The swamp queen rarely ventured so far from her home, but her stores of yarrow were incredibly low. It was a staple in her pantry and it wasn't something she could go without. A delicious soothing tea, a rinse for a wound, for loose stools, colds, arthritis. Yarrow was indispensable. Mud felt uncomfortable walking across the soft, dry grass. She missed the fragrant loamy earth of her swamps and mangroves. Here, the earth was just so firm.

She was headed for a spot she knew very well. It was a perfect valley that grew tons of beautiful flowers, grasses, and herbs. She knew many creatures used the gifts of the earth here as well. Rabbits, voles, deer - the plant-eaters were well acquainted with the area. In her mind, the creatures feasting upon the bounty here were not to be hunted. No violence or bloodshed of any kind. It was a spiritual place - why else would so many herbs grow in a condensed area? It was not planted by intention. It was the will of the soil.

Mud was carrying the soft skin of a wolverine. It perished in the swamp, and she and Detka got to it before it decayed so they were able to harvest what they could use. Detka was happy to eat the majority of the meat. Mud collected some of the bones, the skull, the skin. She hated waste so any creature they found they collected for these purposes. She had the skin with her today to use as a makeshift bag to carry her precious herbs back home with her.

The field with the best yellow and white yarrow was just ahead. She could just barely see it in the distance. The sun was just getting to the middle of the sky and radiating a pleasant warmth across her back. What a perfect day...

_________________________________________________________________ Her own supply was getting rather dry these days with winter faring a bit difficult and her studies with Paladin becoming more abundant. Eager to line her den with fragrant flowers and herbs to dry and store, Audra had set out from Druid's Moor in search. In her conversations, there was one place that everyone said was the best place to resupply. Fern Gulley. It was south of her temporary home for now and so that is where she went. Picking up her paws with gentle steps, Audra had brought with her the satchel that she carried around her neck, now empty and ready to be filled. Inhaling deep, she could already smell the abundance of floral scents. Cresting the top of a hill, her honey-brown eyes lay her gaze across a wide green valley, dotted in multiple colors. Untouched by winter's long fingers, there seemed to be no end as the rolling hills stretched on and on. Amazed, her mouth dropped open slightly. Eager and excited, her tail swept back and forth in large movements. Her body filled with happiness as she was almost tempted to roll around in it. Looking from the small bunches of willows to yellow dandelions to purple lavender and golden marigold, Audra set down the hill at an even pace. Before long, another taller tri-colored female caught her eye. Pausing to take in her scent, Audra did not sense that she belonged to a pack. Caution was in her limbs as she moved toward the lady with a gentle smile on her face. "H-hello!" She called out, her petite body spoke with friendly nervousness. "Would yo-you like some c-company?" Her voice was a soft tinkle of bells; how you would imagine a fairy tale princess to sound like. If they were both here for the same thing, why not join up? It only made sense as they could share their thoughts and ideas on what worked and didn't work with different herbs. "I'm A-Audra by the way," as normal for when meeting strangers, the stutter in her voice hiccuped over multiple syllables, but that she was used to. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

It wasn't long before another canine was visible. Like Mud, this stranger's pelt was comprised of browns and tans, which she found surprising. So many of the wolves who did not live in the swamp were blessed with unworldly colorations. Blue, purple, pink, with all sorts of contrast. Of course, some of her fennish cousins did sport greens in their coats, but that was because the fennish gods blessed them at birth. She was not sure if the landwolves had such gods.

Mud wasn't surprised to see a land wolf collecting herbs. She knew they too collected from nature, used herbal remedies. Mud hadn't met many land wolves though, and it was always intriguing to hear their ways. Mud's elongated body tended to gather questions from outsiders, though, and she struggled to answer them. Her father had elongated features, flowing hair, and her mother was a tall lady. Together, Mud and her siblings were strange-looking pups compared to the typical pups growing up around the time she was born.

"Greetings, fellow traveler." Mud's voice was deep, in contrast to Audra's delicate sound. Mud's voice also had the tangle of a mixed accent. Some of her words came out a little strange. "That would be agreeable. Have you come here to collect herbs as well?" She asked, smiling at the nervous-sounding girl. "I am known as Mud. I hail from the swampland to the east." Mud inhaled the scents of the herbs deeply and found it comforting. Socializing was not her forte, but if it was about plants? Perhaps.

_________________________________________________________________ Pleased that the other female reciprocated her friendly greeting, Audra's tail wagged a few times before settling between her ankles. Her eyes lit up at the suggestion of gathering herbs because that was exactly what she had come here for. "Y-yes! I need a-a larger variety and p-perhaps a bigger bag," she laughed momentarily as she glanced from her satchel to the vast valley laying before them. Looking back to Mud as she introduced herself, Audra nodded respectfully toward her. "P-pleasure meeting you, Mud," Audra spoke warmly as she turned away slightly, her eyes back to scanning the flora scattered around. "Is there s-something particular you're looking for?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder for a moment before taking a few steps away. Leaning her nose down to sniff at some Marigolds and Dandelions, a peaceful hum buzzed in her mouth. If she could live here, she would. It was peaceful. The gentle breeze rolling through the grass, songbirds singing ballads, and while it was winter outside of the valley, it didn't appear to ever get too cold. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Mud was surprised at how gentle and sweet Audra seemed. During her occasional forays outside of the swamp, a vast majority of the wolves she met had dispositions she found undesirable. Loud, excitable, violent, things of that sort. Of course, she hadn't met so many, and her evidence was anecdotal at best, but Mud always felt superior to non-swamp wolves. If you got to the bottom of it, though, Mud felt superior to all. Such a fact she rarely spoke of, but her tone communicated.

She returned Audra's nod with a deep nod of her elongated snout. Audra was polite, she noted. Mud contemplated Audra's comment about her bag being small. She often felt the same way, but her teachings buzzed in her head. She clicked softly, trying to convert the phrase from Fennish to a common tongue. "Lorwan Lorkane, in all her wisdom, gave wolves the ability to carry only so much so that the earth would have time to replenish itself properly before their need arose again." She mused. It was a phrase her mother told her many times, and she recited it almost like a chant.

Mud observed Audra looking at marigolds and dandelions and she was surprised at the deft nose of her companion. "I seek for wan.. ahh, yarrow, is the word. Delicate clusters with white flowers. My use is so frequent I have exhausted my supply." She remarked. A glance revealed that the plant she was seeking was abundant here, and she would have no issues finding it. Perhaps she could find a few others to bring home. "And you, Audra? What plants have you come to procure?"

_________________________________________________________________ The variety of scents calmed Audra's nerves with ease. Being in such a lush valley was like heaven to her. And to boot, she'd found someone who wasn't overly excited and too chatty. Maybe she just attracted those sorts. Distracted by the scents of it all, her head lifted when Mud's deeply accented voice spoke about a Lorwan Lorkane. Flicking an ear back for a second, she tilted her chin. Her sentence made sense and she smiled, assuming that maybe this lady she spoke of was a God she believed in. Thinking back to the pirate party she'd attended not long ago, she gave a small shake of her head. "Y-yet, I saw a wolf carry a large f-fire in on a cart!" Audra exclaimed with a quiet laugh. In her own opinion, wolves should never be capable of that much fire, but it was also none of her business. Perhaps she was jealous because so many wolves here had so many things like armor and companions and tools and large carrying pouches, and all she had to her name was this measly pouch around her neck. Lost again in thought, she was brought back to the present when Mud offered that she was looking for yarrow. Nodding, she looked around, that plant was very easy to point out. "You're in l-luck, Mud, there's plenty here," she said in a jovial tone, her eyes leaving the earthen-toned female to glance wistfully away. "I-if I could bring a piece home of each, I-I'd be happy, but I'm m-mainly looking for lavender and willow bark." Already, she had spotted a few large clusters of lavender laying about sporadically, but she hadn't had time yet to inspect if the groves of trees were truly willow bark or not. Truthfully, she needed more plants to help ease her nerves of always being so skittish, but that she wasn't going to admit to a wolf she'd just met. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

The word 'cart' was not one that Mud was familiar with, though from context she imagined a rather large bag of sorts. However, if it were a bag made of skins, how could it carry fire without burning? She was perplexed by the mental image and looked up at Audra. Her eyes were wide and her ears were slightly down, her expression bewildered. "You say they carry fire on a... cart? What is the definition, cart?" She asked, her common tongue slipping just slightly. The mental image was making her a little wary; fire was a sacred thing, after all.

She let a rare smile flash at Audra's upbeat tone. Yes, it was good that yarrow was so plentiful. She used it constantly, for all the aches and pains of the swamp wolves. "It is fortunate that yarrow is so abundant, though it seems to be as abundant as its medicinal uses." For a moment she considered the thought - perhaps Lorwan Lorkane had such thoughts while spreading the seeds of each plant throughout the world. The thought would be something she would meditate on that night, for sure.

Audra mentioned she needed willow bark and lavender. Mud used them frequently as well, but her stores were adequate. She nodded to the girl. "I see. Lavender, I do so enjoy the scent, do you?" Mud was not a social creature but to talk about plants, she could drone on forever. "Lavender is also pleasing to gaze upon, especially with the light of a fire. The purple hues seem to glow in an ethereal way," She mused, thinking back to the last time she prepared lavender to dry. "I am sure you will find adequate amounts of what you seek, and perhaps more." She nodded, pleased with herself. "If I may inquire, are you a healer for a local pack in this area?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Rose was wandering, as she often did. She was a wandered after all, with no real place to ever call home, forever chased from packs she tried to join. She was a lonely wolf, but wary. No more did she come up and initiate conversations amongst other wolves. Instead, she watched from a distance, and only interacted if the other wolves indicated a friendly nature towards her. She had been following the scent of a thousand herbs for some time, having lost the scent of the ocean long ago. Occasionally, she would hear of a special, hallowed place ahead, a place blessed by the spirits and full of plenty. She was determined to find it and if her nose was anything to go by, she was close. As the small black she-wolf topped a hill, she immediately sank to her belly, having spotted two other she-wolves almost at the same tie she heard their voices. She pricked her ears and listened, her curiosity peaked at once hearing the strange accents. Carefully, she lifted her head to peer over the tops of the grasses and eyed the pretty wolves down below.

_________________________________________________________________ Her own expression flashed with mild confusion. Mud's question of what a cart was had surprised her. Maybe it was because Mud wasn't used to speaking in the common tongue. Audra's ears flicked back for a moment as she frowned. "O-oh sorry, uh, a c-cart is like a big w-wood thing with wheels that carry things," she was unsure how to explain what a cart really was. "I-it's big enough to f-fit about three wolves on it, I s-suppose," her voice murmured as she shifted her weight. The last thing she wanted was to confuse or throw off Mud. Upsetting others was not on her daily agenda. Sighing softly, her mood turned back to chipper as she watched Mud smile. Something about Mud made her believe that she reserved her outward emotions for only necessary interactions. Returning the gesture, she nodded. The other female's thick and deep accented voice was lulling and oddly relaxing. She could listen to her speak for hours if she kept on about plants. Oh, she could talk about plants for days until their ears fell off. "L-lavender is one of my favorites," Audra chirped as she glanced over the valley with a dreamy expression. Mud's question made her pause for a moment. "Oh, I-I wouldn't consider my-myself one for them," she hesitated with her words. Valhalla was merely offering her a temporary home for the time being and her decision would come turn spring. "I do n-not yet belong to a pack, just merely staying with them for the w-winter," Audra spoke carefully because she didn't want to overstep her boundaries. Calling herself one of the pack before she was permanently accepted would be in bad taste. Before she could continue or ask another question, a gentle breeze rolled over the valley. With it, the scent of another wolf caught her attention. Her body froze, muscles tensing as her ears turned first and tail tucked between her legs. Glancing around carefully, her honey-brown eyes scanned the tall grasses and herb ladened field. Up in the distance, a pair of eyes peeked over the grass with observation. Hesitant, she looked back to Mud. "I-it appears we have someone w-watching us," Audra spoke quietly, her body turning slowly so that she faced more toward Mud and the newcomer. Defending wasn't her forte, she was a healer after all, but Cairo had given her a few lessons so she'd at least be ready at the first sign of danger. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Rose watched as the smaller brown wolf conversed with the other, her ears pricked as she listened to her lilting speech. She was interested, these two sounded unlike any other wolf she had spoke to yet. She smiled to herself hearing the other try to explain a cart. the little black she wolf was impressed with the explanation, she herself did not do well with explanations of any kind. She found herself pondering how many fish and clams she could fit into a cart when a breeze blew over her. Just her luck, as usual, the wolves she was eyeing were downwind of her. Rose inwardly groaned, she sure knew how to pick a spot-not. Her ears lowered seeing the gentle looking brown wolf's reaction to her scent. She could sympathize with her, she too wasn't fond of running into another wolf, especially one that you could smell and not see. She did not want to appear as a threat, so she slowly got to her feet, keeping her tail relaxed, wagging gently, and her ears down, opening her mouth in a friendly pant. Gently, she padded towards them, stopping once she was close enough to speak without raising her voice. "Hi." She said, a bit shyly, still wagging her tail and panting, tilting her head to try to show she offered no threat and would rather play then harm anyone.

Mud tried to paint a mental picture of a cart based on Audra's description. It was difficult to imagine something so large three adult wolves could be carried on it. How did it move? It had to be so heavy. And wheels, she knew what wheels were, though found them a bit useless in the swamp, as they sunk into the loamy earth with the slightest bit of pressure. She merely nodded at Audra's description. She didn't need to know more. It did not concern the swamp woman, the ways of these wolves. She could carry all she needed by herself.

Mud was intrigued to hear that Audra was a visitor at the pack, not a member. Ah, Mud thought to herself. Her status with this pack is as uncertain as she is in all things. Mud wondered which pack it was - she thought she should know her neighbors a little better. She was just about to speak up and inquire when Audra noticed the other wolf. Mud's ears swiveled and she inhaled deeply. The scent of a loner female. She was not a surprise; the valley's herbs and flowers were well known in the area, and all could gather to collect nature's bounty.

The stranger was polite and a bit demure. "Hello." She said to the newcomer. Her voice was deep for a female, with the twists and tangles of a heavy accent giving away that she was not from here. "I am called Mud. What is your name?" She asked the black and gray wolf. Mud's body language was relaxed; she felt no fear from this one.

Rose felt reassured when the one who called herself Mud spoke. This one was confident and much to Rose's relief, knew there was nothing to fear from the small black wolf.
"I am Rose." She smiled happily. "I like your name, Mud. It suits you." She was inhaling the scent of the other female, and it comforted her with the earthy scent. She smelled of wisdom and dirt and plants. Rose wagged her tail a bit faster and came all the way up to the wolves. "Whatcha doin?" She asked softly, tilting her head the other way. She could take a good guess upon what they were doing, but she wanted to be polite and ask, not just assume. "I heard there was an amazing herb place around here, one blessed by the gods themselves." She continued. "I am heading there to see it for myself. A place blessed must be a peaceful place indeed." She winced a bit as one of her rear paws twitched and sat down to take the pressure off them a bit, tail still waving and brushing through the grasses behind her. Her grey eyes flitted from Mud to the other wolf and back again, sparkling just a little in the sunlight. It was nice to come across non-threatening wolves for once.

"Speech"

_________________________________________________________________ Audra watched silently as the black and grey wolf greeted them and approached. Apprehensive at first, she noticed that this new one by the name of Rose was about the same size as her. Tilting her head slightly as she and Mud conversed, she was content to be quiet for the time. She had not been directly spoken to so she wouldn't budge her way into the conversation. Itching to get back into her exploring and plant picking, Audra smiled softly at Rose. "Y-you're here, sweetie," her voice is a soft chime, much the opposite of Mud's own deep baritone. While Mud smelled of earth and swamp, Audra was more of lavender and mint. No doubt that some of the scent from the pouch around her neck caused some of it. "I-I'm Audra and i-it appears we're all here f-for the same reason," she is sweet in her tone as her golden eyes sweep away from the pair and out toward the valley. Perhaps Rose didn't know that she was standing in the middle of such a place that she described. "I-I believe there i-is willow bark o-over there and I'd like to go see. If you both want t-to join," Audra's comment is more a question as she turns her body slightly toward the outcropping of trees not far from where they stood. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Rose turned at looked at Audra with interest. "Here? This is the place so many have spoken of?" She questioned, then looked around her, pricking her ears and lifting her muzzle to inhale deeply. "It does smell strongly of herbs, I guess I was just too busy meeting you fin ladies to pay as much attention to where i was going." She chuckled. "Pleasure to meet you, Audra." She bowed her head quickly in greeting then rose back up to her paws, stretching her back legs and flexing her paws. "Ready when you are, perhaps i can acquire some more knowledge from the two of you." She eyed the pouch and the skin thoughtfully. "It seems I am woefully unprepared for this venture." She chuckled lightly.

"Speech"