Today was the perfect day for gathering herbs. She awoke before the day began, the only hint of the sun being the soft rays of light that abrely peeked over the horizon, just enough to cast brilliant arrays of color over the horizon. Still the sky was dark, with the stars twinkling up above, and she slowly roused herself from the silent confines of her den. Already she missed Novel's presence, but she knew it was selfish to spend every waking moment with her, and so she decided today would be a day for work. There was nothing in particular that was needed for anyone in Ludicael, nor for her own personal store of herbs -- but she could surely find something that might be useful in the future. With a quick stretch and a long, silent yawn, she made her way from the safety of her den, and the familiar landscape that she had grown accustomed to. The wild vegetation seemed to grow more sparse as she went, diligent and alert, despite having only woken up a mere few moments ago. Ara got to watch the sunrise on her journey, eying the massive glowing orb as it slowly rose in the sky, the dark blue of the heavens slowly turning a brilliant shade of pink and orange before fading to a brilliant blue. The air was growing warm here as summer threatened to approach, though it wasn't quite hot enough to be unbearable. Hours passed as she wandered with no apparent goal. Before long, the scent of salt and ocean water grew heavy in her nose. Had she really wandered so far from home? It seemed time went by quickly when she explored, and her thoughts drifted like a leaf on the wind, aimless and content and she dreamed of what might lay ahead of her. The grass faded slowly to sand, the foliage growing nonexistent as the beach spread out before her. A contented sigh left her lips as she felt the pads of her paws touch the warm sand, and she found herself shifting her paws as she went, enjoying the feeling. She wandered to the shoreline, letting the frigid water lap at her paws, The girl's gaze would catch a cavern in the distance, perhaps a safe place to rest and recover from her journey here? Curiously she would pad toward it, eying the dark cave with interest. It was certainly suitable for a nap, she thought... and before long, she had slipped into its depths and lay against one of the walls, slipping into a light sleep.

It felt good to take a break from Ebony, stretching her legs again after what felt like such a long depression. She relished in the beauty of this day, for it was really so wonderful to see colorful things again. Spring had arrived, bringing flowers and sunshine and new hope for the wolves that lived here. Adelaide had been glad to see a friendly face again when she spoke to Newol, but eventually she had to bid him farewell and continue her search for herbs. Her physique had definitely worsened after her pregnancy, however, and it wasn't long before she felt the need to take another break.

The snowy maiden had just come across a lovely little beach, and she sighed happily as the give and take of the sand eased her tired bones. There was a dark cave nearby, and she decided that it would make a good napping place. Little did she know that another wolf had the same idea. Adelaide entered the cave and instantly felt the stone cooling off her sore feet. The woman then lowered her nose as she caught a scent, only then noticing the other creature that rested here. Adelaide could tell she was female by the scent, but there also seemed to be a smell of medicinal herbs woven into her pelt. Another healer? How interesting... The white lady stepped closer to get a better look, only to accidentally step on the other woman's tail. She winced as she felt the appendage under her paw. Surely that would wake her.

Adelaide retreated a few steps to give the waking woman some space, and her ears angled down apologetically. "I'm so sorry, miss, I didn't see you there..." That was more or less true, she hadn't seen her tail there after all. She paused for a moment before bowing to the stranger. She didn't want to get off on the wrong foot. "My name is Adelaide Lazurite," The maiden said. "And I do hope you'll forgive me."

"SPEECH"

She hadn't truly expected to sleep so long. The sound of the ocean crashing against the shore was relaxing to her ears, and she felt tension leaving her muscles as quickly drifted to sleep. Life was truly good -- and sometimes, it felt nice to simply rest and enjoy how perfect it all was. It was only when she felt a sharp pressure on her tail that she awoke. Rarely was she disturbed during her sleep, and she found herself quickly rolling to her stomach, hackles raising along her spine. There was little threat evident on her features as she blinked her eyes open, merely surprise at the sudden arrival of another. A slight whine escaped her throat before she grew sure that this lady was not a thread. She apologized quickly, introducing herself even before Ara was fully conscious. Her muscles had tensed quickly and she let her head tilt upward as she watched her through her hazy stare. It was very clear that she hadn't meant to step on her tail, let alone startle her at all. "S'okay..." she started sleepily, her mind turning with confusion. Ara wondered momentarily if she had made a mistake and trespassed on a pack's territory, but she knew she was always careful and couldn't have possibly missed the markings of a pack. "Hi Adelaide." It had been awhile since she'd conversed with a stranger, and she found herself surprised at how somber her voice sounded. Around Novel, and her family, things were so different. "It's okay, really... don't worry. I'm Ara, by the way."

The woman began to stir, first rolling to her stomach and lifting her hackles, then opening her blue eyes in a dreamy state. She didn't seem upset as she registered the apologies being thrown at her, so that was a good thing. Adelaide didn't want any trouble, after all. So she just put on a friendly smile as the other maiden gave a worried whine. Then she seemed to relax, which in turn helped the tension in Adelaide's muscles disappear. The white lady gave another bow to show that she was, again, very sorry. But the dark maiden seemed to forgive her very quickly as she came out of her slumber. Then she introduced herself, voice low and groggy with sleep. "Hello. It's nice to meet you, Ara, though it may have been nicer if it had happened another way..." The woman chuckled lightly and sank to her haunches. The cold stone of the cavern continued to provide relief from the sun. She could feel the heat evaporating from her coat. It really was a beautiful day, and she wasn't complaining, but after walking for a long time you just need to get away from it all. In fact, a nap sounded pretty good right about then. But she had company now, so it was no time for sleeping. She may as well try to get to know this woman. After addressing the fact that they were both healers, perhaps they could search for herbs together. "So?" she began, front paws flexing against the hard floor as she kneaded them into the stone. "What brings you here? Where are you from?" "SPEECH"

Ara found her sleepy gaze trailing over Adelaide's unfamiliar frame, staring for a moment too long before she averted her eyes downward. Strangers intrigued her deeply, though she wasn't always the best at actually interacting with others. The girl watched as the other offered another apologetic bow, and she found herself smiling ever-so-slightly up at her. "I can agree with you there," she noted, her voice soft but light, empty of any annoyance that she might've felt had it been someone less pleasant who had roused her from slumber. Even still, she was slow to anger, and she would forgive the other girl almost as quickly as she parted her jaws to apologize. Slowly Ara stretched her paws in front of her, pushing fatigue slowly from her limbs. "So," she repeated conversationally, tilting her head again to watch her new acquaintance. "I'm from Ludicael," she began tenderly. "I was just... looking," the girl tried to explain with a light shrug. She'd been napping, but she hadn't exactly meant to doze off for so long. "Scouting the coastline for herbs, I suppose. What about you?" This girl's scent was distinctly of a pack, though she did not know which one she belonged to.

Adelaide would lean her head to the side a bit, still smiling gently as the woman replied. I can agree with you there, she said lightly. The snowy woman laughed gently at that comment, stepping a bit further away as Ara stretched her limbs. Then she would answer the questions Adelaide had asked, first saying that she was from Ludicael. In the short pause between her next answer, the white maiden felt herself being taken aback. Her jaws parted a bit and her chest rumbled, threatening to release a growl. But she held it in and managed to compose her expression. This woman didn't need to know what heinous acts her pack was capable of. After all, she seemed gentle and kind. Nothing like the woman Adelaide had encountered. The torn flesh on her left ear burned as she recalled that meeting. The maiden had only wished to join their ranks as a healer. But when that horrid little pack member had insulted her and turned her away on the grounds that they had enough healers, Adelaide had tried to leave. Then she was attacked and maimed, losing a good half of her left ear. But maybe Ludicael itself wasn't bad. Maybe it had just been that woman... I was just... looking. Scouting the coastline for herbs, I suppose. What about you? Adelaide would snap her attention back into place, chuckling quietly as she realized that she was correct. This woman was a healer. You could smell it in her fur. "Actually, I'm doing the same thing. So I guess we're both healers?" the woman would smile again before going on. "I only came in here to seek a bit of shade after my long walk. I came all the way from Ebony." "SPEECH"

Quickly Ara grew comfortable in Adelaide's presence, despite her accidental rudeness in how she had woken her up. She was a woman slow to anger, and certainly would not hold a grudge over something so menial, nor over something that had clearly been an accident. Her new acquaintance was warm and seemed kind, and she found a very gentle smile toying with the corners of ebony lips. But the expression was short-lived -- she noted the sudden change in Adelaide's demeanor. A growl threatened to fall, and she saw the girl's lips twitch as though she might begin to snarl openly at her. What has prompted such a reaction? And why had it faded just as quickly as it appeared? She watched with a wary gaze, finding her muscles tensing ever so slightly, reading to head for the door if this girl suddenly proved less-than-friendly. Ara was in a rather bad position, but she was sure she could figure out something if she truly found herself in danger. But it seemed the girl's reaction had been merely a digression, and quickly she relaxed again. 'I guess we're both healers?' she inquired, and Ara found herself nodding slowly. "I guess you're right," she said, her smile growing slightly at the prospect of meeting a fellow healer. "Ebony, you say?" She tilted her head in mild curiosity. "I've been there before. A man named Vaughan let me in to collect Wolfsbane."