Every day seemed to start the same, bird songs would wake her up even though the sun hadn't come up yet. She truly didn't mind if she woke up before the sun, for her, it was better to wake up early than late in the morning. Stretching out and flexing her claws in the sand of the beach she found herself bumming on, Atreyu made herself ready for the day. The wind was biting this morning, so that would mean it was too cold for a bath, but she could groom herself. Looking around, Atreyu found a nearby palm tree and gave her cat-like claws a good sharpening.

If she had been human, her watch would have told her it was six o'clock in the morning. Birds and gulls sang in the bay, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon and it painted the sky pink and red, to the point that it nearly matched the metallic pink of her coat. The spotted woman sat herself in the white sand and began her morning rituals. She said a prayer to the divine spirits that she believed in, hoping for a pleasant winter day. She knew the ancestors watched over her, they had to. Perhaps her siblings had also found favor with their deities and they too had survived the massacre at home.

Open your wings, Evil Angel!
'Thinking.' || "Talking." || 'Hearing.'

Bancha is aware of his surroundings and the wolves in his life. Though his outwardly demeanor may suggest otherwise, it’s a facade to hide the worry that eats away at his thoughts. He can see that his father is stressed, anxious and concerned about the life that his family will have now that Kotori is gone. Bancha doesn’t know the intricacies of his father’s concerns so he doesn’t understand the anxiety that plagues him, but he does wish to help.

Rising with the sun, Bancha sets out toward the coast from Monuent Rapids where their family dens lie. Now that he’ll be turning one soon, he’ll have to find a den of his own, but that will come later. Today was about harvesting plants that would help his father. Having spent the previous afternoon picking Athena’s brain about different plants and their properties, Bancha decided to seek out a plant called Kava that would help sedate his father.

Stepping through tall dune grass out onto cool sand, Bancha pauses to admire the scenery. Waves roll in calmly, filling the various tide pools that line the bay’s shore. A shadow still cast from Moontouched Cliffs keeps the winter chill rolling around, but Bancha doesn’t mind. It allows the varying scents to move about and helps lead him along the grassy shoreline toward where he believes he might see the Kava plant.

As he nears, prints leaving a trail in the sand to lead him back home later, Bancha is startled by a someone also on the shore. His tail wags softly, a smile gracing his face as he lets out a quiet chuff to the stranger. “Morning!” Bancha calls out to the stranger before he takes a few ore steps closer to the plant to investigate it.

BANCHA

1/3 gather an herb - kava
1/3 explore a new land - fontamo bay

Streched out in a bow to her ancestors, Atreyu hears a young voice cut through the sound of the surf. 'Morning!' He said with a quiet chuff. Though he may have interrupted her, she figured the deities must have sent him her way. She couldn't dally too long, but perhaps she could learn from the younger boy. Rising up on all four paws, Atreyu turns his way and offers the pup a warm smile. "Good morning!" Atreyu watches with keen interest as he inspects a plant. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" She asked, her warm voice sounding helpful. Of course, she did want to help. Perhaps if he had a particular herb in mind, he wouldn't mind her picking some along with him.

Coming over to investigate the plant for herself, those unique holographic silver-to-lavender eyes immediately land on the broad green leaves of the Kava plant. Was this what he was looking for? "Is this what you are looking for?" Atreyu never had been one to hide her thoughts, unless necessary. The younger boy didn't seem like he would be the type to hurt her, she had been just learning to fight when those wretched, wicked wolves attacked her homeland and her people.

Open your wings, Evil Angel!
'Thinking.' || "Talking." || 'Hearing.'

1/3 gather an herb - Kava
(Gonna hop on the bandwagon real quick XD Also, I am so sorry it's so bleh lol)

His fur is ruffled by the salted breeze, a slight chill that sends a shiver down his spine. Nothing unbearable, definitely warmer than it had been in recent weeks. A good sign that spring was well on its way, and an indication that the flora of Boreas would soon be back to life. Being on the coast, it would keep the snow away, clearly shown by the sandy beach that was free of any icy particles that he had witnessed farther north of the rapids. Perhaps he wasn't quite suited for the snow, now that he was thinking of it.

Nose deep in the shrubbery, searching for the Kava plant, he almost forgets about the stranger he had called out to. It's when her voice speaks to him that his head springs up in a surprised manner, eyes wide and ears perked in her direction. "Oh, yes, actually!" Bancha says excitedly, tail sent wagging once more before he turns his attention to try and point out what he was looking for instead of her telling her. Which didn't make sense... But don't tell him that. Anyway, she was already pointing it out to him! Convenient!

"How'd you know?" Bancha's head cants, a laugh leaving his lips before he draws closer to inspect the plant for himself. "Strix told me it's called Kava. It basically helps someone feel better, not so stressed out. I was looking for some for my papa," he doesn't realize he's probably sharing too much information, but the words leave him before his brain can stop him. "I shouldn't need much," the young wolf adds as he reaches out to pull off some leaves with his teeth and place them carefully into the borrowed satchel around his shoulders.

BANCHA

2/3 gather an herb - kava
2/3 explore a new land - fontamo bay

The way the pup's head shot up in surprise brought an unbidden smile to her face as she held the plant out for him to see. She left it rooted, but once she had confirmation that this was what he was looking for, she brought out her hawkbill knife and began to cut some of the leaves from the stalk. Listening to the boy as he spoke of what Atreyu could only guess were relatives or pack members telling him how to make his papa better. Wasn't that the sweetest thing!

Atreyu let another smile come to her pale lips, keeping clear of the little boy's lips and teeth with her knife. While they were here discussing plants for his father, Atreyu let her speckled brows come together in curiousity. "What ails your father, do you know?" She mused aloud, half posing the question and half concentrating on harvesting the Kava plant for later use. She already guess that his father was stressed, maybe anxious, but she would need more information if she were to point him toward other plants he could use to make his father better.

Open your wings, Evil Angel!
'Thinking.' || "Talking." || 'Hearing.'

2/3 gather an herb - Kava

With the help of the stranger… What was her name? Oh, he hadn’t even gotten her name! “I’m Bancha, by the way,” he comments, slightly embarrassed at his manners before he returns his attention to the task. Collecting the plant was at least easy - especially with her knife! How cool was that? Plus, the plant didn’t have any numbing or itching properties on the outside so they could freely touch it without worry.

With more than enough collected, Bancha steps back to look around them. His aqua gaze lingers on the Moontoched Cliffs that are lacking the usual color they normally have in the summer time. “He’s just very stressed and worried. Our pack just changed paws suddenly so he has concerns about that. He worries that we might get kicked out, but Scylla seems really nice so I don’t think she will. Plus, he has other issues he worries about that he doesn’t know I know,” Bancha’s nose wrinkles, a frown lacing his lips as he takes a few steps down into the fine sand of the beach. The granules between his toes is a funny feeling, one he doesn’t really like. He does make note in his head that sand was an indication of coasts, something to remember for his future adventures.


BANCHA

3/3 gather an herb - kava
3/3 explore a new land - fontamo bay

Atreyu used her knife to cut the leaves, not because kava had any adverse properties this time, but because the leaves were hard to tear off without damaging the plant. When she was herb gathering, or harvesting anything from a plant, Atreyu often tried to stay aware of their living status. If you damaged a plant it could die, so she did her best to keep her paw-marks small. Or well, as small as she could for a dire wolf.

The boy introduced himself, drawing attention to the fact that she had been so ready to help the boy she hadn't even given him her name. "I am Atreyu, it is nice to meet you, little Bancha." Some of the leaves she had gathered were offered to the boy, "These can help with stress, but there are other plants out there that could help. You get these to your papa first, then maybe we will run into each other again. If these don't help him, come find me and I will help to find something a bit stronger." Anti-anxiety plants had been a must in her homeland, and her mother had been in the process of teaching her the importance of them.

Sitting back on her haunches, Atreyu placed some more of the leaves into her satchel and smiled at the boy. "You better run on home now, those should be enough to help your papa. Don't want to give him more reasons to worry." Packs changing paws could always be stressful on the population of the pack, Atreyu had never witnessed anything like it, but she knew it could be stressful. The way the pup spoke about this new alpha suggested they didn't know them very well, which could exacerbate the issue. "I hope things go well for your pack...I know transition can be difficult, but hopefully, everything will be alright." She smiled at the way his nose wrinkled at the sand between his toes. Some enjoyed the feel of sand, but Atreyu was on the boy's side with it.

Open your wings, Evil Angel!
'Thinking.' || "Talking." || 'Hearing.'

3/3 gather an herb - Kava