The boy was six months old now and his puppy hood days were more than obviously numbered. He now towered over his mother despite not quite being the height of his dad. He was tall, thin, and lanky. Not a very good position to be in during the winter. Prey wasn't incredibly scarce though, live prey might have been but he was learning quickly that scavenging was also a perfectly acceptable way to fill your stomach. While food wasn't such a big deal finding plants was. He'd helped his mom a little bit in filling her stores for the winter over the last season. He'd learned some good basics and could name almost every plant that could be found in the knolls. The only problem was that the knolls didn't have any plants right now. The grasses were covered in the season's snow and the trees were again bare of their leaves. He had grown accustomed to the cold quickly, but he was still trying to get over the fact that all of the herbs seemed to be gone. He'd just started getting into the healing field and now he was going to have to wait until next year to try and find them again. That didn't stop the young boy from looking though. He was old enough now he could roam the territory with out someone watching over his shoulder, but as his paws reached the orchard he wished for his mother's presence. She would know where to start looking. ""

Integra's work-load had lessened since the coming of winter. The herbs she'd laborously gathered during the spring, summer and fall were dried and stored though there were still stray bits of items that could be found. However, this morning she was out merely to go for a stroll. Her mind had been clouded with thoughts. She couldn't figure out what it was she was supposed to be doing and the recent events at the claim challenge had only caused her stomry heart to roil. She was grateful for Evangeline and considered the girl a friend yet her feelings toward Valentine were starting to shake. She trusted him, considered him a wise leader but the rumors going around were that Avalon and her children had not been taken as slaves. She didn't have proof of it of course but the very thought filled her with fury. A woman claimed from a known enemy pack being allowed all the freedom of a full member when Integra herself had been forced into slavery for the crime of getting lost in a blizzard. She'd accepted that she had little proof and so she'd taken to being enslaved without much of a qualm. However, she assumed that it would be the same for anyone who wasn't fully trustworthy and it didn't come much more untrustworthy than a claimed wolf from an enemy pack. Integra dearly hoped what she heard were mere rumors that the Sonticus woman and her whelps were indeed slaves. She wasn't quite sure what to think of Valen otherwise. As she strode into the Orchard, making the rounds of her morning walk she paused as she noticed one of Valentine's children from his copulation with Rhythm. She gazed at the pup for a moment. Rhyme. That was the name, she was pretty certain that was the name he'd been called by at the feast. "Hello, Rhyme," she spoke softly, "what are you doing all the way out here?"

He'd huff out loud as his blue and purple gaze swept over the snow covered forest. The Orchard had always been weird to him. Trees weren't supposed to grow like this, straight lines were so.. unnatural. It weirded him out. However he was quite quick to repress the feeling because he loved looking for herbs here. He often got lucky with prey too, last season they were absolutely unable to stay away from the dropping fruit. Now it was quiet save for the sound of his foot steps. Wait, he'd stopped walking. Almost alarmed the boy would turn in time to hear Integra call out his name. She was a healer like his mother right? He had kind of been paying attention at the feast, long enough that he'd caught boring promotions. He'd lower his ears as she drew more near, the quet woods needed no more than the softness of her voice to be fully audible. "Hello," his voice was equally subdued. "Lookin' for herbs." He'd say with the full knowledge that his quest would mostly be in vain. ""

ooc: -shrieks- sor serious bug me if I don't get to these in a couple weeks I feel so bad!

Integra's eyes would widen slightly as the boy mentioned looking for herbs. Oh? He had an interest in healing? She smiled softly. "Is that so? I'm a Medica, I was thinking of looking for herbs myself. You want to be a healer?" She walked up to the boy before realizing he might not know her name. "I'm Integra by the way." She wracked her brain for what herbs they might be able to gather in winter. Thankfully the south was warmer so they'd have more to choose from than the northern regions. "There aren't many herbs that grow in winter but I bet we can fine some. Or if you're up for a challenge do you want to help me gather some conifer resin?"

The woman was quick to take interest in his words, she'd smile as she gave him her title, she was a healer like his mommy? What luck that she needed to find herbs like he did. "Wanna be a fighter like Dad and a healer like Mommy." He'd tell her proudly as he puffed up his little chest proudly. She'd given him her name too, but she'd already known his so he'd just smile and nod, committing it to memory as she gave him some options. Rhythm had explained the winter to him, right as he was really showing interest in healing the snow had come and covered all the herbs. He learned a little from what his mom had stored up, but it wasn't much substitute for fresh plants. "Conifer.. Resin?" He'd ask curiously, she'd told him it was a challenge but it didn't really sound very challenging. ""

"The fates conspire! A fighter and healer? Well, it's lucky you ran into me, kid. I am both healer and fighter. I serve Imperium mostly as a Medica but I fought in the last siege and felled your father's enemies with my fangs. Perhaps after we gather resin I can show you a few moves." Integra nodded at the boys question. "Aye, we're after the resin of the white pine. It is like sap which is the blood of the tree, it flows inside but winter can damage the trees, resin forms at the wounds. We will be best off hunting for an open wound rather than digging through the bark ourselves." She moved to the edge of the terra, sniffing and hunting for the source she sought. Coniferous trees of various kinds rimmed in the Orchard, serving as a wind-break back in the days when humans roamed the land. Soon Integra sought what she was looking for. She spied the soft gray bark of a white pine tree. It's earthy, spiced scent mixing with chilly winter air. As she maneuvered around the tree she found where the scent was strongest she spied an area where the branch had fallen off the tree. She eyed the resin, gauging whether it had hardened or was still sticky. Carefully she picked up a twig and poked at the wound. Above it the resin was thick an sticky but it solidified farther down. She dropped the stick and turned to Rhyme. "That is conifer resin."

He'd find that as Integra spoke and explained herself his tail would begin to beat faster behind him. So she was a lot like his mommy! She fought in the siege like his mommy and daddy and was even willing to give him some pointers. "Yes!" Integra was going to be his new best friend because that's exactly what he wanted to do. For now though, he was fully focused on the task at hand: conifer resin. Which the older wolf was expertly explaining to him, or she'd explain what it was. Rhyme would still have no idea how to use it. Yet. The young Imperialis would nod his understanding as he followed her lead. Shortly she'd take him to the edge of the fruit trees, there stood some much different plants. While the orchard held shorter leafless trees these were still green and grew much differently. With wide blue and purple eyes Rhyme would watch as Integra assessed the product, she seemed to sure of herself, and he'd take in every detail available to him. "I've seen that before. It's really sticky and does not taste good." It might not have been from this specific pine, but the boy was very much familiar with the secretion. He'd gotten pretty glues up one day when he'd decided to play in it. ""

ooc:  -shrieks- sor serious bug me if I don't get to these in a couple weeks I feel so bad!

Rhyme agreed eagerly to some spar training. It was nice to meet another wolf that shared similar interests to her own. Integra would smile, almost warmly, at the boy as he spoke of trying to taste resin. In a way he reminded her just a bit of her siblings when they were younger, and the trouble that they'd gotten into… before everything went to hell. She sobered quickly but tried to remain friendly towards the kid. "You're right, it doesn't taste good. The solid stuff you can kind of gather with your teeth if you're careful but for the sticky stuff I recommend getting a big glob on a stick and carrying it that way or placing the sticky end on a leaf and nudging the glob off onto the leaf." She delicately picked at some of the more solid resin, using her paw mostly to break off a piece. "Resin is fat soluable, meaning it dissolves in fat. You can mix resin with the fat using your paws, of course if you use the stickier stuff your mixture will also be sticky. You can mix with a stick to if you prefer. This mixture can be used to aid healing on older injuries and increasing circulation for stiff and sore muscles and joints."

He would listen carefully to the older wolf's knowledge as she easily confirmed what he knew. It was sticky and it tasted bad. After that though, he'd learn real quick how to handle it. Tilting his head curiously he'd listen and watch as she explained and demonstrated one and two methods. You could just use your teeth if you were brave, but he figured if he ever needed the resin he was going to use the stick method. He'd nod as he took the information in, wondering if he should give it a try too. As she explained how he could administer it as well as why he would the boy would look for a stick to grab some with. He didn't aim for a huge amount, and finding a small but supple piece he'd aim for the really sticky stuff. Globbing like a pro he'd retreat from the tree and offer his achievement up towards his teacher with a rather expectant look on his face. He did good right? ""

Placing the resin on a scrap of hide she moved to gather another piece, pausing to watch the boy attempt to gather some. She giggled a bit as she watched him grab a stick then carefully gather up some of the resin. Integra would nod approvingly. "Well done, that's a good haul. Let's take it back to your mother, I think she would be pleased to see what you've gathered. You can also carry herbs in scraps of hide." She gestured to her gathered resin then carefully folded the corners and grabbed hold of the bundle. She gestured to the boy before trotting away. -exit-