*Healing, herb hunting*

Amalia Jayne Adravendi-Mathias It had been quite awhile since she had come to the west to hunt for herbs, and the tiny woman was glad for the distraction. Since the challenge she had been feeling quite down, which was unusual for the generally bubbly wolf. So with a small smile she had kissed her mate and daughters goodbye, and set off for an adventure. Picking her way across the familiar lands, she stopped when she reached Emerald Valley. She came to this place many times, the dried up riverbed was the perfect place to find fenugreek. It wasn't an herb known to most wolves, but in her study she discovered that the small leaves aided in milk production. It also helped with weight gain, but the leaves had a sharp, spicy taste to them. It was odd, but it worked. Her tiny rabbit tail wagged behind her, and she was about to enter the valley when the sharp scent of a border smacked her in the face. Amalia blinked, almost dazed. Falling to her rump, a pout came to her lips, dark blue eyes scanning the lands. A pack was here now? They weren't here last time! Letting out a huff she slid down to her belly, red head resting on her paws. She thought of calling the alpha, asking if she could enter their lands to collect her herb. But no... that was quite rude. Unsure of what to do, she just laid there. Maybe a good idea would come to her... "SPEAK"

Mith looked down at the woman who had approached from a distance, concealed in the tall grass atop a nearby knoll. He watched her carefully, and decided quickly that she probably wasn't a threat, which left him uncertain what to do with her. She walked with the easy, unsuspecting gait of familiarity, and he was curious to see if she would continue on through his borders. He wouldn't be able to just let it go, but he was curious to know what kind of stranger should have such confidence in these lands, and why. She seemed liked a good person to know. When she finally came into contact with his relatively fresh markings, she stumbled backwards and frowned. She was so cute, he couldn't help but stand and give a small yip. He didn't want to threaten or surprise her any further! He began down the slope, slowly so as not to pose too much of a threat. He knew his height and appearance could be a little... much, sometimes. "Hail, stranger," he said in a light tone. "Welcome to Argead. I am Mithras Aeris, and I lead here." He was eager to know her, but also eager to know what she had to offer. Argead was still in bad shape after the spring flooding. He was particularly worried about his scout, Ullr. If this woman knew something he didn't, he'd rather change that. "It seemed to me as if you have some business here?" he asked at last, hoping for the best. "Talk" "You" Think

Amalia Jayne Adravendi-Mathias She was still pondering what to do when she heard a soft yip. Coloured head reared up, and blue eyes grew wide. Amalia laid there in awe as a massive, star speckled wolf came towards her. She had never quite seen colours like this before, not in anything besides her dreams. Jaw opened and hung slightly slacked, looking way, way up when he stood in front of her. Holy crap. Her neck was stretched all the way up, and he was still blocking out her light. Scrambling to her paws as if to get bigger, like that was possible, she let out a soft meep. He was like a freaking tree! He was taller than some trees she had seen. Amalia was pretty much shocked into silence, never before had she felt quite so small. "I'm a bug..." she whispered out loud, not realizing that the words had left her mouth. Heat flushed under her russet face, gaze lowering bashfully. That is when she noticed his paws. Slowly she stepped forward, lifting and pressing her tiny paw on top of his own. It looked like a white freckle on his paw, like she was one of the stars on his bodice. That is when her body melted, a burst of giggles erupting from the tiny woman. "You could just fit me all on your paw!" she exclaimed, before stretching her neck all the way up. The giant beast introduced himself as Mithras, and that he was alpha of these lands. Her head dipped slightly, and she committed the pack name to memory. They must be rather new, she had been here a few seasons ago and there was no one here. Plus there was no way that he could ever be missed, even with all the tall grasses here. "Pleasure, Mithras. My name is Amalia Jayne Adravendi-Mathias, but don't worry, you don't have to remember it all," she said with a small laugh knowing that her full name was quite the mouthful. "As for my business here, I am sorry that was laying at your borders. This place used to be one of the biggest herb collecting places for me, even more so in the winter when snow coats the east. This is the only place where I can find fenugreek, among some other herbs that don't grow in my area," she explained slowly, sitting down so that she could look all the way up at him. Darn it all, she was going to have a crick in her neck after this encounter. "You see, I am a member of the pack Fiori. I am the head healer, in fact." Ama said with a smile, her tiny rabbit tail giving a few wags. The tiny woman had to lower her neck for a second, shaking out her already sore neck. "I would have noticed a pack of giants in my travels here, you must be new to this area," she mused, lifting her red head up towards him again. "Is everyone in Agread as tall as you? I cannot say that I have met someone of your height, or looks for that matter. You look like you were plucked right out the starts! But I bet you get tired of hearing that, eh?" She asked, eyes sparkling with humor. She knew what it was like, she was also told about her height often. It was for sure the opposite of this giant wolf, he had to be at least twenty inches taller than her. He was easily twice the height of her mate, who others also found humorous. Athena was eleven inches taller than herself, she could curl up right at her belly and fit nicely. Now, she could stand on Mithras' shoulders and he wouldn't even feel her minuscule weight. She could probably ride on his paws too! "SPEAK"

MITHRAS AERIS The female was, admittedly, quite smaller than he. She was dwarfed by his substantial mass, and luckily she seemed more amused than afraid. In fact, her light-hearted comments forced a grin to crack across his face. "I'm a friendly giant, I swear," he said with a warm laugh. She would introduce herself as Amalia Jane Adra-whatsit-what, and she must have noticed the confusion on his face as he tried to run through it one more time, and took pity on him. She went on to say that his lands were prime for herb collection, and that she herself was- OHMYGOODNESS! He gasped, ears perking and eyes going wide. "You're a healer?!" he exclaimed, overtaken by excitement. "Amalia, you are the answer to my prayers. Could I beg a lesson of you? We were hit hard by the flooding this spring, and we lack a prominent healer among us." He didn't wan't to sound overly pathetic to a wolf from another pack but their need was very real. He could sacrifice a slice of pride for the well being of his followers. He only hoped that Amalia would agree. In fact, he was so wrapped up in getting her assistance her accidentally ignored the rest of her questioning. Instead he pressed on with plying his case, bullheaded and full of hopeful exuberance. "I'd love to learn, personally, and I'm sure there are plenty of others in the pack who would want to give it a try. Name your price, it's yours." He hoped she would be amiable, but he also recognized that that was probably a long shot. But hey, a wolf could hope, right? "Talk" "You" Think

Amalia Jayne Adravendi-Mathias He commented that he was a friendly giant, and Amalia let out a laugh. "Good, because you could easily squish me without even trying! Remind me not to get on your bad side, if friendly giants have bad sides," she said with a wink. After everything that had been going on in Amalia's life, it was nice to have a conversation with someone who made her laugh. And he was a stranger, he didn't know what her son had done or what had transpired that day, she would have remembered seeing him. Everything took a turn when she mentioned that she was a healer, and her blue eyes flew open wide as a rush of excited words left her mouth. Ama struggled to keep up, it was obvious that this man was quite elated at the fact that she knew about herbs and healing. A huge grin spread across her maw, although it faltered slightly when he mentioned being hit hard with flooding. And no healer! Oh dear. Her ears flickered as she thought, not minding that Mithras has ignored her question and was pressing on about healing. He told her to name her price, and her gaze grew even wider. A price? "Oh no, I don't require payment for teaching about healing. Just seeing others learn is a gift enough to me!" she said with a sharp nod of her head. Her tiny tail flickered slightly, gears grinding in her mind. "I'm sure that I could ask Leo, the leader of Fiori, if I could stay here awhile to teach you. I can't just leave you with no healer, that won't do at all. Fiori is a nice pack, and I know for a fact that my brother would be open to having an alliance with you," she hummed thoughtfully, raising to her paws as he looked all the way up at Mithras. "I could come with you now, teach you a lesson about the herb I was looking for. And then I could go ask my brother about staying for a touch?" "SPEAK"

The woman seemed perplexed that he'd ask for payment, to which Mithras sputtered. She couldn't just do it for nothing, then they'd be in debt to her and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. She professed that the love for teaching was enough but he had his doubts. "We'll see," he began. "I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something to make it worth your while." But Amalia went on. She proposed that Fiori lend Argead it's aid, and Mithras found his jaw hanging open, uncertain of what to say. On one hand, it was desperately needed in Argead at the moment. How he'd manage to collect such a number of wolves and not a healer among them, he'd never know, but he'd held out on the hope that he'd find a healer who wished to join them on a more permanent basis. This would create even more debt, but he wasn't sure what else he could do. He was not the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth, and more than that Amalia seemed genuinely kind, and very bright. He bobbed his head in agreement. "What you propose sounds very interesting. I think both of our packs could benefit from open communication. I would be very interested in what your King says." She proposed a lesson then and there, and his head split into a wide grin. He tossed his head back and let out a ringing howl. He couldn't let his pack members pass up on the opportunity, because he knew he wan't the only the looking for knowledge. He hoped that at least a few would choose to attend, and he himself decided then and there that he would make healing a study of his for the rest of his life. He'd never before considered how crucial the art was until he'd been in need of it. He turned back to Amalia and smiled. "Thank you. Are you sure about this? Now's the time to run!" he laughed and quirked a brow, tipping his head towards the horizon, hoping to see her crack a smile of her own. - Mithras

Amalia Jayne Adravendi-Mathias A single brow rose at Mithras sputtered, was just teaching her art not a reward enough? It would seem that way to him, and then she remembered that he was an alpha. Her brother was the same way, always thinking that he would be indebted to someone for doing them a favor. Slowly she shook her head back and forth, letting out a tiny laugh. "You big strong alpha men are all the same," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Fine, if it makes you feel better... maybe you can allow me to take some herbs home. There are a lot that grow here that I can't get in my own lands," There, now he wouldn't feel like he had to owe her anything. She really just did want to help, but she supposed that he had to be careful about who he made deals with. After all, not everyone was as pleasant as she was. He still seemed a bit nervous about what she proposed about a deal with Fiori, and her ears flickered slightly. "I'm sure he won't ask much in return, otherwise I will kick his butt. But..." she paused again, her thoughts going to her wife. "I'm sure our fighters could use a little help with training. My wife has tried to rally the troops, but it seems that we have more healers and hunters than fighters. Quite the opposite of the problem you have," Amalia mused, tiny rabbit tail wagging slightly behind her. That was a good trade, was it not? Plus, she could see the two males getting along. Mithras really was a lovely man, she was sure that her brother would see that. When she offered a healing lesson right away, she giggled as he tossed her a big smile. Her own jaws cracked open as she flashed her own grin, excitement pounding through her tiny body as a call sounded for the pack that he led. Oh boy, she was actually a bit nervous! Quivering slightly, she let out another laugh when the giant starry wolf told her that she should run now. "If I ran, you would be able to catch up in one leap!" she teased, eyes glimmering with amusement. "I could just climb up on your back and ride you like a horse. Really, I have never felt quite so small before." "SPEAK"

At the sound of a call for healers, Itri's golden tipped ears pulled forward. He didn't really know what he wanted to do in life, but... healing sounded okay he guessed. Plus Mithras was there, and he was a pretty cool guy. So he rose to his paws and padded towards the sound of the call. He was slightly confused why it was coming from the borders, was it normal to do training on the outskirts of territory? Blinking, he easily picked out the big male and made his way to his side. It was then that he saw the tiny red faced woman, and froze. Eww, she was all giggly and stuff. His ears lay flat on his skull as his silver eyes narrowed, but perhaps it was too late to turn back now. Grumbling under his breath, the grumpy puppy closed the rest of the distance between them. He lingered closer to Mithras' left leg, his gaze landing on the tiny woman. He hoped that she wasn't the one giving the lesson, she was way to perky for his liking. Actually, Itri probably wouldn't be the best healer, his bedside manners would be seriously lacking. Oh well, he was here already. Might as well do something to be useful. "SPEAK"

Art by Fox

Amalia proposed that the packs mutually aid one another, which Mithras liked the sound of a bit better. He smiled, and some of the tension relaxed out of his shoulders. He liked where it was heading, but ultimately decided it was a conversation to be had at a later date, with all the involved parties. He dipped his head and said, "I'm eager to meet him, you are welcome to call here any time." He was interested to see if this budding friendship might lead somewhere. He smiled at Amalia's banter as they waited to see if anyone would heed his call, and Mith was pleasantly surprised to see Itri crest the horizon and head their way. Of course when the boy actually reached them his face looked a bit sour. The large man grinned. "Glad to see you," he said, tone genuine. "You have interest in being a healer?" He was glad to see at least one youngster show up though he'd hoped for a better turn out than this. Still, he supposed he would take what he could get. "Talk" "You" Think

A call for healers. It rang out in her brothers sonorous voice, grabbing her attention from the outskirts of their territory. Interesting, to say the least. There was a shortage of them in the pack, and while the celestial titan had dabbled in it as a child, she had found adventures to be far more entertaining. Who had time for herbs and potions when the world was waiting to be seen? This meant that, when her brother inevitably injured himself, she was lacking in the skills to help. That was never good. A soft sigh would pass her inky lips as she spun on a heel, tracking the sound to its source. If there were lessons in order, she might as well attend. Were it something else, she was curious nonetheless. Keeping her head low and posture casual, she trotted along the borders toward her brother's call. Who would be providing healing for them? She came upon her brother standing beside a... rabbit? No, not quite that small. The tail was the same, but everything else was wrong. She smelled foreign as well, but there was the distinct clusterfuck scent of a pack bleeding from her coat. Was there a threat posed here? No, she was far too small to be a real worry, though the possibility of ambush was present with such a lovely little decoy. Amethyst orbs flicked to the form of her sibling, who looked completely at ease. Alright then, things seemed calm. The cosmic dame tracked her gaze over the petite form of the pallid woman, who was similar in size to their own little hobbit. Speaking of which, Faria had been distinctly lacking in presence lately. Busy with children, as per usual, but seriously! There was always time to be made for family, even just to chat without wee ones to annoy you. The violet toned femme cast her gaze now to the stranger standing in their midst. A mere child! She didn't recognize him, but Mithras had been taking in more stray children than he probably should. Curse that good heart of his. A dark pelt, with interesting golden flecks that could look like the stars, if one were inclined to believe that. Altogether, rather pleasant to look upon. "Mith," The goliath greeted her brother warmly, padding closer to press her snout into the soft fur of his ruff. She glanced over at the strange woman, deciding to check on how things were with her brother. "А кој е тоа? Дали има нешто што треба да го знае тоа, пред да продолжите?" She questioned in a barely there whisper, close to his ear. The woman didn't make an effort to hide her mistrust and vague aggression, as was her natural state. She directed her full attention to the russet-crowned female, trying for something that could have been a smile. "Greetings," She crooned, audits tentatively low. "I am Caia, Symvoulos of Argead." It was a rough greeting, betraying her continued inability to fully grasp the common tongue. It was in part due to apathy, as she wasn't much for social interaction as a whole. However, learning the language was becoming increasingly important, and she was beginning to become annoyed with herself. "Talk" "You" Think

The ebony-coated wild woman would perk at the sound of a howl, stretching out all of her legs as she lay in the grass, her tail flopping lazily. It sounded like Mithras calling to the pack. Not another meeting? No, the tone was different, a curious beckoning. The tone implied a call for a lesson, and the message was sent to summon healers. But were there any healers in this pack? It didn't seem like it. Bored of lounging, and wanting desperately to fill her time with activity before she left on another adventure, she figured she ought to go see what was up. She pushed herself to her paws and set off, not bothering to shake the grass from her fur. She would have to groom her coat properly and bathe in the clear river some other time. Her paws carried her swiftly across the valley to the outskirts of the territory. It seemed a strange place to gather, but as she approached the small group of wolves, she realized why. There was a stranger amongst them, someone with the scent of another pack on her fur. Her brows furrowed together as she got closer, hoping there wasn't something bad going on. Although, everyone seemed pretty calm, and the unfamiliar woman on their borders looked cheery. She supposed it made sense that the visitor was not causing a problem, since the howl sent up for the pack had not sounded urgent at all. Just then she noticed the brat Itri, standing on the other side of Mithras. He was interested in healing? That seemed like an odd calling for such a reserved, anti-social boy like him, but maybe she was just judging him too harshly. Sneaking around to the other side of the Vasilias where Itri stood, and she placed herself at the black and gold boy's left side, thwacking him on the hip with her tail to get his attention, knowing he probably wouldn't say anything to her. She grinned at him, before looking to the happy-go-lucky stranger who seemed to be the center of attention at this gathering. Esa herself wasn't particularly interested in learning about healing, but she supposed a little bit of knowledge wouldn't hurt. And it might give her a chance to continue to get to know her pack mates. "Speak" "Listen" Think