Maggot had wandered further from the pack lands than she had intended, but the distant pink of the redbud trees urged the girl on. After speaking with Iolaire, the girl was more than excited to learn of new herbs and had decided to investigate some on her own. It also encouraged her to break out of her comfort zone and explore a little. The girl had taken some time to reach the forest, but she was glad she did. It was beautiful.

Her nose instantly gravitated to a floral scent that was drifting through the air. She was quick to trail after it, having to stop and find the scent every once in a while. Soon enough, the girl was led to a bundle of purple...flowers? Maggot had an inkling that these were Lavender, but one could never be so sure. She nosed at them gently, before deciding they were the herb she would focus on today. The girl plucked a mouthful from the bundle, instantly regretting not bringing a way to carry the flowers. Turning on her heel, the girl sighed as she began to leave the forest, wanting to stay. However, she knew she had to talk to Iolaire or another wolf about the herbs before she planted them near her den. She didn't want to plant poison and then have someone like Mortis eat one and end up dying. Reminded of the thought the plant could be dangerous, she was careful to not ingest any, holding the stems loosely within her maw.

Meadow had not intended to take a nap under one of the redbud trees that grow plentifully in this area. However, the beautiful colors, brilliant sun and cool breeze had lulled the small wolf into a peaceful slumber. Eyes blearily blink open and she casts her still focusing eyes around the area. Something has woken her up, but what? Ears strain to listen but hear nothing. Uncurling and standing up, Meadow stretches out the kinks that have settled into her muscles and shakes out the dirt that is stinking to her coat. A happy shy escapes as she feels the last dregs of sleep leave her system. Her saddlebag rests in the dirt near where she was sleeping and Meadow shrugs it on, the familiar weight a great comfort to her. Just when she is about to start moving back toward Armada land, something catches her attention. Is… is that lavender plant… moving? Off in the distance, the purple plant seems to bob up and down before a section of it disappears. What is going on. Quickly Meadow moves off toward the lavender plant and sees the form of a retreating wolf. Its white coat has a strip of dark soot that appears to run from the tail up towards its neck. As she gets closer, Meadow smells the scent of the Armada on it. The smaller wolf calls out happily, “Hello! That a great bunch of lavender you found! Are you a healer too?” Moving swiftly toward the wolf, a smile rests on Meadow lips as she walks. "Speech"

Maggot had been paying attention to her surroundings, and the sound of approaching footsteps caused the girl to pick up her pace only marginally. As the footsteps got closer, the girl tensed her muscles in case she needed to make a run for it. Just as she was about to bound forward and take off for the hills, the sound of a woman's voice graced her ears. The voice was friendly and light, and so Mags decided to turn her head to peer towards the woman in question.

Mag's wide eyes blinked at the woman's question, confusion gracing her features. She hadn't expected this, especially from an Armada wolf she was yet to meet. Gingerly leaning down to drop the lavender to the ground. She offered a polite smile to the woman before she began to speak in a soft voice.

"W-well, to be honest, I was hoping to find someone to confirm that it was lavender, but you've managed to do that already," she paused, gaze shifting away from the wolf," But no, I am only an Apprentice, and I hope to specialize in poisons."

Realizing that her specializing in poisons sounded a bit sinister, she was quick to add on," Uhm, knowing all the poisons will help me keep everyone safe, I'm not trying to hurt anyone.." Her voice was meek and a bit panic-stricken at the thought of poisoning an innocent wolf.

Meadow smiles brightly as she approaches the wolf with the lavender plant. When the female wolf turns to look at her, a pang of sympathy hits the slightly smaller female’s heart for the scarred wolf. While she has a limp and scars litter her body, Meadow does not want to appear rude and draw attention to these facts. The wolf already knows she is missing her ears, it does no good to gape and make her feel self-conscious. So instead of making a scene, the smaller female smiles warmly and approaches quickly. Stopping a short distance away, trying not to invade the other wolf’s personal bubble, Meadow watches as the plant is dropped to the ground and a polite smile is offered. The wolf’s voice is soft and the smaller wolf allows a friendly smile to rest on her lips as she listens. Meadow feels very embarrassed when the wolf says she has already managed to identify the lavender for her. Oh. For some reason Meadow feels like she did something wrong and her smile falters for a moment before returning. When the wolf’s gaze shifts away from her, Meadow lets the smile slip away and she nods at the information about poisons. It is quickly added that she wants the information to help wolves not hurt. The smile returns and Meadow says, “That is a very admirable reason to learn about poisons. You should talk to my niece, Iolaire, about that. She is very knowledgeable about, well, almost everything. Plus, Io is very smart.” The smile grows as she speaks of her niece. With a dip of her head, a small bow to the wolf, Meadow says, “My name is Meadow and, if you would like, we could put your lavender in my bag and go hunt for more herbs. I know a few that might be able to help. You could take them back to Io and see if they can be of use in poisons.” Tail wags slowly, hoping that she can be of use to the wolf. Meadow still feels guilty about identifying the lavender and wants to make it up to the other female. "Speech"

Mags was once again astounded by the generosity of the wolves in her newfound pack. This particular woman-or Meadow, as she had introduced herself- carried herself with a soft grace that Maggot was quick to admire. Mags, still being unfamiliar with such kindness, instantly took to the woman as being a new friend. Mags failed to notice the momentary falter in Meadow's smile, her indigo eyes peering up at the woman curiously. Though the girl was paying attention to what Meadow was saying, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the silken fur of her new friend. Her tail began to wiggle softly, her brows raising at the mention of Iolaire. A soft grin wormed its way on to her maw, oblivious to the woman's guilt over the lavender conversation.

"Oh, yes, Iolaire is really smart! I sometimes feel a bit intimidated talking to her, she just knows so much," Mags returned earnestly, all doubt erased from her mind that Meadow was dangerous. The girl paused eyes scrunching as she took a moment to formulate a response, having grown distracted at the mention of her mentor.

Her gaze shifted around for another moment or two before she decided what she should say, as it was often hard for her to organize thoughts when in the presence of unfamiliar wolves. They made her nervous and it was just something that she figured was normal. Turning her attention to Meadow, the girl raised her head and smiled before speaking.

"That would be wonderful! I'm glad you found me, I'm sure Iolaire is becoming too familiar with my presence. Besides, different wolves know different things! I'm sure Iolaire will be impressed with what you teach me," the girl replied earnestly, her small speech being spoken rather quickly and in only one breath. She took in a big gulp of air, trying to play it off by fake sneezing afterward. Mags then sheepishly looked away before peeking up at Meadow, a little embarrassed at her outburst.

When the talk turns to Iolaire, Meadow notices the shift in the wolf before her. A smile finds its way onto the other wolf’s lips and Meadow is quick to mirror it. Nodding to the statement of Io being smart, Meadow chuckles and says, “Ah, yes. She is very smart. Always has been. Maybe a little too smart for her own good sometimes.” Winking at the other wolf, she chuckles softly before talking more. Watching as the new wolf looks around while Meadow speaks, she allows the silence to fall and the new wolf to think in peace. After a moment or two, the wolf with indigo eyes looks up and smiles at her and Meadow’s tail wags slowly behind her as she offers a bright smile of her own. When the offer is accepted and Io is mentioned once more, Meadow nods her agreement. Meadow really likes this wolf, the way she talks in such a passionate, rapid way reminds Meadow of herself. Sometimes the smaller wolf can talk so fast she trips over her own words. When the wolf sneezes, Meadow’s brows knit together in concern and she asks, “Are you okay?” After a short pause, she shakes off her bag and pulls out a small strip of cloth. Carefully, Meadow wraps the strip around the lavender plant and bundles it safely into her bag before once more securing the saddlebag over her shoulder. Once it is safely packed away, Meadow looks to the wolf and asks, “So, which way should we go? You pick. I will follow and talk too much about the plants and flowers.” Another wink and a genuine laugh bubbles up as she jokes about her own habit of talking too much. Moving to the new wolf’s side to follow her wherever she wants to go, Meadow offers the wolf a bright smile. "Speech"

Maggot was beginning to really like this wolf, though she had known her for a very small window of time. She seemed as genuine as Mags herself was, and it came as a pleasant surprise. She nodded in response to Meadow's concerns, a sheepish smile on the girl's lips. Her ear-stumps wiggled a bit as she watched Meadow pack away her little bundle of lavender, meeting her gaze to offer an appreciative smile. She really should invest in something of the sort. Blinking rapidly to refocus on the conversation at hand, she stared at Meadow for a few moments, processing her words.

Her brown furrowed as she looked to the side to think about where they could venture to. "Well, I have been exploring the edges of the territory around the Armada, but I only know a few by name. The Redbud Nook place I go to quite often-as you can see, as well as the woods right next to the packlands. Oh but I have heard of the place where wolves go to relax, they always say it has hot water? I've never heard of such a thing. Do you know where that is?" She questioned earnestly, wide eyes blinking in that signature way of hers.

If Mags was being honest, she wanted to go to the hot water place mainly to see if it existed, or if the wolves in the armada were pulling her leg. But she guessed there would be some interesting flora and fauna at a place so magical. She hoped Meadow could take them there, but if not, she wouldn't be disappointed. She was thankful to learn anything from anyone, even if it wasn't true. Even lies can teach lessons!

With the lavender plant safely tucked away in the bag, Meadow smiles warmly to the new wolf. When her new friend asks about a place with hot water, the earthen hued wolf’s eyes light up and she nods eagerly, saying, “Oh yes! I have been there! There is a large pool of hot water that spills down into smaller areas and creates hot springs. The waters are so refreshing, especially for aching muscles.” Looking around to get her bearings, Meadow points her paws south and tells her friend, “It is this way!” before starting to walk in the direction of the springs. As they walk, Meadow looks to her friend and asks, “Do you mind if I ask what you know so far about poisons?” A happy smile rests easily on her lips as she walks and the slightly shorter wolf casts her gaze around looking for any plants or herbs she might know. After a few moments she tells her new friend, “You know, I have heard that there are mushrooms that can be very poisonous. If we find any of the fungi, maybe we could take them back to Iolaire.” With that in mind, she looks for some of mushrooms in dark shaded areas near tree trunks. After a short pause, Meadow inquires, “Is it okay if I ask your name? I don’t mean to be rude, I just… want to know the name of my new friend.” Her smile grows as she looks to the other wolf, the earthen wolf’s tail wagging slowly with happiness. In truth, she is slightly terrified. She had just used the ‘f’ word and Meadow hopes that she has not used it too soon. Hopefully the friendly wolf will not scoff at her and walk away. Sometimes Meadow can get ahead of herself and call new wolf’s friends before they realize that she truly is their friend. Silently she hopes against hope that her new friend won’t run away from her. "Speech"