armada expansion: healing

Flexing her feline claws out Aris carefully began her climb. It wasn't a particularly tall tree but sturdy enough for her light weight, and she made her way up the trunk with her claws like a kitten, until she could reach the first cones. Setting her other claws firmly into the bark she dislodged one forepaw and reached out to pluck one off the branch closest to her. Though they were called "berries" they were actually evergreen cones, which is why they had survived so far into the winter despite all the freezing and snowstorms. There weren't nearly as many hungry critters willing to pry the seeds from cones as there were those who would devour actual berries or easier to eat seeds. She would be willing to bet that once summer came the dunes would abound with wild roses, but this late in tahe season there was no point in looking for the bright red rose hips because they would all be gone already. Too bad, they were really good for you. She did - as she scooted further up the tree to strip another branch - see a looping tangle of thorny looking vines along the far edge of the beach that she thought might be a particular climbing wild rose species. She would want to come back inthe late spring to check it out - if she transplanted some in places on the border it could make certain areas inaccessible to trespassers I'm addition to giving the pack a source of medicinal rose hips.

One saddlebag pack was nearly full, so she reached back to slide the buckle shut to keep the juniper from falling out, and opened the one on the other side, careful to set each foreclaw back in place with a confirmed grip before she released the other.