Amalia was flopped on her side, her blue eyes scanning the herbs that laid in front of her. She let out a sigh as she gazed at her slowly growing pile of healing things. She needed to go and grab some more, but she was in heat and it made her feel lazy. Her paws twitched as her little bunny tail rustled behind her. She really needed to get some more lavender, now that she had wasted most of it by rolling herself around in it. She couldn't help it though, she felt awkward now that she was in heat with her boys around. She was trying to hide her change of scent with a smell all her sons knew well -- herbs. She had been gathering them since before they were born. But would they be able to pick up the slightest detection of it around her? And how would that make them feel? Goodness she needed to talk to her mother...

Her mind soon wandered to the other same sex couple that she had seen in the meeting. Another two mom family with boys. Maybe... maybe she should seek one of them out? Oh but she didn't even know their names! Darn it all, how rude was that? She didn't even really know any of that family's names, only her own family and the two warriors that her mother had named. Would it be worse to go around and hunt for them? Probably... plus she had all these herbs laid out before her Groaning she stretched out her limbs, her blue gaze inspecting the organized piles of her herbs. She didn't even really remember why she had dragged them all out, she could have easily just stashed them away in the little den she had made for them. Rolling her eyes she just lay there on her side, not even really looking at her herbs anymore. Well at least out here in the sun they would dry up a little more...

Already, Ara felt more at home here than she ever had. Novel seemed to be growing distant again, despite their new-found freedom and despite the warmth that summer brought to the lands. The only thing that had been able to help her before was time, and she knew again she would simply have to be patient -- to be there for her wife as much as possible, though she knew all she could do was support her and wait. Giving her space seemed to good option too, and she knew that though Novel might not like the time alone, it was necessary for them both. Slowly she would pad through the mangrove, heading closer to the hot spring. It was utterly freeing to not have to worry about where she went, to not have to fear that she or the ones she loved might be punished for no more than being of the Destruction name. There would be no argument from Ara if she was asked to contribute to the pack -- in fact, she wanted to, to secure her and her family's place here. The first scent that touched her nose, rousing her from her quiet thoughts was the overwhelming scent of herbs, mixed closely together, barraging her senses with their familiarity. Curiosity shone in her eyes as she took a few tentative steps forward, searching for the source of the scent in the distance. It was one of her Sovereign's children, a girl that was only slightly familiar to her. With ease she would dip her head, not wanting to seem threatening as she approached. Though she wasn't the most sociable of creatures, she knew that getting to know the other healers of the pack would be necessary, and only in the possibility of gaining knowledge and furthering herself for her family was she bold enough to close the distance between them. Still her head was kept low, her posture far from threatening as her gaze shifted from Amalia to her herbs, an inquiry lingering on her lips as she spoke. "Hello," she greeted her softly, her words carefully spoken. "You are a healer as well? Forgive me if I'm wrong." Epiphron had spoken of this girl as family, and there was little doubt in her mind that this was one of her children.

She heard a shuffle of paws, her russet ears standing erect as her head rose. She quickly picked out the form of one of the woman she had just been thinking of. A smile grew on her face, when she blinked steadily at the woman. Why did she look so familiar? She hadn't been able to get a good look at her during the meeting but now that she was closer she felt like she had seen her before. When Amalia realized that she was just staring at her, her cheeks flared up as she let out an uneasy giggle. "Oh! I'm so sorry miss, I just... I feel like I've seen you before but I just can't place it!" Feeling quite foolish, she pulled herself up into a seated position. Not that it made much of a difference, since she was so itty bitty. It wasn't often though that she saw a wolf and felt this sort of connection with them. And it was driving her nuts that she couldn't but a name to her face! Oh what a fool she must look like.

Amalia remembered that she had asked if she was a healer, and the small woman nodded her head. "Yes, yes I am. I'm the head medic here actually. Do you study herbs as well?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. It wasn't often that she met other healers, she had been the only one in Regium. It would be nice to share with others, to hear what they had to say and share their knowledge. "I'm Amalia, by the way."

If not for her wife's slightly reclusive nature, and her own desire to protect her children and to ensure she had a place in Fiori, she likely wouldn't have spoken to this woman at all. Ara was not a woman that needed to prove her worth, for she knew herself that she had valuable skills and could easily provide for her family, but she needed Fiori to know that she had a place here and that she could contribute as much as others. Only for her wife and sons would she grow bold enough to speak to the Sovereign's daughter, and she smiled gently at her as she approached. Behind her, her tail would wave somewhat bashfully. Where did Amalia know her from? There was really only one option. "No need to be sorry. Were you born in Seracia?" she asked gently, though felt she already knew the answer. This woman was close to her own age, and Epiphron had ruled her previous pack when she'd been young -- that was likely where she'd seen her. Quickly a slight flare of recognition would spark in her own blue gaze, her soft smile widening slightly. When Amalia asked if she studied herbs, the quiet woman nodded eagerly. Only this sort of conversation could get her to relax so fully, and instantly her posture relaxed quite noticeably. "I do," she answered with ease, slowly letting her body drift closer to the ground as she reclined to her hindquarters. "I've been studying healing almost since I was born." Something about herbs had always interested her. Since her father had been taken prisoner, she'd wanted to help heal him and the rest of her family. Time had only strengthened her drive for knowledge, further cementing her purpose in life and certainly what she could contribute to this pack. "My name is Ara," she introduced after a moment, eyes sparkling as she gazed at her with another meek smile. "I was with my wife Novel at the meeting, and our sons, Psalm and Hymn."

Her blue eyes took in the woman before her, noticing that she seemed to be quite a bit shy. Well, perhaps reserved was a better word to explain her actions, for she was not shuffling her paws in the dirt or refusing to make eye contact. Amalia smiled at her encouragingly, she knew that she was a little... much, at times. She just couldn't help it, she was so full of love that it nearly made her burst. When the woman's own tail wagged a few times she beamed at her even wider, tiny rabbit like tail twitching. "I was born in Seracia... were you there as well?" There wasn't too much that she remembered from her younger days, things happened in such a blur. She appeared to be the same age of Amalia, so they must have run into each other at least a few times. A lot happened back then, and although she looked back with fondness, there were still things that she missed and regretted. She hadn't been around her family much then, running into Athena when she was so near death. But she mentally shook her head, pushing away those thoughts. It wasn't fair to bring unkind thoughts while in someone's company! Goodness, she was being awfully rude today. She noticed a slight flare of recognition in the woman as well, and knew that they must have seen each other then.

It would seem that the topic of herbs brought the woman out of her shell. She giggled softly, casting her gaze towards her little pile of healing remedies. When her companion spoke again, she turned her head back to her and smiled fondly at her words. "Healing is amazing, isn't it? It gives me such purpose, a way to protect my family and those around me as well. I mean let's face it, I'm no fighter," she said with another small burst of giggles, lifting a paw to gesture to herself. She was tiny, and far too soft to be a warrior. Someone could just sit on her and she would be squished flat, then no more Amalia! But healing... yes she could do a lot with herbs. "I've actually been looking into studying certain sicknesses in pups, trying to figure out how to heal even the worst of diseases in the little ones. I would like to be able to eventually be able to give the mother something to help them while they are in the womb, to give each and every one a fighting chance." It made her so sad, the amount of pups that wouldn't often make it in the North because of the cold, dying before they even had a chance to breath. It broke her very giving heart, and one day she hoped to limit the amount of stillbirths. Her face grew more serious, eyes on the herbs in front of her once more. "Its a hard thing to study, I would hate to end up being the cause of one of the tiny lives not making it. So... very slow going." She had wished that it could be faster, but she had to be careful! Life was so fragile.

Once Ara introduced herself and her family, Amalia's face lit up again. "Oh! You're boys are simply adorable. I wanted to run over there and meet them, but that would have made quite the scene," she said with a grin. "Also, I am happy to see another couple like me and my wife, Athena. It isn't often that I run into a family with two mommies, and to be honest, you two gave me a lot of courage." Her russet ears pulled back slightly, at one point she had thought herself of being sick, for falling in love with someone who was the same gender as she was. But to see other other couples were where close... well it gave her the strength that she so desperately needed.

Her first instinct was to dig through the pile of herbs that lay near this woman, though she knew it was not her place -- and she would never dream of being so brash. Still her gaze wandered, eying the store of herbs that she had collected. It seemed some were not familiar to her and she couldn't help but wonder where she'd come from that she had collected such a store. Quickly her gaze returned to Amalia's features, her slightly awe-stricken expression softening again a smile took over at her question. "I was," she answered quietly. "I lived there with my siblings, Jendai, Mercury, and Faolan. Though they are not around still." A touch of sadness would enter her voice there, though the tender emotion was short-lived; it wasn't a subject that she liked to talk about, for she missed her family dearly and had no clue why they hadn't stayed here with her. "We left Seracia because my mother was close to Song, who used to rule here," she explained. "She promised to give my family a safe place to live and so this is where we came." Of course, Song had disappeared when they'd been taken as prisoners.. though they'd never been mistreated here and she couldn't complain much, even if the entire scenario had been less than ideal. Her mood seemed to brighten infinitely as Amalia spoke of herbs, and she nodded in eager agreement. "I've studied healing since I was a child, mostly on my own." Only once had she been given a mentor, and though she had helped, her own personal drive was enough to push her to learn more. "I don't know what I would do without it." Though she was likely not nearly as altruistic as Amalia, and she wasn't drawn to try to save the world, her family mattered deeply to her -- and she knew healing was a way for her to lessen their suffering and improve their quality of life. Ara smiled gently at Amalia's admission that she was not a fighter, nodding in agreement. "I've never tried to fight," she added softly, feeling a slight hoarseness to her voice. It wasn't often she spoke quite this much, especially to someone she didn't know well, and she felt suddenly a bit out of place, though she was happy to continue, thoroughly pleased with the direction of the conversation. "Though I don't think I'd be good at it either." Amalia explained what she'd been studying the most. She seemed to be interested in childcare, and in pregnancy. Such things had never really interested her quite so deeply, but she understood the appeal -- especially for a woman with so many children. Ara herself knew that she would never have to deal with either she or Novel being pregnant, though the idea of taking in small children was certainly an appealing one to her. "That sounds interesting," she agreed, her interest genuine and not at all feigned. "I'm more interested things like... reducing suffering," she explained carefully. "Improving quality of life in those that suffer from constant pain and illness." Her own parents were among this group. They were growing old, and though suffered from no particular ailment, they still suffered and it had always pleased her to reduce that pain whenever possible. At the compliment toward her children, she felt a wider smile grow on her features. "Thank you," she answered, her voice slightly louder now, pride ebbing through her veins at the talk of them. She knew that Psalm and Hymn were not quite as mature as other children; they'd been slightly sheltered and they likely needed to try to socialize more and to catch up with the older children their age, but that didn't stop her from feeling proud regardless. She felt somewhat bashful as Amalia said she was happy to see another couple that had two women, unsure how she ought to react. Admittedly Ara had never seen two women as mates before, but it had happened and she hadn't really had a chance to consider it might not be normal, as everyone else had accepted them without question even though it wasn't exactly typical. "I did?" she asked suddenly, amazed at the thought of her and Novel giving someone courage. Though she loved her wife with all her heart and soul, she knew they were not exactly the definition of courage and they were more reserved than most couples she had met. Curiously her ears would flick on her head, slightly surprised at Amalia's admission. "Well.. I am glad," she admitted after a moment, though she found herself letting out a nervous giggle. "We just are doing what feels right. I couldn't imagine living without her."

Amalia didn't miss the awe in Ara's gaze, and she looked fondly at her pile of herbs. Were there some here that she didn't know? Some of these herbs she had gathered in the North before taking down here, so perhaps she had never seen them before. But quickly her thoughts took a turn as Ara named off her siblings, sparking some sort of familiarity. It felt like that had been so long ago, truly a life time away. Even though she was just three years old this season, so much had happened in that short amount of time. "The names do all sound familiar, but I'm just having such a hard time placing it all. I really am sorry," she said, almost bashful as she looked down. Being the daughter of the alpha's, she really should have paid better attention! But there was no point in going back and trying to fix it, it was ages ago. She looked back up when a note of sadness touched her vocals, her smile vanishing as concern took over. Amalia bit her tongue though, trying to keep herself from asking. She was a very sensitive wolf, and always wanted to fix the problem. But it was not her place. She was thankful when Ara when on, saying that they left because of Song. She had heard tales of the woman, but not too much had reached her russet ears. Ama simply nodded her head, closing that part of the conversation and storing it away for later. Now was hardly the time to talk about the passed, they had just met after all!

Finally just the conversation of herbs remained, something that both of them jumped into without hesitation. She said that she didn't have much formal training, something that she could really connect with. "Me neither, just kind of picked it up as I went along. I guess that can be kind of dangerous though!" she said with a small laugh. Experimenting with herbs could be quite dangerous, although she learned pretty early on what plants and flowers not to use. How to tell if they were poisonous, all of that kind of stuff. Her smile grew even wider as she spoke about being lost without the art of healing. "It really gives you a push, doesn't it? A drive to learn more and more, to be able to know all about them," Amalia's voice was quiet as she spoke with wonderment in her voice. There was still so much that she had to learn, and it was thoughts like that that pushed her forward, making her keep climbing up that hill. When she spoke of fighting, Amalia's ears quickly picked up at the change in her voice. Looking down at her herbs, she placed a few honeycombs onto a leaf, noising them over towards the woman. She was unsure if Ara knew what they were for, but hesitated in telling her. She didn't want to seem rude, her ears pulling back slightly. "That might help sooth your throat, if you want." She said softly, smiling at the woman as she pushed it a bit closer. Honeycomb was a dangerous thing to get, but luckily for her the boys seemed to like to get into trouble and didn't mind a few stings.

As Amalia shared her interests, Ara in turn shared her own. Oh, so she was interested in quite the opposite as her! She wanted to help the elders, while Amalia wanted to save pups. "Maybe we can study together some time," she offered, little bunny tail giving a few quick wags, "I can see a few herbs that might apply to both our studies, and it would be nice to have a companion." It would seem that herbs didn't interest any of her boys, or Athena for that matter. They all knew that it was important, and let her focus on it. But it was countless hours alone, and Amalia was very much a social butterfly. But to have someone with her, even if they were quiet most of the time! It would be a lot better than just going at it alone. Plus, she had a feeling that they would be able to learn a lot from each other.

Amalia loved to watch Ara come out of her shell, that smile on her face growing more and more as their conversation grew. Just as it did for her, the topic of family brought out the biggest of smiles for Amalia as well. They were her everything, and she would do all she could for them. She could hear the pride in the woman's voice, which made her own chest swell with delight. She nodded eagerly when she asked for clarification, her rump wiggling along with her tail. "For a long time I had almost felt like our love was wrong, that it wasn't the way that it was supposed to be. But seeing you two there... I could see the love between you too, and it only solidified my emotions for my wife. It made me feel like less of an abomination for going against the flow," she admitted easily, her face growing thoughtful. "Although I do long to have pups of my own, to have a little girl in my life. But I know that unless I stumble upon one, that's not going to happen." She let out a bit of a laugh, although there was a touch of sadness in it. "I don't mind that, but there is still part of me that longs to be with pups, I watched my wife go through it and I adored it. But, I'm okay with it not happening. And I do love my boys with all my heart, and wouldn't trade them for anything." Amalia nodded her head firmly, as if to confirm her own words. "But we really should get the boys together some time, I think it would do all of them some good."

There was no shame in Amalia not remembering the names of her siblings -- who knew if she'd ever even spoken to them?  "That's okay," she told her quickly, shaking her head a bit dismissively. Ara herself had a good memory for names and faces, though she assumed that her own life was considerably more slow-paced than Amalia's. Briefly her gaze would drift to the girl's stubby tail, wondering what had happened to take it from her... and wondering where she had gone since she'd been part of Seracia as a child. But it wasn't her place to ask, and she wouldn't think to, would only consider it silently to herself as Amalia spoke. Amalia noted that experimenting with herbs could be dangerous, and she nodded.  "Berries are especially good to avoid," she noted with a small laugh. Other herbs were significantly easier to distinguish between, but berries could easily be fatal if the wrong ones were ingested -- they certainly weren't the best ones to experiment openly with. The same went for mushrooms, though Ara knew little about them and didn't have a lot of interest, since most didn't have legitimate medical use.  "I just couldn't imagine not being interested in it," she commented openly. What use would she have, without the drive to learn how to heal and how to reduce suffering? Even if only for her family and closest allies? She was surprised when Amalia offered her a piece of honeycomb, a slight divergence in their conversation. But with gratitude she would accept the offer, smiling gently at her kindness.  "Thank you," she would say softly, leaning to pick a piece of honeycomb and begin to chew it gingerly. It felt instantly soothing, coating the inside of her mouth and throat as she began to salivate and swallow some of the honey that it produced. "I'd love to study together," she told her eagerly, grinning again as she swallowed the bit of honeycomb.  "I know Novel would love to as well. She doesn't spend much time with others, so it'll be good for her." Perhaps her reclusive nature was something she didn't speak of well, but it seemed if Amalia wanted to spend time with her, she might notice her mate's frequent absence, or her slightly secluded demeanor. And though she wouldn't admit it aloud, she didn't have many friends outside of her own family -- so a study companion would be a welcome addition to her life, so long as Novel was okay with it.  "I think that's a great idea, though." The talk of their relationship was a lot more personal than she was used to. But still, she felt a swell of pride in her chest at Amalia's words, that she had given her and her own mate strength somehow. It was comforting, though strange at the same time, and she wasn't quite sure how to take it.  "I'm.. glad," she admitted gently, her tail batting bashfully behind her.  "I never knew I wanted children, but now that I have them, I couldn't ask for anything greater." She'd never really felt herself to be the motherly sort, but now that she had two sons, she couldn't imagine being without them. The thought of all their sons meeting was a good one too, though Amalia's own sons seemed a bit more... serious than her own, and likely a bit more mature. Would they even get along well? Either way, it was worth a try. "I like that idea too," she told her with another small grin. "Psalm and Hymn could always use some new friends."