Zephyrus had taken to Lia instantly - he adored the fire-hued female who spoke so gently to him, fed him, and shared with him her room when he found the many flights of stairs to the goose room too much to climb. Not unlike a typical orphaned bird, Zephyr found himself attached at the hip to his caretakers. If he was unable to find Artorias, Zeph would seek out Briar. If Briar was nowhere to be found, he moved on to Lia. So far he'd not encountered a day where all three of his favorite wolves were unavailable, and he tried not to consider that he might actually need to spend a day alone should it happen in the future.  

Lia had explained to him their task for the day. Outdoors in the courtyard, there was a portion of garden that belonged to her and that needed tending. Zephyr knew he'd much rather assist Lia in her not-exactly-thrilling ventures than sit inside the castle alone, so he'd agreed to accompany her. "Why would you grow your food when you can just catch it outside?" He asked as he followed the wolf to her personal dirt-patch, keeping his small body close to hers so she could break the wind for him. Zephyr's juvenile plumage was slow to fledge and with his feathers still so immature he was much more sensitive to the cold than these furred beasts were.

"Zephyr"

Lia never minded the large bird tagging along with her. She would never dare to say it outloud, but she saw him almost like a nephew. But the implication of the healer deeming herself as worthy of being family to Briar was… too large for her to look at closely. With Zeph at her feet, she trotted carefully towards her little plot of earth. Feeling a surge of satisfaction that always accompanied her now when she saw it. The realisation that this was hers, and she had the choice of what grew her. When it thrived, it was from her knowledge and work.

She crouched in front of her plot and took out the small packet of seed Halo had gifted her. “Do you mean food like prey? My garden is versatile. I can grow food, but I can also grow herbs for seasoning, and herbs for healing. Growing it in my garden means I have a steady source of the herbs I might want. It’s also a hobby for me, I find tending to the garden is soothing, and satisfying. I’m going to water it, then turn the soil. Would you like to help me water it?” she asked, grabbing a small watering can she’d set aside after Zeph had started following her around.

Speech

Zephyr stuck close to her as Lia crouched in front of her plot to plant the seeds. She had been explaining the purpose of it all and it made sense, but the impatient bird couldn't get over how long it took for anything to come from it. A wolf could slave daily over their garden, tending it perfectly, and still, the plants took their sweet time to grow. "Why can't you go pick the herbs from other places where they're already done growing?" He asked, still sounding unconvinced over the benefits of Lia's dirt.

She offered him the opportunity to help in this 'soothing and satisfying' venture and the chick hopped forward toward the can of water, clasping his beak upon the top handle. The weight of the water was more than he'd expected, and his talons dug furrows in the earth as he heaved backward. "Too heavy." Zephyr blew out an exhausted breath, releasing the can and walking instead toward her patch of dirt. "How about you water, and I turn it?" Turning dirt sounded weird (and unnecessary) to the bird, but his talons were likely more suited to scraping through the loosely packed soil than heaving around a bucket.  

"Zephyr"

“Because here I know what's growing. I know immediately where to find it, and have the means to replace what I take.” She explained patiently, giving the bird a grin and licking a few feathers on the back of his head as she made her way past him.

The watering can, despite the small size she had picked out, was too heavy for him. “Sounds good” she agreed, grabbing the larger can she used herself, and getting started. Soaking the soil, so he could turn it behind her as she moved further on. “Okay,” she said after a moment, looking for a way to explain it to Zeph. “Let’s say Artorias got hurt, and dampness damaged our supply of pain medicines. Would you prefer I step out into the woods for a few hours to find something to ease his pain, or take a few minutes to get what I need from this garden and see to it immediately?” She asked. “Gardens like these are an insurance, so that we know we are going to have the supply we need, when we need it.”

Speech

The she-wolf was a patient teacher, and Zephyr regretted that he had no intention on using the knowledge she'd given him. Healing things just sounded so... boring, though the young raptor had to admit that Lia took to the profession very well even if he did not. Her tongue swiped across the plumage upon his head and he grinned up at her, his small heart squeezing at the fond gesture.

"Okay, I suppose it makes sense." He relented. It didn't really make much sense still to the growing bird, but he liked Lia enough that he could pretend for her sake that he did. In reality, Artorias was invincible and if anyone did dare harm him, they'd suffer the full unrelenting wrath of Zephyr's hardening talons and very accurately jabbing beak. The thought alone was enough to make him puff up in anger, his beak curving in a frown.

"Which one helps pain?" Even if he couldn't grasp the concept of a garden, he did understand that herbs had their uses. And even if Artorias was invincible, Briar and Lia and Fern and all the other kind wolves he'd come to love might not be. Should the day come when Lia's garden failed them, Zephyr did not want the guilt of being unable to fly out and retrieve vital medication.

"Zephyr"