If This Grows It Will Be A Miracle

Lúta was overjoyed to be reunited with Ragna again. The two quickly caught up on their journeys and then moved to traveling together again, going nowhere in particular. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. Now that she had her friend with her Lúta had decided to work her way down south where it was warmer and where a few more summer herbs might still be holding on. It was clear though as she was traveling that she was traveling into lands that had been hard hit by the volcano. Some areas still boasted ash, others held charred streaks of land. She continued working her way south until she arrived at what used to be the Orchard. Rows of dead and burnt trees lined the area. There was a heavy smell of charcoal and ash but it wasn't totally hopeless. Bits of green and hardy grasses were growing up through the mixture of ash and soil. They seemed to wink at her in the morning light and she hoped they were rooted well enough to survive winter.

Ragna let out a low whistle. "What happened here." That's right, Ragna had only just arrived and probably hadn't heard about the volcanic eruption that had made such a mess of the eastern lands. "I heard from a loner that a volcano had erupted here. It was a bad eruption." She didn't say more than that. Ragna would know what she meant and she found it rather depressing to talk about. "I had heard from a loner that this place used to have a bunch of herbs and fruit trees but now…" Her voice trailed off. She could imagine what the territory had looked like before. Apples would be in season now if the trees had survived. Lúta and Ragna split up and Lúta started heading to the east. As she did so the territory seemed to fall into worse shape but she did see bits of hope here and there in the resilient plant life that refused to die down. There had to still be some nutrients in the soil them.

"Oi, Lúta! Come here!" Her ears flicked back and she turned and trotted over to Ragna. She bent her head and stared at a small sapling standing proudly near the charred trunk of another tree. So the trees were coming back? How excellent! Lúta shrugged the deer hide bundle off her that had been tied to her back with strips of leather thanks to Ragna's wonderful hands. Lúta quickly opened the bundle and pulled out a few seeds she'd collected on her travels. She didn't really have anywhere to plant them since she didn't have an established home and she supposed they wouldn't be good for ever so she really should look into planting them. Here was as good a place as any. Lúta did hope to start a garden eventually but it went against her more nomadic nature. A garden was usually tended but there wasn't any rule that said she couldn't plant seeds and then let nature take over. Let the plants spread and grow where they would.

"Ragna, I'd like to plant some of these seeds. Can you see if you can find some water?" The macaque stared at her for a moment then nodded and walked off to see if she could find some water, an empty scrap of deer leather in hand to make a make shift bowl. They'd likely need to make several trips but it would be worth it. Lúta eyed the shifting rows of the Orchard and then picked a few places to plant her seeds. She wasn't sure if they'd grow. For some of them it wasn't the best time to be planted but perhaps they'd go dormant for the winter and then blossom in the spring. She had Alder seeds and also a few apple seeds that should feel right at home with the trees of the Orchard.

Lúta bent her head and set to digging with her paws. Digging could be a bit challenging for her as she preferred to dig without her claws. She didn't really want to risk dulling them too much but then it was good to sharpen them and keep them trimmed to. She made four small holes in the dark ground then carefully put a seed in each hole, alternating between the two. She had more seeds but she decided to save them for later in case she found a good spot to stay for the winter. She figured if she picked a home base in each region she could travel between the regions and maybe have a small garden in each. Of course it would have to be open for others to use as she would not be there to guard it but in her mind that was rather how nature intended it to be.

Lúta carefully used her paws to cover the seedlings and by that time Ragna had returned with the skin full of water from a nearby creek that was running clear and cool. Ragna carefully folded the skin and let one corner fall to make a spout. From there the water flowed out on one seed and then another. She moved carefully down the row until each seed was watered. With a little luck they would start to sprout after the winter. If she'd had more of an idea of the trees in the surrounding area she supposed she could try and transplant some larger trees but she had a long way to go before she could rest for the night. Perhaps if her seed experimented failed she could try again in the spring.