I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta worked her way with Sota to the base of the Lazuli Falls. Spring was slowly starting to show itself in Auster and there was a gentle green hue around the pool at the base of the falls. Clear, blue water flowed down from the waterfall, its roar notably audible. In fact it was so loud one would have trouble carrying on a conversation right at the base so she moved to the far end of the pool and began scouting around it for signs of ginseng. It was a bit of a long shot. She had no intention of harvesting the herb yet, for it should only be collected in the autumn, but it was still worthwhile to her to scope out locations ahead of time so that she would be able to get to them swiftly when it was time to harvest.

Sota was pleased with the shift in weather these days. The extreme seasons they'd dealt with recently seemed to be behind them now, giving way to the same balmy warmth he was accustomed to since living in Auster again. It'd taken him awhile to settle down here but now that he had, he felt like he fully belonged. Helping others was where he felt he was best-suited so he was happy to accompany Lúta and assist her however he was able. The falls were a nice place to visit anyway, and he had no qualms about spending time here. There was something relaxing about the way the vibrant blue water cascaded down the falls and glimmered at the pool's surface.

Giving Lúta as much distance as she needed, he trailed after her near the far end of the basin at the bottom of the falls. He had no clue what she was looking for but he decided to search for some flowers in the meantime. He had little knowledge of plants and their uses, but he did enjoy flowers and had taken to collecting them and scattering near the courtyard. If it made even one wolf smile it'd be a worthwhile effort. He sniffed around a few yards out, wondering if anything grew this close to the water or not. "What were you looking for today?" He called out to Lúta, head tilting curiously. Maybe he could help scout for plants too if he had some idea.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta kept her eyes sharp as she looked for any signs of Ginseng. She looked over to Sota. "I'm looking for ginseng. It's a very rare herb and shouldn't be harvested until the fall but if I can find some now I can go back for it when it's ready." Of course this was quite a long shot but it was still worth the trip to see the beautiful scenery. She could take in the landscape around her while keeping an eye out for the unique leaf pattern of the ginseng plant as she was unlikely to see any of the red berries yet. "It is a really lovely area. Have you been here before?" She knew Sota was originally from the Auster area though she had no idea where he originally dwelled.

Ginseng was what she was looking for. If it was rare Sota doubted he'd be much help finding it since he was inexperienced when it came to matters of plants and herbs, but at the very least he could offer her some company and help carrying whatever she found back. "What's it used for? If you don't mind the question," Sota clarified quickly. So far Lúta seemed happy to chat as they walked together but he didn't want to be too presumptuous either.

As she searched he was happy to focus on the falls themselves. The water was a brilliant shade of blue, sparkling bright against the sunlight. "No, I don't think I have. I was born in Auster, as everyone calls it-" Sota started. These lands had been his homeland, only further south, in lands that few wolves travelled before the sand bridge had formed north of here. "But not this far north. These lands are still new to me." Sota nosed around some shrubs where he stood before continuing on, trailing a good distance from Lúta and giving her space to work and focus."What about you? Are you from Auster? It seems some of our packmates were new to these lands." Just like he'd been once to Boreas, quivering in fear of the giant wolves that roamed underfoot - it seemed like those days had been a lifetime ago. A time when he would've cowered in fear and uncertainty beside Lúta, who positively towered over him now.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta utilized her sense, both her sight and her smell but so far she wasn't picking up any hints of ginseng. That was alright though. She told herself that just seeing the beautiful place had been worth the journey and she was seeing a number of other healing herbs here even if it wasn't the main ones she was looking for. "Oh, I don't mind at all. Ginseng is good for the immune system and can help with stress and vomiting." With as much stress as the pack had been under lately she thought it would be good to locate new sources of the rare herb.

Sota explained that he was from Auster but not this far north. She shook her head at his question. "No, I'm from lands that lay far to the north of here. Auster is a lovely place though. Do you have family still in Auster?"

Ginseng was good for the immune system - that sounded useful. He'd never thought that certain herbs and plants could be used for preventative care instead of just being used to cure specific ailments. He supposed that was the sort of mindset that healers had though, a vision he lacked -  that was just one reason why he wasn't fit for that sort of trade. "Sounds useful," he commented with a grin, continuing to sniff along the edge of the pool at the plants that grew there. Though he was blissfully unaware of the purposes of most of these plants he could stop to appreciate them all the same, even if they had no medicinal value at all.

Her question caught him slightly off guard. "Auster is lovely. I'm glad to be back. I haven't seen my family for a long while though." And did he want to? Sota loved his parents and cousins unconditionally, but he'd changed so much from the wolf they'd raised that he wasn't even sure he'd fit in amongst the Songa any longer, even for a brief visit. "And I'm not sure visiting would be the best idea. I've changed a lot since I've left home. Not that it's a bad thing, just..." His words trailed off slightly. "Some things are just better left in the past, you know?" There were no hard feelings there, but Sota didn't want to muddle his present life by bringing his past into it, not any more than he needed to.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

Lúta nodded, ginseng was indeed useful though there were still other herbs she considered to be more valuable that were much easier to find, like yarrow. Still, she was eager to try and learn new herbs. As she continued to scour the territory Sota answered her questions. She nodded lightly. "I understand that all too well."

As they moved farther into the rich woodlands that surrounded the falls she suddenly spied a ginseng plant. "Sota, over here!" She padded over to the plant that stood about a foot high, crowned in finely-toothed leaves. As it was spring there was a single stalk with small, yellow flowers that would later become berries. "I'm glad to know some is here, though its too early in the year to harvest it." She gazed about the area, trying to fix it in her mind's eye.

Sota was glad she didn't press him too much on the subject, though at the same time he was glad to have someone to reflect to about things - even if they were being relatively vague about things. He didn't mind admitting that he was a changed wolf, that his future self and present self were quite different. It wasn't that he was ashamed about who he was, but he had different ideals now than he'd once had - his life was entirely different from what he once would've envisioned. It simply was how it was and he wouldn't spend long dwelling on it.

Lúta called him over and he happily followed, grinning at her enthusiasm. His tail waved behind him as he headed toward her, examining the plant with its toothed leaves. It was definitely unique looking, and she explained it wasn't ready to harvest. "How will it look when it's ready?" He asked, out of polite curiosity more than anything. Though he knew little about the art of healing he liked to learn about all sorts of things, just in case the knowledge might prove useful someday.

I wanted to seek, but I got distracted

"It'll look about the same but in the autumn it should have a little bundle of red berries sprouting up from the middle." It was a really pretty plant and in the spring it would have lovely little flowers. Perhaps she could travel here again with Sota when it was ready for harvest. But for now they'd just have to be content with the knowledge of the plants location and hopefully no one would dig it up before it was ready. Ginseng was a plant she hoped to learn to cultivate but it was particular and rather difficult to grow. Still, one day she might figure out how to do so and even if she couldn't there were plenty of other plants that she considered even more useful. "Well, what do you say we head back now?"

-end?-