HEALING LESSON for members of CELESTIAL!
Attendance is REQUIRED for members with the following ranks: HEALER, CLERIC, and PALADIN. Attendance by other members is encouraged, but optional. There will be FOUR ROUNDS total, and ROUND ONE is due JULY 12th!

Solveiga had wanted to hold a lesson on healing for a long time, and now that the weather was finally beginning to warm up, she figured it was the perfect time. The snow was already melting and giving way to the bright green grasses, and within a week there would be fresh herbs ready to be gathered. Of course, Solveiga had struggles of her own to deal with now that winter was giving way to spring, but fortunately her hormones hadn't decided to start freaking out on her yet. And her scent wasn't very strong either. It was still early, which was just another reason to hold the lesson now, before she started leaving a trail of pheromones everywhere she went. In the past, many meetings and lessons had been held in the Vericona Plains. It was a great place for such things, but the Druid's Moor had proven to be just as useful when it came to herb gathering. And besides, why not change things up a bit? Solveiga gathered up some herb samples from her alcove and transported them to the moors, laying them out in neat rows before her. It was midmorning by the time she'd gotten everything prepared, and then she took a deep breath. This was a big step for her, not only as a healer and pack member, but also as an individual. For a brief moment she thought back to the young woman she was when she'd first joined Celestial. Shy and dependent, scared to say more than a few words to anyone. She had changed so much in the last couple of years. Here she was, about to hold a healing lesson. The little healer laughed a bit in spite of herself, and drew in a deep breath. She let out a howl that echoed through the territory, calling all members involved in healing and all those who might take an interest in healing. And Regulus would be there too, of course. He always was. But as the howl faded into silence, she quietly wondered if Kavdaya would feel well enough to make an appearance. If she didn't, Solveiga would understand. But she planned to pay a visit to the woman later. "Talk" "You" Think

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Dómari was stretched out half way in his den and halfway out, enjoying an afternoon nap. There wasn't much he could do in the herb department until spring got going a bit more and he hadn't really been in the mood to track down any sparring partners. His right ear twitched at the tickle of a faint breeze and he sighed in contentment. Well, until his thoughts drifted to his sisters. He was settling well into Celestial and had been overjoyed when his brother came to visit but he found himself missing the rest of his family, even Demyan, and he couldn't help but want to let them know where he was. Would they still be in the Orchard or had they wandered from there already? Perhaps he could take a little trip later and see but for now he would rest.

The young man was about to go back to sleep when a howl rang out and his head shot up. Healing training? Had he heard that right? Dómari scrambled out of his den like a shot and ran to the meeting place where an older, pale-coated woman waited. He smiled and dipped his head in greeting. "Hey there! I'm Dómari Xanilov. A new paladin of Celestial. What's your name?"

She was moving through the plains checking things out. Some animals were out already, but others had yet to stir for the year. She wanted to get as much done as she could and hopefully get herself from her punished rank. She had to get working on that if she still hoped to be one of the packs lead hunters, which she still had hopes for. Moving about she let her nose do most of the work trying to find some new scents. She stilled as the howl rang out and without hesitation the women took towards the call, planing to attend and to take a break from her current duties. She wasn't a healer, but that didn't mean she couldn't attend and to learn something. It may come in handy to know a little about healing especially since she was stuck in the pack lands for a while. Spring was among them and it would soon be her season also so it would be good to get some things done before she was loaded with pheromones. It didn't take her to long before she slowed as she approached the meeting, her tail wagging in a friendly manner as she took her seat. She looked over the herbs Solveiga currently had trying to memorize what they looked like so when she explained them she can put an image to a name. Then she quietly waited for things to get started. "Talk" & 'Think"

Exodus was not a lazy boy, but he sure did like some good shut-eye. He'd been awake when the sun was just over the horizon, and he'd made a trip to the edge of the border, looking out to unfamiliar lands before heading back into Celestial's territory and seeking out a stream to quench his thirst. And that was all he did before he made his way back to his den for a mid-morning nap. He would enjoy the rest of the day once he'd had a little more rest. He was woken when he heard a howl calling out to the pack, beckoning the wolves for a lesson in healing. He blinked his multi-coloured eyes and stretched out his legs as he rolled onto his belly, his dark tail waving into the air. With a yawn, he rose to his paws. He wasn't a healer, had never been interested in going down that road, but he figured a lesson would be a good way to spend his day.

He exited his den and left it behind, paws lightly thudding against the ground as they carried him to Solveiga's chosen location. When he arrived, he saw a handful of wolves gathered, faces that were becoming more familiar to him now. He dipped his head to Solveiga, before turning to acknowledge the other two, smiling to Dómari and then moving closer to Acapella. He smiled at her, tail waving - he remembered the way she had led the hunt last time he'd seen her, and he was glad he'd been a part of that hunting party. He seated himself beside the woman, since he didn't really know Dómari and no one else had arrived yet.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He was floating on his little cloud of happiness that kept sneaking up on him over the last few days when he heard the call from Solveiga – his mate – summoning the pack’s healers together for a lesson. It was an open call, and he grinned, turning to pad through the Moor toward her. He slipped out of the mist to sit beside her, noting those that had already arrived with a smile before bumping Solveiga’s cheek with his nose. “Thank you for calling this. It’s truly been too long since we had a group lesson.” He grinned at Domari, nodding with a smile to Acapella and Exodus as he lowered himself to his belly and studied the plants Solveiga had laid out. He recognized several and smiled. Good.

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

He’d nosed a last sprig of Rosemary into place in the Alcove he’d chosen in the family caves when the distant echoes of the howl reached his ears. Paladin turned, glancing regretfully toward the passage that led into the deeper systems in the hill. He knew his mother wouldn’t be coming. Kavamaya was with her, and they would enact their plan when Spring had fully taken hold and the sun was warm. He wasn’t sure if it would work, and if it did… how would his mother react when she learned Creed had been murdered? He, himself, wasn’t even sure how to feel, other than grief. He sighed and turned to lope out of the ravine, picking up his speed and ghosting toward the call. He slowed as he crossed into the moor and came to the small group of wolves. He knew Exodus and Acapella, and he recognized Solveiga, though they hadn’t had any personal interactions. He nodded to Regulus, noting the way his distant cousin sat close to the tiny healer, and he smiled. Grieving though his was inside, the signs that his Cousin had found love made him happy, and he hoped there’d be pups from them, soon. He padded to settle on Exodus’ other side, nodding to Domari with some curiosity, before he introduced himself at large. “I’m Paladin Ancora, a Cleric of the Pack.” He was, perhaps, one of the few wolves that had gained his rank without really having to be tested for it. His credentials lay between his brow points in the form of the single vertical red scar that had finally grown the fur back in the color it had been dyed. Both for fighting and for healing. Nomads were well known among Regulus’ family for their elite skill at healing and defensive fighting.

HEALING LESSON for members of CELESTIAL! (CONT)
ROUND TWO is due JULY 22nd! And please don't worry about posting order, we just want to keep things moving so we can hopefully get it all wrapped up by the end of the season! xD

She waited for a moment, listening as her call moved through the territory and eventually faded into silence once more. But she didn't have to wait long at all to get a response. Less than a minute after the call, a young man arrived. Someone she had yet to meet. Her tail wagged amicably behind her as the man introduced himself as Dómari, a new Paladin. "Nice to meet you, Dómari, my name is Solveiga. I'm a... well, I used to be a Healer, but I guess now I should start calling myself the Consort." Wow. That was going to take some getting used to. Being the mate of the alpha wasn't something to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, she nodded to Dómari and smiled. The second to arrive was Acapella, and she gave the woman a warm smile. Solvegia was glad to see her making such an effort to be active and involved in the pack. Regulus would be glad to see it, too. Exodus arrived next, and Solveiga dipped her head in greeting, noting that he seated himself closer to Acapella than Dómari. And she supposed that made sense, Dómari was new after all. But he seemed very friendly and Solveiga had no doubt that he would soon be making many friends. The next arrival took Solveiga entirely by surprise. Regulus, slipping out of the mist the way he always did. She never really understood how such a big, brilliantly colored wolf could manage to be so stealthy. She giggled softly as he sat beside her and affectionately bumped her cheek with his nose. "Thank you for attending and gracing us with your presence, Archangel,” she said with a teasing grin, her tail moving to drape itself over his. Paladin arrived next, introducing himself to everyone. Solveiga smiled at the boy. "I'm glad you could be here, Paladin,” she said. For a moment, she had hope that his mother would show up as well. But several minutes passed, and it seemed that no one else was coming. Which was fine. Solveiga was happy with the response she had gotten. Sitting up straighter, the little sand colored healer smiled at the four members in turn. "I think it’s time to begin. Let me start by thanking you all for coming. It’s so good to see you all taking an interest in healing. Whether you hold a rank that involves the practice of healing, or not, it can be a very valuable thing to learn. Having a basic understanding of healing could be the difference between life and death.” The same was true for fighting and hunting. Solveiga believed that being well-rounded was incredibly important. Which was why she was so glad to see a couple of non-healers in attendance. "I'm going to start with a quick lesson in herb identification. There are countless herbs out there, all native to different regions. Some are helpful, and make useful medicines. Others can be deadly. So it's crucial to know the difference." Solveiga leaned down, pushing two different plants forward with her paw for the group to see. Both plants looked similar to each other, long stems with vibrant purple flowers found in cylindrical bunches at the top. "At first glance, these two plants look similar to one another. But you should never try to identify a plant on its appearance alone. This," she said, touching her paw to the plant on the left, "Is lavender. As some of you may know, lavender is very commonly used as a sedative to treat ailments like insomnia and depression." She moved her paw to rest on the plant that looked very similar to lavender. "This is wolfsbane. It looks much like lavender, but do not be mistaken. It is extremely poisonous." "These two plants can be easily distinguished by smell. I want each of you to come up and smell each of the two plants for yourselves, so you can make the distinction easily in the future. Wolfsbane has some uses when used in very small doses by a very skilled healer. It, too, can be used as a sedative, or a fever reducer. But there are far safer herbs to use, so just avoid wolfsbane whenever possible." She paused for a moment to give everyone time to smell the two plants. It was clear that lavender was the more pungent of the two, and more pleasant as well. Hopefully they would all commit it to memory. "As a general rule, approach all herbs and plants with a sense of caution. Do not ingest or prescribe an herb unless you are completely certain what it is, and what it does. There are many herbs that look similar to one another. You may think you're giving a mother trillium for her birthing pains when really you've just given her jimson weed. Both are rare, but trillium is found in moist areas while jimson weed is found in areas of wasteland. Jimson weed has no medicinal properties; instead it is used by some for its hallucinatory properties. It is said to be able to create out of body experiences, which clearly sounds more harmful than helpful." "Any questions so far?" the little healer asked. She didn't want to overwhelm anyone with information, as that would do no good. Next, she would address the herbs she had brought from her own personal stock. She wanted to make sure everyone knew the names of these herbs, as well as how to identify them and how to use them in healing situations. "Talk" "You" Think

Seabound and Aimless at Best

The woman introduced herself as Solveiga and she used to be a healer.  His head tilted to the side as he tried to remember what rank the Consort was and then his jaw dropped open.  "Your Regulus' wife!"  Wow, ok cool.  Dómari sat quietly and smiled and nodded at each new wolf that entered the little gathering.  His smile got bigger when Regulus came to the meeting and his tail wagged lightly.  He was super excited for this healing lesson.

As Solveiga spoke Dómari sat at attention, doing his best to take in everything she was saying.  His nostrils flared as he tried to catch the scent of the plants she was pointing to and he grinned at the smell of the lavender.  That was a pretty plant!  Used as a sedative?  Dómari nodded.  Ok, lavender was to be used as a sedative.  He could remember that.  The other was wolfsbane, a deadly poison.  Dómari flinched.  How many times in his attempts at learning nearly on his own had he grabbed a mouthful of whatever was lying around then trying to drag it back to Kassander?  He'd been lucky so far.

Dómari quickly scampered forward to take in the scents of the plants.  He really liked the lavender but from where he'd been sitting he hadn't caught a distinct scent or the wolfsbane but now that he was closer he was able to mark it down.  He quickly stepped back to give others a chance.

He worked hard to file away the information and when she asked if there were any questions so far he shook his head.  Of course he had questions but they were more for specific plants and she seemed to be focusing on a general lesson for now.  he didn't want to interrupt.

Ella patiently waited or the others to arrive. It was a small gathering, but there was enough members that hopefully Solv didn't feel disappointed in the outcome. She was also pleasantly surprised to see Regulus attend, but it was a happy surprise. Paladin was the last to arrive, though Solv waited a few more minutes before beginning the session. Ella perked up doing her best to pay attention. If she knew a little about herbs, perhaps she could help by finding some around the pack for the healers while they were out beyond borders to look. Eyes fallowed to the herbs as she pushed them forward, ears perked in interest. The two she pushed forward looked terribly alike, were they the same plant? She listened as Solv explained them both noting the visual differences. She then stated she wanted them to come up and sniff at them. Dom was the first to jump at the chance and Acapella patiently waited her turn. Once he stepped back Ella moved forward first taking a deep inhale of the Lavender which had a vary appealing scent in her opinion. Then to the Wolfsbane which wasn't as appealing. Once finished she stepped back and sat herself down again. Solveiga then asked if there was any questions and quietly she shook her head 'no'. She was eager to learn more! "Talk" & 'Think"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He smiled at Solveiga’s greeting, amusement glinting in his eyes as he settled to listen, nodding to Paladin as he arrived. No others came after the snowy based male, and soon, Solveiga started the lesson. He listened attentively, bending to take in the scents of the plants she named. He recalled a similar lesson with his grandmother as a pup, nestled in a den in the Willows a ways north of their home here, in exile. Domari’s excitement for the lesson was refreshing, and he watched each wolf with calm approval. It wasn’t a huge turn out of attendance, but it was a start, and he appreciated their coming. As Solveiga finished her explanations, he grinned, “I may not have many questions, but I imagine Paladin will have a good bit of information to add, if you let him.” He caught the small smile of amusement on Paladin’s face and smiled as well. “I remember my grandmother using Lavender for myself and my siblings when we had night terrors. I think she once said that Lavender can also help reduce fevers, but I could be foggy. Am I correct in my memories?” He knew he was, but the smile he gave his Lady said he’d like her to expound upon the various uses of the Lavender plant.

Exodus watched as some other wolves filed into the gathering, including his brother Paladin. He could be mistaken, but he thought perhaps he saw a tinge of sadness on the boy's visage, but it was hidden well, if it'd been there at all, as Paladin introduced himself to the small gathering. A gentle smile formed upon his face as pride for his brother welled up inside. The boy had studied hard with the Nomads, and had rightfully gained himself a rank that was perhaps above the level of what other fully grown and experienced wolves had achieved. Exodus just hoped that he would be able to attain a rank like his brother had - he didn't want to be looked down on as a child for much longer, nor did he wish to be a trainee forever. He wanted to start putting his training to the test of real life - that was his natural impatience and desire to bound ahead. But today would not yet be the day, the knowledge of which helped him to keep his patience and allowed him to be happy for his sibling without being soured by jealousy.

As Solveiga began the lesson, he was reminded that his knowledge in healing techniques and herbs was extremely lacking, another reason he didn't feel in too much of a rush to gain rank in the pack just yet. He perked eagerly as she spoke, eyeing the two plants that she presented. Wait, were they two different ones, or the same plant? Just then the healer would tell them that they ought never to judge a plant by appearance alone. He leaned forward as Solveiga gave them space to sniff each plant in turn. He liked the smell of the lavendar - he swore the scent reminded him of his mother -
while the wolfsbane was dimmer in scent and less pleasant. He'd commit the scents to memory,
knowing he'd be able to tell the difference if he ever needed to.

The healer asked if there were any questions, but Exodus shook his head. He wouldn't know what to ask, but he certainly wanted to hear more. It may not have been his greatest interest, but he still enjoyed learning new things, and he thought that if his brother enjoyed the trade so much, perhaps he ought to try to share that interest in a way. Not only that, but he believed he'd be better off and of more use to his family and pack if his knowledge and skills were well-rounded, even if he specialized in fighting.

['...Hello, goodbye, I'm late I'm Late I'm late!' Bad Bri, baaaaad.]

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

Paladin listened calmly as Solveiga began the lesson, sapphire and amethyst eyes attentive. He already knew everything she was telling them, and mentally adding his own input as she went. He knew the plants like the fur on his own paws, but stepped forward to reacquaint himself with their scents before stepping back and settling upon his haunches. No one else had questions, though Regulus did raise points about Lavender that Paladin, himself, had already added to what Solveiga had said, though not aloud, and a smile twitched across his lips, eyes turning to Solveiga in question. He wouldn’t mind adding his own knowledge, but this was her lesson, and he waited patiently to see if she’d ask for his input.

ooc:  sorry trying to clean up old threads

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Dómari listened as best he could, taking in the new information but soon it was time for him to go.  He'd been working hard and while the lesson was helpful he was finding that just working through problems and asking for help here and there was helping him quite a bit.  "Thanks for the lesson ma'am, but I'm afraid I have some herbs I'm drying that I need to tend to.  I don't want to leave them too long.  I had some birds steal some to line their nests."  He chuckled and bid everyone farewell before heading back to his den.

-exit-