winter forage

Satira still felt very much like a rookie when it came to her healing skills. Her father, whom had been the bulk of her education on the subject, made his presence scarce, and thus her lessons and skills had suffered for it. She tried her best to practice and rehearse what she had learned, but with no formal training beyond the basics, she still felt very green—pun intended—when it came to identifying helpful herbs and how to best use them in medicinal applications. Today, however, her limited skillset would be put to use helping out the pack her family's little caravan had decided to bunker down with through the duration of the winter. Elysium wanted to expand their borders south and take the Firefly Lake into their fold, and she had been tasked to help identify medicinal herbs in the area the pack could make use of. Even better, her Uncle Indigo was the one leading the expedition! And so, with a bright smile and eager eyes, Satira set forth from the island and out to explore the wild lands.

Indigo led the charge, bustling through the dense snow like a massive purple mammoth and clearing a path for the tiny Tira to trudge easily through. With all the heavy snowfall in the north of the continent, it was hard to find any plants, let alone identify them properly! But dammit, they had to try for Manea! Indigo used his bulky head to clear out patches of snow for her to sift through with agile paws, upturning snow and dirt to find any foliage or roots hidden beneath the snow and ice. As he shifted about a patch, she spotted a flash of red, and quickly began to dig through the snow and dirt, feline claws helping her excavate the herb to the surface. She recognized the valerian root from her lessons with her father and almost cheered with delight as she plucked it from the frozen earth. "Look, Uncle Indy! Valerian root!" she exclaimed, stashing it away in the small satchel she carried around her side. "My dad said it was good for the immune system, and helps bring you energy when you're tired."

"Satira"