trouble in my bloodstream

With the minimal distance between them, it was easier for Raven to get an idea of what Álarr was doing at any given moment. The steady rumble of his deep voice felt like it was rattling through the dark furred boy's narrow chest every time he spoke, and it was oddly delightful. Álarr explained that there were plenty of useful plants- herbs, he called them- nearby. A skeptical frown flashed across his dainty features, and the Saxe child had to contain his doubt. If there were so many medicinal herbs around, how come he didn't know about them? Seemed strange. Álarr suggested that they look for meadowsweet first, and offered to tell him more about the herb once they'd found it. All at once, excitement began to simmer beneath his skin and his thin, fluffy tail began to wag gently at his hocks. He waited patiently while the older male made some rustling sounds, leaning closer to the source of the sound until the damp pad of his nose bumped into the soft leather of Álarr's satchel. Ah, he was carrying a bag with his herbs in it. That made sense. The whole thing smelled strongly of plants, various aromas of spice, tang, loam, and sweetness all mingling into an overwhelming concoction that flooded the boy's sensitive nose. Rocking back on his heels, he unleashed a loud sneeze that nearly knocked him off his paws.

Once he'd shaken himself vigorously to rid himself of all those smells, and the brief distress of being made to sneeze so violently, he caught the sound of Álarr's voice again. Oh, he was being offered a smell to track. Perfect, he was getting good at that! The susurration of the grasses under a heavy paw drew him forward until he could detect the faint smell of the meadowsweet. Leaning in, he bent his thin elbows until his nose was all but pressed into the grass itself. The herb was primarily sweet smelling, like the name would lead you to believe. However, there was an earthy undercurrent that he couldn't quite name. Oh, wait, yes he could. Nutty. Sometimes the barn swallows dropped seeds and nuts onto the barn floor, and he had become fairly familiar with the notes of their scent. Just enough to be able to identify it now, lingering in the undercurrent of the meadowsweet's scent. "Ooh, I like that." he said simply, straightening up and lifting his nose to the wind. At the moment, the breeze was coming from the west, he thought. He could smell the faint, briny hint of the Rio Grande, with all of its fish headed for the ocean to the south. He couldn't catch any of the notes he'd just smelled from the herbs, though.

"You go first, I'll just walk beside you." he decided with a lopsided grin, glancing over in Álarr's direction and waiting for the healer to get moving. It was easy enough to follow a moving target, especially a large one that was moving slowly to accommodate a blind child.

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