The morning was early, the light from the sun was just beginning to show, but Song was ready to be awake. She would start to stir, and do her best to not let her growing family wake. That was most of them, she needed Novel it was the first day she got to go picking herbs with she and Symphony. They had been planning this day, Song was slightly surprised her daughter was not awake for how excited she was the night before. With delicate grace she would gently step over the other members of her family. The pups were so big now, she was unsure how much longer they would all fit into the den. Luckily Novel was arranged near the entrance so waking her would not be a chore. Wake up Novel, it's time to go. Nuzzling the girls until she woke up she would lead the girl out of their little clearing and off to Symphony's close den. The two women would approach the den, quite ready to be on their way> Song would smile at Novel's bouncing gait as she led the way to her Aunt's familiar den. Song would just walk up beside the girl as she called for the she wolf's presence. Speech,

The Stars Lean Down to Kiss You And I lie awake and miss you Novel would be awaken gently by her mother, the she wolf's soft muzzle gently pushing the smaller she wolf into wakefulness. A yawn would be emitted from her small maw as realization set in. Today was the day. Today they got to go and collect herbs with aunt Symphony! How excited she had been the past week after hearing so much about the place they were about to go. She was completely awake within seconds and bounding after her mother as they headed to the pale healer's den. Novel would happily bounce ahead of her mother, knowing exactly where the den was located. Her small white paws would carry her to the entrance she knew all too well, that of her mentors. Excited smile would play across her lips as she looked into the entrance, her tiny voice calling out to the beautiful girl. Aunt Symphony! Are you ready? Don't you know what day it is! Her enthusiasm was not held back as her pretty voice lit the bustling forest. Her lyrics would accompany that of the early morning birds and animals that would be up to greet the sun. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere[Novel]

She had returned home after visiting Amenti and Tortgua. Her trips had left her exhausted and stressed when she came home. She had planned to go west then south afterwards. But after being home she had discussed with Song and Novel it was time Novel start learning. Her and her sister had agreed to take the pup out to Fern Gulley. It was a pleasant place to start and Symphony hoped some herbs might still be lingering there. She had spent the evening enlarging her den. It would only be a short while now before Novel spent most of her time here in her den. Eyes opened before the sun would raise to lighten the skys above her head. But the tiny pale cream girl would not move just yet. She would simply lie there, listening to the world around her. The stillness of predawn was soothing, calming her nerves from the previous days. Ear twitched as the first sounds of life song out across the mangroves, more and more birds soon following. Soon the small face of her niece was at the enterance to her den calling to her."Yes, of course dear." She would call out warmly. She would yawn before crawling out of the den and stretching. She turned to Song and headbutted her gently in the shoulder before nuzzling Novel."Well what we standing here for?! Lets go!" She winked down at Novel and grinned at her sister. As they walked to Fern gulley, Symphony had remained rather silent, just taking in everything around her. Nose often lifted in the air to drink in the scents. As they arrived her sharp eyes scanned the area."Lets hope we can find something. Winter is never kind, not even to healers. But it is an important cycle Novel. Do you know why?" She turned to look down at the pup, waiting for her answer. Lesson one, understanding the cycle of life. Speech,

It would not take long for her pale sister to find herself in the presence of her family. She would nuzzle the healer back, showing her obvious affection for the woman. A smile would ride on her face as the excitement in the air grew. They would all walk with a silent appreciation, Novel evening being rather quiet herself. The pale she wolves would enjoy the morning air and take in the glimmering colors of the sunrise. Beautiful splashes of color would light their way to the flowered gully. Their pawsteps would be the only noise the she wolves made until they reached the area. It was still rather warm here, the tall hill protecting the oasis from extreme weather. Green was still able to be seen as she approached. A question would be directed at Novel, and Song wondered if she'd be able to guess. Speech,

The Stars Lean Down to Kiss You And I lie awake and miss you She would back out of the entrance quickly as her aunt made her way to her pale mother, a nudge would be given followed by the sweet nuzzle of Symphony's nose. She would giggle excitedly as Symphony became as eager to get there as the young pup. Novel would jump ahead excitedly before realizing which direction they were going. Giggling at herself she would rejoin the adults and do her best not to run ahead so far. She was excited to just watch as the sky began to light on fire. All types of warm colors plunged over the cloud dappled sky. She would dance fluidly as she walked down the path, her awe taking all of her focus so her mouth could scarcely make a sound. As the gully appeared her aunt would finally break the smooth silence that enveloped them, a question was suddenly directed at her. Why would we need the harshness of the cold Aunt Symph? Why can't it always be plentiful? She had started to feel the harshness that was winter. Rabbits were not as fat and meat never stayed warm. Had they not running water she was sure they would have to drink snow, but thankfully the rivers had not stopped their flow for the cold. Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere[Novel]

She would glance at Song before looking at Novel. She smiled at the pup's innocent question."Everything has a begining and end in life. Nothing live forever, as much as we wish to. Everything needs time to grow, age, and pass on. Ever heard the circle of life? The sun and water help the plants grow, which then are eaten by herbaviors, then carnivors like us, then we die of natural causes in life. Our bodies go to the earth, to the soil and help the plants grow." She paused to look out around them. "But for plants their life span is very short. They grew, pollinate, make more and more. The earth needs time to heal from it all, a chance to take a break. In winter very few plants grow because the cold it too much. They dont have fur or fat to keep them warm and wither away. With few plants comes few herbivors for us to eat. We all struggle us but we all know spring will arrive in time to bring back life." She explained and stretched out."But some places like this are very rare and a blessing. It much warmer here, letting plants live alil longer at the begining of winter. But we cant strip the place of all the herbs otherwise there will be nothing to grow back later." She said before walking farther into the gulley. Speech,

Song would just observe the two, their walk had been rather uneventful and quite short. It wasn't too huge of a distance between Ludicael and he fern gulley but it was far enough that the sun was becoming quite high in the sky. She could feel its warmth seeping into her thick coat as her delicate ivory paws carried she with her sister and daughter. Novel knew about most facts of life, but the great circle was one they had hardly spoken of and why it needed to happen. Everyone would face hardship, even the mighty wolves who ruled Alacritis. Winter was a time of reduced vigor, but it was all the more challenging by yourself. Now was a time for their families to come together and work as a team to make it through the harsh months. She did not have much to fear for her pack and her husband would shield them from the brunt force of old man winter. They would not only survive, but she was confident that they would thrive during the harsh season. Spring would be upon them soon. She would listen to Symphony's wisdom that would be placed on her lamb of a daughter. Taking only what was needed would be a great lesson for her young mind. "Never take more than what you will need. For it is a greedy action that will only bring about waste." She would add as their search began. "Speech"

She would happily follow beside her aunt, her shorter legs keeping up with her much longer strides. Novel had found recently that most wolves were much bigger than she was. Even her brother and sisters were begining to shoot past her, especially the smaller Lakota. Novel felt like she'd end up being the smallest especially because of that. Dhiren and Lakota would grow up to be big and strong like their daddy while she remained short and tiny. Which was okay with her, she could still fit underneath the mangrove roots while everyone else had become much too large. She would listen intently to her aunt's words, the explanation would make perfect sense to her. Everything was connected somehow, she ate the animals that ate grass and one day she would become grass and they would eat her. An alarmed expression overcame her face. "Aunt Symphony," She would whisper, "I don't want to get eaten." before the pale would would react Song would change the subject. Novel was not a greedy wolf, she would always make sure her siblings had enough food before she dug in. She was quite willing to share the various sticks and play things their parents brought them, but now she had the responsibility of taking the plants while still leaving enough that the forest would be able to grow back. It seemed fairly simple. "Okay, so I'll share like I do with Dhiren and Fal right?" She would skip along as the other wolves drew deeper into the gulley. "So what are we going to take?" Her curiosity was brimming, she didn't know much about the plant life yet, only the few plants that grew around Ludicael. There were so many different kinds here! Even after the cold had started to bring about its devastating results. "Speech"

She would chuckle at the young girls words."Think of it more as helping the earth. Giving back to life for letting you live by providing nutrients for more plants to grow." She would not mention scavangers. Novel will learn of that when she grew older. For now she wanted the pup she see the way life worked. How everything was linked together and had a purpose. Eyes lifted to her sister with a smile. She nodded to her words. She was so happy that Song let her train her pup. It felt so comforting that sister would not interupt her because she had different views or wanted her pup to learn a certain way. Eyes turned back to Novel at her questions."Yes just like sharing. No matter how much you might not want to, you have to. Now then..i need more wild garlic, dock, goldenrod, poppy seeds and ragwort leaves. Those are the herbs i've been using to treat Jupiter's wounds. Also if we find comfrey roots, stinging nettle and rush leaves that would be great too." She said and started off into the thickets, nosing around. Speech,

Song was thrilled at how curious and passionate Novel seemed to be when it came to learning about plants and life in general. Symphony was a good teacher, and she was glad to have agreed to let her apprentice the young girl. She would hang back and observe as she let her sister take over the full lesson. Novel would learn well, and her mind would be given the full opportunity to expand. She hoped that after learning from the wisdom the adults in her life gave her that in the end she would make her own educated decisions about life. Song would keep her eyes out for different herbs, some that she wished to gather, but mostly the supplies that the healer in their group mentioned. Her attentions were pulled away as she let the two seep deeper into the underbrush. Pale paws led her to a familiar spot, she had not visited the gulley since she had been pregnant with the children, Silent crossed her mind absently, how she missed that woman. Speech,

The incredibly excited girl would take in her aunts words as she explained everything to her. She said it in a way that made Novel understand, and as their time together continued she had a better grasp on the world. Once the beginning lesson was out of their way Symphony would mention what plants she needed, and Novel was certainly ready to go. She would dig into the sparse life that littered the landscape, but she realized quite quickly that she had no idea what she was doing. Backpedalling quickly she would find herself leaning into Symphony's leg, very much unsure of herself. "umm, aunt Symphony I don't know what they look like." She would whisper as she begged the attention of her mentor. "Speech"

She was aware of Song hanging back and going off a little on her own. Eyes turned to look back as she paused. Her sister seemed to have something on her mind. She would have to remember to ask her about it later. Gently she nosed through the plants, searching under bushes. A weight leaned into her leg and she smiled as she looked at Novel. She chuckled softly at her nieces words."It's alright dear. I'll show you." She said. Eyes returned to the plants infront of her. t once she spotted a clump of goldenrods. She smiled and padded over to them." These are goldenrods. They are always tall and have these bright yellow flowers on them. We'll gather them by carefully nipping them at the base of the stems. Like this." She instructed and went to cut a few from the base of the plant."These are good for healing wounds. You chew them into poultice and apply it to cleaned wounds. Now you give it a try." She said and sat back to watch. Mentally she checkd the herb off her list and eyed a few thick bushs not to far away. She knew dock loved to grow in leafy areas so that might be a good place to check. Nose lifted to take in a deep sniff. The faint tangy scent difted to her to confirm the plant was growing over there. They would hea there next after Novel cut a few goldenrods. Hopefully they could find a large leaf or two to help wrap up their bundles and carry the herbs back home too. After Novel had gathered a few, Symphony picked up the plants before heading to the bushes. She waved her tail for Novel to follow. She placed the goldenrod down and sniffed her way under a bush and lifted a branch with her shoulder."You see these large leaves that smell tangy? Thats Dock which is good for scratches and sore paw pads. Though when applied to wounds it may sting abit. They always have a tangy scent and taste to them. We'll gather them by digging them up from the roots so we dont ruin the leaves." She crawled in farther into the bush and carefully set to digging up the dirt around the plants. Speech,

She hoped someday that Silent would be able to meet her family, she had told her about them, she just was unable to come meet them due to her own children. She had not seen them in a least a season so she was sure that by now they were getting to be just as big as her own children. She wished she could be a part of their lives, but her own family and her own children were too important to leave then. And she knew Silent had Bronze to think about. She'd steal a glance back at her sister and the little healer in training. She was so proud of her daughter, she was doing so well remembering the plants and asking questions. With Symphony's help she'd be a great healer in no time. A smile settled on her face as she pushed the thoughts of Silent and her family aside, soon enough she would see them again she just had to be patient. Song would let her thoughts focus on the present more as she slid to the earth, she would sit and watch the lessons for a while and help carry the herbs on their way back. Speech,