Siren felt the warm air blowing in from the south and had taken her chances swimming the channel to Auster and the berry grove beyond. The sun was out in full swing and the warm breeze was quick to dry her long hair, her braids would remain damp for a while. For the most part she remained comfortable as she made the trip to seek out herbs for her stores. She admired the shelves that Dalila built for her, for them, every day. Sometimes she wondered what she would even do without the woman there to look after her.

The young Klein Princess knew her time in the sun was limited so she made her way into the shaded forest. The leaves weren’t fully developed but they protected her sensitive skin from any harm. Dainty paws carried her though brambles and thorns and they stuck easily to her long coat. Siren almost instinctively called for Dalila but realized she was alone, and she was going to have to deal with it until she got back. A huff left her lips as she continued, eyes peeled for anything useful to return home with.

Being able to walk outside and not be immediately assaulted by freezing cold made going outside far more appealing. She still couldn't say that she particularly enjoyed leaving the castle and the safety it provided, but she had to start hunting for herbs again. She had scraped their stores dry treating the various wounds her family members always seemed to accumulate and she was desperate to fill them again. Her biggest fear was for something to happen again like it had with her mother where a completely unexpected, life threatening wound would land in her lap and she wouldn't be able to treat it. That was all the motivation she needed to get out of The Hallow's lands and start looking.

She went up into the grove and started combing carefully through the trees and brush, all of which was still fairly young growth. That would be the problem now with finding herbs - she was sure that anything that went dormant in the winter that would have regrown in the spring was thrown off by this strange weather so its growth was going to be odd for a while. She did manage to find a cluster of alfalfa with small buds of flowers that hadn't yet bloomed and was collecting some of that to tuck away in her satchel when she heard a movement in the brush approaching her. She lifted her head curiously, Eilwen shifting from where she was perched on her shoulder to look as well.

Gwyn spotted the smaller girl climbing through some of the under brush a short distance away. Immediately she noticed how pretty the other girl was with her light coat and delicate features, though her long, trailing fur seemed to be giving her some issues with the dense bushes that would at some point start growing berries sooner or later. She felt Eilwen take off from her shoulder, the white raven crossing the distance between the two girls to come land on a branch right beside the stranger. "Here, dear, let me get that for you," the avian offered as she started picking a bramble out of the girl's fur. "Eilwen!" she called as she hurried over, her ears folding back with embarrassment. "You can't just go picking at stranger's pelts!" She sighed, giving the other young woman an apologetic glance. "I'm so sorry about that."

Gwynevere | Eilwen

Siren was glad to be warm again, but the thorns and branches that snagged in her fur was infuriating. At least on the island her deer paths were always clear for her to walk through. The plants she would collect were worth every inconvenience, and Siren would suffer through. Until she got home at least, Dalila was going to have her work cut out for her. There weren’t very many she trusted more to see to her long fur. Before she could get much farther movement caught her gaze. Dual toned eyes lifted to the air as the white bird flew to her perch and began to pick at Siren’s mussed fur.

She froze, uncertain what to do as the girl followed up after her. Younger, but much larger, the she wolf apologized for the raven’s actions. Caramel ears struggled to stay upright as Siren inwardly told herself to stand up straighter and to be more proud of where and what she was. ”It’s… not a problem.” She lacked the confidence in her words but she held her chin up a little higher as she inspected her company. They had the scent of the Hallows on them, Siren wouldn’t forget the scent of the Armada’s sister pack.

”Are you a healer?” She asked timidly, noting the bag on the other woman’s shoulder. It seemed like a much more efficient way to gather herbs than a simple skin to wrap them in. A skin that liked to get caught on the branches as much as her fur.

Eilwen paid no mind to Gwynevere's scolding and continued to pick the brambles and twigs from the smaller girl's long fur, fluttering to a different branch at one point so that she could reach the other side of her better. Gwyn sighed, her ears pinned back with embarrassment as she watched the pale raven work, even as the other young woman insisted that it wasn't a problem. It was more of a problem of Eilwen having too much of a mind of her own, but she knew she shouldn't be surprised. The whole reason the raven had stuck with her from the beginning was just out of her own decision. It certainly wasn't like Gwyn had done anything to convince her to stay.

She focused her attention on the other girl's pale, delicate features when she asked if she was a healer and Gwynevere nodded, offering her a shy smile. She could smell the scent of Ashen on her and at one point in her life she might have wondered what brought someone from Boreas down to Auster, but with as often as the Armada wolves had been hanging around their lands she finally just decided it wasn't as long of a trip as she remembered from when they traveled down as pups. "I am. I was just working on collecting some herbs now that the weather is finally warming up."

Gwyn gave the pretty girl a curious glance and added, "How about you? I just found a pretty good sized alfalfa plant back there if you want to take some." She had no problem sharing her spoils with a fellow healer. After the winter they all endured she was sure they were all equally hurting for herbs. "Oh, I'm Gwynevere by the way, but everyone calls me Gwyn. Whichever you prefer." She couldn't say that she was exactly eager to make a new friend, but Eilwen had kind of given her no choice - which now that the thought crossed her mind and she glanced at the pale raven she began to wonder if that was Eilwen's motivation the whole time.

Gwynevere | Eilwen

Honestly Siren was grateful for the presumptuous bird, but she’d rather have the avian in her fur than the thorns and branches. She offered the raven a small smile as it hopped from branch to branch and better reached the tangles and mess of Siren’s fur. The tiny princess didn’t balk or make any effort to get away, she didn’t say it but the actions were appreciated. Dalila would have eventually sorted out her nearly untamable fur, but not having to endure the annoyance all day was a blessing. Siren offered the raven a quick grin, which was not as confident as it should have been, She still had trouble fully comprehending her worth, especially when Chimera was not beside her.

The younger woman nodded in response to her question with a shy nod, Siren was sure that this woman was just as confident as Siren was around strangers. Not that either of them could do much damage to the other wolf. Nor would either of them want to harm the other. The girl followed her affirming nod with words that backed up the gesture. She was a healer, and much like Siren, was incredibly thankful for how warmth was returning to the world. Siren quietly nodded her head in agreement.

”You would share with me?” She asked softly, almost feeling surprise, but then again healers were usually quite selfless. The winter had been harsh, and everyone was suffering. ”Siren,” she returned, refraining from giving her last name. Pure Klein. Siren was cursed from birth with her own name. The Klein woman wasn’t really looking to make friends either. She was a hermit on her little island and she didn’t mind that fact. Maybe the lack of social interaction was getting to her more than she knew, but with the long winter she didn’t want to travel anyway. She let silence fall over them awkwardly before finally saying, ”I don’t have anything to offer in return…” She really would have felt better making some kind of trade, but she hadn’t found anything yet.

Gwynevere smiled encouragingly to the smaller woman's surprise at her offer to share some of the alfalfa she had found, giving her a small shrug. "Of course! There's more than enough to share." It was a pretty big plant anyway and it wasn't like a use for alfalfa came up all that often and it wasn't one that was too difficult to find typically. If it had been something like lady's slipper or something similar that was more rare she might feel differently, but even then she probably would have at least given the stranger a piece of it. She had always felt like healers should help each other so this was no exception.

"Nice to meet you, Siren," she said in response to the simple introduction she was given, dipping her head politely. She was about to turn and lead the delicate woman over to where the alfalfa was when she quietly mentioned how she had nothing to offer in return and Gwyn shook her head. "Don't worry about it, I'm happy to share. Come on, it's just over this way." She gave Siren another smile before walking across the clearing to a different grouping of trees, returning to the alfalfa plant she had abandoned to chase after Eilwen. "Take as much as you want! There's probably more of these plants around here anyway."

Gwynevere | Eilwen

The taller woman shrugged off her question like it should have been a surprise if she hadn’t offered some of the plant. Siren didn’t linger on the thought if the other healer wasn’t going to make any sort of big deal. Especially when she dismissed her offer of a trade in return. Siren didn’t often forget kindnesses showed towards her, perhaps one day she might pay the favor forward. Or more hopefully paid back. ”Nice to meet you,” she returned softly, her voice naturally subdued and quiet. She didn’t often talk to anyone outside the island, and found herself quite out of her element.

Siren filled after the other girl, careful to not let her fur get so tangled this time. As she looked around though she realized her only limiting factor was her own carrying capacity. Gwyn couldn’t have hoarded all of this even if she wanted to, like she said there was more all over the place. Carefully siren began to gather the plants together, harvesting at the stem. ”What do you usually do with them?” She asked quietly, being mostly self taught there was an incredible amount that she didn’t know and still had so much to learn.