Shattered

Sterling saw him pause in his work and step away from the herb,
craning his neck toward the sound of his name. Then his eyes met hers, whirling pools of sapphire and amethyst freezing over, and she could feel the chill from his gaze as though his cold glare had cast a wintry gust upon her. She felt his anger like a stab inside her chest, knowing that she'd betrayed any form of trust and sullied any inkling of a friendship that may have formed between them the last time. Something inside of her fought against the feeling of guilt - this wasn't fair! She'd only done what any wolf would've done for their pack! Why did she have to feel badly for it? Wouldn't anyone fight proudly for their pack when their leader declared a raid? Yet still, deeper within was that sinking, knowing feeling that somehow she had wronged her acquaintance, and she couldn't undo that. Her head hung a little lower, her gaze dropping to the ground as she could no longer meet his gaze.

His voice came forth, and for a moment she hoped he would say something that wouldn't match his icy stare, and her ears flicked forward as she glanced at him for a split second. However, his words lacked the rich, warm tones she remembered from their first meeting, and it was clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. She was surprised that he'd even bothered to direct her toward the Irises, but perhaps that was his way of getting rid of her. Ears folding back again, she looked in the direction he'd indicated. "Yes, I.... th-thank you," she said, stumbling over her words. She had wanted to tell him that she was interested in the plants, that she cared enough to come back and see the flowers for herself. But what would it matter to say the words out loud? It was obvious that he didn't believe she'd ever cared about the lesson he'd offered, although it was quite the opposite;
the time he'd spent teaching her had opened her mind to learning new things, not to mention she could name at least a couple plants now.

Turning away from Paladin entirely and dragging her paws toward the stand of Iris, she spotted their blue flowers amongst the greenery, their stalks growing tall from the edge of the water. Competing with the lake reeds, the Irises appeared proud with their vibrant colouring and stretched out petals. Trying to focus on the plant, rather than the sunken feeling in the pit of her stomach, she approached the flowers and pressed her nose close to them, inhaling their scent as she then ran her muzzle down their stalks and toward their roots, where a familiar fragrance rose from just beneath the water's surface. She carefully placed her forepaws into the water until she felt the roots, burying her nails into the mud as Paladin had showed her previously. She pulled away the loose soil until she'd largely freed the roots, and then grasped the stalk as low as she could without sticking her face under water.
As she busied herself doing so, she recalled all of the uses of Iris that Paladin had described, and the warning he'd given about it as well. Perhaps she could use it on her own wounds, and she wondered if it would help with the gnawing ache she felt in her belly.

After pulling up a few of the plants and leaving the rest, she carried the flowers to where Paladin was and placed them on dry ground. Hesitantly, she looked to him, not quite ready to leave just yet, but feeling she may have no choice if he was done with her being there. The territory may not have been claimed, but she wasn't about to push her luck if he wanted her gone. "I can see why they're called Blue Flag," she said quietly, tail flicking, "But... uhm... I-I wouldn't know how to apply them." The statement was left open-ended, a soft appeal to the young but skilled healer, the girl wondering if the boy would have but an ounce of patience left for her.