★ Herbapalooza

Crux was lucky that everything around him had been totally safe to stuff into his mouth. He hadn't swallowed anything (on purpose, and what he had fully ingested was Agrimony, he'd have some superb bowel movements later) and instead had more than a few of the brightest plants he'd spotted gripped in his little jaw. So wrapped up in his romp the boy hadn't even realized he wasn't alone and when a voice lifted, calling out to him and another wolf he quickly glanced back at his parents who were herding the rest of his siblings, his mother looking up at the noise and looking at the strangers but otherwise seemed unbothered. They were close to the castle his sister was the queen of so it was probably pretty safe.

"It ish!" Crux said around his mouthful of plants, taking more tentative steps towards the pair, very aware of his limp suddenly now that he was standing in front of strangers. He made his way towards the two women, keeping an ear out for his parents to call him back but his curiosity getting the better of him. He watched as one of them carefully removed a plant he didn't recognize (he didn't recognize most of them to be fair) and the speckled woman asked what she'd found before asking their names. "Cruksh Fatalish." He said struggling to keep himself from drooling considering his mouth was so full. Finally, he dropped his bundle at his paws, it was probably better to talk without his mouth full. "Crux Fatalis." He repeated more clearly this time, the entire time his gaze never moved from the way the unknown woman dug up her prize, the way she handled it. Crux learned best by watching, listening, and copying and he couldn't know it but he was already learning a skill he'd need soon enough just from observing the way the other two women moved around the garden.

Speech