Lavender
Solo First Herb Gathering
02-13-2020, 06:29 PM
While his life had improved for the better since Theory agreed to mentor him, Desolate still found himself struggling with his anger daily. From what he could see from the other members of Abaven - both pups and adults - it was not a normal affliction. More and more, the boy wondered if there was something wrong with him. It was not an easy thing to accept, though he knew that such anger and violence was not welcome in his pack. Abaven was much like a sanctuary, and many broken or afraid wolves lived in it's borders. He had decided to go out in search of a cure for his hatred and bitterness, having heard tales of a plant called Lavender that helped to calm a wolf's mind and cure depression. Depression to him seemed much more severe a problem then what he was dealing with - after all, he was an angry child not a sad one - but it was worth a shot regardless. The plant was supposedly colored as it's name would suggest, a bright purple. He'd been told it stood high sometimes up to two feet tall and would be easily recognizable by its beautiful relaxing aroma. It was a shrub he was looking for, one with bright purple flowers. He wondered what he'd need to do with them once he collected them, would they be better cut and dried? Chewed on and swallowed? Made into a paste? Desolate didn't know, he'd only learned small bits of healing knowledge. However there were multiple skilled healers within Abaven and while the pup was too shy to ask them to gather the herb and treat his issue for him, he figured he could gather the courage to bring the lavender to them and ask how it should be used. The plant was said to enjoy sun exposure and preferred warm and dry climate. It was supposedly tolerant however, so Desolate hoped it would still be able to be found after the volcano's wrath had destroyed the land. He was sure he'd seen a bright purple plant while wandering the Rustling Thicket, but he wasn't on the lookout for it at the time so he had little confidence that it was lavender he'd actually seen. Regardless, the pup wandered throughout the thicket with his nose held high sniffing madly to try and identify it by it's distinctive smell. While it'd meant to be to relax him, the trip was doing the opposite. His constant failure to find the herb was frustrating and more then once he'd thought maybe he should turn back and find an adult to help him. Though soon he'd be a yearling, and a yearling grown without a mother or a father. A simple herb hunt should be something he could do alone as he'd done the rest of his growing. His brothers were the only wolves he could depend on now - well, them and Theory. It took him the better part of the day but as the sun began to set Desolate was stopped in his tracks by a very peculiar smell. The scent was relaxing as he'd been told, and he felt the fur on his back begin to flatten as his tension and frustration began to ease. He trod forward following his nose diligently until he came upon the shrub and bright purple flowers that grew high upon it. He realized then that there was more to do than simply find the plant, and paused to observe it as he considered his next move. He'd brought along with him a bowl formed with clay, it wasn't masterfully crafted though it would do for his purpose. While it wouldn't hold water, he could put a few leaves and flowers in it and carry them home without much effort. He began by snipping off with his teeth a single branch of the shrub. Along it the flowers still held, and he placed it carefully in the bowl. This way if the adult he went to for advice were to tell him that the flowers weren't enough and he needed bark, he'd have that collected. Next, he began to dug down low beneath the plant. It took him only a few minutes to unearth some roots, and he snipped a portion of those out of the ground as well. Desolate didn't know exactly what roots could be good for, but he'd seen other healers use them from various plants and he wanted to be prepared. Finally, he circled the plant and pulled off dozens of flowers themselves. He'd not want to make the journey back here anytime soon, and if his idea worked he might need a lot of lavender to finally cure his anger issues. Plus he needed backup flowers for any trial and errors in the process of making any potential salves and such. With his roots, bark, and flowers collected Desolate stood a little taller. He grasped the bowl in his mouth and made his way back home being extra careful not to spill any of the lavender onto the ground as he walked. WORD COUNT: 874
"Speech"
"Thinking" "You." |