Ara was wandering lazily about the area near the barn, brows furrowed in concentration as she walked. She wanted to learn about healing -- she knew the lady Loccian was good with plants and things like that, and had quietly asked at the meeting if she could help her learn. But where would they even start? Everything looked the same! Some plants were prettier than others, and she didn't care to taste them; what if they were poisonous? Still she was determined to try to distinguish between them, but she was faced with great difficultly. Not only was she totally clueless, but most plants were beginning to die as winter rapidly approached. Already snow had begun to dot the earth here and there, and the weather was getting colder every day. Feeling rather discouraged, she whimpered and plopped down next to the wooden structure, feeling quite distraught. Ara was sure her training would come in due time, but it would be nice to already know something before her lessons!

The two-tone child of the king moved at his regular pace through Seracia - determined that for once in his life he would not get left behind by his siblings. Instead of being left, he decided to not go with them to begin with, at least then he couldn't be deserted. He lingered near the barn, rounding a corner and finding a girl about his age looking pitiful. Concern riddled his face as he tentatively approached, offering her a sympathetic half-smile. "Are y-you okay?" He tilted his head at an angle and rocked onto his haunches before walking his front paws forward until he was laying down. Cassius intended to know what was bothering this girl, and if there was anything he could do to help. His father was the king, after all, and there was a chance that he might be able to help her if there was something that could be done. Of course, she may just be sad for no reason at all, in which case he would have no clue what to do - as usual.

"speech"

Ara hadn't realized just how down-trodden she looked. Normally, the girl was quite composed, often stoic like her father. He was similar to her in many ways -- quiet and thoughtful, and not always as friendly as she ought to be, though she tried rather desperately to connect to others. The approach of another made her jump, and her wide blue gaze darted to face the source of the sound. It was a rather unassuming child, a boy she had seen before, close to the King's side at the last meeting. Oh! His son. Obviously. Her alarm faded after a moment, and she smiled at him, trying to shake the sadness from her that had suddenly appeared. "Oh, I'm okay," she replied, her voice small and hardly audible to anyone who wasn't listening. He looked rather safe to talk to, and so she would try to relax, though she was a bit surprised by his sudden appearance. It wasn't often she got to speak to someone her own age! "I- I guess I'm a little scared. And frustrated, too. I am supposed to be training to heal soon, but I don't know what any of these plants do.." Her gaze swept around them. The snow was beginning to accumulate, killing many of the plants already -- but she had no idea where to even begin.

SOMETIMES IN MY TEARS I DROWN but i never let it get me down She seemed unassuming enough, and so he wasn't overly frightened or shy - though his stomach did lurch a little when she jumped because of his presence. He of all wolves should have known better than to startle someone. She said she was okay, and he would nod with understanding - this was a phrase he often used, and he knew deep down she wasn't perfectly 'okay'. She said she was afraid, and frustrated. It seemed she would be trained to heal soon, but didn't know any of the plants or their uses. Well, that didn't seem so bad, wasn't that what she was going to be taught? Why did she want to know before her lessons even began? Was she trying to get ahead. He fought off a laugh, that seemed like something Amalia would do, or Arian. "I wouldn't w-worry. I'm sure your t-teacher will s-show you." Too bad no one could show him how to talk in one consistent, unbroken line. "I'm Cassius, by the w-way." He would purposely leave off his middle and hyphenated surname as he had enough trouble speaking his first name - much less the other three! "Are you B-Bronze and Silent's d-daughter?" He knew there was a litter out there around the same age as him, though he'd only met one of them - Faolan - before. {Table coded by Lu}

Ara's parents had hold her that it was okay that she didn't know anything about healing -- as Loccian would be teaching her, after all -- but she couldn't help but feel a little bummed out about how little she knew. If she had some basic knowledge, then she might impress that woman training her and show her that she was a natural at healing. But she was merely a child with nearly no knowledge at all, and she couldn't help the slight frown that begun to creep over her lips.

The boy stumbled over his words a bit, seeming a little nervous. She didn't know why, but wouldn't bring it up regardless. Curiosity blue gaze scanned over the small boy -- who was no bigger than herself. They seemed about the same age, too. "Hi Cassius. I'm Ara." Her words were soft and a bit shy as she realized suddenly how silly her moping might seem to him. She was beginning to realize how bad some wolves had it, and she knew she shouldn't be so down about something so silly. She tried to force her frown to shift into a smile, and it grew quite genuine as he mentioned her parents. "Yep!" She said happily, tail unfurling and beginning to wag gently. "I think.. my brother said he met you."