Drífa worked her way along the rocky path as the sun continued its downward descent. She had rather hoped to be at the base of the mountain before the sun set but she had underestimated the difficulty of navigating this mountain range. There were said to be a number of rare herbs hidden within the crags of this mountain range. Right now she wasn't sure they'd be worth the effort but perhaps she could continue her search in the morning. "What do you think Halla? Shall we settle in for the night." The macaque nodded and gestured to a flatter area with a nice overhang. Drífa shrugged off the deer hide bundle Halla had tied across her shoulders. It was time to get a little fire going. She set off looking for sticks, as did her companion. They could settle by the fire and tell stories until sleep finally took them. "I talk" | 'I think'

A passerby had mentioned rare herbs being found upon the mountain, so Iolaire packed her bag, gave Roan a kiss goodbye, and away she went. Not only would there be herbs upon the mountain, but perhaps she could find some interesting stones that she might be able to turn into other things. The break would be nice as well. Tiny paws had carried her far and the ascent was arduous, but the descent wasn't as bad, of course. Thank you, gravity. Night had begun to fall, however, and Io would have no choice but to spend the night on the side of a mountain. Good thing she didn't move much in her sleep. Just as she was about to find a place to settle, the wind brought a soft voice to her ears. Black auds flicked forward and she followed the sound. It would be a strange coincidence to find another so high up on the mountain, would it not? Coming around a rather large boulder, green and gold eyes lighted upon the forms of a wolf and a macaque. First she cleared her throat, to alert the duo of her presence. "I do apologize for intruding. I happened to hear you and it's a little too dark to continue my way down tonight." One silver brow raised as she continued. "Felt a little strange to settle so close and not say hello." "Speech"

Drífa carefully set down a variety of smaller sticks that would serve as kindling and tinder. She hadn't found any good sized pieces for fuel wood. As she went about gathering the wood Halla worked on making a small fire ring. The macaque moved the stones carefully to form a shallow ring that served more as a marker for where Drífa should pile the wood than to prevent the fire from spreading. Thanks to the volcano there was limited brush and the area they were camping on was sparse anyway. A noise caught her attention and Drífa turned to see a woman standing not too far off. She smiled. "That's quite alright. My name is Drífa and this is my companion Halla. Would you like to join us? We're working on getting a fire going." "I talk" | 'I think'

Thankfully the woman was friendly and invited her to join them by what would soon be a fire. She introduced herself and her companions. Io smiled and nodded, accepting their names. "Good to meet you both. I'm Iolaire, but please call me Io." Shrugging out of her pack, the dark woman's two-toned gaze scanned the area for kindling. The mountain area was fairly sparse, so there wouldn't be much. With a shake of her head, she dug in her pack and pulled out a slender core of an oak branch. "I keep this for emergencies. I suppose there's no helping it." Oak burned longer than other woods and, because it was a smaller piece, it was easy to carry. Good for emergencies, but even this wouldn't burn all night. Moving forward, Iolaire placed the chunk of wood within the fire pit. If Drifa didn't have her own set of flint and steel, Io could use her own. "What brings you two to these parts?" Head tilted slightly, she questioned the two. "It's a pretty desolate place. You're the first that I've seen since I arrived." "Speech"

The stranger introduced herself as Iolaire and she kindly offered a piece of oak branch for the fire. Drífa smiled. "That's very kind of you!" Io placed the wood chunk in the fire pit and Drífa and Halla carefully placed the smaller pieces of kindling around it in a pyramid type shape. The final touch was adding on the tinder which was mostly bits of dried bark. Drífa settled in to talk as Halla took out a piece of flint and a chunk of metal taken from the Veteran's Plateau. "I had heard there were rare and exotic herbs in these mountains. I was rather hoping to find some but I can't say I've had much luck. I'm hoping the volcano hasn't wiped them out." Halla continued to strike the flint until at last the tinder caught fire. It swiftly spread to the kindling and soon they had a nice fire going. "What about yourself? What brings you to these mountains?" "I talk" | 'I think'

The woman had her own flint and steel, which was good. Soon, a small but warm fire was going. Iolaire pulled up a patch of earth and slid to lay upon her stomach nearby. Ears perked at the Drifa's response to her question. A soft rumble of laughter sounded from the tiny lass. "The same reason, oddly enough. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything of use as far as herbs go. I did find some interesting stones that could be turned into something else. I possess no knowledge in stone work though." Nosing into her bag, she pulled out the three strange stones that she'd found. They were a few chunks of smoky quartz, clear at one end, tapering off to black at the other. "I know a few girls who might love to wear these." They just needed to be smoothed or affixed to some sort of jewelry. "Speech"

Drífa chuckled as Iolaire stated she was there for the same reason. It was nice to run into another healer, especially one who seemed to know her frustration. If these rare patches of herbs managed to survive the eruption they were well tucked away. Ah well. It was worth a shot and at least she knew now. Drífa leaned forward to look at the pretty little stones that Iolaire had found. "I might be able to help you there. At least a little." She turned and dug around in her belongings until she pulled out a small bundle of sinew. She kept it mostly in case she needed to stitch a wound or tie on a poultice in a particular way. "You could wrap the stones with this, though it is helpful to have someone who has opposable thumbs. I think I also have some leather strips if you'd like something thicker." The older woman dug around some more until she found the thin leather strips. Again, something she used to help affix bandages. "I talk" | 'I think'

Ears perked as Drifa said that she had an idea. After mentioning the opposable thumbs thing, Iolaire lifted one dainty paw and flexed her normal, canine toes. "No luck there, I'm afraid." Green-gold eyes watched as the older woman pulled things from her own stash. Sinew and strips of leather were removed from the pack and she explained what could possibly be done with the stones. Iolaire nodded, inspecting the bindings that she suspected were intended for other things.

"I had the idea to try and pierce the stoned with a small hole, but it's most likely a very time consuming process." She'd found a few pieces of strange metal on the plateau that might do the trick, however. It all depended on how serious she was about crafting these items. Taking up one of the chunks of quartz, she handed it over to the older fae. "A gift for allowing me to enjoy your company and your fire." Maybe the woman would use her primate companion to show Io just what she had in mind.

Drífa nodded as Iolaire mentioned that she'd been hoping to pierce a hole in the stone. "Ah, I see. That would be ideal but I'm afraid I don't have a very good idea how to do that." She supposed one could try and take a piece of metal or a harder stone and carve into it but she'd never seen something ideal enough to attempt it. It was an interesting idea, one she placed on the back burner as she thought. Either way it was likely to be a labor intensive project but it was clear that Iolaire cared about the ones she was making it for. Drífa smiled and graciously accepted the quartz. "Thank you for your help with the fire and your company. I really do appreciate it." Drífa gently took the stone and handed it to Halla. The macaque reached out and plucked up a strand of sinew, carefully setting the stone in the middle. She then lifted both ends and tied a not so the quartz was snug in one loop. Giving the sinew a twist at the top she carefully maneuvered the two ends down the bare sides of quartz and made a knot at the bottom. With another twist she brought it back up to the top so the quartz was nestled on six sides with sinew. "It should hold decently for everyday wear but I don't know about something more active." "I talk" | 'I think'

Drifa admitted that she didn't know how to drill a hole in one of the stones and Iolaire nodded. "It would be a lot of trial and error. I have ideas, but nothing I've put to practice. My skill set is geared towards more practical items." She'd built many things from carts, to a stone cottage. The woman had a mind for building. Bits and baubles... well they weren't something that she bothered with or even thought of often.

Iolaire watched with interest as the macaque worked. Drifa thanked her and the dark woman grinned. "Thank you as well. Good to find some company on this lonely mountainside." The primate deftly wound sinew about the stone, knotting it here and there. Iolaire was impressed and it wasn't the first time that she wished she had the same type of digits.

Halla moved to tuck the necklace away in Drífa's bundle along with a few various kinds of herbs she frequently carried with her. The moon was rising high in the sky now and the fire was slowly shrinking. It was time to get some rest. She yawned and smiled at Iolaire. "If its alright with you I think I'll turn in for the night. I find myself getting to bed earlier with every new year I gain." She knew it was part of getting older and it would likely only get worse. Curling up she looked to the other woman to see if she had anything else she wanted to say before Drífa closed her weary eyes. -exit?- "I talk" | 'I think'

The older woman confessed to being tired. "By all means, sleep, and sleep in safety. I'll stay awake until it's light, then take my leave." The small healer offered a smile. "It was good to meet you and Halla. Sleep well."

Having learned a bit during their encounter, Iolaire was content to mull over the construction of the jewelry as she waited for the sun. During the night, she silently guarded the older woman and her companion in a strange way, keeping silent and still while they slept. In the morning, when the darkness of the sky began to lighten, the woman quietly took her leave.

-Exit-