Chrysanthos shivered a little as he walked out onto the stone steppe. Autumn still remained unusually cool and the temperatures were dropping steadily by the day. He needed to finish up his gathering and quick. Thankfully he only had a few items left on his list. Boneset and Wintergreen. After that he felt he'd have the best gathering of herbs that he could have for the coming winter. He'd need to devote the remaining time of autumn to cleaning out and organizing his storage den as well as prepping the den he lived in for the harsh temperatures of winter.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa had worked her way south. Autumn was frigid up north and in some ways winter had already begun there. She was used to working with what she could find in the north but she saw no reason to turn her nose up at opportunity. She'd worked her way east seeking to gather a few herbs there that she could take back with her to the north. It was also nice to travel a bit to get her mind off of her homelessness. If she were lucky she'd pick up some sign of former Fyri members but ultimately she doubted it. She really needed to just let it go and start a new. As she travelled she spied a young man with a russet coat who almost seemed to blend in with the landscape. "Good evening. How are you young man?"

Chrysanthos continued on his way until he finally saw what he was looking for. A cluster of boneset standing three feet high with its lance-shaped leaves. As always he first leaned forward to get a good smell of the herb to make sure it was indeed what he was looking for. It had a slightly aromatic scent but it was so late in the fall that the flowers were no longer adorning the plant. That was good in his opinion. It was best to gather boneset after it had finished flowering. The leaves and tops were what he wanted. He was about to start gathering when he heard a voice and looked up to see an older woman. He smiled pleasantly at her. "Very well, now that I've found what I was looking for. Do you need any?"

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa smiled at the man and took few steps forward toward the clump. "I do indeed, thank you. My name is Drífa. I take it you're stocking up for the winter to?" She gently sniffed the plant and then reached around to pull the scrap of hide off her back. Laying it down on the ground she reached up to begin stripping leaves off the nearest boneset plant before using her fangs to snip off the top. After she gathered each piece she would set it down on the scrap of hide. It was peaceful out in the evening but she felt a bit of sadness at the shortening of days.

The older woman accepted his offer and he quickly nodded his head. "My name is Chrysanthos Beaufort and yes, I am. I'm a healer in Olympia and I hope to get everything sef for my pack before winter. What about you?" He didn't smell any pack scent on her but she could be a very new pack member so he felt he shouldn't just assume. Chrys reached over to the plants in front of him and began to pull the leaves and tops off the nearby plants, setting them at his feet. He still needed to decide what he wanted to do with it. He could carry it hope fresh or he could dry it out here in the steppe where the air was more arid.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa continued to gather leaves off of the boneset plant. She worked quickly yet carefully, trying to decide how much she really needed to gather. More than likely she'd just need enough for her but she had been debating about joining a pack for the winter. She was getting up in years and the winter looked like it was going to be a bad one. She'd have much better luck surviving the winter in a pack then trying to rely on her own hunting skills and a bit of luck. "I'm not a member of a pack actually, I'm a loner. My pack… well, it doesn't exist any more." She wasn't sure she wanted to get too much into it. She didn't even really know how to explain it. It seemed so fast. One day there was Fyri and the next there wasn't.

Chrysanthos could see that he'd touched a bit of a nerve from the tone in the woman's voice and her hesitancy. "I'm sorry." He didn't really know what else to say. He'd never lost a pack before. He'd always been in a pack that had been ruled by his family and he certainly hoped that wouldn't change. He laid out the boneset and decided that what he'd need to do was to dry the herb. Once it was dried he'd grind it into a fine powder and store that. It would probably be the best way to store the herb for the winter and it was indeed one he wanted for the winter with its ability to help with the flu. "You know… if you're looking for a pack I could give you directions to Olympia. We're in the south of Boreas."

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa carefully wrapped the boneset in her deer hide. She could dry it out here in the steppe but she had her own set up for drying herbs and she would rather take them back there. She was still enjoying the young man's company and decided that she would craft some pottery while she was here. There was a stream nearby and judging from the texture of the soil she felt it would be a good place to find clay. She smiled at Chrysanthos. "Thank you for the offer but I'm a northern wolf through and through." At least for now. She would hope that if she chose to give a pack of Boreas a try that she could at least stay in a familiar environment. "I'm going to work on some pottery if you don't mind." She moved to the stream and began walking along it.

Chrysanthos didn't really have a good place to hang the herbs so that they would dry. Instead he paced along the steppe looking for a good stone that he could lay the herbs on. The day was pleasant and the sun was rising. He could find a nice place with shade to rest and maybe catch a nap. He wasn't a hunter so he hadn't spent much time studying the habits of prey but hopefully the wolf scent would keep plant eating animals away from his boneset and besides, surely there were better grasses for herbivores. Finding a good place Chrys laid the boneset out on a a flat, warm stone that was slightly sheltered from the northern breeze though in reality it wasn't too windy. "Go right ahead. I'm just going to get this boneset started drying."

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa found a good patch of clay and she worked her way down to the river bank to a good place to gather. Reaching out a paw she started scooping out the clay and rolling it up onto the bank. She took her paws to work it into a ball and the she carefully rolled it back over to one of the stones on the steppe from the ruins. She was not dismayed at the extra bits of foliage she picked up on the way and she planned to work them into the clay itself. Rolling the clay ball onto a flat-ish stone she punched her paw into the middle of it to start molding out a bowl. "Ah yes, drying is probably the best thing for it. I have a small area to do hang drying, I find that works well for me."

Chrysanthos reached down and delicately placed the last of the yarrow leaves out to dry. Satisfied he began carefully moving a few stones up to further block the breeze. While the dry air would be helpful when drying larger plants as he had just the leaves and the tops of the yarrow he was afraid that the breeze might start to blow them away. Satisfied with his set up he laid down to rest. He would need his strength for the journey back. He watched the older woman for a moment but in all honesty he did not expect her to steal anything so he laid his head down on his paws to get a quick nap in before he travelled back.

Build me up from bones, Wrap me up in skin, Hold me close enough to breathe me in

Drífa carefully worked her paw into the clay, reaching out to delicately push together parts that were stating to crack. The rim cracked naturally but that wasn't a big deal to her. Just as long as she could put items in it and it didn't have any holes or cracks in the bottom. She worked quietly on her project, looking up just to see the young man settle down for a nap. She smiled for a moment then got back to work. She could remember back when she was that young, even though it wasn't always the best of times. She could certainly do more than she could at this age. She could feel herself growing more tired with each passing season. Though much of that could've just been the weight of hardship after hardship. Satisfied with her bowl she set it out to dry as she too laid down for a quick nap.