Ara wasn't entirely sure what to do with herself.

Leo had made it clear, in much nicer terms, that she needed to stop straying from Fiori if she wanted to continue to be part of it. And she did - she really did. She had never really known the life of a rogue, and she wasn't interested in finding out if the lifestyle fit her now. Every day she felt Novel's loss even more strongly, but she wasn't sure she should go finding her. Surely she had made it to Ahlon long ago, what if she simply didn't want to come back? Leaving meant that their sons wouldn't know where either of them were, if they needed them. She was conflicted about it all, though she kept searching nearby lands diligently for any signs of her family.

Today, though, she needed to do something for Fiori. Anything, really, to show that she cared. She wandered closer to the falls, feeling the water spray against her pelt and send a shiver through her core. The season was rapidly changing, and with winter on the horizon the normally pleasant eastern lands felt a bit less comfortable. It was far from inhospitable, but she was unused to the weather and found herself longing for warmer days again. She braced herself against the cool water as she navigated around the falls, her head low to the ground as she nosed about the vegetation, sniffing out the flowers that remained. Most were losing their color, and their scents were fading as the earth cooled and made survival harder for plant life. She'd have to get her stores ready for the winter, she decided.

She liked roaming their lands, but she so seldom saw anyone there that she wasn't sure what the point of it was. She wanted to get to know her new packmates, her new family, but she was having a hard time of it. As such, she'd mostly been spending her time making sure her den was perfectly set up and wandering around in the hopes of running into anyone.

It seemed as though this day was going to be lucky for her, as she stumbled across someone. She could see the woman in the distance, and turned to head after her, tail wagging happily as she moved through the underbrush. It took her a few long moments to catch up to the woman and get within hearing distance of her, thanks to her short little legs, but she finally managed it.

"Hello there!" she called out when she deemed herself close enough. "How are you today?" Well, she hoped, and she also hoped that they could be friends as she wanted to have some in the pack, not that she suspected everyone would be her friend. She couldn't hope for that much, but this was the first wolf she had seen since entering the pack and she wanted to make a good impression.

She didn't know the woman that approached her. It was possible she'd been at the last meeting, and she'd just missed her - which was very likely with over two dozen wolves attending. Her scent wasn't familiar though, so Ara figured she was a newer member. Lifting her head, her sapphire gaze found the younger woman and a smile appeared on her face, kind and welcoming. At least, in Fiori, she knew the wolves would have good intentions. It was nice to not worry about meeting less favorable company here; another welcome perk of pack life, and more reason to get to know the wolves in Fiori a bit better.

"Good afternoon," she'd return the woman's greeting gladly, her own tail beginning to bat at her hocks in a slow but certain rhythm. Her head, the pale tan fur a stark contrast to the rest of her pelt, tilted slightly to the side as she examined Faelyn's own golden coat briefly. "I'm well, thank you for asking," she spoke freely, her smile growing at the prospect of company on this cool autumn day. "What about you?" Her inquiry was a genuine one, rather than simple small-talk. "I was hoping to find some useful herbs today, before the cold really sets in." Not that the area ever got particularly inhospitable, but the plants would die out when winter made its presence known.

Faelyn's tail swished from side to side delightedly as she was greeted so warmly, pleased that she hadn't been rebutted. Not that she had really thought she would be, but sometimes others didn't want to be interrupted, so it was understandable that she wouldn't always be welcomed in her approach. In this case she was, for which she was grateful. Now she could have an actual conversation with someone and maybe make a friend in the pack.

"I'm doing pretty well," she replied. "Just exploring and trying to meet new people." The other woman mentioned herbs, and Faelyn brightened at the comment. "Oh! I'd love it if I could tag along. I'm trying to learn more about them myself," she said. She didn't like admitting to a lack of knowledge because it embarrassed her, yet another reminder of how young she was, but that was all right. Better to admit to it and be given a chance to correct her lack of knowledge instead of never learning anything.

"I'm Faelyn by the way," she finished, realizing she hadn't introduced herself.

Ara had never been that great about small talk. What was there to talk about, really? She had few real interests beyond healing, and her family. Many wolves didn't care for healing, and there wasn't much to talk to regarding her family, especially recently. It was deeply refreshing to find some common ground to talk about. Talking of healing, and of herbs, came easily to her and made the normally quite introverted girl seem leagues more confident and outgoing. In reality, she wasn't much of either.. but she was always happy to share her knowledge with others. She knew she needed to contribute more, anyone, to ensure she and her family had a place here.

Her own grin, a gentle expression, brightened a bit at Faelyn's interest. "You're new to Fiori, then?" she'd ask gently - she hadn't seen her around before, but Ara mainly kept to herself anyway, so if she hadn't noticed her it wouldn't be much of a surprise. She was more pleased at the fact that the younger girl wanted to join her, though. Her tail wagged behind her, unabashed in her pleasure. "You're more than welcome to join me," the woman offered freely. She cared little for how much she did, or didn't know. Why not share? The company was appreciated, even if Ara wasn't one quick to admit that she felt lonely at times. Though she was more comfortable being alone, that didn't mean she always wanted to be alone.

"Nice to meet you then, Faelyn," Ara smiled yet again. "My name's Ara. Ara Destruction. Let's head over here," The Destruction name, while not one she'd had from birth, was part of her identity and one she wanted to hold on to for as long as possible. She hated thinking about the ifs of Novel not coming home. Shaking her head, she'd take a few steps toward the falls, knowing some herbs grew there - the warm water made for fertile soil, and she was sure she could find something there to show her.

Faelyn nodded somewhat abashedly in response to the woman's question. She supposed it wasn't too bad to admit that she hadn't been there for very long, especially since there was no reason to lie. She hoped the woman wouldn't think too much less of her because she hadn't been part of the pack for long, though she also didn't see a reason to do that if she was being completely honest.

She was pleased when she was welcomed, grateful for the opportunity to learn. The didn't come around very often she'd found, and in this case she presumed she was quite blessed because she presumed this woman was quite knowledgeable about the subject. Not that she'd really know if she wasn't.

The last name the woman offered seemed odd to Faelyn, especially since she was a healer, but she made no comment upon it. Names were given to you by your family, and you didn't have any say in it. Even if it wasn't given by her family, it wasn't Faelyn's place to say anything about her name.

"All right," she agreed cheerfully, following the woman. "So, what's the herb you use the most?" she asked out of curiosity. What sort of injury or illness was most common in this area?

She confirmed she was new to Fiori, and Ara smiled warmly.  "Good choice, coming here," Ara commented gently, her tone conversational. It was a good choice. She had enjoyed living in Seracia, too, but she had been younger than and life had been simpler. Now she couldn't imagine leaving Fiori, not for anything but her family, if that was what they wanted. God, she hated that she couldn't stop wondering what might happen if she left to go to Ahlon.. not that she knew where Ahlon even was, and anyone who did know was long gone. She shifted her attention back to Faelyn to avoid such somber thoughts.

As they moved together, she asked which herb she used the most. That was a tough question, since many had different uses and were found in different lands.  "Well," she started thoughtfully, as they moved with Faelyn at her side toward the edge of one of the pools of water, not far from where they stood already.  "It really depends where you live, with what you'll use most. Dandelion is one of the most common flowers I've seen in all my travels. They're those yellow ones, with tiny petals, that grow in vast fields." Maybe she'd seen it - probably, but it was possible she couldn't place an image to the name.   "They don't taste great, but they're great for the stomach." Her eyes roved over the vegetation here, searching for anything that stood out.

"Marigold is another flower that grows often in the fields here," Ara stated, veering to the side to approach a cluster of small flowers.  "It's a lovely orange-yellow flower. This, though," she gestured to the small cluster of flowers. They were wilting, though they were still recognizable to her.  "Is called Valerian root. It's not exactly the season for it, but it can still be useful, even if it's not as potent as it would be in the warmer months." The flowers were clearly dying, wilting pitifully, though they maintained some of their soft pink color around the edges. Ara frowned slightly, though moved forward to nose around, looking for some of the less-wilted ones and tugging them from the ground.

"Something good to remember is that the root of the plant, the part that comes from the ground, is how plants take water and nutrients from the soil." She was gentle and concise as she paused, trying to gently pull one from the earth. Luckily, the soil was damp and pliable here and it wasn't a difficult feat.  "If you break it away from the root, it will die much more quickly. Sometimes I even like to take plants and set them in puddles, so they stay fresh longer." Living in Fiori made that far easier, for the ground was always damp and bog-like much of the time.  "Valerian root is a pretty abundant herb here. It's great for helping sleep and easing anxiety, mostly."

She realized she was talking a lot, and had probably said an overwhelming amount. She couldn't help it - as she spoke, her voice grew more passionate and sure. Healing was one thing in her life that she was certain about, and comfortable discussing and doing. Regarding most other things, she was an uncertain mess these days. "Sorry if that's a lot," she said quickly, dropping the flower she'd harvested at her paws. "You can try to gather some, if you want. Or ask any questions." The older woman smiled gently and glanced at Faelyn, wondering what she thought so far.

Faelyn thought she'd made a good choice as well, but it was always good to get her idea confirmed. She loved this place, but it was good to see that others did as well. Now she was going to learn from this woman, and gave her all of her attention out of respect and a desire to learn.

Dendelion, right. Faelyn could see how that could be useful. Nausea was a common complaint of female wolves who were expecting and so many illnesses caused it as well. She made a note to gather some of it whenever she saw it, as it was likely going to be pretty useful.

She made note of all the flowers that were mentioned, even if she didn't necessarily know what they were for. She could figure that out on her own if need be, but it was harder to figure out what was actually good and useful instead of harmful. It occurred to her that she'd probably need to take some of that root herself from time to time given her social anxiety, but she refrained from saying so aloud.

Faelyn had thought that the point of gathering them was to allow them to dry, but it seemed as though that wasn't necessarily the case. Well, if you wanted a constant supply of them then of course you'd want to keep them alive so they'd continue to grow and spread she realized.

"Okay, that makes sense," she said softly, approaching one of the plants and carefully pulling it up. Some of the roots didn't come with it, but the majority did, and she looked down at it proudly once she'd set it at her paws to get a good look at it.

(Is it ok if I join?)

Ryka was awoken by the warm sunlight, streaming across her face as she slept inside her den near the entrance.She blinked a few times in the dazzling light and rising to her feet, she padded out into the warm sunshine and stretched. It had been awhile since, she had spent some time just going for a stroll. That particular day, she had decided to explore her new packland. Stretching once more, she turned round and headed off. Soon Ryka arrived at Sunset falls and as she did so, she caught the scent of two wolves. The scent grew stronger as, she tracked it and looking around, spotted them in the distance. She headed towards her, weaving her way through the trees. She approached the wolves and stopped a safe distance from them. Placing herself in a slightly submissive stance to show that she meant no harm, Ryka spoke to the two wolves. "Hello I'm Ryka, Do you mind if I join you?" she called out gently, maintaining a respectable distance so that she did not frighten the wolves.

Faelyn was quiet but observant as Ara spoke, and demonstrated what she meant. She hoped dearly that the girl would take her words to heart, and remember them - she seemed genuinely interested in healing and it was truly a blessing to be able to share her knowledge with the younger woman. She was happy to continue speak, so long as Faelyn wanted to hear more.  She knew it was a lot to take in, but it was a solid starting ground, or so she thought.

Ara examined her as she pulled some of the valerian from the ground. "Now," she started carefully, grinning proudly at Faelyn's effort. "Different plants have different parts that are used. For this one, we can use both the root and the petals of the flower." She tried to keep her explanation short and concise - as easily understood as possible. "I've used it myself to sleep at night. It's a pretty safe choice when used for anything involving.. nerves or restlessness." Some herbs were far harsher than other, and some more dangerous, especially when being used for something so minor.

Note: tried to contact Saz about her post here and she never replied, so I'm going to go ahead and assume she isn't here yet until I hear otherwise, so we can keep going!

((Okie!))

Faelyn thought it was good that they could use more of the plant. It reduced waste. Then again, she supposed you could just take a few petals from multiple plants and be done with it, whereas if you were using the roots of something you had to kill the whole plant. That seemed less useful when it was the only part of the plant you could use. She wondered, briefly, if you could use leaves from a plant without killing it. Stems obviously not, but leaves? Probably, she decided.

"That sounds quite useful," she replied, thinking of how often she was struck by nervousness. She wasn't going to admit that just yet, but it might have been implied by her statement or actions thus far. Safe... that implied that there were unsafe methods, and while she didn't want to accidentally find them she also didn't want to ask and make it seem like she wanted to know for some bad reason. Though, if you knew her for even a moment you'd probably figure out she didn't mean anything by it.

Ara smiled at Faelyn's attention, noting that she still seemed interested. Good. She stated that it sounded useful, and she could nod in agreement. "In terms of helping with sleep or anxiety," she started , using a paw to push some of the plants she had gathered in a small pile. "I prefer lavender to valerian root. I'm not sure where the nearest supply is, but it's a pretty recognizable plant. It grows on long stems and the flowers are light purple, and grow in whorls on the stem."

It seemed that their little training session would be interrupted, though. Hearing the pawsteps of another, Ara lifted her head to eye the woman who was approaching. Though unfamiliar to her, the ease with which she moved made her certain she was part of Fiori, even though Ara had never seen her. Her head tilted and she offered a kind smile to the stranger. "Hi Ryka," Ara greeted her, smile widening slightly. "I'm Ara. We're just collecting some herbs. Are you a healer yourself?" Her tone was kind and conversational, and she wondered how long Ryka had been part of the pack, since she hadn't seen her before.

Saz has joined the thread now :)

Ryka waited nervously as the wolves chatted and then noticed her. One of them, a black and tan wolf looked at her and gave her a friendly smile, and introduced herself as Ara. "Nice to meet you too Ara. Yeah I am a healer, though I only arrived here a few weeks ago. What about yourselves?" Ryka says as she sat there for a few moments and studied the wolves carefully. Deciding it was safe, she got up and moved closer to the pair. When she sat down again she looked at the other wolf, tan in color and gave her a friendly smile. "Nice to mee you too Miss uhmm?" The gray wolf says softly, hoping that this was beginning of her being able to make her first two friends within the pack.