The weather was nice today. A good day for going off and doing... whatever needed to be done. Apparently she and her siblings were driving the moms crazy, because suddenly a quest was thrust upon them. Bowen and Gwyn had been sent off with their 'cousin' Indigo to search for herbs. It had come to the attention of the packs healers that they were in desperate need of Lady's Slipper. Okay, so the need wasn't terribly desperate since it was mostly used to treat poison ivy, but according to her parents, they were in grave need of the plant. Resin told the girls what it looked like, giving a brief description. It was pink and white. The petals were rounded. Some of the petals hung to create an odd little sack beneath the rest of the flower. Apparently the flower liked to eat bugs and other things that fell inside of the sack. Well... Bowen found that to be completely disgusting, but what could she do about it? The task had been given so she would carry it out.

"Come on, Gwyn!" The caramel cream girl was excited about heading out of the territory. She enjoyed spending time with her sister and would no doubt enjoy spending time with Indigo as well. The massive purple wolf completely dwarfed her, but it was a feeling that she was used to. Mom was huge, but Indigo was even bigger. His prodigious mass made her feel safe and protected. This was a feeling that she would learn to appreciate all of her days. Bowen would learn to enjoy the size difference between herself and the larger beings of her species. She would be drawn to them like a moth to flame. But back to her mission...

"Mom said that Lady Slippers are hard to find," she bounced around the pillar like legs of Indigo. "How are we going to find them!?" Resin had thought the same thing, so she asked their lead healer, Luta, where the girls and Indigo might find some of the herb in question. Resin pointed the trio in the direction of the Whistling Willows. Bowen had never been there before. She'd actually never been anywhere except for the Falls and the Springs. Her excitement at going on this adventure was pretty obvious. She couldn't stop bouncing around. Her tail lashed back and forth of its own accord. She was ready to go!

When they finally began their trek, Bowen tried her best to conserve her energy. She was still pretty small and would no doubt tire quickly. She knew this, having been reminded by her mother. What if Indigo had to carry her? Would he be mad? The pale and russet girl squeezed her brow together. She didn't want to be a burden. She was determined to walk the whole way on her own. Ah, but what about the way back? It was a looooong walk! Lower lip jutting out, she steeled her nerves. She was ready for this task. Besides... think of all the treasures that she might find along the way!

WC-514/3500

Indigo thought he’d managed to get out of babysitting duty when he’d left the Armada. He’d barely glanced his siblings so far, and a part of him felt guilt about that fact. Then again he’d drifted from his littermates so what was the difference when it came to the younger ones? He was in a new pack, he had many other responsibilities to keep track of. His time was spent helping Rue get better accustomed to pack life and now he was taking a couple of the Hallows ‘cousins’ out to gather some herbs. He kind of wondered if their mission had been given because of the infinite puppy energy the girls gave off.

He really had to focus today. Indy had two very precious puppies under his watch and he refused to let anything happen to them. This felt like a real first step towards adulthood, he was no longer a puppy anymore. He was the adult watching over the younger wolves. Indy offered the girls a smile whenever they looked at him, but his stoic expression reigned. He was alert to any danger that might threaten them, and if he thought hard enough about it Indy would admit his willingness to give his life to keep them safe.

Likely it wouldn’t come to that, this was an average foraging mission, but he was told that this was their first time very far from the territory. Indigo felt the pressure he was put on, but also the elation at being trusted with protecting the next generation. For the most part he wanted the girls to do the heavy lifting. If they were going to become healers one day they needed to know what they were looking for. Thankfully despite their excitement it seemed Bowen was eager to complete their task. She was enthusiastic about their quarry, and correct in what she’d been told.

”They are. I’ve never found one. I’ve only seen them after they’ve been harvested.” He told the puppy softly as his massive paws carried him forward. Indy had very little experience with Lady’s Slipper so hopefully this treck would be worth his efforts as well. While the girl’s learned their craft Indigo would do so as well. First they had to find it, and it seemed like searching would be the most difficult part of the task. Or at least he hoped so, he didn’t want to fight off something that thought a puppy would be a great snack.

wc:415
total:929

Walk | "Talk" | think

The simple fact that they would given a mission felt very important and exciting and was at the very least something that made her feel like they were contributing in a special way. It didn't really phase her that much that what they had been sent after didn't necessarily have a lot of uses, they needed it and her and Bowen and Indigo would be the wolves to find it! If anyone could find it then it would be them! Plus they got to go outside of the territory which they didn't get to do very much (or at all really) so that was exciting all on its own. At Bowen's beckoning she hopped up and ran over to join her warmer-hued sister and fell into step beside her.

Her mint and lavender eyes peered up at the massive, purple cousin that was accompanying them as Bowen posed the question that she had been wondering as well - how would they find it if Lady's Slipper was so rare?! She wasn't quite as bouncy as her sister, but her excitement was obvious in her smile and wide, curious eyes. When Indigo admitted that he'd never found this particular plant either it made her worried that they'd fail their first very important mission, but she puffed up her chest and determinedly foraged ahead. Surely between the three of them there would be enough eyes on the look out so they wouldn't miss it! They at least new a good place to start since they had been pointed in the direction of the willow trees so surely they would have good luck!

She didn't really talk much until they got to the Whistling Willows but as soon as she spotted all the long branched, drapping trees she couldn't help the "ooooh" of awe at the sight of them. They were so pretty! And their branches were so long! She bounded ahead with a grin and bounced though the thin, wiggly branches and giggled as she weaved in and out of them happily. Suddenly she remembered that they were on a very important mission and she hurried back over to where Indigo and Bowen were, internally scolding herself for getting distracted so easily. But on the way back to them a frog hopped across her path and startled her, making her squeak and stumble backward onto her butt, splashing into a shallow pool of water with a disgruntled frown.

Total WC: 1335 / 3500

As the trio made their way across the land, Bowen had a hard time focusing. Everything was just so new! There were so many things to see and touch and smell... it was complete overload. She and her sister bounced around Indigo, although she did quite a bit more bouncing. She chalked that up to her small stature and the easiness with which she could bounce. The land changed the further they went and this kept her attention somewhat, though she found herself wandering away from the group more than once.

Ears perked as Indigo began to speak. He'd never found one? Oh... that wasn't good. What were their odds then? Bowen gave a little pout, but seeing the determination on Gwyn's face perked her up a bit. Yeah, okay. They would find it! They wouldn't stop until they did! They would find so many lady slippers that the Hallows would never need to look for them again.

In the distance she saw the hanging trees, but didn't realize quite what they were until they came up close.  Walking between the massive, sprawling trees made the girls jaw drop. She released a "Woooooooooow..." of awe and tripped over one of the roots in the process. Bowen landed on her chin with a thump. Thankfully she'd tucked her tongue away so that she didn't bite it off. With a frown, Bowen got back to her little dark paws. She gave her body a shake to rid it of dirt, then leaped forward a few paces to catch up with Indigo again.

Bowen had just opened her mouth to ask Indigo a question when she heard Gwyn shriek. Instinctively, the caramel cream girl hunkered close to the ground, ears tucking against her skull. She knew her limitations. If something was attacking, she would be no help. It would be best to get out of the way and let Indigo take over. She did turn her head in her sisters direction and just happened to see the frog hop out from beneath the willow. It took her a minute for her heart to stop hammering, and by the time it did, the tiny child had dissolved into laughter.  "Wow, Gwyn. I thought something was trying to eat you." She was incredibly glad that nothing had tried to hurt her sister.

Now that they were there, it was time to start looking, right? "Okay," she piped up. "Mom said it's pink and white. The petals are rounded. There's a weird sack beneath the rest of the flower." She made it a point to stay within eyesight of Indigo, but the girl peeled away to begin looking around the bases of the trees. She found a few weird mushrooms, but hadn't yet found any flowers. She didn't find any frogs either, but she did see a few dragonflies chasing one another. Why couldn't they have lived here? These trees were super neat. She really liked them. They could have built dens beneath them and had tons of pri...primacy. Primacy?

WC-504
Total- 1839

The girls were nearly bursting with energy as he took them towards the willows. He wondered more than half way through if he had ever been so energetic. Had he and his siblings been like this? Looking back now he wasn’t so sure, it felt like they had all grown up much faster than a normal puppy should. Bowen and Gwyn were innocent little flowers and he wondered when that sweet innocence had died in him. When Sirius had found he and Aslatiel together? Indy tried not to give the thought much merit, but he would vow to do what he could to keep these precious pups as puppies for as long as possible.

He couldn’t help his grin as he felt even older than he was watching the pups take in the beautiful willow trees for the first time. Indy wasn’t sure he’d ever been so enchanted. He lost himself in thoughts of the past, when times were simpler and life wasn’t nearly so complicated. The memories hinted and suggested feelings he hadn’t embraced in a very long time, but even they weren’t enough to catch him off guard. Gwyn’s little squeal brought the massive purple young man to her side. Ears erect and his attention on anything that might cause his charges harm. Indy was willing to give up his life for them, and it was an odd feeling.

Thankfully he wouldn’t have to worry about going that far as a frog was not any danger to a couple of rowdy pups. ”Don’t let a frog push you around like that.” Indy chuckled lightly as he offered a paw to the doused pup to help her back to her feet. Bowen wasn’t about to let them forget their mission, and even though the three of them had a nice little scare she piped up again.

”Hmm, pink and white shouldn’t be too difficult to spot.” Or tey shouldn’t have been. The willow trees and their long branches concealed anything behind them, so they were going to have to scour the woods to have a chance at finding them. ”They’ll probably be somewhere wolves don’t often go. If you find some thicker brush make sure to look carefully.” He told the girls as he essentially let them go free. He’d keep a close eye on Bowen and Short Round the badger would stay close to Gwynevere just in case.

wc:408
total 2247

Walk | "Talk" | think

Gwyn's swirled eyes turned up toward her sister when she spoke, giving Bowen and Indigo an amused, but embarrassed grin as she laughed at the idea as well. Sure, she had gotten awfully spooked by the frog, but only because it had surprised her - not cause she thought it was going to eat her. That was just ridiculous... but who knew if there was other stuff in these long limbed trees that might eat them... With that unsettling thought fresh on her mind, she let Indigo help her up and then decided that it was probably best to stick close to the much larger man's side juuuuust in case. One could never be too careful after all!

She gave Bowen a determined nod as her sister rattled off the facts they had been told about the flowers they were looking for again. Pink and white. Round leaves. Weird sack. It sounded pretty unique so surely if it was actually here then they would be able to spot it easy! There definitely wasn't any plants that she had seen so far at least that matched that description so she figured that she wouldn't find something else and mistake it for that. Indigo echoed that thought when he said how the pink and white blooms should be easy to spot and she grinned as she offered another nod. Surely they'd find it! With three sets of eyes how could they fail?!

Gwyn gave a thoughtful hum as they started their search and Indigo told them it would probably be somewhere that wolves didn't often go. She didn't want to wander off too far from his side - on account of all the unknown creatures that might be hiding in the willows - but she did try to poke around in the brush and around the trunk of the willow trees so she could give everything a good once over. She found a particularly big willow tree with some big roots and growths around the bottom of it so she wandered off just a bit so she could take a closer look. There were some other plants and mosses that she wasn't too familiar with, but no pink and white flowers... "Could there be slipper plants with no flowers?" she called back to Indigo over her shoulder while she continued her search. "Like... Is it too cold for the flowers? Do flowers like cold?"

WC: 2649 / 3500

Bowen giggled a little at her sister then went about her business as Indigo went to pick her up. The tiny girl moved off and began searching for the flowers in question. Indy suggested that they look places where other wolves maybe couldn't go. It made sense to Bowen. Maybe she could reach them since she was so small. As she moved along she made a point to search for hidden places. Maybe thorns or knots of thicket. Bowen circled the big trees and peeked her head tentatively into little crevice's and holes. There was no way that she was forgetting the groundhog episode any time soon. Haiku wasn't here to save her, though she was sure Indigo would do well against a little groundmunk. Gwyn spoke up, asking whether or not the flowers would have petals since it was cold. Bowen let out a little gasp and looked to Indigo. Was it true? Would the plants have petals? It would be much more difficult to find the flowers if they didn't look like flowers at all. The small child furrowed her brow and continued to look, though she kept her ears perked for Indigo's answer to her sister's question. "That was a good question, Gwyn. I didn't even think of that!" Just like her sister, she was trying to stay somewhat close to the group. Danger was everywhere, especially when you were as small as she was. Bowen found a batch of trees squished together at the trunk. It was very strange for willows to be so tightly together so she went to inspect the oddity. It took her a few tries, but she was able to work herself up the trunks enough to see into the space between where the trees began to split. Before she slid back down, she caught a glimpse of something white and pink in the little clearing inside. "Oohhh! Oh hey! I think I found some! HEY!" Excitement was evident on the girls face as she began to run circles around Gwyn and Indigo. "Go look! Go see!" The cinnamon and cream pup raced back to the tree and jumped upwards, trying to hook her paws in the crevasse.  She wiggled enough to keep hold and was able to get a clear look inside of the little hollow. A moment later she squeaked in alarm and launched herself backwards, holding her nose when she landed. Inside the hollow had been a bird with a weird shaped bill. It had bitten her nose since she'd been so rude as to invade its nesting place. Still rubbing her nose, she looked towards her sister and Indy with a frown. "It was just a bird... Let's keep looking." Sad and disappointed, the girl's ears and tail drooped as she followed along behind the other two. She had been so very excited and knowing that she hadn't found the flowers was a total let down. With a sigh, she continued to look around, but it was with much less heart than she'd had before. Hopefully someone would find a flower so they didn't go back empty handed. "Bowen Arrow"

Wc- 520
Total- 3169/3500

Gwyn stayed close to him after he’d helped her back up to her paws. Both girls were excited but she was the more timid of the two. Bowen was eager to go headfirst into everything and that made Indy extra on guard. If anything happened to one of the girls Resin would have his head. He tried to keep an eye on both of them, and he was suddenly thankful for Gwyn’s caution. She kept close as they really started their search. Her words and question were soft and sweet as she pondered aloud to her companions.

”You could be right, Gwynevere.” He returned as his bright eyes glance from Bowen back to her sister. ”No, most plants don’t like the cold. When the season changes most of the plant life will go dormant for the winter.” He explained further, almost offhand as he watched Bowen scamper forward towards a close grouping of trees. This would be his second winter, and just like the first everything would die back and he’d be left to wait until Spring returned. Indy tried not to dwell.

Which wasn’t possible for long as Bowen returned with a quick gallop, suddenly circling the two of them. Indigo watched her with a half smile, and didn’t hesitate to follow as she ushered them forward. He almost stepped forward to help her up into the crevice of the tree but everything happened too quickly. He did race forward when she squeaked and practically threw herself off the tree.

”Are you alright, Bowen?” She seemed much more defeated now that she’d gotten a nip on the nose. He hadn’t seen any blood but her paw was over the spot. She seemed to shrug it off, but she was drained of the excited energy she’d previously had. Indy smiled softly and nudged her shoulder encouragingly before taking up the lead. He wouldn’t keep his eyes off them for long, but he’d not press Bowen to recover from the disappointment so early.

”We’ll find it.” He promised but he knew he’d have to do it quick if he was going to keep the girl’s attention. Indigo led them further into the wood, searching willow tree after willow tree. He had a feeling they were getting into the real wild parts, where wolves didn’t often stray. When he saw it, Indy stopped. The corners of his lips pulled back and he waited for one of the girls to see. He’d allow them to be the winner of the day before he helped them harvest the plant. There would be a celebration all the way home.

Wc:442
Total: 3500

Walk | "Talk" | think

She gave a "hmmmmmm" when Indigo confirmed that some flowers and plants could go dormant because of the cold. Their hunt for the lady's slipper suddenly seemed even more difficult than it had already seemed. What if they were walking right past the right plant but didn't know it because the flowers weren't there for them to look for!? She frowned, but kept looking all the same, not willing to give up as long as the others were still looking as well. She heard her sister scrambling against the bark of a couple of willow trees and she lifted her curious lavender and mint eyes to see what was going on. Her ears perked with the sudden excitement that Bowen called out to them with, making Gwyn watch her sister with a hopeful grin.

She ran after Bowen to where her sister had potentially found the flower they had been looking for, her tail wagging a mile a minute while she waited expectantly for Bowen to come back out from the spot she was searching. The excitement quickly turned to worry when her sister squeaked and fell back away from the hiding place the trio of willows made, Gwyn's ears falling back against her head as she hurried over to make sure her sister was okay. A bird? Well, that was disappointing, but as long as Bowen was okay then she could deal with that part. She looked to Indigo when he said that they'd find it and even though she had some major doubts, she really wanted to make Bowen feel better too so she made a resolute nod and turned back to Bowen to nudge at her sister's cheek. "Yeah! We'll find it!"

With that they continued on their hunt, trying to keep up her spirits so that hopefully Bowen would be excited again too. Indigo led them even deeper into the trees and the plant life started to get more dense and hard to search through. Just when she thought that Bowen might have the right idea in giving up, a flash of pink stood out among all the green and brown and her head popped up. She didn't really believe her eyes at first, but she wandered a bit closer and sure enough, it matched all the descriptions they had been given. A huge grin crossed her face and her tail wagged like crazy. She ran over to where Bowen was and she nudged her sister's shoulder excitedly. "Bo! Bo, come this way!" she insisted, leading her over to where the flower was with a little bounce in her step. She looked back to make sure Indigo was there too, ushering them all to where their little lady slipper flower was growing. They found it!