she had been quite occupied gathering things to add to her stock. the swamplands were efficient and bountiful - the girl could see herself thriving here. not many approached and not many bothered to tread. it suited her just fine. stalking amongst the brush, she kept herself away from the den she was building in order to find materials. her little - ha, a joke - guardian was somewhere, doing something. she was not one to control him much. the fool felt indebted to her, and he would act accordingly should the need arise. t'was not faith she had in this, merely a hypothetical theory. and if the boy prince should fail her... well, there were whispers. the stirrings of slaves and bought freedoms. no shortage of fools who would do better to protect the house she was building for herself. her white-faced skull turned to the side, catching a rare movement. creeping further, she spotted a mud-colored woman walking about her land. Huntington's expression was always difficult to read, and this was no different as she glanced upon her. for now, following after was best. she could see what the other was doing and make assumptions on what to do with her. so that is what she did. stalking the other as they walked through the swamplands, she kept to the brush and away from sight.

Heading south for the winter was a good idea in theory. With fur and body as thin as Deity’s, it was necessary to find somewhere warmer to hole up for a while. In practice, however... well, Deity didn’t exactly know her way around. Which led to her current situation. The air was thick and hot in her lungs, and it clung to her fur like slimy tar. Deity navigated her way through the grasses coating the ground (if you could even call it that), paws squelching in ankle-deep mud. She growled a curse, shaking clumps of filth from between the toes on her left front leg. This was no place for a goddess; no place for a higher being such as her. It was disgusting here, frankly. Chuffing, Deity cast her gaze about, hoping she’d see a break in the shrubbery, hoping that just before her would be the way out. She had no such luck. The woman groaned, frustrated and irritable in the heat. There was nothing to do but keep moving, she supposed. So, she ducked her head and arduously plodded on. Soon enough, mundane thoughts began to fill the goddess’s head. How she would survive this coming winter, ways to secure food, potential den spaces far from this region, the like. The thoughts distracted her, pulled her from her awareness. The sounds of the swampland faded from her ears, and mindlessly she stepped forward— and her paw tangled in vines. The tug on her leg paired with the sudden loss of balance jerked the woman back to her senses with a jolt, and she tuned back into reality just in time to see the ground rise up to meet her. She wound up with her arse in the air, her jaw sunk in the mud, and her front two paws caught underneath her stomach. ”Stars above,” she barked, her aloof demeanor snapping. She heard a couple startled birds take flight, singing alarms to the whole of the swamp. Deity couldn’t bring herself to care. Rage, frustration, and hunger burned in the pit of her stomach, and she had to take labored breaths to calm down enough to function. With great difficulty, she managed to right herself. The whole process was inelegant, to say the least, but she managed. Now the woman stood with her right ankle throbbing, her whole body coated in mud, and seething with pent-up frustration. Her lips were unconsciously lifted in a fearsome snarl that exposed the entirety of her teeth. Deity cursed and tried to put weight on her ankle. Flashes of pain lit up her leg the moment her paw touched the earth, and she instantaneously yanked it back. Fantastic. She stood still for a moment, eyes squeezed shut, resigning to the fact that it would simply have to do. With a heavy chuff, she took a few more labored, painful steps. ”Speech”

the woman did not notice her, off in her own little world perhaps. the witch stalked further, keeping to the shrubbery where possible and avoiding eye-catching movement. t'was a good thing her coat was so dark; she blended in effortlessly with the greys, browns and deep greens of the swamplands. she would pause as the stranger tripped, ceasing her steps to make the only noise come from her small breaths. still, the woman did not notice her. Huntington turned slightly as injury was obvious, already wracking up some way to 'assist'. her mind was a duality; both a healer and a sinner. and sinners oft asked for compensation. whether she would get some or not, the desire to practice her skill was far more tempting. she would exit the brush in a controlled and calm manner. her head raised, eyes glancing to the brunette as she wobbled a few steps away. Huntington waited to be noticed; she was before the woman's line of sight, appearing like a wraith upon the earth. willowy and tall, yet also displeasing to look at. old stories of witches or spirits leading lost travelers to their doom were entertaining enough without it being false. her pale eyes seemed to shine as her focus went entirely to the injured limb. but she did not speak. she waited, like the predator she was.

Deity gritted her teeth. This wasn’t really working. She could tell from the first few steps that her travel time would be severely impacted by the injury, and that perhaps she should rest for a day or two to recover. The swampland, however, was not somewhere she’d like to rest, caked in filth and smelling rank. Plus, she was still hungry. A day or two without food wouldn’t do her well, especially since she needed to pack on the pounds for winter. The woman felt suddenly, dizzyingly out of control. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she strained to keep her cool. The pain and hunger and frustration coalesced into a violent wave of emotion inside her— how in the name of stars was she supposed to get out of this hellscape? The woman gritted her teeth and tossed her head to the side, hoping for an answer somewhere, anywhere— her gaze flashed past a gray patch. Deity snapped her ears up, surprised, and flicked her eyes back to what she’d seen. It was another wolf. Their coat blended in with the swamplands, the dim grays and blacks melded with the water and brush. They had a stark-white face that peeked from the mist like a ghost. Fear flashed down her veins; there was something terribly imposing about the character. They’d just been sitting there for... for stars knew how long. Deity tried to wrestle her rising tide of emotion down; perhaps they would help her. It’s not like she’d been super quiet, what with the commotion she’d caused when she fell. Perhaps they had heard her bark and come to see the problem, and hadn’t yet had a chance to speak. ”Hey!” Deity barked. She flicked an ear— she hadn’t meant to snap. Softening her tone a bit, she said: ”Sorry. You gave me a bit of a fright. What do you want?” ”Speech”

"I want nothing" came her neutral, almost expressionlessly tone. the only emotion was her unmistakable accent. the girl kept her distance yet it wasn't out of fear of reprival. there was no terror as she looked at the other, knowing she could easily rush away should a situation arise. her guardian was still nowhere to be seen, and Huntington knew the risks of provoking others when he was not here. she was no fool and he was going to accidentally get some poison in his food. not enough to kill the dire wolf, yet enough to make a point. he had a pact to fulfill. "though it would seem you are in need of a healer" she stated this bluntly, giving a nod to the injured limb. her gaze slowly shifted away from the woman to look about them. the swamplands were unforgiving when injured. the muck would only hinder this being further should they not turn around and leave. though back through was also difficult. "come closer, best you can. I can look at your sprain." she cooed softly. ""

The stranger kept their distance, for which Deity should have been grateful— but again, there was that irrational feeling in her gut, the one that screamed a warning, for danger was coming... but there was no danger, Deity reasoned. She was certain the stranger was keeping their distance out of... formality? Yes, that must be it. Southerners likely had their own customs, their own traditions, and perhaps that encompassed formal distance. It was a way to show others that you mean no harm, probably. The goddess wrestled down her roiling nerves and dark thoughts once again, blaming them on the combination of hunger and pain. They did say they wanted nothing, after all. And by the sound of the voice, the stranger was a female. She was kin. The stranger then offered to take a look at her throbbing ankle, for which Deity was grateful— though the tone was a bit unsettling. No, no, it wasn’t unsettling. She was trying to sound gentle, kind, because she had good intentions. ”That’s very kind of you,” Deity said, taking a few jerky steps closer. She was only a couple tail-lengths from the woman now. She didn’t want to be impolite, so she hoped she wasn’t too close. The stranger would need to take a couple steps before she’d be able to inspect Deity’s sprain. Deity tried to catch her scent, but the rank stench of the swamp obscured it almost completely. That was likely why the goddess hadn’t detected her. Deity lifted her paw off the ground slightly, readying herself to allow the stranger to inspect it. ”I would be very grateful if you could help a bit with the injury somehow, or even just point me towards the fastest way out.” A flash of regret lit her eyes, then she added: ”I don’t have anything to offer you in return, though.” If the stranger requested some sort of trade, Deity would do the best she could to fetch her what she wanted. She was desperate to get out of the swamp, away from its stifling heat, away from the murky slime. She would trade anything she could to do so. ”Speech”

that's very kind of you hung in the air, and Huntington resisted a derisive laugh. her face remained false, eyes going to the injury with concealed hunger. yes, kind. that is what it looked like, wasn't it? "I only ask you to collect some herbs in return" she forced a smile on her lips as she asked this simple, oh so simple, thing of the woman. "if I need to use mine on you, my stock dwindles for the next time someone has need." it was a simple enough request but that was how it started with the girl. gratitude only got one so far before wants and needs set in. there was no outward use for this woman, but she would find one. eventually. walking closer, she would sit before the woman and examine the outstretched paw. there was obvious swelling yet no blood it seemed like. most of the swamp muck obscured her perception, yet she could clearly see it was just a sprain. shameful. Huntington would have adored testing out a few salves on her. reaching forward, she'd grasp the paw gently with her teeth and feel. perhaps a but unusual but it was not a deep crunch. she was just checking for a break. it was more like she ran her tongue over the length of the paw. all the bones were in place though. she'd spit the paw out and rear back. "you have twisted it, but there is no breakage. I can set it in a brace." she offered quietly. ""

Deity pushed her ears forward, eager to have an opportunity to repay her debt. She was relieved the woman gave her an option to do so, instead of waving the trouble away as a mere favor— that always left Deity with a feeling of debt, like she still had to pay the person back somehow. This was far better for the both of them. Herbs? Yeah, she could do that, easy. The woman’s reasoning made sense, too— of course she’d need to replenish her stash. ”That wouldn’t be a problem,” She said with a grateful smile. The stranger approached, and Deity held out her paw for her to inspect. While she was near, Deity tried to get a look into her eyes— some say you can tell a lot about someone from the eyes, after all. However, when she tried to process the expression in the buttery depths, she had a hard time discerning it. Her first impression was a... dark mirth. A chill ran down Deity’s spine, the same warning signs flickered deep in her consciousness. Once again, she pushed it away— she had no reason to distrust this wolf. Whoever said “eyes are the window to the soul” was a superstitious fool anyway, she was sure. Then the stranger— bit her, swamp muck and all! Deity opened her mouth to shout an exclamation, and her paw immediately jerked a bit before she realized the bite was light. The woman was simply testing for breakage. Heart pounding (it seemed she was still strangely on edge), she muttered an embarrassed apology. She was still caught up in embarrassment when the stranger ran a slimy tongue down her paw, else she would have exclaimed again, this time in disgust rather than alarm. Instead, she remained quiet, but scrunched her muzzle up— the sensation was certainly unpleasant, to the point where it gave her goosebumps. The stranger reared back and gave her thorough analysis. Deity gave a short sigh, relieved both for the state of her ankle as well as for the absence of the woman’s mouth on her. ”Ah, that’s good. A brace would be wonderful, or whatever you’re willing to do. Again, thank you so much,” Deity replied. She wasn’t sure how the healer would make a brace— did she have one in her den somewhere? She sat, eyes on the woman’s expression, waiting for some sort of invitation. Or whatever came next. ”Speech”

she was not going to take this woman back to her den. luckily for them, she had stashed her medical supplies throughout the swamplands so it was quite easy to find a cache. without another word to the injured woman, she would flick her tail as she turned away to walk. t'would be quite difficult to limp all the way back to the heart of the swamplands anyway; that was where her den resided. bringing a stranger back to your base of operations was less than ideal. should the woman follow, Huntington would lead her to a fallen tree a few paces away. the bark was rotted and bugs easily crawled over it, yet she ignored it in favor of bending down to pull something out. it was a bundle of miscellanious herbs upon further inspection. "sit" the girl requested, turning back with the bundle. she would begin to tear some in front of her, working her lithe front limbs to ground specific ones into a paste. horsetail was quite useful in binding wounds topically, yet she had comfrey leaf to work into a poultice. when the paste was done, she would tear the bark from the tree off and use it as a splint. yet she was still working on the poultice at this point; it was quite important to get it as ground and sticky as possible, so then it stuck to the woman's limb and didn't fall apart. she added swamp water for stickiness and hydrating the plants used. once the poultice was at last done, she smeared a good chunk of it on her paw pad and held it out. Huntington waited for the woman to extend her injured limb to her. "1/3 healing thread"

The woman turned away without a word, flicking her tail as a beckons. Deity paused a moment, surprised by her queerness. She rather liked this character, actually— her apathy was intriguing. As well as the fact that she lived alone in the swamp. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. Though Deity hadn’t smelled any other wolves on her, it could very well be due to the overpowering stench of the swamp. With some difficulty, Deity rose to her paws and, holding one out in front of her, limped towards the healer. She seemed to be heading towards a fallen tree, which, to Deity’s disgust, was crawling with maggots and other grubs. She shoved her revulsion aside, knowing it would seem pathetic if she let it show. Besides, she was tougher than that. She could handle a couple bugs. The healer brought out a small assortment of herbs stashed in the trunk, and Deity’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement. What a great hiding spot! She’d never have thought to look. She made a note of the place and tucked the information deep into her brain, just in case she ever needed to hide something somewhere for some reason. Perhaps not the likeliest scenario, but the idea was good to have nonetheless. She was tilting her head, trying to get a better look at what the stranger was doing, what herbs she was chewing, when she uttered her soft-spoken request. Deity obediently sat, still trying to figure out what she was chewing from her new vantage point. Well, why not ask? ”Hey,” she began, eagerly leaning forward. ”What are you doing? If you don’t mind me asking?” If there was anything Deity loved more than information, she had yet to find it. Especially when the topic was working with herbs— it couldn’t possibly get more interesting. She needed some sort of skill, anyway. She wasn’t much good at hunting, didn’t have any experience with fighting whatsoever, and... well, aside from that, she couldn’t think of a thing. She wasn’t big or strong like most of the pack wolves she’d seen. Sure, she was fast, but if you can’t hunt big game, what’s the point in that? She also felt a keen attraction to the stranger. Perhaps something about the budding apprehension in her stomach thrilled her, made her feel like she was taking a great risk. She imagined it was kind of like falling— thrill mingled with fear mingled with dread at the thought of the ground rising to meet you. Most of all, her defining trait, her curiosity, wanted more than anything to understand the stranger’s actions. The way she spoke, quiet but commanding, and the hidden reserves of knowledge that likely pooled in the deep crevices of her brain. Deity watched the stranger, thinking hard about everything she did with the herbs. Dipping the wood— which, she was able to gather, would make the splint— into the swamp water, creating a poultice... The woman’s motions came to a halt, and Deity looked up, surprised. Before her, the healer was holding out her paw, which was covered in the salve. She blinked, confused, before getting the message. Quickly and with a sheepish smile, she jerked her paw into the air, almost knocking into the healer’s. ”Ah— I’m Deity, by the way,” she said. 1/3 Received a Healing Lesson 1/3 Met Someone New ”Speech”

she was always eager to show off her knowledge, thankfully. as the woman asked her what she was doing, Huntington nary take her eyes off the poultice pulp she was preparing. "mixing a poultice" she responded easily enough. there was a long pause before her eyes displayed some interest. they bulged a bit, the pale yellows even more vibrant when she went on. "I have mixed comfrey leaf to reduce the swelling in with mud water to make it hydrated and sticky so it does not fall off easily." and the sticky properities would make sure to move with the woman's own movements. when the woman extended her paw, Huntington smeared a good amount on the limb carefully. it was thick enough for a poultice, but as it reduced the swelling of the sprain it would cake and fall off on its own. she would turn away, reaching out with her jaws to the fallen log. avoiding the insects crawling on it, she chose a spot and broke the bark off in a long stretch. two pieces of equal size were dropped on the ground before she went back to the woman, who introduced herself. "I am Rose." there was no use giving her actual name. Huntington had settled herself into her false identity for some time. taking one piece of the bark in her teeth, she would press it against the side of Deity's limb. then the other side so it was symetrical. she had no string or she would have secured it. this is why she used the mud water. the paste was enough of a hold, and it would dry quickly to make a brace. "2/3 healing thread. 1/3 meeting new wolf"

Deity followed along with the woman’s words, ears pushed forward in her eagerness to know more. The healer gave Deity an explanation of what herbs she was mixing and why, and Deity noticed her eyes shine a bit as she did so. Perhaps the healer was just as keen on sharing her knowledge as Deity was on collecting it— now that would make a good combination. Maybe the swamp wasn’t so bad after all; it seemed she might have met a friend. Well, an acquaintance, she supposed. But nobody knows what the future holds. Deity winced at the stranger’s touch. Pain flared up in her paw, though it had dulled to a throbbing ache rather than the lightning pain she’d felt before. The healer then gathered bark from the tree, dropped it in front of Deity, then introduced herself. Rose, huh? That was a nice name. Very fitting for a healer. It mirrored her quiet demeanor and her kindness in healing Deity in her time of need. Thoughts of thorns pricked the back of her mind— all roses have their thorns. Some larger than others. Some more dangerous than others. Deity was beginning to tire of these unfounded suspicions. With great frustration, she once again stuffed them back into her head, wishing she could seal them up in a dark crevice somewhere. Better yet, expel them entirely. But her apprehension was relentless. It just refused to fade. Coming back to herself, Deity remained silent as she watched Rose work, gritting her teeth when the splint was pressed against her swollen ankle. Miraculously, it stuck— what was in that swamp water that made it sticky? ”Why does the swamp water stick? Also, how does comfrey reduce swelling when applied externally?” Deity asked, leaning forward to inspect the brace. Rose had done her job well, from the looks of it. Deity wanted to test it, but didn’t want to mess up the mechanics by moving it too quickly. 2/3 Received Healing Lesson 2/3 Met Someone New ”Speech”

"a swamp was once a lake, or a pool of water" the girl explained quietly "the shrubs and other foliage decayed over time, lowering the water levels and making a mucky liquid in its stead where water could be found" why did things stick? because they had bonds deep in their properties that made it such a way. either being pulled apart or brought together. "to put it simply; I used mud and water in the mixture. when some liquid hardens and dries, it sticks to the surface of where it is applied." Deity would ask how the comfrey leaf worked next. this wolf had many questions for a simple sprained limb. "the oils in the plant absorb into your skin and work that way" which is why she ground and brought out the oils as a poultice. a wet bandage was better than simply sticking a leaf on someone's leg and hope for the best. she would lean forward, inspecting her work carefully before retreating backward. "attempt putting weight on it now; yet not too much. hold your weight on your other paw and step lightly" the command came back in her tone as she wished to know if it worked or not. "3/3 healing thread. 2/3 meeting new wolf"

”Oh. Right. Mud water. Mud dries,” Deity said, ducking her head. She’d gotten so invested in the details and the question why, she’d forgotten her common sense. She was covered nearly head to toe in mud anyway, and that sure stuck. As for the comfrey, that was interesting. It also explained why Rose had chewed it up: it broke up the leaf itself, releasing the oils and making them easier to absorb into the skin. Deity was still curious as to what exactly was in the plant that made it reduce swelling, but Rose’s simple it works that way would have to do for now. If Deity could just know the oil, the... the chemical inside the plant that was responsible for swell reduction, she could know which other plants not found in swamplands shared that chemical, and could apply them herself if need be. Rose backed off, splitting Deity from her thoughts, and told her to put weight on her ankle. Deity stood, paw aloft, before slowly lowering it to the ground. She held her breath in anticipation, bracing for a sharp pain... but it was far more minor than she’d expected. The brace helped to support her ankle, and though the pressure still hurt, it was less than before. She lifted her other paws and took a couple steps. She had a noticeable limp, but she could walk! She could thankfully escape this rancid hell of a swamp. The thought of leaving reminded her that she had a debt to pay. She looked up from the ground, into Rose’s yellow eyes. ”This feels great!” She exclaimed, eyes shining. ”Thank you. I really do appreciate it. I’m eager to repay you,” she added, leaving the unfinished question hanging in the air. What did Rose want her to do? 3/3 Received Healing Lesson 3/3 Met someone new ”Speech”

as expected, it would work. Deity would express gratitude and wonder, causing Huntington to bob her head and close her eyes. a nod to her growing ego. and like a good little trick, the woman was indebted to her and eager to work off her dues. opening her pale eyes, she would stare openly. from the list of herbs running through her brain, it was perhaps a good thing to stock up on poison. "I do not go north much" then again, she did not go outside of her swamp for long. she knew there was a patch of one particular, infamous plant though. "Gale Gorge is known to house wolfsbane. bring some to me, and I will consider that repayment enough." she could easily restock comfrey root, but she would like to see if the woman was willing to work with the poisonous plant. if she died from the oils, that was fine too. she'd find her corpse some day and use it in a ritual or decoration for her den. raising a paw to flick the stray poultice from her pads, she would draw the outline of the wolfsbane on the muddy ground before them. "it is a purple-blue flowering plant. it appears to look like lavender at first glance." if Deity obeyed so easily and gave good results, Huntington may have further use for the woman after all. "3/3 healing thread. 3/3 meeting new wolf"

As soon as the first sentence left Rose’s mouth, Deity’s heart sank. North? Oh, stars. She couldn’t go North— the whole reason she was trapped in this damned swamp was because she was headed farther South for winter. Deity could hardly take the Eastern autumn— how could she survive the Northern winter? Aghast, her emotions obvious on her face, Deity was silent through Rose’s description. She knew what lavender looked like, so it wasn’t too hard to imagine this “wolfsbane”, but the drawing did help. She was, however, so caught up in her thoughts of travel that she didn’t even question the name of the herb— wolfsbane. Bane of wolves. Any other day— stars, and other minute, she would have thought the name more than odd, and surely it would have piqued her suspicion, but nay. Deity looked up, brow furrowed in despair. She dad a debt to repay, and she wouldn’t go back on her word, but surely there was something else she could do. She feared for her survival at this point— her auburn coat wouldn’t do well catching prey up North, and neither would her slim frame and short fur equip her for the inevitable snowfall. She was anything but made for the cold. ”Is there... is there anything else I can do?” she asked earnestly. ”You see, I... I was headed South for winter. That’s the whole reason I’m here, actually,” She mumbled, looking down at her paws. She left the sentence hovering in the air, hoping against all hope that Rose would grasp the connotation and provide her with a different task. ”Speech”

'Rose' was quite as she regarded the woman. anyone else would have let her do another task, but it was too entertaining to watch her squirm. she would not let her request go without a fight. or at least, more lies. she adapted a furrowed brow, shifting her weight uncomfortably against the ground and not meeting the other's eyes. "I know not where else it grows" the girl admitted softly "else I would gather elsewhere." a fluent enough manipulation. she knew at least two other locations it would happen to grow. "it is a prudent pain reliever" she pressed still in her quiet tone, not quite pressuring but stressing the importance of the poison. oh yes, it was quite potent as a pain reliever. one would never feel anything else again... "and very important that I gather some before winter comes" her eyes strayed around the swamp with a sad smile "but if I leave for very long, someone else will steal my herb stocks and my den. I have no one else to rely on until you came along." she shut her eyes in a defeated manner. "but if you cannot go, I will do without. I will find another herb that hopefully does the trick." let's see if this Deity was a good little trooper and did come to the aid of the apparent needful being. "3/3 healing thread. 3/3 meeting new wolf"

Deity’s tail drooped as Rose spoke. Damn the stars. Sometimes, she wished she could be like some of those heartless wolves in the stories elders tell— the ones who can stab and betray and smile like nothing happened. Unfortunately, Deity was Deity, and a debt was a debt. She could go North. She could gather this herb that grew so far away— judging by the healer’s actions, she needed it for something, perhaps something she was hiding. Something personal, like chronic pain. Deity wouldn’t press. The woman continued speaking, pressing her case. Deity wasn’t the type to pity someone. She’d simply assess the logic behind a decision and provide strategic reasoning to improve a solution. In this case, Rose’s logic was that if she left this home, someone would take all she had (Deity wasn’t sure why anybody would want to den up in the swamp, but she had far less experience with traveling patterns here than Rose, she was sure), leaving her with nothing but a handful of wolfsbane. It was true, then, that Deity had to be the one to go. With a defeated sigh, she plopped down on her haunches. ”All right. I’ll gather your herb. It won’t be too much trouble.” She sat for a moment, thinking about the best way to go about the task. If the healer needed it before winter, though, Deity had a very narrow time constraint to travel all the way up North and back. ”I will try to get it to you as fast as possible. Surely before midwinter, hopefully before winter even sets. I know you said you need them before the end of fall. I’ll do my very best to bring them back in time. In that case, I should... get going now. Could you point me North, or to the closest way out of this swamp?” Ah, well. It’s not like she had anyone to meet down south. She didn’t have friends, nor family. She had to think of this as an adventure, a stars’ blessing to give her purpose. The thought made her want to spit. The stars were dead, or they’d forgotten this earth long ago. Of that she was certain. Had always been, though she still sent her thoughts and well wishes towards their velvet-wrapped corpses. ”Speech”

Huntington allowed her eyes to widen with surprise and shock as she looked back up at Deity. though deep within, she knew the woman was a sucker. "oh, thank you" her voice filled with gratitude. she had been quite prepared to list other excuses why she could not go, even forming a back-up plan in case the woman was persistently difficult. if she could not gather the wolfsbane, 'Rose' would give her an even greater task in a more remote location. in essence, this was a test to see if she could keep using the other wolf for as long as her heart desired. Huntington nodded to the west. "just head that way, but I should tell you where to go..." returning to the ground, she would draw a quick little map for Deity. "go west, around a pack in this area" Huntington began to make a more pressing trek than thought possible, though it was a more direct route. "past what the natives call the Battlefield, go north then west again. past the two woodlands back to back. there you will reach the gorge." 'Rose' looked up, wondering if Deity had any questions about her directions. if the woman went true north for very long, they would reach a pack that would not take kindly to someone carrying poison on them. especially very potent poison. "3/3 healing thread. 3/3 meeting new wolf"

”Got it,” Deity replied. She trusted the wolf’s directions without a second doubt. Rose didn’t seem like the type to thwart, and besides, she wouldn’t lie now when she had something to gain. Deity focused on the map, trying to memorize the route. She made sure to take note of the pack territory that Rose had told her to go around— if such a thing was worth mentioning, she had to be careful. Being taken captive by some pack would really be the cherry on top of a delightful adventure. All in all, Rose’s directions made sense. Hopefully a straight route west would take Deity out of the swamp, and fast. She was eager to escape, and though the task ahead was daunting, she was more focused on how fresh air would taste upon her tongue. Oh sweet, sweet Boreas air. Fresh and clean and free of the oppressive humidity (not to mention the stench) of the swampland. Deity stood— her ankle throbbed, but she could handle it. She would rest a few days to let her ankle heal, then she’d be off. She gave Rose an exhausted nod. ”I suppose I’ll get going now. Thank you again for the brace. I’ll see you soon.” She looked again into the yellow eyes of the healer, expression tired, but determined, before turning away and limping off, tail swishing behind her. ((EXIT)) ”Speech”