Snow covers the landscape as Eulogy slowly makes her way from her pack lands out toward the nearby lake. A plush bear pelt is wrapped tightly around the older wolf’s shoulders in a futile attempt to fight off the bitter winter chill. The years have not been kind to Eulogy and the deep ache of arthritis is already settling into her hips, making her gradually progress painful and stiff. Still, the best way to help is plants with anti-inflammatory properties… and walking. So, Eulogy has tasked herself with finding some of the ginseng that she has heard grows in the damp soil near the water’s edge. There are many in the pack, her included, that would benefit from the plants immune boosting properties during the winter months ahead and it gives her a reason to walk.

It is an uphill battle for Eulogy to keep the range of motion she has in her hips and, on days like this when the cold seems to have ahold in her bones, it is a struggle to even get out of her den. Giving herself small tasks has helped and now she hopes to find several of the prized plants to dig up and harvest for their roots. Dark paws stop near the lake’s edge as her blue eyes search for any signs of her chosen plant. While the air is cold the deep freeze has yet to spread its icy blanket over the lake, there is huge cap of ice that sits in the middle of the water but water still laps at the shoreline.

Now, Eulogy knows that the most of top part of the ginseng plants have already died off, leaves falling away as it returns the excess energy into their roots so that that they may bloom anew in spring. Yet she still hopes to find at least a few that have yet to go into hibernation, with their telltale leaves and flowers still intact. Dark paws slowly crunch through the thin layer of snow as Eulogy begins to walk the perimeter of the lake.


WC: 346
Total WC: 346/1500

"Eulogy Destruction"

After the scrape with death that Merrick had pulled through her herbs and supplies had been greatly dwindled and the fact that they were in the middle of winter certainly didn't help things. The fucking idiot, getting himself gored... She could curse him all day long, and sometimes she did, but it was honestly just more of a relief than she could really describe to have him with her still. He came far too close to death for her liking and now it was her life's mission to keep him from getting to that point again any time soon. He was going to be recovering for quite a while considering the severity of his wounds and with the cold of winter fully set upon them she was getting worried about him falling ill on top of everything else, but she was rapidly running out of what little herbs she had to boost his immune system. That was something she needed to remedy sooner rather than later.

In her efforts to get to know more wolves in the pack, she sought out someone other than Irilyth that would have interest and knowledge in the herbs she was looking for and she ended up with a small, slate wolf that had joined up with the pack recently—a transfer from one of the other packs if she understood correctly. She remembered Scylla fighting in the festival tournament as well so it also comforted her to know that if they ran into any trouble at least one of them would be able to fight them off. Carrying a small satchel around her neck, she walked out toward the nearby lake with Scylla, hoping that maybe the thick plant life that usually surrounded the lake might have insulated the herbs well enough to still have a few usable ones at their disposal. It would be a bit of a search, but not a bad one she hoped.

As they neared the edge of the lake she noticed the scent of another wolf, but it was very mildly familiar. She continued on alongside Scylla, their paws crunching lightly through the snow, until she spotted the older woman that was cloaked in a bear pelt. She remembered the Abaven woman from one of her other herb gathering journeys and quickly decided that another set of eyes was better than not. "Eulogy!" she called to get the woman's attention, leading Scylla over to her. She offered the other woman a small smile, giving her a nod of her head. "Hello again. This is Scylla," she said with a wave of her paw, introducing her pack mate before adding, "Looking for anything interesting?"

WC: 444
Total: 790/1500

"Keelin"

Scylla was supposed to be a healer, but really... she knew shit about healing. She could bandage up a would and she could sew flesh back together, but as far as true healing went, she knew next to nothing. Funny, considering her mother and both of her aunts were master healers, right? Surely she would have picked up some useful knowledge, but no. She'd never been terribly interested. Well, not as interested as she was in fighting, anyway. Hunting down and murdering things was much more enjoyable than keeping them alive, so that was where all of her time and attention had gone. Healing... it was an afterthought.

Now that the slate and cream girl had been decreed a master in the art of fighting, she didn't have much choice but to focus on learning how to heal. She wasn't terribly sure what kind of healing she wanted to delve into. She was good with suturing, so that sort of thing would be okay. Horrific wounds and the like didn't bother her to look at in the slightest. Nothing made her sick, be it sight or smell. The young wolf could keep her cool under all situations. Where could she find someone to teach her about surgical things though? Well, she supposed she'd have to learn other things in the meantime. Fun things could come later. If she thought about it, keeping someone alive might be beneficial as well, right? Maybe she'd have to help her family some day. They would be good skills to have. Her mind went to darker avenues as well. Could she potentially keep someone alive even when they weren't supposed to be alive? How far could the envelope be pushed before someone died? That would all take a bit of work to find out, but she was willing to put in the work. For now, she had to play nice.

The long tailed girl had been loitering near the herb stores when a small woman asked if she was a healer. Scylla's initial reaction had been to laugh, but then she informed the woman that she was indeed a healer. Sort of. She'd then explained that she wasn't very good at it. A beginner, if anything. Since she assumed that the woman was a healer, she'd decided to go along with her as she ventured out to locate gods knew what sort of bush or plant. Keelin had been the fae's name. Scylla noted the scars on the brindled woman but said nothing about it. She had scars of her own, so they were no big deal. They were interesting though.

Scylla followed along as she and the other woman moved out of territory. They meandered towards a nearby lake and the girl was already bored. How was picking plants any fun? Were there even any plants out here in the snow? Paws crunched through the top crust of snow as they moved and Scylla quietly grumped. Healing was boring. Why didn't she choose some other skill to learn? Was it too late to change her major? Inwardly, she chuckled at herself, but outwardly the girl was stoic and silent.

As the moved around the edge of the lake, the scent of another blew towards them. Keelin seemed eager to rush to meet an older fae and Scylla padded along behind her. She was introduced and the young fae gave a nod in return. Scylla had never exactly been a social butterfly. She was better at cutting things up and putting them back together rather than talking and bullshitting. As the two women spoke, the girl picked her way around the edge of the lake, looking at the random plants. Every once in a while she'd pull one from the ground and hold it between her teeth before moving on to the next. She didn't know what any of them were, but she assumed that Keelin or Eulogy would tell her if she found anything interesting.

With a mouthful of plants grasped in her jaws, the girl crunched back to the pair of chattering women. Dropping the various plants between them, the girl's mismatched gaze narrowed slightly. "Are any of these worth saving or did I just waste my time?" She knew that they came out here to collect plants for Keelin's...whatever he was. Boyfriend, husband thing. She'd help do that, but she had no idea what in the hell they were looking for. Looking back and forth between the two fae's, she waited for someone to tell her what was worth keeping and what was nothing more than a useless weed. Once she knew what she was after, collecting more would be a cinch.

WC-780
Total-1570/1500

"Scylla"