There were so many interesting lands in this place, Atreyu could not possibly explore them all, could she? Maybe one day she would, but for now she stuck close to what she knew. Asking for a place where she could harvest herbs, she was pointed in the direction of a place called The God's Garden.

Upon arrival at this so-called garden, Atreyu widened her eyes at the surprising amount of plants here. It seemed as though everything was blooming, but Atreyu knew it was winter - technically. What an interesting land this lower continent was. She was here for something specific though, as she would be going to the Northern continent soon, and didn't want to be caught with some sort of illness. Elderberry, she knew, would help with that. Her mother had been the healer of their pack, and before her untimely death, she had been teaching Atreyu what plants were good for what.

Searching the overgrown garden for the elderberry plant, Atreyu allowed herself to focus only on finding the plant. She allowed her guard to slip as she remembered her mother's description of the plant's leaves and berries. With a sad smile on her face, Atreyu walks through the garden, clearly searching for the plant in question.

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

1/3 Collecting an herb - Elderberry

Finch was determined to make the most of her time in Auster before she headed back across the Bifrost towards home. There was plenty to see and do, not the least of which would be to catalogue some of the plants that grew here during the winter. It would be a useful resource to know, especially if they ever fell upon hard times in Boreas. She came upon the God's Garden with an empty satchel and eager eyes, scanning the understory. In fact, there was so much to take in that Finch found herself taking a moment to breathe deeply, tasting the air thick with greenery on her tongue. The summer day was heavy and hazy with incoming rain, with a tang of petrichor coming from downwind that told her the weather would change more quickly than she expected.

Just when she had gotten her bearings and was about to begin adding some cuttings to her bag, she caught sight of a lone female about her age deeper into the garden. The stranger was inspecting the surrounding greenery with an air of authority, and Finch noted the basket. Must be another healer on the hunt for something specific. "Hello!" she called with a wag of her tail. Finch bounded over, carrying her satchel with her. "Are you looking for anything special?"

Atreyu coud smell the rain on the air, a relief from the warmth of the day. It was reasonably hot for the season down here, she supposed, but she had been raised in more wintry climes. She lost herself in her search for the elderberry, remembering her family and friends in Judila. They were with the ancestors and spirits now, waiting in the Summerlands for the time when death came calling her name. She hadn't managed to find a single member yet, but she had found someone who knew of her pack. She still had an issue believing he wasn't a monster, but time would tell.

A warm greeting had one black ear turning toward a pale stranger bounding over to her. Waving her spotted tail, Atreyu gave a nod to the pretty woman. "I am actually, elderberry. I smell it, I just can't see it through all the growth." The pleasantly bitter aroma floated through the air with the wind, mixing with the almost spicy scent of rain. The plants were calling to the sky for the rain it promised, and a few drops did begin to fall around them. "Preferably before we get soaked." Atreyu gave a smile and then turned her holographic gaze back to the copse of plants before her.

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

2/3 Collecting an herb - Elderberry

Finch shot her a toothy grin back. "Yes, preferably before that!" She agreed, slinging her satchel further back along her shoulders and out of the way. "I'm Finch, by the way. Happy to lend a helping paw." The amiable white female set her nose to the ground. This stranger was right - that tantalizing scent of elderberry was just within reach, but where? "Those berries can be awfully small sometimes," she allowed, glancing back up the pink and black spotted wolf. "I'm sure you're right, they're around here somewhere!" The rain stayed at a soft drizzle, luckily. Just a pleasant tickle along her back.

The undergrowth here was rich, and every step further into the loamy soil seemed to release more competing fragrances. Herbs and grasses and shrubberies choked each other out and fought for supremacy among this crowded garden. Finch thought she could see the semblance of organization once - a creeping vine of blackberries hung suspended from some kind of armature that seemed to help it grow. It was rusty and smelled like metal, a thin wire stretching only a short ways between two trees at the outskirts of the clearing. Other herbs appeared in clumps that made sense. Elsewhere, though... it was chaos. "Oh! I think I see some!" she announced, and darted across the garden with springy steps. Rich, heavy berries hung low peeking out from behind a thick-trunked tree at the edge of the copse opposite from where they had first came across each other.

When the other introduced herself, Atreyu realized she hadn't even thought to give her own name. Finch seemed to fit the smaller lady, and Atreyu repeated her name over and over in her head while memorizing the face of the one it went to. "I am Atreyu and I am glad for the help!" The rain began to fall then, a soft drizzle that would only dampen her fur. As they both hunted down this elusive berry, Finch suddenly surged forward and made a beeline for a plant that matched her mother's description.

Perfect! "Oh! We were right on top of them, weren't we?" Atreyu had known she could smell those berries, they were close but she couldn't see them through all of the new growth on the bushes and the tree itself. Everything seemed like it went wild here, though she could tell it was once a paradise. It still was in its own way, a wilder way, but there used to be order in this chaos. With her dalmatian-print satchel open, Atreyu made her way over to the plant and began to pick a few ripe berries. She sampled one, and the familiar bitterness made her mouth pucker up. "I don't suppose you know where I could find something to sweeten these with do you?" She wasn't about to try and eat these raw, they were far too bitter for her liking. She would steep them in a tea with honeysuckle nectar or something else to balance out that earthy, bitter taste.

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

Table by Bird - Art by Shelby
3/3 Collecting an herb - elderberry

She wagged her tail when Atreyu thanked her for her help. This was one of her favorite activities, and it was just nice to have some company while she waded through the undergrowth. Once they'd located the berries, she chuckled heartily as they both separated them gently from the bush. "Yes! It can be so difficult in dense undergrowth like this, and the rain doesn't help anything," she admitted. The drizzle had begun in earnest, washing away the fresh bite aroma of the surrounding greenery and turning it into something more muted and difficult to parse into separate smells. Once her pack had a stash of berries in it, she considered Atreyu's next question. Something to sweeten them... "Well, we have a few options! With this many plants, there's bound to be a beehive around here somewhere, but we'd have to be careful getting that honeycomb," she shifted back and forth on her paws. Bee stings were a pain, but not fatal. And they had two healers here! What was the worst that could happen? Her mouth had already begun to water at the thought of it. "We could try and find some! Are you in? I've got a few supplies in my bag if we get stung."

Oh, fly over me, evil angel;
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Atreyu listened as the other mentioned honeycomb, wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself. She could make an elderberry tea with honey, that sounded far more appetizing than elderberries by themselves. Though it may seem slight to others, bitter flavors stood out on Atreyu's tongue and she couldn't handle them. She needed the support that the berries promised, with the onset of allergy season. "Too bad there isn't any tobacco around, if we found a bee hive we could just smoke the bees out. It doesn't hurt the bees, and we could safely collect the honey." In the name of hopefully preventing a seasonal cold, Atreyu would risk a few bee stings.

When Finch asked if she was in for collecting the honey, Atreyu nodded her spotted head. "I'm in! We should be okay, though I am expecting pain. This will be a funny story someday." Amused, the spotted dire wolf began to hunt around for any sign of bee activity. They might get stung, but a sweet treat waited for them if they succeeded. She may have seasonal allergies, but she had been stung before and luckily she was not allergic to the bees. This was going to be fun! She expected a thrill, the last time she had been honey hunting was with her siblings before her homeland fell. With a smile to the other healer, Atreyu moved around the brush listening for the telltale hum of a hive.

Word count: 242 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART BY BRIENASKYSONG

"Oh, that's quite smart!" Finch agreed, thinking about the other possibilities of trying to get the bees away from the hive. Smoking them out was a good one. "I mean... tobacco does have a pretty distinct smell. We could try and look for it while we look for the hive?" She suggested, following after Atreyu at a slower pace. The rain, however, did seem to drive insects towards hiding. Would that mean they'd find more or less bees when they finally tracked down the hive? Finch hummed softly to herself as they went, ruminating on what Atreyu had said. If pain was expected, would it really a funny story after all? She had come this far hoping for some kind of adventure, but she hadn't anticipated that pain would come as part of it. Would the fear of it keep her from having any fun at all? With the soft drizzle coming down all around, the typical sounds of the glade seemed muted and dull. No birdsong echoed, no quiet rustlings of other forest creatures. It might be harder than she'd anticipated to find what they were looking for. The barest sound of a buzzzz came from a nearby tree and Finch paused, tilting her head up to scan the branches. "I think we're close! I just can't quite pinpoint it..." She called to Atreyu.

Oh, fly over me, evil angel;
Why can't I breathe, evil angel?

Praise from a stranger always felt good, though Atreyu didn't outwardly show it, she preened on the inside. Nodding her head as the other spoke further, Atreyu smiled, "I can find the tobacco while you find the hive? Just don't approach too close until I get there with the tobacco. We don't want stings." Her tail waved despite her warning, "If we do get stung, wet tobacco is good for that too." As they walked, Finch hummed pleasantly, making Atreyu smile sadly to herself. Her mother used to hum as they worked or traveled.

Finch said she thought they were close, and Atreyu returned her attention to seeking out the tobacco plant. With the rain growing harder, it was hard to sniff it out, it would also be nearly impossible to light on fire. Hopefully, the hive wouldn't be too busy for them. She could hear the buzzing as well, and looked around. Pointing to a low-growing branch nestled between two bushes, Atreyu thought maybe the bees would be in there. A few yards away sat a good, leafy tobacco plant that had flowered already. Good, it would have spread its seeds by now, and Atreyu only needed a few of the lower, yellow leaves. Plucking some off, she brought the dryer leaves over to where Finch was waiting. "I think the hive is between those bushes..." She told the other, pointing to where she thought she heard the bees.

Word count: 240 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: Finch is such a wonderful character <3

ART BY BRIENASKYSONG