Sedna had been steadily learning the marks the brothers had made throughout the maze and while it wasn’t unusual for her to misinterpret and still hit a dead end, she had managed to get out often enough to fill her new treatment room with bunches of hanging herbs and hollowed out turtle shells to use as bowls. Eventually, she would look at installing some shelves, so those herbs that could be dangerous would be stored well out of reach of those with less of a clue, for now, she kept them away from the home, in a bundle only Chips or Otis could fetch for her. She also had plans to acquire more containers like the few small stoppered jars she had taken from the witches hut to store poultice on hand. It would be a work in progress for now.

The Archer had three small shells set out before her, each with some crushed and fragrant leaves in the bottom of each. She knew at this age they were likely to put things in their mouths first, so she made sure each was harmless, allowing the wolves before her to sniff at each, and waited to see if they might have some idea about what they were, or what they might be used for. The first was stringy and had a sharp scent, it was ginger. The second was flakey and crisp, mint, and the third was softer smelling, but looked quite similar to the second all dried out as it was. that one was chamomile. She even had Otis heating some water to demonstrate how to use the herbs in a tincture or a tea. “What do yer think these might be?”

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

-Lesson 1/3-

Wari looked at the shell before her and then back up at her mum, careful not to touch anything unless she was told to do so. From what she could tell the contents of each were different, and it was all the cub could do to hope that she'd picked the right one, but it was hard to tell without knowing the game.

When prompted, the youth shifted forward, craning her neck to further inspect the herbs. The first thing she noticed was the scent.  It had a sharp and slightly bitter note that made her head retract before coming back for a second sniff. It was familiar in that her mother kept it around, but what was it? A quick taste was enough to jog her memory, the name jumping to the tip of her tongue.. "Gin.. Uh.. Gin.." She looked to her mother again, the girl's confidence dwindling as the name left her consciousness. "I don't 'member."

Fuji’s bright blue eyes had begun to muddy to a mixed brown and it wasn’t quite clear yet what colour they would eventually settle to. Her forehead had sprouted painful nubs and it made it difficult for her to sleep. She knew the end one from a milky concoction her mother gave her before bed but the word stuck on the end of her tongue while Wari focused on the sharp smell. “Ka-moo sleepytime mook?” the girl tipped her pink splotched round face to the side with a questioning glance, wondering what Roo would make of the middle bowl.

“Speech”

Just move those left feet, go ahead, get crazy

Kuroo was no healer. He had no interest in becoming a healer of any sort, but if the pups wanted him to attend, he would. After their arrival and the finishing touches of their home, if he wasn't down at the shore tending to his net, he would be found hanging around with the bunch. It took his mind off of the burning questions he had about his father. Keeping busy was the best thing he could do. Feeling lonely even with the comfort of his brother at night had his heart feeling a bit sad. It didn't help that as of late, Usagi's bitter personality had turned even sourer and it seemed that there wasn't much in the way he could do to help.

So here he was, mixed in among the pups Himawari, Rheum, and Fuji, laid down on his belly with paws stretched out in front of him. Knowing Fuji was a climber, it was safer for him to be closer to the ground in case she wanted upon his shoulders. When Sedna placed the three shells full of fragrant herbs in front of them, he glanced at all three with a scrunched nose. Watching as Himawari tested out the first one, his pale pink gaze turned toward Fuji with a smile. "Yes, Fuj, sleepytime mook," there was laughter in his voice as he reached out his own nose to smell the gentle aroma of the chamomille.

"Speech"

Mama was giving a lesson in smelling things. Curious, the lean pup gathered around her other two siblings and Kuroo to take a look. Already Wari was sniffing at the really strong one and Fuji and Roo were sniffing at the last one that didn't really have a smell to her. Guessing that left one for her to sniff at, Rheum took a step closer to the second one. Green and dried, she reached out a paw to touch it. It crinkled under the pressure. Scrunching her brow, Rheum sat back and lifted her paw toward her nose. It was crisp and familiar. Giving her paw a lick, the vibrant flavor was cool and refreshing. This was definitely something mama had told them about before. "Mint, mum!" She squeaked in her puppy-like voice as she glanced up at Sedna.

Senda smiled encouragingly at Himawari, allowing the girl to take her time. She almost had it, so Sedna responded as if she had gotten it right on the first go. “Tha's right, ginger, or shoga, you give this one ter someone with an upset tummy.” The next to pipe up was Fuji, who seemed to be having a little more trouble with her words than her siblings were so far, but when she did speak, she would slip between her mother's and fathers tongue effortlessly. Of course, that made it very difficult for Sedna to understand her sometimes, but she was starting to pick up on bits here and there. She did love a challenge. “Chamomile,” She slowly enunciated the word for the children, “'s good fer sleepy time if someone isn't sleepy, but yer can also mix it up an' put it on ouchies ter help 'em heal a bit faster, or if someone has an upset tummy an' yer don't have ginger, yer can use this instead.”

Rheum's clear declaration earned an approving nod. “That's another one fer upset tummies, an' it's also good if someone has really bad breath...” She crinkled up her nose dramatically. “but, jus' like th' Chamomile, we can mix it up with other plants to put on ouchies, ter help keep germs out.” When children were this age, it was best to keep lessons short and sweet. “Mixing up fer ouchies takes some time an' practice so fer today we'll make some tea and we can all try the different flavours, yer can even try mixin' 'em together if yer want, an' Oti has some honey ter add ter make 'em taste a bit nicer if yer need.” She pushed some bowls forward to allow the children to create their own blends. “Jus' remember yer gonna be drinkin' 'em when we're done, so we can see which one is th' easiest fer treatin patients.” She added with a small smirk. It certainly wouldn't hurt them take their own medicine in this case.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

-Lesson 2/3-

Sedna's praise sparked a boost of confidence, casing her little tail to tick back and forth, though Wari knew she hadn't been entirely right. It was a skill she still needed to work on, perhaps even outside of their lessons. Next time she'd be better prepared.

Wari repeated Sedna's words in her own mind, committing the herbs and their properties to memory. Ginger for icky tummies; chamomile for sleep, ouchies, and icky tummies, but slightly less preferable than ginger; then finally, mint for stinky breath and ouchies.

When it came time for the girl to make her own blend she thought long and hard about how she wanted to go about it, and what combinations, if any, she might choose. Taking a leap of faith, the girl grabbed a bit of ginger and a pinch of mint to add to her bowl. She then waved Otis over to add a splash of honey, and then it was done, her concoction ready. If ginger soothed a sour tummy, then it likely meant that someone would be sick to their stomach, which made the mint a necessity not just for the user, but for the sake of anyone forced into close quarters with all that breath, and since mint itself was soothing, well, if someone's throat was all rough and scratch from upchucking all over then it was a plus there too.

It was interesting to sit in on these lessons to learn about different things. Even if he didn't ever plan on becoming a healer, the knowledge would be helpful. If he and Usagi were ever out in the wild, someday they might need to know this. Mulling over Sedna's words, he smiled when the girls spoke up about their guesses and how Sedna agreed and gave a deeper, well deep enough for pups, explanation. To Kuroo, he was impressed with how well Sedna taught even when they were so young. When Sedna offered the girls bowls to make their own mixture, he made sure to grab his own and a few leaves of each plant so he could give it a go.

"Speech"

Rheum listened intently as if it were just her and mama having a lesson. Don't get her wrong, she loved her siblings, but she also loved to learn. Soaking up each word as if she were a sponge, her little face nodded excitedly at each explanation. Her own nose even wrinkled when Sedna mentioned that mint was good for helping someone's stinky breath. "I bet otosan has stinky breath, huh?" She said with a giggle as a clean bowl was pushed in her direction. Rheum's eyes widened slightly when her mom said that they would be drinking their concoction when they were done. Best to be careful, huh? Her own brow wrinkled in concentration for a moment as she considered which herbs to choose. Grabbing a few leaves of mint and a small chunk of ginger, the pup placed them in her bowl with some water and began smushing them together.

Fuji’s favourite was the sleepy time mook but it was the middle of the day and if she went to have a nap, chances were one of her siblings would drop something slimy on her head (it’s what she would do if she found one of them sleeping), so she added ginger and some honey to her bowl to offset some of the sleepiness. Now that she was looking at it, she was worried she might have gone a bit heavy on the ginger… but with honey mixed in, she was out of options to pick it out. Her tongue was already stuck to the roof of her mouth. She hoped they wouldn’t have to drink it all…

“Speech”

Just move those left feet, go ahead, get crazy

Sedna watched with interest as her girls picked their ingredients for their teas, smirking a little as Fuji upended a large portion of ginger into her cup. This was something they could learn from trial and error so she didn’t move to correct any of them, they would remember better this way.

Nodding to Otis, he took the warm water and distributed it between the cups. Sedna had added some mint to her own with a small dollop of honey and once the drink was stirred, she blew on it gently before taking a sip. It was refreshing and she allowed herself to relax while the girls and Kuroo tried each of their own. “How is it?”

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

-lesson 3/3-

Fuji watched with some trepidation as Otis poured the water over her ginger brew and her nose wrinkled as the sharp and bitter scent filled her nose. She wasn’t sure she had added enough honey.

Mimicking her mother, she blew on the shell-mug carefully, waiting for some of the steam to clear before carefully bringing the vessel to her lips. The taste was as sharp and bitter as it smelled, even with the addition of honey. She screwed up her face. “It makes m’ nose feel open, but it tastes terrible.” She answered with a shake of her shoulders and a poking of her tongue. No matter what mumma said she wasn’t gonna finish that.

“Speech”

Just move those left feet, go ahead, get crazy

Still focused on her concoction at her paws, she glanced up to look at her mother. Watching as Sedna drizzled honey into her own bowl, Rheum figured it would be a good idea to do it herself. Finishing up mushing her mint leaves and ginger to a pulp, she reached over and grabbed a dollop of honey. Dropping it into her bowl with not as much care as she should have, she tried to mix it together without getting too sticky. With a still furrowed brow, she leaned back as Otis came by to pour some of the steaming water in. Her eyes widened once more as she watched the honey dissolve. Reaching forward with sticky toes, Rheum grabbed her own bowl and waited impatiently. Lifting it to her lips, she took a sip and instantly spit it back out. Something definitely wasn't right here! And now her tongue burned, ouch! Frowning, she looked to Sedna for help. "It's too sweet but also yucky," Rheum pouted as she placed her bowl back down on the ground.