The southern continent was much different than the north. While winter here had been excruciatingly hot, the coming of spring appeared to be similar. Drops in temperature and a mild breeze lifted the sourness in Tenshi's chest. Feeling relief from the stint of heat, she decided it was time to help the land. While the bamboo was pleasant and provided sufficient protection from the outside, there were few herbs or medicinal plants nearby. She would need to start with one and make changes each spring. Having traveled from the northern reaches of Boreas and made her way down to Auster, she had noticed an abundance of Marigold. Bright, cheerful flowers sporting deep oranges and yellows. Yet, there was one flower, just as beautiful, and equally similar, that she hadn't seen. Calendula. Making her way west toward the towering runestones placed in deliberate spots, Tenshi paused. Still close to the maze, but far enough away that it would take a long while before the flowers spread close toward it. Plus, wouldn't the odd and eerie feeling stones look better with bright flowers surrounding them? Pleased that she had been smart enough to bring a variety of seeds with her from her homeland, Tenshi pulled out the little sack of seeds from her arm sheath. Now would be the time to scout for a good spot to start her new garden. WC: 229/1500

Blight bounced through Auster. Boreas was far behind him now, having crossed the land bridge without fuss. He spotted a woman ahead of him and approached. An easy, albeit somewhat manic, grin on his features. He noticed she was planting seeds. "Oh, can I help?" he extended his workload without a second thought "i-if you want that is!" He had the capacity to be sheepish sometimes, an uneasy frown placed on his lips instead. The man would wait for the other wolf to deny or accept his assistance, even if a burning inquisitiveness lingered in his brain. There were about a million questions to ask. Instead, he focused on the flowers. "Marigold will grow nicely in this place" he chirped happily "it's much more tropical than Boreas" Even if Boreas had hit spring, it was a bit stormy up there right now. That's one of the reasons he had come to Auster, to avoid a bigger problem. Blight's smile returned as he stared openly, but not unkindly, at the horned wolf. "You know" he continued "you could use your horns to make grooves in the dirt, making it easier to plant instead of digging every single time." But that was just a suggestion, of course. Some wolves could be a bit touchy regarding their, ah, deformities. Blight wanted one or two or maybe even three of them. Wouldn't it make life easier? 461/1500

As she stood to admire the area and choose a final spot, the scent of a stranger caught her attention. A male only slightly shorter than herself approached with a strange expression on his features. Apprehensive at first, Tenshi felt her muscles tense up. Would he be bringing her trouble? She wasn't sure by the grin on his lips until he offered to help. The afterthought of his offer with a sheepish grin made her soften up and her body relax. Poor lad probably just wanted something to do and by the appearance of scars across his body, he had seen worse days. Before she could extend her thanks for his offer to help, another slew of words filled the air. Standing still, her face tilted ever so slightly to the side as he offered advice. So the boy had some experience gardening. Marigold indeed would be good, but the seeds she carried in her pouch were that of Calendula. Similar flowers with different purposes. There was already so much Marigold up in Boreas and though he was correct about Auster being a better environment, she did want to see variety. A tight smile formed on her lips as she pulled her steel-blue gaze from the boy to the plot of dirt that she had been eyeing. His suggestion of her using her antlers was indeed a good idea. She wasn't getting any younger and if she could make uniform ruts in one sweep, her day would go by a lot faster. Once he was done, she glanced back over to him with a softer expression. "I have seeds for Calendula. It is similar to Marigold, they appear nearly identical," her thickly accented voice strains to find the correct native tongue words. "I do enjoy your idea of using my antlers as a tool. We can see if it will work," Tenshi nods out of respect to the boy before tossing the bag of seeds in his direction. "If it works, plant them when I am done with the ruts," she says as her lips turn up slightly into a smile. He appeared eager to help so help he would be. Moving over toward the area where there were little weeds and more dirt, she leaned her head down and began to carefully carve out rows that were a few inches deep. WC: 853/1500

"Ooh, you're quite right!" Calendula. Calendula. Very similar to marigold, from the same family of daisies. It was otherwise known as pot marigold. Calendula could also be used in poultices, dyes, and recreational eating. He approached in sweeping agility that seemed lost to his size, plucking the bag of seeds up in his jaws. The woman decided to let him help, and he was here for it! While she did not give her name, he did not press for such a thing. Instead, he would follow after her as she made grooves in the dirt. Excellent, she took his suggestion without fuss. Planting the seeds as they went, he wrapped the bag around his neck and used his snout to nose a few into the holes below him. Blight was careful not to step on any unturned dirt, planting his legs to the sides instead of directly below him. It was a sort of strange wobble, but it worked. His tail dusted over the dirt to cover them. "How are we going to water?" he asked the woman, finally lifting his gaze to her. His attention fully on the stranger, he wondered what sort of trick she had up her proverbial sleeve. Tropical climates could be tricky with moisture. He didn't want the plants to sit there and wilt after sprouting, oh no! 1076/1500

Focused on digging the ruts in straight lines, she barely noticed the sifting of dust clouds around their ankles. With her eyes half-closed to keep the particles from irritating them, she would lift her head at the end of each rut for a breath of fresh air. Glancing from the corner of her vision, she noticed the male was busy making sure the seeds were planted neatly and covered well. Pleased that this was working out well and would end up being less tiring for her in the end, she continued making her ruts and tossing aside any unwanted weeds. Once there were ample rows, more than enough to add different plants later, Tenshi lifted her horned crown once more. Allowing her tongue to loll slightly from the side of her mouth as the sun beat down on their backs, her ears turned to his question. How were they going to water it? Her brow furrowed instantly as disappointment settled in her. Why had she not thought of that beforehand? Surely there could have been a bucket back a Tojo she could have brought. A hum vibrated her vocal cords as she glanced around with a searching gaze. There had to be something here that could be useful. "The shore is not far from here. Saltwater is probably not the best, but if we water nearby, it should suffice until the next rainfall," her gaze turns upward to look at the sky. Perhaps they were winding too far into the colder season and the seeds would need to wait for the following year. Either way, it was worth a shot. "If we can find a rock that is curved enough to hold water, it might work," Tenshi's voice is thoughtful as she begins looking around for something that they could use. WC: 1377/1500

Blight gently hummed. He didn't know how they'd water the seeds, and rain seemed distant. That could lead them toward the search for fresh sources. He gave a further hum when the woman said to find a rock with a groove; he was big enough to carry a rock, and so was she! But would it work if there was no water to be found? Nope! That was the key word; no, no it would not. "Salt will dry out the seeds" he chirped to the other wolf "hang on, I'll go lookity look!" And with that said, he rose and began to nose around in the foliage. Sure enough, he found a carved (and curved!) rock. But bonus points for this; he realized the rock already had rainwater on it. Blight didn't cry out or alert the woman though. His rump wagged as he bent down to pluck the rock up. Careful... Careful! He decided to give just a drop to each seed, and hydrate the coating of the outside, so it could be moist. Storing water next would be the seed's responsibility. It would know. Nature always did, in its strange and wonderful way. Once he was done with that, he dropped the curved rock. The row of seeds was haphazardly watered but watered all the same. He beamed at the woman, wagging his tail. They did a fine job if all was said and done. Yes, a fine job indeed. 1500/1500