Despite the dusting of snow, there was still an opportunity to harvest some ferns to dry out in front of the small hearth she had excavated after the recent flooding. The plants were particularly useful for women’s problems and that certainly seemed to be a place she was best suited to serve. She pushed her nose beneath the snow, unearthing frostbitten fronds and burying her nose in them to take a deep whiff. There was little point in taking back maidenhair when moss and lichen were easier to keep as wound dressings. Bracken fern, on the other hand, would be helpful if anyone else decided to birth more brats, as well as helping with upset stomachs and headaches (of which she had been enduring plenty of if she was being honest).

Christmas fern had plenty of use for stomach problems too, with the added bonus of taking the edge of a toothache quite nicely thank you very much. Given the season though, what she really wanted was to replenish her stores of rock cap.

Otis grumbled alongside the Archer-Lyall, showering snow this way and that. Chips perched upon the bark-sled she was dragging back from her downtime in the barren hills. She supposed it was better to make it look like she had left with the intent to be productive, rather than returning empty pawed.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

There wasn't much to do anymore but to explore the areas around the swamplands where they'd temporarily settled, and so the young wraith had begun to range further and further from the safety of the trees. Open plains weren't the most comfortable place for him yet, the territories of the Ashen empire were primarily forested. The yearling was very grateful for his companion, who coasted on the wind overhead and kept an eye out for potential danger. Growing up frail and delicate, the godling firmly believed he was too weak to hold his own in any kind of fight- a notion which was distinctly at odds with his impressive height and sharp sabre fangs. With training, the muscles that he would build would likely lead him to great success on the battlefield- should he be able to reach that conclusion on his own and apply himself to training. As he wandered, odd shapes and bulges under the light dusting of snow over the ground alluded to plentiful plants within the gulley. That tempted him, drawing him further away than he'd ventured before. While he wasn't the most adept at herbology quite yet, he was definitely getting there. Long, slender limbs picked a path across the snowy landscape with grace and ease, two-toned eyes scanning the horizon for something that might be interesting. Rather than brightly coloured plants peeking out from beneath the light drifts, his eyes caught on the figure of another wolf. Slate and charcoal coloured, and accompanied by a few animal companions. He remembered his new purpose, bestowed by fate and his mother's wisdom. Hallux swooped gracefully from the skies and alighted upon his spine, hopping awkwardly along to perch behind his shoulders while he walked. As he approached the stranger, her scent wafted gently on the breeze and into his nostrils. He recognized the scent, one of the allied packs of the Ashen empire. He would do well to watch his words here, lest he risk incurring further ire from his estranged family. "Good afternoon," the amethyst dappled young man crooned softly, a hint of a smile daring to make its way onto his slender maw. "are you hunting for herbs as well?" he questioned with a tilt of his tapered skull as he drew up along her right side, leaving a few feet of polite distance between them. "speech" BURN BRIGHT LIKE THE MIDNIGHT SUN

The sound of approaching footsteps was easy enough to ignore, but when a polite Good afternoon came her way she supposed she aught to respond. As she rapidly pulled her head back from her foraging, chunks of snow rained about her, a snort ripped from her nose, melting some of the ice that had found it’s way into her airways. Colourless eyes fell on the young man, looking him up and down shrewdly, just a kid, well, if he was interested she wasn’t against sharing what she was after and why, but he’d have to be able to put up with her inherited rough edges if he was going to get anything out of it. She scowled, though there was a playful twinkle in her eye, “What’s it to yer?” She squared her shoulders, staring the younger wolf down, but she couldn’t hold the look for long, a lopsided smile pulling at the right corner of her mouth and her tail waving lazily behind her.

“Jus’ kiddin’. Yer interested in plants?” She asked with a much softer tone, tipping her head towards the fronds she had managed to extract so far, a questioning brow raised. “Do yer know why I’d bother ter gather these ones but not those?” her head tipped towards other exposed plants that hadn’t had their fronds stripped. If she was going to offer to share her knowledge, she wanted to know what sort of grounds he had to build on first.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

-teaching healing lesson 1/3-

The scrutiny that befell him as soon as she lifted her head from the fluffy drifts was both surprising and refreshing. He rarely encountered anyone who matched his wary, shrewd nature. The sharp downturn of the corner of her mouth and pinch of her brows into a light scowl bounced harmlessly off of his apathetic shell. “What’s it to yer?” she quipped, shoulders rolling back defensively as she stared him down. For a moment, all the yearling could do was blink at her. Thankfully, her sour expression gave way to a half grin and a gentle wagging of her slate grey tail. “Jus’ kiddin’. Yer interested in plants?” she asked in a friendly tone, to which he dipped his head in a small nod. Her accent was throwing him for a bit of a loop- he wasn't accustomed to the unique lilt and twang of her vocals in the way he had been used to the various accents of the Ashen empire. "Do yer know why I’d bother ter gather these ones but not those?" she enquired with a little jerk of her head towards the pile of uprooted ferns to one side.

A small hum of uncertainty rose in his chest, barely audible as he leaned closer to inspect the fronds that lay in the snow. Vibrant brows pinched together in thought for a moment, before he returned his two toned gaze to the shorter fae. "Those ones are still green, younger than the ones near the outside of the bunch that are dead now." he said with characteristic softness, plush banner sweeping across his hocks as he glanced between the lady and her harvest. It was mostly a guess, his expertise lay in fungi for the most part, he wasn't as comfortable dealing with leafy plants.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"

The Archer-Lyall’s smile grew wider at the response the giant, vibrant coated boy gave her and she nodded her agreement. She motioned for him to come closer, waving a paw at each plant as she pointed it out, “That’s one reason, yeah, but look at the difference in the leaves an’ give ‘em a sniff.” she started with the rounder leafed fern that she had discarded off to the side, “This one is maidenhair, its good fer dressin’ wounds, but lichen an’ moss are more effective an’ easier ter grow if yer have a way ter keep ‘em damp. Lichen likes a bit more sun, moss prefers shade, but if yer start with a little, it’ll grow on rocks in no time.” Of course there were those that would disagree with her, and it was fine to use if it was all you had on hand, but it wasn’t her preference.

The next was more typical of what one might visualise when mentioning ferns. “This one is a bracken fern, its good fer when yer have a gut-ache or a headache, but it’s also one yer want ter keep around if yer know someone expectin’.” Being a boy, he might not be called on to assist with a birth but it couldn’t hurt to know.

“An’ this one,” the smallest of the bunch, harvested almost in singular fronds, “Is th’ one yer really want on hand in this sorta weather. It’s called rock cap where I come from. If yer grind it down an’ brew it up, maybe add a dash o’ honey an’ some dried fruits ter cut th’ bitterness, it’ll do a good job on sore throats an’ sniffles. When someone’s got a heavy chest, it’ll help ‘em move th’ fluid.” Not that she thought pack wolves were at risk of it so much, but this wolf didn’t have an underlying scent to tie him to a location.

“Do yer want ter try an’ find some?” She questioned with a lopsided grin, willing to point him in the right direction if he wanted a second set of eyes to help him figure out what was what.

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed