Well that's new
Kiyo had ventured much farther west than she’d ever been before in search of herbs, particularly those for coughs or colds. Winter was in full swing in most of Boreas, meaning snow layered the ground and destroyed most herbal vegetation. However, she knew in most western coasts the weather was much more fair and arid, meaning the cold didn’t reach it quite as harshly. She hoped that she could be able to find some herbs, specifically watercress, that she couldn’t find in her neck of the woods.
Her journeys took her dangerously close to the borders of many packlands that she hadn’t encountered before, turning it into a several day journey, and as she went, the nights seemed to get longer and longer. Her companions and her would cuddle up in the evenings with a well lit fire, staring warily into the darkness that always seemed to have eyes peering back at them. Strange colored fireflies, the likes of which she’d never seen before, dotted the landscape, hovering and darting to and fro. It was mesmerizing, really, but it made her feel unsettled in many ways, sending creepy crawlies tip toeing up her skin.
Kiyo, Yui and Aki were out traveling later than they would have liked, but they’d finally made it along the coast and had been collecting some herbs late at night. In the distance, she’d seen the sheen of light the huge moon had cast on the surface of the small pool of water garnered by the oasis. The trio had happily headed to it, looking for a respite for the evening that carried much needed refreshments. The pool would no doubt be fresh water, which was hard to come by, it seemed, in the area they had come across. As she got closer, she realized that they would have company. He was a large man, though not nearly as large as her son and his brood, and cloaked in a base of ruddy cream. It was overlaid in black, as if a shadow was being cast over him and she had half a mind to look upward to make sure he wasn’t about to be ambushed. She noticed a hawk dip down from the sky to land near him, and his deep voice echoing off of the stone and dunes that surrounded the oasis showed that, perhaps, it was his companion.
As she neared, she was able to see what he had been speaking of. The plants glowed a strange hue she’d never seen before, aside from on the algae that sometimes washed up on the shores of the Archipelago. Her silver gaze narrowed in suspect and alarm flared through her when she saw the man reaching out toward it, her pace lurching forward to a trot. “I wouldn’t touch that,” she warned, unable to see that he had rested his paw just nearby. “In my experience, things that glow usually do so as a warning to those that may want to harm them,” she expressed. Her long, luxurious tail, which, at present, was tied up neatly in a bow on her rump, gave a twitch and she offered a friendly smile to replace the concern that had previously marred her gentle face. Her companions moved to remove the medical bag that clung to her shoulders, though they eyed the man warily to be sure he wouldn't pose a threat to their lady.