Walk | Talk | Think

Everything was still this morning, and for that Callisto was grateful. After the earth shaking quake that had rattled the lands the previous day she was ready for things to settle down, for herself to settle down. At last she had found herself a den that suited her, in a territory that suited her - Stone Steppe surprisingly, the same place that she had entered the pack from - and now that she had a place to return to with any plants that she deemed worth keeping around she intended to begin with her training. The only complication with that was telling her instructor. Vaughan had mentioned possibly talking with the wolf himself, but Callisto had not bothered to find him and ask if he had. This was important to her; she could do it herself.

Considering plants were rare along the place in the Steppe that she was familiar with, the grey and black youth trekked toward the lake though did not approach it and instead cut a path through the plains around it. If anywhere was going to be green and full of useful plants, it was going to be this place, fed by the lake and given optimal sunlight. Callisto's long, thin grey legs carried her dark lithe body through the grasses and slowly ceased their movements, bringing her to a stop as she set her silvery blue eyes to scanning around her. Hmm. What did this Maximous even look like? With only a name to go on, she parted her jaws and howled for him, hoping that he was near to hear it and hoping more that he was prepared to teach her.

The dark man had been out searching for more herbs when the girl called him. He was unfamiliar with her voice, but she seemed to know him so he answered to it by trotting in the direction her howl had come from. He hadn't even bothered to make a quick trip back to his tree to put away his herbs.

Upon his arrival he was surprised to see that it was a pup that had called him. Did she need help? Her voice hadn't sounded desperate when she h ad called hadn't even given any hint of needing a healers help. Besides that none of the wolves here really liked him, especially not Elsa so if she would have needed any help he assumed she would have called the alabaster fae.

So if she didn't need his help medically, why had she called him? As the questions swirled through the mans mind he sat a few feet away from her and put down the mouth full of herbs he had toted around with him since he had picked them earlier that morning. Icy blue eyes would look over the girl as a smile would curve his lips. "What can I do for you miss?" his voice came just as deep as always and just as warmly as when he would talk to any other Ebony wolf. Aside from Fuge that is.

Walk | Talk | Think

She had not been given a description by which to recognize the wolf Vaughan had named Maximous but as soon as she spotted the dark colored wolf carrying a mouthful of plants she was almost positive she had the right one. Who else would be wandering around the lands of Ebony carrying plants but someone studying them and using them? Callisto stood a little straighter as she waited for him to join her, quietly watching his approach with an expectant stare. Finally she had a stable teacher. It had taken her long enough to find a stable home, but here in Ebony it seemed as if her search had finally proved fruitful. Not only did she have a place that held a suitable location that appealed to her but she was going to learn more about the plants that her nose was so keen on locating.

Despite her quiet enthusiasm, there was no smile upon her face. Her expression remained as stoic and severe as ever, and only deepened into one of puzzled speculation when the wolf drew near enough for her to take in the peculiarity that riddled his features. Upon his brow sat two lines, purple despite the pitch of his coat. The unusual markings triggered a memory for her, of another wolf that she had run across outside of the lands of Ebony after she had joined. He had had markings similar to these as well, and after she had asked about them she had learned that it was the mark of a healer within his familial group. Was this Maximous a relative of his?

She was still staring with her puzzled expression as he stopped and set down the plants that he had been carrying, posing a question regarding her call with a polite smile. Allowing herself to forget what she had noticed about it - it could wait for another time, maybe even after their lesson - she answered, "Vaughan told me when I joined that Maximous could teach me about healing." Since he had answered her call and no one else had it felt safe to assume this was the Maximous that she had been waiting for. Only after a second did she remember that she had failed to give her name, more concerned with her training, and she added, "I'm Callisto."

He had seen the girl straiten up but he said nothing. As he got closer he could see she looked confused, again he mentioned nothing. After his herbs were at his paws and his question was asked, it was only a few seconds before the girl answered him. At her reply he would make a mental note to thank the high lord later.

A second after she had answered he opened his mouth to confirm what she had been told but he stopped as she gave him her name. A moment passed and then his maw opened once more. "Our high lord did not lie to you, I can indeed teach you everything I know about healing. I can even teach you which herbs you shouldn't use." his voice was friendly and not even close to teacher mode yet.

Vaughan had finally given him something to do aside from arguing with Elsa. The woman had bated him even before she'd had a chance to know him. From the moment had been told about him she had wanted nothing more but for him to leave or screw up so she could become the Master Sola. What she didn't understand was he wanted her to have it. Hell the alabaster woman had been there long before himself. Another thing she didn't understand was that the more she treated him this way the more he didn't want her to be the lead Sola.

Pushing the other healer out of his thoughts he spoke once more to the girl before him. "I'm sure you've already guessed, but I am Maximous." he gave his name even though she already knew it and then he moved on to being a teacher "So Callisto, shall we begin small with the small amount of herbs I have here?

Walk | Talk | Think

She seemed to have cut him off as she quickly added her name - silly formalities - but he hardly lost his stride. Maximous confirmed what Vaughan had told her and informed her that he was capable of teaching her about helpful and harmful plants. For some reason this was even more intriguing to her than she might have thought. Most all that she had been told so far about the plants that she knew were all remedies and helpful uses, nothing devious or lethal. But there were so many different plants out there in the world, so many that she had not even come into contact with. Could they be as deadly as they were therapeutic?

Again he confirmed what she already knew by introducing himself more properly and then offered to begin her first lesson then and there with the plants that he had been gathering. The yearling girl's silvery blue gaze traveled downward at the pile of leaves and stalks that rested beside his paws and back up at the blue gaze of her new mentor, momentarily straying upward to the purple-shaded lines upon his brow. "You should know that I already know about mint, sage, and lavender," she spoke, hoping the minimal knowledge that she already possessed would help hurry her training along. She wanted to know all of it, everything, and did not want to waste time going over things that she already knew. "It's not much," Callisto admitted, "but I've been trying to learn a little here and there."

The man waited quietly for the girl to reply and watched her as she examined the plants he had placed at his paws. He wasn't sure if she was debating on her answer or just so excited she had no words. Either way he would wait for her to tell him what ever it was she was going to tell him.

As Callisto looked up at him, Max noticed her glancing at the marks on his forehead. She was definitely a curious one, and he looked forward to answering any questions she might ask. "you should know that I already know about mint, sage, and lavender." her words brought a smile to his face and before he could speak, her voice came again and this time soft laughter escaped him.

She wanted to learn, whether she had a mentor or not she was determined to learn. That small little fact reminded him of himself. "Well Callisto, your in luck as I have no Mint, Sage or Lavender with me. Everything I have here is new to you so we will begin with these." he gestured toward the plants before using his paw to move them until they were no longer over the topes of each other.

None of the herbs he had at the moment were poisonous but he had a few in his den for when he might need them. They were hidden and separated from his healing herbs. He would teach those to her at a later date. For now though he would begin with Meadowsweet, Marigold, Earth Smoke / Fumitory, Dandelion, and Alfalfa. "All I have here is Meadowsweet, Marigold, Earth Smoke / Fumitory, Dandelion, and Alfalfa. I will let you choose our starting herb and then I will tell you everything I know about it."

Walk | Talk | Think

Her enthusiasm, however unobviously it showed within her stoic expression, appeared just enough to please her new mentor, eliciting chuckles when she named ahead of time the few herbs that she already had some familiarity with. And her boldness in claiming what little knowledge she did possess seemed to pay off immediately. He accepted it willingly and was not the least bit pressuring of her to hear what he had to say about them from his perspective, and instead directed her attention to what he had on hand. None of the plants she could recognize were in the bundle, which was perfect to the eager girl. A new lesson would begin now, and not a moment too soon.

A gentle, sweeping motion of Max's paw uncovered the plants that were below the top of the pile, spreading them out in a neat row for her perusal. He named each of them though which end he started from or if he simply labeled them at random was lost to her. Her silvery blue eyes were fixed upon the stalks, narrowed with a slightly furrowed brow, concentration and thought plainly evident within her serious face. She could pick their first plant? Oh where to start! There was almost something overwhelming about having the options all laid out before her and the decision being solely her own. Should she go with the most unique looking? Work from one end to the other? Ask for Maximous's opinion?

In the end, she resorted to what usually led her to new plants that she thought might be useful to her. Taking a slow step forward, Callisto brought her muzzle just above the plants and sniffed them assessingly, gaining a certain taste and scent for each. It only took a moment before her shifting nose stilled, stopping above the dandelion and its curiously light scent. She had seen it before. It had always appeared so unassuming in its chosen growin spots; had she missed some significance to it all this time? "These are really common," she remarked, her words coming across as a statement rather than an inquiry. It was a fact she had learned from the moving and wandering she had done during her life, and she was confident enough in this not to leave any question in saying so aloud.

He could see as he'd straitened out the small pile of herbs that she was concentrateing on the plants in front of her. He would watch silently as she looked over and sniffed each plant. He wanted her to come to her own assessment of them. Each plant that lay before them had been seen by every wolf out there. Most would mistake it for a weed.

Callisto would stop at the flower like weed and come to a conclusion that she would voice. "these are really common." her statement brought a smile to his face. He would also nod out of habbit to let her know that she was indeed correct before speaking. "Its obvious that you have seen these before as you know that these are indeed common herbs. But can you give me the name of the weed, as most would call it, that led you to this conclusion?"

Most would have jumped directly into teaching about the herbs. He however was doing as his mentor before him had done. He was observing what she already knew and making her mind work so that it would be easier for her to remember rather than stuffing her mind with thousands of facts and expecting her to remember them. However if learning would be easier for her another way he would be happy to alter the lessons to help her.

Walk | Talk | Think

The black wolf with his purple-tinted scar smiled when she made her comment and followed up with a confirming nod after she had made her comment. Good. She had been right about having spotted the little plant before out on the few wandering trips she had made, and it meant her mind was doing well in keeping up with what was out there. She was still clueless about what it could be used for, but this alone was a step forward. She would be able to identify them from now on, as she hoped she would be able to do with all of the rest by the time her study session with Max was over.

He really seemed prepared to quiz her on what she knew, and though it was probably a helpful tool to the learning process Callisto was not altogether approving of it. How was she supposed to know what the plant was called if she had paid so little attention to it before? Her brow furrowed but rather than make a smart remark she tried to think, to reflect back on the times she had seen the sweet smelling flower before. A name, a name... Had Circe mentioned it perhaps? Something she had picked up from their father? She was almost sure, but there was still a little touch of uncertainty within her voice as she tried her answer. "Is it dandelion?" If she was right, and if she ever found Circe again, she would have to thank her sister.

It took the girl a few moments of thought before she would give him any kind of answer. She seemed to doubt herself in her answer, however she was correct. Another nod was given "You are correct, Callisto, it is a Dandelion."

Within only a few seconds of his answer he would move on to the facts of that plant. Being she hadn't been sure in giving him the name of it, he figured she wouldn't know much else about it if anything. "The main use of the Dandelion is to help increase appetite and ease digestive problems, for this purpose the herb must be ingested. It can also be applied topically to ease joint pain, bruising, and inflammation. The root is more powerful than the green portion. There are no known side effects and it can be found in temperate areas such as the meadows and fields, however it is extremely wide spread."

Maximous silenced himself for a few moments to let her take in all the facts about the Dandelion and so he could see her reaction to all of it. He didn't want to overwhelm her but he wanted her to learn as much as she could because she wanted to learn. "Can you give me the names of any of the other herbs I have here. If not then don't worry, I am only quizzing you to see what you already know even if you don't think you know it. I don't want to reteach you anything as you seem to want to learn as much as you can as quickly as possible, however I may test you once in a while to make sure you are retaining everything. he paused for a moment to think and then finished his thought aloud "Callisto, if you learn a different way than how I am teaching you, I will alter how I teach to help you.

Walk | Talk | Think

Well, kudos to Circe for helping her sister out in her training. It seemed that their father knew at least a little too, and just then Callisto felt a sudden loss with his absence. What else had he known that she had missed out on by staying so distant from him while growing up? Had her mother known anything that would have been useful to learn too? But what was the point in dwelling on it? They were both gone, either dead or disappeared or both, and she was confident they would not be coming back. She was on her own, forced to find a new family for herself, and to lose herself in the training that she had so longed for. Her old family needed to just remain in the back of her mind until their memory became useful.

She willingly fell into the distraction of Max's teachings, listening as he began to explain the details of the dandelion's uses. For such a little plant, and for it being so surprisingly common, it appeared to be quite useful. Stomach pains, appetite, inflammation. Her silvery blue eyes strayed once again to the weed as if trying to determine at a glance how it was it could help so many ailments. "Useful little weed." Thank goodness it was a common plant. She was sure it was going to come in handy.

Instructions were given regarding what she should do next, and though her stare was no more disbelieving than before she was a but surprised that he should ask her to name more. She had told him what she already knew - everything - she had nothing more to say. But he seemed suddenly unsure about his intended training method, giving her the opportunity to change it should she know of a different or better one. And though she wished she knew which method was best suited for her she could think of none. It was probably best that Maximous just kept doing what he was doing. "Your method's fine," she assured him, "I'll pick up on it eventually." As for the remaining plants... "Is this marigold?" she asked, lifting a paw and placing it upon a stalk at random. Random guesses worked too, she hoped.

To her comment he would have a small one of his own "Indeed it is." He was interested to know the young girls opinion on his teachings. When she gave a small reassurance that the way he was teaching was fine and that she would pick up on it brought forth a nod from the dark man. He wanted her to know everything she wanted to know, and he would do everything he could to make sure that happened.

She would then go on to make a guess at both plant and name. Though she was correct he wondered if she remembered he had given her the names of the plants in the order of which they were laying on the ground. "Correct, but Callisto, I want you to keep in mind that I have already given you the names of each of the plants here. The only question is, did I name them in the order of which they are on the ground?

He would wait a moment to let the small hint sink in before he began listing facts of the Marigold. "The petals can be applied topically to heal burns and cuts, as well as insect bites and stings. This is only the main use as the other way it can be used is to be chewed. Chewing this plant helps to ease gum pain and sore throats. They are found in moist, loamy soils, particularly in tropical areas as this is were they grow the best."

Maximous would once again take a moment to allow her to go over all the facts in her mind so that she would better retain them. She had only three more plants in the small group he had with him to learn. She had at first skipped over the Meadowsweet, Marigold, Earth Smoke/Fumitory and stopped at the Dandelion before ever making it to the Alfalfa. For her second choice, she went backwards and skipped over the Earth Smoke/Fumitory and gone strait to the Marigold.

"If you wish you can attempt to name the last three and I will give you the facts to all of them in the order you name them. Or, we can continue with the last three herbs as we began. he would sit silently as he awaited to hear her choice.

Walk | Talk | Think

Yeah, she remembered he had named them all. Fumitory, marigold, alfalfa, dandelion, and meadowsweet. But as he mentioned their order her gaze met his. Were they really in the order that he had named them? Would that not have been too easy though? Maybe she had merely been over thinking it. She was incredibly eager to learn as much as she could, to be one step ahead of her training so that she could impress as much as she could keep up with what she was being taught. Maybe she just needed to slow things down a little and rethink her original thoughts.

Facts about the marigold followed, Callisto's blue eyes upon the green stem and the golden petals that made up the flower. It was rather pretty, if she was inclined to think of such things. So bright and festive. And useful. Already she was curious to wander around the lands of Ebony and see if any of them were native to her new home land.

He changed things up then, offering to tell her the information of the last three in whichever order she could label them. That was different. And tempting. It would speed things up for sure. If she could just label them. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at them for a few seconds longer, deliberating and eventually lifting her paw again to set it down upon the first in the list. "Meadowsweet," she stated, her gaze meeting Maximous's as she gauged whether she had remembered the order of the names correctly. Her paw moved to the next, Earth smoke," and then the last, "Alfalfa." She got them right, right?

He would wait for her to answer, and she would take her time. She had taken in the information he had given her about the Merigold and his hint to the order he had named the herbs. For a moment she looked as though she was thinking. And the next admiring the Marigold.

Soon she would look at the other plants. Only a few seconds later would she move her paw over one and give a name before looking plump at him. Each time she gave a name and looked up at him he would nod. She was smart and the hint he had given was all she had needed to figure out which herb was which.

A smile would come to his face as he began giving her everything he knew about the remaining plants thaalt lay on the ground between them. "The Meadowsweet is used to help cure the flu, it also helps
with a bit of pain and can help with fatigue. However it can induce internal bleeding in some. It is found in meadows clearings and young woods. The
Earth smoke is used to cure illness in the liver. The leaves can be used tropically for a variety of skin though ingesting to much can cause diarrhea. It is pleantiful on light, sandy, and loamy soils, particularly at low elevation. The Alfalfa helps stimulate weight gain when ingested, it can also help stimulate production of breast milk, its also good for strengthening the heart and blood flow. When the juice is ingested with water it can help with arthritis. Consuming to much during pregnancy can be dangerous. Afalfa is native to warmer climates, typically in meadows, near rivers and woodlands."

The lesson had come to an end but MMax still waited to see the girl's reaction. Though he helped Adelaide on occasion, Callisto was his only student.

Walk | Talk | Think

Ha! She had gotten them right! A surge of pride bubbled up within her accompanied by a one sided smirk. It felt pretty good to have guessed the plants correctly, and even better knowing that because of it she had completed her first lesson of training. Already she was eager for the next but, she reminded herself, all good things in due time. There would be more time for another lesson later, when Max had more time to gather up a few more plants to teach her about.

As promised he went on to speak about each in turn and Callisto soaked up the information like the summer ground did rain. Meadowsweet, flu and pain. Earth smoke, liver and skin. Alfalfa, weight gain and milk production. And just like that it was over. She stared at the plants, silvery blue eyes blinking as she studied the shape of each, still needing to familiarize herself with the scents next. She had five new plants to add to her list, and still so many more to learn. It should have been daunting, and a little it was, but she was not to be deterred. Callisto wanted to learn this.

He paused after he had finished speaking, and once she was done looking at them she shifted her gaze upward to meet his, boldly asking, "Can I take some of these?" They were not hers to take but she did need to begin growing her stores back at her chosen den, and every little bit of help that she could find she planned to put to good use.

He could see the pride of having answered correctly in her face, her smirk had only managed to add to the look which made him hold back a small laugh. She reminded him of his many cousins who still, as far as he knew, lived as nomads. She also reminded him of himself. When ever she would get something he asked right the same look that had been on his face and the faces of his cousins would be on her face. Even her attitude toward learning things was the same as his. A no nonsense kind of manor was held when it came to learning the skill.

Already the man was planning for the next lesson and he knew that no matter what he threw at the girl, as long as it had to do with healing and herbs, he knew she would try her hardest to learn it. In his pause Callisto would examine the plants and then ask if she could take some of the herbs he had laid between them. A smile would grow upon his features before words would spill from his maw. "Of course, every healer needs to have some herbs. Even the ones in training." He would gently push them all closer to her before speaking again. "If you want you can take all of the ones I have here. It will be a good start to your stores.