Rhythm didn’t wander far from Abaven, especially not without an escort. Partly to keep herself safe because she was a vulnerable old woman, and mostly to keep the anxiety of her family subdued. They had suffered too much loss recently and she didn’t want to add herself to that collection. However close her end may be.

Her old bones carried her to the hot spring, a place she hadn’t visited in nearly a decade. The water was warm in most pools, since the volcanic activity was reducing it was once more safe to relax within. Her chocolate brown frame lowered slowly into the relief giving water. A soft sigh of contentment left her lips as Feather watched from above. She’d sound an alarm if need be.

It was a gorgeous summer day and Lúta's wandering brought her eastward. She still had not reconnected with Ragna but that was alright, it gave her some much needed solo practice. The former warrior was on the hunt for boneset this fine day. She was vaguely familiar with the plant and it was one Ragna had administered to her when she was terribly ill as a yearling. Summer would be a good time to hunt for it and as she pushed through the forest she came upon a set of hot springs and spied an older woman bathing in the hot springs.

"Oh, excuse me! I didn't mean to intrude. I had no idea there were hot springs around here."

The old woman relaxed completely into the heat of the water, her joints were relaxed and the pain disappeared. Despite everything that had happened to her Rhythm wore the hint of a smile on her dark chocolate lips. Clouded blue and lavender eyes were closed as her spa day brought her peace. Feather’s chirp of a voice perked the Destructions salt and pepper ears as the approach of a stranger brought her to a more alert state. Her nose sniffed at her strange scent and told Rhythm she was a loner, and probably was not from Boreas. Much like herself and the first of her kin.

”You’re no bother,” she offered kindly, shifting enough to turn her grizzled features towards the young woman. ”Would you care to join me? I’m Rhythm Destruction.”

The older woman responded kindly and as the woman turned in her direction it was then that Lúta noted the woman was blind. She introduced herself as Rhythm Destruction. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Lúta Hoskuldr." She padded toward the edge of a nearby pool. "It does look nice but actually I'm on the hunt for some Boneset and-" Lúta had just happened to look up and that's when she spied a clump of Boneset not far off. "Oh! It's growing right here."

Lúta bounded over to the Boneset and reached down to use her teeth to start clipping off some of the plant. She wasn't quite sure yet what she was going to make with it. Probably she'd practice working on making a few pastes with it. "Sorry, I'm so easily distracted! Have you lived in this area long Rhythm?" An older wolf with knowledge of the area might be able to give her a better idea of what this new land was like.

Rhythm missed out on enjoying the other woman’s brilliant coat, but she was more able to judge wolves on their character rather than their looks. She was given the girls name, and she certainly did not recognize the surname given but it was rather pretty. ”And you, Lúta.” She returned as the woman denied her invitation but offered a good excuse. She was searching for herbs. Rhythm smiling amusedly as she distracted herself with the sudden discovery.

”I understand,” she offered with a chuckle. ”Boreas in general i’ve lived nearly my whole life. Only recently did I return to the East here.” She explained softly as the woman gathered her herbs. ”Where are you from, dear?”

Lúta reached down again to gather more boneset. It was a useful herb and one she probably couldn't get enough of though she also didn't want to completely destroy this gathering of the plant. Satisfied with her haul she then turned her attention to crafting. She settled down, setting her little deerhide bundle near her as she rested near the edge of one of the pools. "I'm from a land to the north of here called Rhesia. I'd like to know more about this land. Have wolves lived here for a long time? Are there many packs?"

Lúta had two items in mind to craft now that she thought of it. Traditionally, at least according to Ragna, boneset would be set out to dry and then powdered. The powder would then be mixed with water to help for respiratory illness. She could set some to dry while she worked on making an ointment. She didn't know if the later would have any use but it was worth a shot. She had to experiment to learn. Lúta pulled a a strip of hide out from her bundle and set it aside. She then picked up half of the boneset and pulled it near her. She'd try and dry this half.

As for the other half. Lúta eyed the boneset for a moment before picking it up and placing it near the hot springs. She hoped the hot water would start to soften the leaves while she tried to figure out what she could put the leaves in with some water. She was pleased to be so near the hot springs. This was so much easier to use the hot water from the springs, even if it wasn't boiling hot she felt the hot water would still extract more from the plant than the cold water.

As Rhythm listened to the young woman her paws becan to gather up a bit of the clay at the bottom of the spring. There wasn’t much but as the two of them spoke her paws carefully gathered enough to bring carefully to the surface and deposit on the edge of the spring. Lúta asked about the land after offering the name of the one that she was from. In her very long years the old woman hadn’t heard of it.

”Boreas is a very diverse land.” She started, remembering her younger days and travelling so much more. ”From the frozen tundras of the north to the tropical paradise that is the east.” She offered quietly while bringing another pawful of mud and clay to her growing possession. ”Many packs have come and gone through the years. Nothing has changed in that regard.” She chuckled, if one thing remained the same it was that everything was always changing.

Rhythm was finally satisfied with her haul and carefully made her way out of the water. After a moment of stumbling around she found a relatively flat and dry place to begin her work. She cleaned the surface with her tail after shaking the excess water from her pelt. (Careful not to transfer any to her new companion) Before placing the precious material on her working surface. ”I live in Abaven right now. It’s not far from here."

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta worked on her projects as she listened to Rhythm speak. It didn't surprise her that Boreas was so diverse. It was certainly a large land. She carefully bundled the springs of Boneset she wished to dry and set them in the middle of one of the leather cords. From there she carefully used her paws and her teeth to tie a knot around the bundle. She then worked to create a knot from the free ends from which she could hang the bundle of herbs

Rhythm went on to explain that she was from a pack called Abaven. "Abaven? Is that in the East here? What's it like?" Lúta carefully seized another spring of Boneset and moved to let it rest in the warm water to blanch it. She hoped to break it down enough so that when she went to chew it it would release more beneficial elements.

Rhythm began to work her clay,back and forth she kneaded it like dough. Slowly she wanted to work the excess liquid from her supply. She continued this method as the two of them spoke quietly, the younger girl offering questions as she worked on her own bits of project. ”It is.” Rhythm started as she affirmed the woman’s assumption. Abaven had always been in the east, even when the volcano erupted they were moved even further in the direction. Rhythm continued to knead at her clay, and she could tell it was getting close to the proper consistencey.

”Abaven is a quiet place, it consists primarily of my relatives.” That was one thing that hadn’t changed, the pack her brother founded still stood these many many years later. Almost all at once her clay perfected, and Rhythm began to roll it out into a log to begin her coil pot.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta gathered that the woman's pack wasn't too far away which made sense. She hated to judge but felt it could be dangerous for an older, blind woman to be wandering too far alone. She pulled the second sprig of boneset out of the hot water and set it on a scrap of deer hide to cool while she moved over to the bundle she sought to dry. Lúta shifted her weight to her hind legs and stretched up the nearest tree where she tied up a bundle of boneset to dry. It took a couple tries. As she did not have opposable thumbs she had to be careful to use her paws and her teeth in careful coordination to tie the knot. When it came time to take it down hopefully she could undo it otherwise she'd just need to chew through the cord.

Rhythm explained that Abaven was quiet and consisted mostly of her relatives. That made sense. Many of the bands and packs that Lúta knew consisted of large family groups. "Are you a wise woman in your pack? You seem really knowledgable. Did your pack make it through the volcano ok?" Lúta had arrived after the eruption but its effects on the land were unmistakable. She moved back to the cooling spring of boneset and began to chew it into a paste. The taste was terrible and she worked swiftly so as not to ingest to much of it. Boneset in large amounts could act as an emetic and she had no desire to throw up. Once she was satisfied with the mixture she spat it onto the scrap of deer hide and carefully wrapped it up.

With her coil started Rhythm worked on the base of her pot, carefully she made a thick circular base. She had her difficulties, using her clumsy paws wasn’t ideal but she managed well enough. Soon that was done and she could begin her coil. This was the real tricky part, she had to score and slip the clay. Not an easy task when blind.

”I suppose, though it’s not my title. I am the oldest in Abaven. Maybe not the most ancient in Boreas but close.” She tried to chuckle at her morbid humor. ”Through the initial eruption yes. Everyone was evacuated.” It was the after effects that had stolen away her niece. Rhythm still had trouble thinking about how many years Shaye had to look forward to that were now gone.

She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she continued to coil her pot. Score, slip, coil, and smooth. The motions were easy to make a rhythm out of and even with the dark turn of her thoughts she could remain at ease. ”Did you witness the eruption?” Rhythm asked as she coiled the last bit of clay around her tiny pot. With care she finished smoothing the sides and was left with a new container. It would take a few days to dry in the sun, but after that would be a useful item.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta was greatly enjoying the company of the older woman and she wondered what else she could craft while she was hear to stretch the time out a little longer. That was one benefit to being a loner. Her time was her own. She had no pack she needed to get back to and could take her time as long as she wanted to take it. Lúta started digging around in her pack for her bundles of dried herbs. She meant to mix some together to make a tisane. Good thing she had a number of different size pieces of pelts and a few leather pouches and odds and ends from her travels.

Deciding a nice mix of chamomile and lavender would be good she pulled out a bundle of dried chamomile flowers. They were mostly in large chunks. She had dried the flowers whole but the rough way of packing them and the subsequent travel had caused them to break. That was fine though, she'd need to break them down eventually.

"No, I came after the eruption. I've only seen the devastation that occurred as a result." She glanced at Rhythm and decided to take a shot at asking if the woman was familiar with fires. "Rhythm, I know this is an odd question but are you familiar with making fires? I'd like to make some chamomile and lavender tea but it works best with heated water. I have a bowl of my own somewhere in here and you'd certainly be welcome to have some!" Her's was old and chipped but still functional.

Eventually Rhythm would have to start getting back to Abaven, but she’d at least mentioned her whereabouts to Poem before heading off. She spent a good amount of time with the child, and they easily bonded over memories of her departed mother. For now she could linger, and maybe get back into the warm water of the springs.

Lúta mentioned she hadn’t even arrived until after the eruption occurred, not that it was difficult to see its aftermath especially now. Rhythm perked her chocolate ears as she was asked to make a fire for tea. Though she often made tea, and much less often made fires, the two had never crossed her mind. ”That sounds marvelous. Let me see...” Her features suddenly pointed to the canopy above. ”Feather, please fetch me a flint and steel.” Rhythm requested softly.

”We’ll have a fire lickety split. While she gets that I’ll need to gather a bit of wood.” She perked her gray marked ears towards Lúta, ”Don’t bother yourself too much, but if you could point me towards a couple big dried branches?” She requested softly.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta crumbled the dried chamomile flowers carefully with her paw. She worked the larger pieces down into smaller pieces on the scrap of hide until she was satisfied that they were crumbled well. She wanted good sized pieces and not powder. Rhythm was on board with starting a fire and sent her bird to fetch flint and steel. Her ears perked up as she wondered what steel was. She was familiar with flint.

Lúta swiftly got to her feet. "I can help! There are some dried branches about four feet behind you and a little to your left." Her initial instinct was to grab them herself but she didn't want to baby the older woman. "I see some over here by me." She approached the dead sapling that was laying on its side. It was partially burnt in some places. Probably from the volcano. Lúta worked to break it into smaller pieces by stomping and chewing at the weakened burnt areas. She wrinkled her nose. It tasted terrible!

Thankfully her new companion was eager to offer help, and she quickly offered up a few places as she herself grabbed her own bits. Rhythm fumbled less than she would have withouthelp and gathered her own bits and placed them close to Lúta. Rhythm also worked on getting them down to size, the task was less than pleasant but the tea would be worth it. The old woman had long been without such luxuries.

Once they were nearly done the sound of Feather returning lifted Rhythm’s features. The bird fluttered closer, working together the two of them would make the sparks to start the fire. The small bird thought ahead as well and brought a bit of dried cattail.

”I didn’t think about it until just now, but I could use the fire to dry my new pot as well.” The thought amused her as she worked carefully to build the delicate bones of her fire. More than once her creation fell, but eventually she made a decent looking teepee shape. ”Alright, Feather.” The bird positioned herself as Rhythm held the small piece of metal for the bird to strike the flint against. They would attempt this several times before enough spark caught hold of the cattail.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta followed Rhythm's lead to stack the wood and then the bird returned with the flint and a piece of metal. They started to strike the flint against the metal. As they worked Lúta unwrapped the dried lavender and also began to work that into a powder. "That's a good idea. Maybe that will help it dry faster so you can put the tea in it though I'm happy to share my bowl." She did have a waterskin with her but she wasn't sure you could put hot water in it.

With the dried lavender mashed up she then mixed it together with the chamomile to make a concoction that would make a nice and relaxing tea.

With just a little more effort the flames would begin to lick at the cattails and the blaze would begin. Rhythm used her sense of touch to keep out of the fire’s way but also feeding it and helping it to grow. As the moments passed by the she wolf began to place larger and larger pieces on their little camp fire. As Lúta prepared the tea she realized she was excited. Not much was able to do that to her anymore, but she was glad to experience it.

Finally the fire was stable enough to warm water and Rhythm backed away a little to give her partner a little room, but also position her coil pot in a place where it might dry faster. ”It’ll be some time before it’s dry enough to drink out of. I wouldn’t mind sharing your bowl.” Her chocolate and cream tail wagged softly at her hips as she settled down into a more relaxed position near the fire.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta grinned as she watched the flames leap to life. Fire was a beautiful and wonderful thing… when it was small and contained. Lúta carefully took her bowl in her jaws and leaning over the hot springs she gently scooped out some of the water from one of the unused pools. Then, carefully she walked back over and placed it near the fire. The next step was to add in the herbs. Taking a small amount of the herbal mixture she added it to the water. The warm water immediately started to pull out the nutrients from the plants and as the fire heated up the water it only continued to pull more until at last the tea was ready.

Gingerly Lúta scooted the bowl away from the fire. She grinned. "You can go first if you like. Let me know what you think!"

Rhythm heard the fire as it ate up the tiny bits of kindling and bit into the bigger logs to start producing heat. Her coil pot was settled in the fire to harden and Luta worked on the tea. As the leaves were added to the hot water she could immediately pick up on the tantalizing aroma. Rhythm took in a deep breath and released the air as she settled into relaxation beside her new friend.

”How long have you been making teas, Luta?” She asked quietly as she waited for the tea to steep. She couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed her time with the woman, hopefully they would find each other again, especially after she tasted the tea. ”Thank you,” she replied as she was offered the first sip. Daintily the old woman leaned down to lap at the tasty tea. ”I’m impressed!” She offered her feedback as she licked her lips.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta was enjoying herself. This reminded her of making teas with her mother and she felt a sudden longing for home. She planned to visit her homeland next spring but that seemed so long away. Still, she knew she needed to be strong. She'd followed a vision to this land and it was too soon for her to leave. It was best for her to find simple joys in everyday life and the friendliness of strangers such as Rhythm.

"I've only been making them seriously for about the past year. Before that I would help my mother but I didn't put much critical thought into it. I'm glad you enjoy the tea!"