watermelon sugar
Bowen!
Finally! After skirting half of the southern territories, the young healer had reached the southern continent of Auster. The land bridge had been an interesting sight, but there was far more he wanted to see before heading back home. Broad paws carried him over surprisingly lush grasses, still cool underfoot as the morning dew disappeared. Mottled in greens and browns, he blended quite well with the scenery as he made his way through. This grove was filled with all manner of brush, and many different varieties of berry bushes. Pausing to inspect the nearest one, he found it laden with raspberries! Ack, why hadn't he thought to bring an extra bag on the trip? Sharp teeth carefully plucked a few of the ripe berries from their stems, and he chewed the tart berries while he continued his journey through the meadow. It would take a little while to get the lay of the land, and then he might stash his mask and supply bag somewhere so he could explore unencumbered. For now, he kept the muntjac skull affixed to his features and ambled along. Once again the swamp dweller stopped short, and leaned in to examine a cluster of pale blooms poking up from the thick grass. Boneset! He knew it from the fibrous hairs that coated the thick stalks, and the incredibly long leaves at the end of each branched cluster. He didn't have much left in his stores for winter, and it would almost certainly be in high demand when he returned. Perhaps he could collect some now, and hang it from one of these trees to dry so he could collect it at the end of his adventure through the grove. Yes, that might work. He stooped down, lowering and tilting his head to one side, and chewed through the base of one of the larger stalks in a few swift bites. Then came the careful process of collecting some of the long grasses that sprouted around the base of a nearby tree and tying them together as best he could. With the makeshift twine, he then bunched up some of the older leaves near the base of the boneset stalk and tied them together with the twine so the plant would hang upside down. Next it was just a matter of finding a low enough branch that he could reach it without risking pain of death if he happened to fall. Easier said than done, apparently. It took a little bit of aimless wandering, craning his neck to keep from dragging his trussed up herbs on the ground, and then he found a young oak. He dropped his bag of travelling supplies at the base of the trunk, and got to work. The forked trunk was a blessing, and he could use it as a jumping off point to climb a bit higher into the boughs and onto a sturdier one higher up. From there, he draped the homemade twine and its bounty near the trunk, where it wouldn't catch the eye of any wandering healers who might try to steal it. Perfect. Nimble paws carried him back down the trunk in a few leaps, pads and claws scraping against rough bark as he went. Once he was back on the ground, he let out a satisfied sigh and slung the old burlap bag over his shoulder again. A few hours should be good enough to get the herbs dried enough for travel, as long as it didn't rain. |