The Magic of Birch

She headed out to the plains that were close to Lirim. With Kairi's help and guard, the elder woman wanted to do her part for the world before she inevitably kicked the bucket. She was twelve years old now, and she'd be damned if she didn't try to help the earth heal after the volcano tried to claim it. With a sack held gently in her jaws, she paused at the top of the ridge and looked out over the plains. Not a single tree grew here, but she aimed to fix that. Or at least...try. She wanted to add a little beauty to the bleak world that had been covered in ash at the start of the year, so with determination in her step, she motioned for her guard to follow as she slowly made her way down towards the heart of the valley. Even if her efforts were unsuccessful later, she would at least know that she tried. She wanted to try and plant a tree. Some flowers at its base if the tree decided to grow. She didn't know if something would come along and pick at it while it tried to sprout...but hopefully, in a few years and after she was gone, it would flourish.

It took some searching for the perfect spot, but eventually, she did find it. She set the bag down and glanced around, checking for signs of other animal trails. There didn't seem to be too much traffic here, but hopefully just enough that passing deer or other animals would be able to fertilize it as they went by. Glancing to Kairi, she motioned for the girl to come over and help her dig. She knew she wouldn't be able to dig a deep enough hole on her own, so she required the help of the much younger she-wolf. Together they would start to dig a hole that the elder deemed good enough for her to do her work. When she was satisfied with the first one, she would begin to dig out several, smaller holes around the first one. Each one a foot or two apart from the first, as well as from each other so that the smaller holes formed a ring around the first. "Kairi, bring me the sack." She finished digging the last hole before taking the sack from Kairi. Laying it on the ground, she opened it to reveal several bulbs that she had harvested from the pack lands. They were all different varieties of lilies, her favorite flower...she had plenty grown around her den since she loved the scents so much, so it was only natural she wanted to bring some of the bulbs out here to plant, too.

Sorting them out, she would gently move them to the side before scooping up the silver birch tree seeds she had collected and prepped. She doubted it was the right season to plant them, but she would still do it anyway. Maybe someday they'd grow a tree. Maybe not. Either way, she held out that hope. "What kind of seeds are those?" Kairi's curious question brought a small smile to her lips. "Silver birch tree. I learned during my travels...that it is said birch trees are a symbol of new beginnings, regeneration, hope, new dawns, and the promise of what is to come." She turned to look at her, "The tree carries ancient wisdom and yet appears forever young. Whether this is true or not, I think it's fitting after what's happened these last few seasons, don't you think?" She received a nod from Kairi before she returned to focusing on her work.

She carefully placed the seeds into the center hole and then gently covered it. The hole was shallow, though not enough to where birds or other creatures could disturb the seeds. When she finished with that, she moved on to planting the bulbs. Very carefully she'd take each one and planted them in the smaller holes, and when each one was to her liking, she covered them up and sat back to check her work. All that was left was to get them some water before she left, so she picked up the sack and headed to the nearest stream where she scooped up the water and, with Kairi's help, got it back and the pair carefully watered the seeds and bulbs. "I might make a gardener out of you before I croak, hm?" She chuckled before sitting back to rest.

She had done good work, she felt. And she hoped the seeds would flourish and grow into something beautiful. Especially the birch tree...after all, she felt like that's what the earth needed after everything. Glancing up at the sky, she took a deep, steadying breath and decided it was time to relax after that hard work. "Go ahead and hunt if you'd like, Kairi. I'll be fine here." She rested her head on her forepaws as she felt the napping mood wash over her while Kairi left to hunt them some lunch.

WC: 845