Walk | Talk | Think

The lean black and grey girl sat just outside her den, her brooding expression staring unseeing ahead. Her attention was not focused without but within, assessing the progress of her body after being given the supposed cure to the illness that had put her out of commission. She no longer shook, which was good. For a while she had felt even too weak from it to rise to her paws let alone be of any real use to anyone. Her stomach no longer roiled and threatened to empty on her, something she was grateful of. At least toward the end she had been able to put the food being left at her den on occasion into good use. And her head no longer felt heavy and dizzy. That had been the worst.

But maybe not nearly so bad as the fevered dreams that had plagued her in her sickness. Nightmares had haunted her dreams, strange sequences that felt odd and off-putting, as well as ones that made no sense at all. She had almost been able to feel them her family had looked so real and whole when they had visited her one night. They had all been there - father, mother, sister, brother - and in her delirium the girl had been willing to believe nothing had changed. She still lived with them, here of all places, and no one seemed to find it strange at all. Of course, the moment of calm dreaming had ended quite violently but even that small moment of having everyone together had caused her to remember it with a discomforting sense of longing. They may have been somewhat broken, even awkward in their association, but that family had been hers. And it was gone.

Callisto had not meant to become distracted by those thoughts brought on by her illness and sent them from her mind with a decisive blink of her silvery blue eyes, so like her mother's she now remembered. It was all fake, the visions, the conviction, the feelings. They were all gone and she was over it. No sense mourning the loss of something she had always found too bothersome to want. With a gentle rocking motion, the girl pushed herself to her spindly grey legs, taking a moment just to be sure that they held her steady, and once sure she began to walk. Without a destination in mind, she padded forward across the uneven, sloped ground, hoping to at least make a turn around the Steppe since she had stayed too long cooped up inside her den and needed to get her strength back.

The man had been furious with himself when he found out that another wolf had come up with a cure for the illness that had covered Alacritis. Since finding out that it was another pack entirely that aggravated him that much more. Yet when he found out which herbs he needed he made it his own personal goal to find all the herbs he would need and distribute them to those who hadn't already received the cure.

Today he felt the need to find his student and make sure she was doing better. When she wasn't at her den worry struck him and then subsided as he remembered that it could also be a good thing.

After searching the area for a sent other than Callisto's he decided she had to be better as all he could find was her sent. He would follow her trail, yet it would not take him long to find her. Taking only a few seconds to observe her from a distance he would move to her side.

"Callisto" he would call out her name softly before arriving at her side so that he would not frighten her at his sudden appearance. "I came to see if you were doing better but since I can see that you are I suppose ill just ask if there is anything I can get you or do for you.

Walk | Talk | Think

To ensure that her thoughts would not follow the path they had a moment ago, Callisto made herself look at her surroundings, taking note of everything that she could in distraction. The tumbled, blocky remains of whatever had once stood here, the few trees that had managed to get a foothold on the uneven, inhospitable ground, the snow that covered it all in its soft, white blanket. And no other sets of paw prints that she could see. She was alone on her little walk, alone on the Steppe, which had been her whole reason for seeking it out as her den site. Privacy was a close second to healer training among the few things that she liked in the world. But today, her first real day of testing how well she had recovered, she almost wished at least someone would show up. At least for a little bit.

And someone did. She heard the familiar voice call her name as the wolf approached and stopped her slow, meandering walk to turn and look over a shoulder at him. Max. It felt like it had been a long time since she had seen him last, though that very well could have been a product of her sickness. For all she knew, he could have been there the whole time and she could have been too incoherent to remember any of it. It really was great to be on the mend again.

He asked after her, assuming she was well for being up and out of her den, and asked if there was anything he could do for her. It was nice of him to check on her himself - Adelaide had been heading a majority of the epidemic problems and there were still plenty of others who needed tending to just yet. But considering her respect for him was probably more than she had for anyone within their pack - Alpha included - she was more touched by the gesture than she let on. "You can walk with me and make sure I don't fall over," she answered in a flat voice that could have been as much joking as it could have been serious. She did still feel a little wobbly but she did want company too, something that she could not ask for outright. This way worked better. "I'm tired of laying around waiting to get better. I want to get back into training already," Callisto added, the impatience she felt with her situation evident in her clipped tone as she turned and took a step to lead them along in resuming her walk. Soon, she hoped, she could get back out there and do her job. And figure out everything she could about the sickness so that she would be prepared if it came back around.

As Callisto stopped to look over her shoulder at him, Max would offer a small smile before allowing his features to fall easily back into the soft caring look. While she was sick he had worried about her. To him, she wasn't just a pack mate. To him, she was his student, his friend and being his pack mate made her family as well.

The man Knew she held respect for him, but he was clueless to the amount of respect she had for him. Just as he knew she was grateful that he had come to check on her but knew not to what extent. Wise and smart he is but a mind reader he is not.

At her reply, he would give a small chuckle. He could sense the seriousness to the statement but couldn't help but find the humor that could be held within the words. She was strong and filled with pride so knowing weather she actually wanted him there to help her stay on her feet or if there was another reason behind it was almost impossible to know. So he would simply not and stay at her side.

Callisto's last comment, referring to training made him smile. Even when she wasn't feeling one hundred percent herself due to illness, she still wanted nothing more than to continue training. He wanted nothing more than to help her do that. "Well then, I'm sure there are herbs right here in The Stone Steppe. I'll even make sure you don't fall while we look"

Walk | Talk | Think

He may have chuckled but he did as she asked, falling into step beside her as she led them along and ranted about her time lost. His patience was a mystery to her and she took advantage of it every chance she got, asking questions about healing, plant growth, ailments, anything and everything she could think of. Or, at least, almost everything. The subject of poisons still remained untouched, and though she was curious about the toxic plant life there was still even more helpful remedies to keep her preoccupied for the time being. And somehow, even though she was liable to grow impatient over slow plant growth and mix ups on her part, she knew he would not abandon her and her studies. He had had plenty of chances already. If she was going to scare him off, it would have already been done.

It was that patience that shone through now, acting as a balm to her anxiety and irritation and making her realize that even now she was still capable of progressing her training, even if not in the way she was accustomed to. She glanced sidelong at the male and then away, silvery blue eyes scouring for any traces of green within the wintry white of the winter snows. "The cold would have killed most of it," she remarked about the potential plant life growing on the Steppe, not entirely relinquishing her sourness over having been sick and missing out on prime training time. Despite her statement, Callisto continued to look, her slow pace affording her a more thorough chance of finding something worth investigating. But there were some plants that she knew had to be growing right now, plants that she knew first hand to be helpful and worth taking note of...

"Do any of the plants used in the cure grow here?" she asked, her voice taking on the curious tone that she typically adopted during training lessons. If she could maybe find some of those - and remember what they were called for reference if nothing else - then she thought she could make use of her walk to do some training after all.

She had been silent for a few moments. He wasn't sure if she was thinking of another question to ask him or if she was concentrating so had on finding plant life that she simply had nothing to say. Either way he would remain silent as he tried to remember what herbs he could find here.

A few more minutes would pass and his student would make a comment. She was right. Any fully grown herbs would be hard to find spring had just recently arrived bringing his birthday with it. He had now been a part of Ebony for an entire year and in that year he had made many new friends.

A few seconds after her statement a question would be voiced. Once again he would be happy to answer. "Your right many of the herbs wont be ready to harvest yet but at least this way you will know where they are. As for the plants you seek, I can only think of one that you might find here. Its called Valerian Root."

The fact that she was preparing herself for another outbreak meant that she already had the mentality of a fully trained healer. He couldn't help but think she would have loved his birth pack. She wanted to do nothing but learn the ways of healers and that's what the nomads were all about. "to find it you'll want to look for small pink flowers that already look like a small flower bouquet. Shaded or not it shouldn't bee too difficult to find as its common. Where there is moist soil your likely to find it."

Walk | Talk | Think

Leave it to Max to be the voice of reason. Callisto could not say exactly where she had gotten her need for instant gratification - her runaway mother, perhaps? - but she had been noticing lately how little patience she actually had. It was good fortune that she rarely, if ever, needed to deal with injured wolves on her own, knowing with great certainty how lacking her bedside manner truly was. And heaven forbid anyone actually caused a fuss while she tried to tend to them. They would sooner bleed out than have her set aside her own moodiness to overcome their manic behavior. Maybe, she wondered, irritated to even be thinking it, it was a good thing I was sick during the epidemic. How helpful would she have been, really, with wolves who were panicking for their lives, seeing things that were not there, and so incoherent they could not listen to instructions?

The dark male agreed with what she said about the cold though reminded her of the fact knowing where things grew was just as important as being able to collect them. She knew that, as much as it bothered her, but she did not know yet of the plant that he named afterward. Valerian Root. She committed the plant's name to memory, even going so far as to say it quietly to herself, and listened when he spoke of it. Her thin grey legs carried her absently along, her attention far too focused on the information being given to her to spare any of it for her direction across the Steppe. So long as she did not run into anything, everything was fine.

"It probably won't have any flowers on it yet, will it?" Callisto asked speculatively. "It's only just starting to warm up." But maybe they could still find the plant, even without the flowers blooming just yet. The shadowy girl on spindly grey legs sniffed at the air as she walked, testing it, searching for any telling scents that might lead her to the desired growth if it was to be found here. "What does it smell like?" Maybe a little clue might help.

The man would quietly listen to her question and then her comment. She was right, it had only just begun to warm up but there was always the possibility for early bloomers. "There is a possibility of finding a blooming Valerian root, however this early in the year finding one would be quite difficult."

In a way he had told her she was right but only partly so. None the less he would still tell her what a young Valerian root looked like. "A Valerian root with no blooming flowers will have either white or pink buds on them if they haven't even progressed that far then it will look almost like the beginning of a small bush.

Another question would be asked and Max would try to think of a way to describe the perfume like sent. He had known many females in his time with his birth pack that had used it as perfume. Yet he had never been asked to describe the sent before.

After several moments in silence he had thought of the best answer he could come up with. "Its got a very sweet perfume like smell to it as do many flowers but this one isn't your typical wild flower perfume. I've known many women who have worn the plants sent." the second sentence was more of a side thought than anything but perhaps she had k own someone to wear the valerian perfume.

Walk | Talk | Think

Her instructor described the plant they would likely find, a shrub with possible buds upon it. That seemed straightforward enough though she continued to fret that finding it amongst so many other plants might prove challenging. How easily might it be able to hide amongst its neighbors? Would she be able to tell it apart from other new blossoming plants that were beginning to show? But Max would be there, with his patient knowledge and kind instruction. If she missed it he would point it out, and the still weak girl could learn something not only from his teachings but from his perfect manner as well.

The question she had posed appeared to help in theory with deducing which plants would prove to be the Valerian Root. Maximous claimed after a pause that it had a very strong scent, one that had attracted the notice of the women from his old pack and made them use it as a sort of perfume. The concept was new to Callisto, using plants to alter one's own scent, and a little she was actually intrigued by it. Maybe she would try this herself some time, if and when she found a bloom whose scent agreed with her keen nose.

She only hoped the plant they were after now would have a potent enough smell for them to find it, her nose already working and scenting at the air for anything pleasant and fragrant like a wild flower. Green scents were most prominent, as well as some dry brown lingering from winter. "Are you sure it's common?" she asked with a hint of skepticism, though she spoke too soon. The faintest trace of something sweet, something fragrant ghosted across the air, and Callisto's slow leading strides stopped. She angled her head upward, brows furrowing as she closed her eyes to more closely focus upon the scent. "Do you smell that?" she asked quietly, uncertain if what she smelled was the flowering plant they sought at a distance or if it was another nearby with a softer perfume.

The man would split his senses. He would keep half of his attention on Callisto. So that not only could he keep her from falling but so that he could also answer any question she saw fit to be voiced. The other half was used to look for the Valerian root they hunted.

It wasn't long before he began to find traces of the plant's scent. However he would wait to see if she would find it on her own. When, instead of finding the scent, she questioned his memory. Instead of getting frustrated with her he simply nodded and opened his mouth to speak. Yet closed it again he saw that she herself had realized that she had spoken too soon.

A smile would grace his features as she asked her second question. "I do smell it Callisto. That faint sweet scent is that of a Valerian root. The next thing to ask yourself is how far away is it and in what direction." Maximous knew about how far it was and in the general direction the scent was coming from but as a healer Callisto needed to learn that skill on her own. He had faith in her and believed that she would pick up the skill quickly.

Walk | Talk | Think

She was right! Her desire to find the plant and hoard it away inside of her den grew at the knowledge that it was close, possibly just paces away from where she stood, and her silvery blue eyes opened swiftly to begin looking around for the budding or flowering plant. Maximous confirmed for her that it was near, leaving it up to her to determine the location by scent alone, and though her impatience argued that their little mission would have been over much faster if he only handed it over she knew there was a lesson in here in being able to find it for herself. If she could locate it now on her own, when the flower was still growing and not even in its prime when the fragrance would be easier to follow, she was sure to find it everywhere, even when she was not looking for it.

Quietly she exhaled and breathed in again slowly, picking up on the scent and taking a step forward, once and then again, slow and patient. Ahead. It had to be ahead. Not to either side did she see any telltale plants that could have been the one she sought, and nor when she turned her head in either direction did she notice a strengthening of the perfume that she followed. Her steps brought her continued their slow forward march, keeping Max at her side for support though she was beginning to feel stable again - or maybe it was just the distraction of the lesson. The scent, she noticed, lessened slightly, but picked up again to her left, and she adjusted her path to follow it, lowering her head and letting her keen nose guide her along.

All the while her blue eyes were alert and searching, until finally she spied something that she the thought resembled the plant Maximous had described to her. A small bush with just a few buds formed, and even more beginning to form. Her nose twitched as she stopped again, and she turned her head to look up into the face of her instructor. "Is that it?" she asked, quite sure that she was right but wishing for his confirmation even before she finished approaching the plant to know for certain herself.

Maximous could practically feel the irritation radiating off of Callisto when he told her that she had to find the plant herself. As with everything he knew that she wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so that she could move on to the next lesson. Her impatient want for knowledge seemed to constantly lead her to some form of aggravation yet her determination to learn and the knowledge that everything he did in a lesson had a purpose kept her from arguing with him. It was that very determination that he admired.

Slowly he could see the irritation of having to find the plant herself melt away. With every inhale and exhale, with every step closer to the herb and every glance back at him to make sure he was still at her side, her previous impatience would fade away. Turning her head from one side to the next she would confirm that the Valerian Root was ahead rather than to her left or right yet with a few more feet forward she would move slightly to their left and a smile would tug at the corners of his lips.

The closer they got, the more Max wanted to give it away, yet he would deny himself the pleasure for a better one soon to come. The better reward would be that of the joy that his student would radiate once her find was confirmed when she asked rather than having him find it first. And indeed moments after she lowered her nose closer to the ground, much like a tracker might, it came into view and her eyes would meat his. Her voice would come asking for conformation just as her entire facial expression would.

A smile would finally cover his maw giving away his answer before his voice could project his conformation into the air around them yet he would still give her a verbal answer. "Yes, that is it. Well done, Callisto." he would pause only for a moment and then ask a question of his own "Shall we investigate it further?"