I'm Tired of Looking for Answers

Birna carried the small water deer to the edge of the festival. She'd purchased the animal from one of the booths and drug it off for lunch as well as something to pass the time for she wanted the hide. She'd likely keep the fangs as well if she could find a good way to remove them without cracking or breaking the teeth. She found a nice clearing and settled down to begin the skinning process with the help of her white raven companion. She started to chew along the base of the neck, cutting into a pulling the hide up from the skin so her raven could use his sharp beak to help snip it more effectively free.


Speech

Ulmaria bounded through the grasses of the clearing with a cluster of yarrow in her jaws. Her lemur companion trailed just shortly behind with a ceramic bowl and a bag full of odds and ends. She'd just learned how to make a poultice and was eager to practice making one. She didn't really have anyone to stick it on but maybe she could just try putting it on one of her own legs. She was looking for a good spot to set up her project when she spied the snow leopard that had helped her and her uncle out against a bear. She bounded over toward the leopard and deposited her plants on the ground. "Hi! Can I join you? I won't eat your food."

At this point Etoile wasn't even sure that her cousin was still anywhere near the festival.  It wouldn't be completely out of character for Noëlie to just run off without a word, though it would have still been considerate of her to give a quick goodbye.  The fae couldn't be too bitter, however.  This was kind of what they'd agreed upon, traveling together for some time and then parting ways when it suited them.  Maybe Noëlie had found it suited her, and there really wasn't any harm in that.  Just meant that maybe it was time for the Soleil to also get a move on.  There wasn't much for her around these parts if her kin wasn't coming back.  She just wished there was a way to know for sure if her hunch was correct or not. She had been sort of aimlessly wandering around the celebration for a while before she heard an unfamiliar voice call out. "Hi! Can I join you? I won't eat your food." What an odd request.  "Of course, though I'm afraid I wouldn't have any food to give even if you --"  the yearlings cheeks heated up intensely as she turned her head to look at whoever had been speaking.  "O-Oh, hahah.  M-my apologies.  I thought you were talking to me, dear."  She was standing just a foot or two away from what appeared to be a young pup and a rather large looking wild cat, whom the pup had actually been speaking to.  How embarrassing. "Talk" 'Think'

I'm Tired of Looking for Answers

Red blood stained her white coat as she worked. Once the hide was free from the neck and the base of the head she worked down the centerline of the belly. Her dexterous paws allowed her to work her toes under the flesh and pull it back a fair ways before she needed her companions help. Her ears twitched at a small, yet familiar voice. She releasted the hide and turned to see the familiar pup she'd helped rescue some time back. Before she could say anything though another unusually marked wolf replied.

Birna licked the blood off her whiskers. "It's alright." She turned to Ulmaria. "Yes, you may join me." She glanced at the older wolf. "You may as well if you wish." As long as neither wished meat from her she was fine with some companion. She might share her food, but not without something given in return.

Speech

Ulmaria jerked her head to the side as a strange woman spoke to her. She smiled and chirped a reply. "That's ok! I'm gonna make a poultice. Do you need anything fixed? I can try and help. I'm learning to be a healer." WIth Birna's permission she grabbed her flowers and plopped down near the cat, using her paws to scoot a flatish rock closer to her. Piper, her lemur, had been teaching her how to make things with limited tools and a poultice could be simply composed of plants and spit. She giggled at the thought before taking the yarrow in her jaws and working it into a paste in the back of her mouth.

Etoile quickly shook off any lingering embarrassment and grinned as the two invited her to stick around.  They were an unusual pair, a cat around her own age and a pup, but they definitely seemed to be familiar with one another.  The yearling's interest was  certainly piqued.  "Thank you, I think I will then." it's not like she had anything better to do.  Even if she did, would it really be more interesting than whatever was happening here? "A poultice you say?  I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with the term.  What is it?" closing the distance and making herself comfortable next to the two strangers, Etoile watched both of them work their individual magic carefully.  It was almost inspiring, really.  "I'm Etoile, by the way." "Talk" 'Think'

I'm Tired of Looking for Answers

Birna continued to work diligently on sknning her prey, working her teeth down the centerline and eventually around the wrists and ankes. She was growing more and more hungry by the minute but wanted to get the hide off and ready to dry before indulging in her meal. With her raven's help though she soon had the hide off and onto the ground with the bloody side up. Pinning it there with rocks she then turned to her meal and started eating hungrily while the old wolf joined them and spoke with the child. That suited her fine. Birna wanted to get several mouthfuls down before engaging in small talk. Once she was done though she offered her name. "Birna, its a pleasure."

Speech

Ulmaria spat the poultice mixture back out onto the rock, making a face and shaking her head a bit. Yuck! Now she could see why her uncle was always mixing things in bowls with water. She was slowly getting used to the taste of plants. After all she gathered most by chewing them off at the stem but actively chewing a bunch of plant matter was grosser than she'd expected. "Oh, a poultice is a moist mixture of plants that you can put on a wound or a sore to make it heal better. Like this, but pretend I have a cut or something." She dipped one paw in the mixture then dabbed it on her other leg. "You can wrap it with hide bandages if you have any but you can also just let it dry on there to. My name is Ulmaria!"

The cat had finally managed to skin the pelt from her meal and set it aside carefully.  Etoile wondered if she was going to save and keep the pelt for something, but didn't want to risk sounding silly by asking.  She turned to the younger child again and watched as she chewed the herbs in her mouth with a look that screamed of disgust.  They must not have tasted very pleasant.   The child then spit the earthy mush onto a rock and began explaining to the starry yearling what a poultice was.  Enthralled, Etoile listened very carefully to the elucidation and then smiled as they both shared their names with her, offering a small, grateful nod to the pair.  Birna and Ulmaria, both beautiful names in their own right.  "And what kind of plants to you use in a poultice?  Just any, or does it require specific herbs?" "Talk" 'Think'

Ulmaria eyed the remaining poultice mixture. She did pretty good in not using too much as there was barely any left in the bowl. Unfortunately after it was mixed with water there weren't many good ways to preserve it. Within days in this heat it would start to grow bad bugs and fungus. She'd just have to chuck up the leftovers as a loss and be more careful next time. "I think you can use about any herb that you'd put on your body if it isn't bad for you. I'm using yarrow. It stops bleeding!" There was something else that it did but she couldn't immediately remember. "Do you like doing stuff with plants to?"

Birna got up to leave but that was fine with her. She saw her uncle not too far off at a vendor's stall so she figured it would be fine to stay for a bit until he came to get her.

"Oh, wow!"  Etoile was genuinely impressed.  She knew a little bit about plants and what they could do but at the end of the day her knowledge actually wasn't all too useful.  It wasn't like the fae hadn't found the idea of working with plants appealing, she'd just never had time to really sit down and figure that kind of thing out.  Now though the world was her oyster.  Maybe she'd attempt to pick up the craft sometime soon.  "I do, but it would seem that you're a bit more advanced than I am." she chuckled lightly.  "Where'd you learn to do things like this?" The yearling smiled at the cat as she stood up to leave, then once again turned her attention back to the pup.  She hoped she wasn't keeping the child from being where she needed to be.  Surely Birna would have said something about it if she was, right? "Talk" 'Think'