roots. Well, she certainly wasn't going to pass that up! Paladin was by far one of the most interesting wolves she'd ever met, and his intelligence had her enthralled. "Absolutely!" she exclaimed, almost a little too quickly, "I-I've never learned anything like this before... thank you. And I don't mind getting my paws dirty; I can help you dig some up." An earnest smile crossed her face, an expression not common for the girl who normally hid behind the facade of a rebel without a cause.