Verity was not normally very shy, she took after her mother in that way. But, the concept of going out on her own and calling upon someone she didn't know did make her belly swim with nerves. What if this Healer didn't want to talk to her? Or if the Healer was busy? These are just a few of the questions that she had asked her mother before leaving the den. Banshee reassured her quite a bit and gave her enough of a pep talk to have the youngling wandering towards the Shrine. As Verity made her way to the shrine she took in the beauty of the territory. White trees towered over head as a gentle autumn breeze swept through them. This breeze caused her to bristle gently. Ver was a tiny thing and got cold a touch easier then the average Wolf. But, the babe marched on. - As she approached the Shrine Ver took a moment to eye the majestic pool of water. She crept closer and looked down at her reflection for only a moment before backing away. She did not want to get lost in the pool. Her mission was to meet the pack's healer. Thus, the pup sat down a few feet away from the pool and lifted her head up. A very youthful howl escaped her jaws, calling upon a ranked Healer.

Since her aunt had made Seere the Apothaker of Ashen, the young girl has worked to make Venom proud. While she is still young and extremely happy, the girl has begun to focus her attention on bettering herself for the benefit of the pack and all those who would seek to be a healer. So, when the youthful call rings out for her, the small healer is actually on the island closest to the shrine, sorting herbs and restocking her bag. White backed ears, swivel toward the call, her head turning around as surprise paints her features.

The surprise quickly gives way to worry as the call is for a ranked healer and the girl’s mind immediately turns to the time she met the Armada’s Champion. He had been bloodied, hurt and in need of stitches. Hopefully this wolf isn’t hurt like that! Quickly, Seere puts the bundled herbs in her pack, shrugging it on before running to the caller. As she nears, mismatched eyes find a pup, apparently uninjured and …waiting for her?

Surprise once more tingles in her chest as she slows her pace, coming to a stop a respectful distance from the young pup. A huge smile splits her maw, tongue lolling out as her tail wags a happy greeting. Happily, the healer chirps, “Hello! I’m Seere Abraxas-Destruction, Apothaker of Ashen! Are you okay?” Concern tugs her features down, clouding her face as she scans the pup. Trained eyes try to pick out any telltale signs of pain or discomfort but find none. Maybe she called for something other healing?


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Verity sat nearly completely still as the autumn wind danced through her earth toned pelt. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind and honestly just the feeling of stability. A pang of guilt did make it's way through her chest as she thought of her Pa. They left without saying bye but Mother explained there was no other way. Verity was too young to understand the gravity of their situation but she did know she'd never have this opportunity back home. Father was so incredibly strict she was hardly able to leave the small radius around their den. She never understood why he was that way. All her friends were able to explore and play. She usually just watched when she could catch a glimpse or snuck away when Mother turned a blind eye. - With these memories her guilt seemed to fade a little. She did miss Pa but maybe her Mother was right in leaving. The sound of pad falls moved the youngling's thoughts onto why she was there in the first place. Verity straightened up as a greyscale femme bounded her way. Happiness radiated from the stranger and by the time that distance had closed between them Verity was smiling as well. "Hello Seere, I am Verity Klein." She had rehearsed that in her head a few times as she was waiting. The pup nodded firmly as Seere inquired about her well being. Ver hadn't thought about the healer thinking they were responding to a patient. She was a touch too young for such forethought. "Yes! I am okay." Her voice was smaller then as a touch of nerves swam to the surface. But, she seemed to fight those feelings and continued to smile. "Me and my Mom joined the pack the other day." A pause. "I-I wanted to ask if I could begin healing lessons soon." Those what-ifs were flooding back into her mind as she stuttered. A fear of rejection hung over her head like a dark cloud. Pale green eyes poured into her cousin's purple gaze with youthful anticipation.

As Seere arrives, the earthen toned pup greets her with a smile and the girl's own smile grows. Introducing herself, the pup gives her name and the small healer bows in respect to the young Klein. After Verity reassures her that she is okay, she gives a nod of understanding and allows the tension that she didn’t realize had been bunching the muscles in her shoulders to fall away. A flicker of something flashes across the earthen pup’s face before she talks about her mom and wanting healing lessons.

The smile that has been on the small healer’s lips blooms into a beaming grin as Seere says, “Oh you’re a healer too! That is great! We can start healing lessons anytime you would like. In fact, I was just going to collect some herbs for the pack’s store. Would you like to join me, Verity? I can teach you a couple things while we work!” Outside of her sister and mother, the young girl has not given healing lessons but the prospect of having a student is exciting. Tail wags lazily behind her as she thinks of things to share while reminding herself not to overload the pup with too much.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Relief swept it's way over Verity's form as Seere spoke. Not only did she have nothing to worry about but the Apothaker offered for them to go collect some herbs right now! Ver's tail swished in excitement and a smile swept across her lips. Perhaps this was a lesson in not being so nervous about things. This was her first experience interacting with someone in the pack alone, let alone asking something of them. It was a big step for the pup and surely even more steps will be taken as Seere took the youngling under her wing. Verity stood, "Yes!" Her little voice swam with pure excitement as their tails wagged together. Seere made Verity feel comfortable with expressing such emotions. The older girl's friendliness was rather contagious. "Thank you Seere." She wasn't sure if she should say 'Apothaker Seere' or 'Miss Seere' but she decided to not worry about it too much. "Where do you go to collect herbs?" Surely she would find out soon but Verity was curious if there was more then one spot.

Verity seems to relax as Seere offers to take the pup with her to collect herbs and, as the earthen toned girl agrees, the monochrome healer flashes her another bright grin. Positioning them in the direction of the herbs, she begins the trek with Verity at her side. The pup’s thanks is met with a gentle giggle from the healer as she says, “Of course! I am always happy to help! Besides, it’s always nice to have someone to talk to!” The small girl has always loved the presence of others and, having a younger wolf take an interest in healing, just makes her all the more excited.

Another, easy smile flashes across Seere’s features as they walk, and Verity’s question is answered with a happy tone, “Well, you can get herbs from pretty much anywhere. The secret is learning what lands have which herbs and where they like to grow. There are plants that are harder to find and some only specific climates.” Mismatched eyes land a rather inconspicuous weed, the yellow head still in full bloom in the mild autumn weather.

Angling the pair toward it, Seere stops and points to it, seeing a lesson in the small weed. With her tone light, she says, “Let’s use the dandelion for example. It is considered a weed and grows… pretty much everywhere. But this can be a healer’s best friend. Tell me, Verity, do you know what parts of a dandelion can be used?” Mismatched eyes turn to the pup, a happy grin on her lips as she waits for Verity’s answer. There is no judgement in her eyes, only the joy of being to teach, and, in fact, no wrong answer that the pup can give.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Verity did her best to maintain pace with her new friend. Well, Seere was more of a mentor, but the pup considered her a friend. They got along well and Seere made Ver feel comfortable enough to make the assumption. The younger girl took in the information with little nods and smiles. The answer felt obvious now that Seere explained where to find herbs. Ver would just have to learn where various herbs frequently grow through exploration and discovery. The thought of such honestly excited the youngling quite a bit. It gave her an excuse to go on herb hunting missions and get a lay of the land as well. They happened upon a Dandelion and Seere paused. Verity stopped her small strides as she looked to her cousin expectantly. First was a small explanation of the weed and then a question. Heat flooded the pups cheeks as she wracked her brain for an answer. She was trying to think back to a case in which Mother had given her or used Dandelion but she came up short. With a furrow of her brow and a fustrated swish the tail Ver answered, "I-I do not know..." Green eyes were narrowed as she looked down to the weed. As if staring at it intently would give her the answer. "What is it used for?" Giving up she knew Seere would giver her the answer and that's why they were there in the first place.

Seere walks with Verity, conscious of the small pup’s shorter stride and she adjusts her pace so that the girl can easily keep pace. Quickly, the small healer settles into a lesson, pointing out a dandelion and moving the pair towards it. The pup’s admission that she does not know is met with a warm smile and the healer gently says, “It is okay not to know. That just means I get to teach you new things!” A wink is given to the girl before she answers the question, saying, “It was kind of a trick question anyway. See all parts of it can be used! It is very versatile.”

With a wag and a smile to Verity, Seere points a paw to the bright yellow flower and says, “The flower of the dandelion has antioxidant properties.” A frown tugs at her lips as she realizes she should probable slow down and explain things a little better. It does not last long as a smile is quick to reappear and she says, “Antioxidant is just a big word for ‘helps the immune system’. See, everyone has an immune system, that is what helps us to fight off colds and disease. Basically, the stronger your immune system is, the better equipped you’ll be to fight off bad things.”

Scanning her young apprentice’s eyes, Seere wants to make sure she isn’t overloading Verity with information. She asks, “Does that make sense?” This the monochrome healer’s first time offering a lesson to someone else and she wants to make sure that it is easy to understand. In a way, teaching helps her to understand how to improve herself.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Verity took in every last drop of information Seere offered. Her eyes followed the Apothaker's paw to the Dandelion and her gaze remained there. As the explanation of the various advantages of ingesting the weed came forth Ver offered tiny nods. Green eyes scanned each of the vibrant yellow petals then down the dark green stem. Her curiosity was peeked when Seere started about immune systems and Verity found herself offering something of her own. "Perhaps it would be good for the pack to start mixing this into their diet then. Since Winter is coming soon." At leas the young and old, anyways. Seere's final words caused Verity to stop and think for some time. A question did in fact come to light and fell from her lips,  "How is it to be taken?" Was it better dried and made into a tea? Or could it be ingested fresh and whole?

As Seere speaks, she watches Verity, grateful that the pup is willing to listen and absorb the information she spouts. The monochrome healer sees a bright future ahead for the young pup if she wishes to continue down the path of a healer. With a smile, she listens to Verity’s suggestion, giving a nod of approval as she says, “Oh, yes! That is a great idea! There are others plants that also help to boost the immune system. I can tell you about them another time but they are good at preventing colds too.”

Happiness is easy for Seere as her natural state of being seems to be one of joy. That means a smile is never far from her lips and wags are given freely. When Verity asks how the parts of the dandelion can he taken, the monochrome girl gives a wink as she says, “That is a great question! The root and leaves can be steeped to make tea. The flower can be eaten raw but it is pretty bitter tasting. I like to cook it with some meat! Takes off the bitter edge and the juices of the meat make it taste really good.”

A soft laugh fills the air as Seere adds, “You can eat any part of it as it is but again, super bitter. At least it is one of the few plants that isn’t toxic.” With that, she gestures for the pup to follow her, ready and more than willing to teach Verity everything she can.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Mounds of helpful and important information flew her way and Verity gobbled it up. Seere agreed with her suggestion and even offered to show her even more plants that helped the immune system. Perhaps this time next year she'd have enough bundles of herbs to give to each pack member in preparation for the winter. Verity hoped to be just as good as Seere by then and maybe she'd even have the rank of Herbalist! There was much to aspire for but she knew the only way she'd get there is paying attention now. So, her focus turned back to the lesson at paw. The endless options of consumption were honestly nice to hear about. No matter which way a Wolf chose to ingest dandelion it worked. It made prescribing it easy and versatile for even the most picky of patients. "Got it." Verity nodded as Seere explained that the dandelion was one of the few plants that was wholly nontoxic. This factoid caused Ver's brow to furrow, "I didn't think that many plants were toxic..." Her disbelief was not out of doubt but out of curiosity. She'd really have to learn more about what is safe and what isn't. The curious pup followed along as Seere led her away.

As Seere imparts the wisdom of dandelions to Verity, she feels excited to meet one so young already interested in the healing arts. The pup’s words have the young healer smiling and the question about toxic plants has the monochrome girl explaining, “Well, toxic doesn’t always mean fatal. Er, doesn’t always cause death. It varies from plant to plant and can affect a wolf in various ways. For example, alder buckthorn is a shrub whose bark, when dried and aged, is useful as a laxative.” Mismatched eyes look to the pup as a grin tugs at her lips and she adds, “That means it will help you poop when you can’t.”

Seere continues to try to explain the more complex words that Verity may not have heard before because she remembers when she was the pup’s age and big words were thrown around. It could be very confusing. She continues on, “Now, if the bark isn’t dried and aged probably, it will give a wolf intense nausea and vomiting. We call that toxic because it makes you feel unwell.” A small nod is given as they continue to slowly walk, finding another lesson in the topic of toxic plants. Casting a glance toward Verity, she asks, “Would you like to hear more about toxic plants?”


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"