Despite her original plans, Ara found herself heading just south of the knolls toward a place she'd been to more than once before - the orchard. Winter was still here, but fading fast, and with the cold dissipating came a new sense of urgency; finding a place to settle with Athena, as well as her son and hopefully his children was highly appealing. The thought of settling down soon in lands with milder weather, too, was wildly appealing.. and so here she was, padding across the ground lightly dusted with snow, noting that much of it seemed to have been melting. While the orchard hadn't fully bloomed yet, it was certainly on the downward slope of winter.
With the passing of autumn, the trees generally released most of their fruits, but a few stubborn ones clung here and there; and no longer were they frozen solid, but with the slow melting of ice they'd started to decay and droop from the branches, and soon they would fall completely as the trees started to bloom. This place didn't smell the greatest overall, but to a trained healer the undertones of new life could be scented among the decay - a subtle reminder that spring would be here soon and that flowers would blossom on the trees, soon followed by their fruits.
Ara didn't expect to find anyone here, so when she spotted a relatively young wolf perched near the side of a tree, her pace slowed. He was closer than she'd expected, her attention on the frees and bushes that surrounded her rather than any possible wolves she might find nearby. He seemed to be observing the trees, perhaps surprised by what he was encountering, in such an odd place. Curious, she watched for a long moment before the dark-furred female took a few long strides forward. The herb bag she carried, still far too empty for her liking, hung loosely around her neck, bumping against her front left leg lightly as she walked. "Finding anything of interest?" Ara asked softly once she was within earshot, a ghost of a smile touching her lips - her posture was friendly, tail flicking where it lay behind her, her head lowered slightly as she nodded in greeting.
|
