Lydia inhaled deeply of the crisp morning air as she strode into the tall grass plains. For once she wasn't carrying her pack. She needed to get out and clear her mind and for once just enjoy the environment rather than hunting fervently for herbs. Perhaps that seemed strange. Winter was weeks away and she knew she still had so much to do to get ready for the change in seasons. Frost already covered the ground and clung to the golden and amber grasses of the plains. The sunlight struck the frost causing it to glisten though as the day went on Lydia knew the frost would melt. Thankfully, winter was much slower to move into the southern territories where as the north was already getting good amounts of snow. Lydia continued trotting through the plains, keeping the orientation of the sun in her mind so she knew which direction was east as she headed west. She wanted to get to the Alabastrine Shrine and the tall grass plains were expansive and marked with few landmarks. The last thing Lydia wanted to do was get turned around and offset her journey even more. She froze startled as a doe suddenly raced across the plains, parting the golden grasses as she ran. No doubt there were a number of animals stocking up on food for the winter and gorging themselves when they could. She paused and glanced behind her. In the distance she saw the golden drapes of the weeping woods. The willows would be some of the last trees to loose their leaves. They were beautiful and she almost hated to see them succumb to winter but hopefully the winters in the south would be short. This would be her first time actually living in the region as winter set in. She'd passed through numerous times in the past but often she'd been so focused on herb hunting that she didn't pay as much attention to her surroundings as she wished she had. Lydia turned her attention back to the west and continued on her way, the grasses parting around her as she pushed through. She carefully maneuvered around a patch of thistle then found herself pausing again as she herd a chorus of honking. Lydia lifted her head to see a flock of geese heading south in the familiar "V" formation. That had to be nice, to fly south every time the weather turned disagreeable. Yet, perhaps she was being too harsh on winter. As a healer with her fondness for collecting fresh herbs she tended to give winter an unfair shake due to how much harder it made her job. However, wolves as a whole could thrive in winter when their prey was weakened or struggling with moving through the snow. Of course, it was a delicate balance. If prey was hit too hard then wolves to would suffer. A brush of cool air got Lydia moving again. She didn't want to linger too much and as she glanced to the north she could see dark grey clouds starting to build in the distance. With the wind sweeping down from the north there was a good chance they could have more flurries tonight and she wanted to be settled somewhere nice and warm when the storm moved in. Not that she was expecting a blizzard or anything but while the weather had been mostly pleasant all autumn long she didn't want to let down her guard. An unwelcome rain storm could soak her to the core a lot quicker than she cared for and in these temperatures that would not be good. Breathing at a steady rate she moved into a leisurely lope, just focusing on her path west. With the sun behind her warming her back she was feeling pretty good. Lydia continued at that pace for several hours until in the distance she could see lithe white branches stretching up into the sky. Those were the tell tale sign of the Alabastrine Shrine. She'd heard tales about the place and finally decided to pay a visit. She was making good time and figured she'd be there before dark. She didn't really want to hang around the place during the night. She'd heard far too many stories. This was meant to be a quick visit and then she'd turn around and head back. There were no good places to bed down for the night and she doubted she'd have enough daylight to make it to the Redbud Nook. As noon fell across the plains the sun started to disappear behind a blanket of soft grey clouds that had stretched out from the cold front sweeping its way down north. Ahhhh dang… it was moving a lot faster than Lydia had realized. She stopped and hesitated for a second before turning around and heading back toward the weeping woods. Even if she didn't get to her original destination she did have a nice walk and got to explore more of the tall grass plains that made up Kesali's homeland. All in all she still considered this a trip well spent. "Talk" "You" Think

He had just been finishing up his rounds for the evening, his spirits still high since the day he had formed the pack. He was young, but he felt confident in his ability to keep the pack alive and kicking. He had been fairly busy getting the business end of the pack stuff out of the way, visiting with other packs and meeting with other alphas. He hadn't really checked in to see how everyone was settling in. He wanted to be sure everyone had a nice cosy den and all the supplies they needed to get them through this winter. He also needed to make sure every member knew where all the large storage dens were. Upon finishing his rounds he stopped for a few moments to mull over his thoughts. Soon he turned and headed back into the plains, heading towards his den. He had so much to do and he felt like he had no time to get it all completed. He had almost been too busy to spot Lydia's form in the distance. When he did notice her, all other thoughts were shoved aside as he picked up his pace letting out a deep bark to let her aware he was approaching. It was members like her and Riva that he needed to take the time to get to know and even though it was getting dark, maybe he could at least have a short conversation until they parted for their dens. "Good Evening Lydia," he said as he came up beside her. "How are you doing this evening?" "Speech" 'Think'

Knocking on the door of the house of mercy

Evening was falling by the time Lydia got back to where she started. She'd been debating about stopping to hunt for a few final herbs before fall but another gust of cool air told her to be prudent. She didn't want to get stuck out in a snow storm and it wasn't like she was working alone any more. Between all the healers she was sure they'd have enough to make it through the winter. She was heading back to her den when she heard Branch bark a greeting to her. She slowed as he approached and dipped her head in greeting. "Good evening, Branch. I'm well, just finished a wonderful day of exploring. You picked a truly lovely set of territories for Kesali. How are you doing? Do you know much of how winter affects this area?" She gestured to the storm building behind her. "I'm not sure what to expect from it."

"Talk"

He stopped a few paces from her, giving her her personal place. She greeted him in return and he smiled warmly at her listening as she explained she had finished a day of exploring, praising his choices in territory. It made him happy to hear that she liked his choices. He was hoping that everyone had similar feelings towards the two territories. "Ah I'm glad you like them! I was hoping the territories were suitable. I am doing very well thank you," he replied. His eyes looked back behind her towards the building storm clouds. He had been told before that winters were more mild here. Last winter had been mild compared to what he's been through before. "From what I have been told and experienced last winter it's milder here," he replied. "I have prepared for a harsher winter just in case so as far as supplies we should be good." He knew there was plenty of herbs to last them the winter. He had done more then he should have to prepare before actually forming the pack. One thing he had failed to do was actually have an experienced healer be shown the supplies the pack had. "Actually if I could bug you a moment, would you mind coming with me to the herb storage so you could look it over?" he asked. "Speech" 'Think'

Knocking on the door of the house of mercy

Lydia listened intently as Branch spoke of the winters. She wanted to know what she was in for and how the change in the seasons might affect her herb gathering. She knew the winters in the south were supposed to be milder but she wasn't sure by how much. She was pleased to here from Brach that that had been his experience and she appreciated his prudence in preparing for a harsher winter. It never hurt to be prepared.

"Actually if I could bug you a moment, would you mind coming with me to the herb storage so you could look it over?"

Lydia smiled and nodded. "Of course, I would be happy to. After this storm moves through I was thinking of gathering a few materials we can use for poultices. It would be good to see what we have a lot of and what might be good to have more of." She moved to stand next to him so that he could lead the way.

"Talk"

Lydia was more then happy to go look and it relieved him. He needed the more experienced healers to know the location of it and to also see what would be needed come spring. She also mentioned about supplies for Poultices and he nodded in agreement as he began moving, guiding her to the storage den. "If you need any help in gathering supplies let me know, it would be good for all of us to learn all the supplies needed and if I can help teach the other members about what to look for then hopefully it'll take some weight off of you and the other healers shoulders." he said. He meant it too, his family clan had been a well oiled machine and he intended his pack to be the same way. To help each other and hopefully treat one another as family regardless of bloodline. He also hoped that he himself could provide a good example of it. It didn't take long until they reached the large entrance of the storage den. He had made it big enough for a wolf bigger then himself to fit into. But he tried to make it sturdy enough that it would not wear away quickly. Leading her down into the very spacious and tall den. There was dug out cubbies for herbs, there were roots uncovered in the walls and ceiling to hang herbs, and he had even had a large stone with a rather flat top to use as a table. All of it he had taken his time in digging out and preparing correctly. "Speech" 'Think'

Knocking on the door of the house of mercy

Lydia nodded as she followed along after Branch. "Sounds good to me. I'd love to get to know the other healers here. I think we can learn from each other and well, it'd be nice to make some friends." She'd been on her own for so long that part of her wasn't sure she even really knew how to make a friend but the idea of having someone to share ideas with and talk with was very appealing. She knew there was plenty yet she could still learn and with additional minds there were bound to be new discoveries just waiting to be uncovered.

They reached the entrance to a large storage den and Lydia nimbly followed Branch. She saw cubbies dug into the walls, much like her own personal den.  In addition the roots of a nearby tree were left uncovered for hanging herbs. She trotted over to the flat stone. "Oh this is excellent. I could see us getting good use out of this stone for grinding herbs and for laying out materials to make poultices. Thank you, for showing me." She turned to Branch with a grin, he tail wagging lightly. "I'll go ahead and move some of my stores over here, that way everyone has access to them." She had a few gems like ginseng she was sure would be beneficial to the pack. Turning she moved to exit the den and get back to work.

-exit?-

"Talk"

"Well hopefully we can get some proper pack activities going once summer comes, activities to help us bond and learn from one another," he said with a smile. Once inside he moved aside to let her look around, to take in everything within the den. He hoped that this would work and he would continue to think of ideas to hopefully improve all his storage dens. He watched her as she moved over to the stone table and his smile would grow at her comment. He was glad the added table would work, excited to see it being used. She seemed satisfied with the layout and it made him happy. "Wonderful and your welcome Lydia. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to look for me," he said with a nod. He watched her leave and stayed within the den for a few moments, blue eyes scanning the den and smiling once more at his hard work. It was all paying off and he was extremely grateful. After a few moments he got up and exited, heading back to his den for the night. -Exit Branch- "Speech" 'Think'