Wolf RPG

Venus had talked to Burke about her passion in both Spy work, and Naturalist work. He had advised her to go talk to @Cicero. She though about how to present herself. What kind of questions would her ask? She knew quite a bit about herbs, and has learned some of their side effects, the hard way when she was a pup. It amazed her that a plant that has grown from a seed, can help smooth an upset stomach. Or a bit of moss can help clot bloody gnashes. Blood interested her also. She wanted to know where it came from and what it did. Little did she know she would never find out the whole story. 

Being extremely sick constantly, Venus believed she can really help feel for the patients. One thing she would have a hard time with though, is being respectful to those who aren't used to being sick, and think they are going to die because they have a constant itching in their ear. People like that really bugged her, but she would have to push though. Medical treatment on pups has never been to much of an issue, it would be the mother, or the father, who would be an issue. When they hear their pup cry, all Hell breaks loose. The poor herbalist tucks tail and bolts. She remembers some of the times she had with her older sister, who was a naturalist. 

She could remember sitting in the corner of a large den dug before even her mother was born. The den was warm and cozy, and she got to spend time with her sister, but she didn't have a choice. She basically lived in the herb and medicine den. She always loved the smell of the sun dryer herbs, and her sister poked and prodded patients. One thing Venus will never forget, was when her sister told her to say thank you to another herbalist in the pack. Venus refused and was disgusted that her sister would even make her do that. She sister explained that you might not like it, but we are trying to help you. You could have a whole different situation somewhere else. Venus had never asked where Cicero worked, so she sniffed around, hoping to pick up some kind of scent.

Cicero had kept to himself, working through the departure of his mother as well as his sister (albeit in a different form). It would be strange without Potema around, but at the same time, at least Damien was still here, for whom Cicero's heart most passionately flared up. He had stuck to himself, occasionally dropping by Burke and the pups he was now left to raise alone alongside being the pack's Alpha, but did not help as much as he could have. His dreams were still painted by blood and anger, and Cicero was worried for what the future would bring, ever aware of the effect his lost days may have upon the pack wolves, were they to find out.

A single dark-tipped ear turned sideways when he heard someone nearby. Someone new. Cicero slipped from the shadows and he looked at her for a while. Cicero did not announce his presence, though he would be easy to spot, considering his fut pattern. The young Melonii waited for the female to see him, not yet reacting.

Venus quickly spotted Cicero. She dipped her head quickly in greeting. She stood still for a moment, then walked a little bit towards him. She quickly scanned over him, so quickly it was barely noticeable. She would always remember names if she had scanned the whole body. No reason in particular, it worked though. "Hello, I'm Venus. Burke sent me here to get some knowledge on herbs. You're Cicero right?" She drew the corner of her lip up to a small smile.

Cicero nodded at Venus' mention of his name. She had a peculiar fur pattern; not because it was strange for a wolf, but because he had not met many - if any at all - Blackfeather wolves with tan agouti furs. When he was little, there had been mostly black and white wolves, with his patchwork pattern falling somewhere in the middle of those. Cicero considered Burke's request for a moment, for in a way it was not only a request to Venus, but to him as well. Burke would unlikely take it kindly were he to refuse and simply vanish back into the forest where he had come from.

"Yes." It probably wasn't hard to find him, considering his appearance, if he wished to be found. "Why does Venus want to learn about herbs?" asked Cicero, his face remaining stoic as he looked at Venus, curious for her reasons, as well as what parts of herbalism she wanted to know of.

Venus to had noticed her fur pattern was different than the traditional Blackfeather woods fur colors. Venus thought about Ciceros question as he spoke. She wanted to help her pack mates, and herbs always interested her. "I am usually very sick, not contagious, but I suffer greatly from it. No one can bring me comfort at those times, but I want to try to comfort those who suffer to." She felt an obvious pang of sadness as she spoke. She suffers from a severe immune deficiency, making it almost impossible for her to fight infections. "I greatly appreciate the work herbs do for me, and I would like to repay that."

Cicero had not met wolves before that were sick all the time. Well, not physically, anyway. He gave Venus a once-over and could not find much at fault with her presently, and so he wondered if it was something that came and went. Yet she mentioned only wanting to repay what was given to her by learning of healing herbs, so perhaps it was not relevant what herbs it was that she needed, herself. She was not here to talk or ask about that, and so Cicero decided to let the subject rest with a nod.

"Venus wants to learn of healing herbs, then? Potema would have been better for this..." Cicero looked contemplative, realising that she was no longer an option to teach anyone anything, and he added: "But Cicero will have to do." His knowledge of herbs was extended beyond poisons, of course, but poisons were his main forte. Cicero glanced at Venus and then around the forest as he said: "Winter takes away many good plants, but Cicero thinks that some mushrooms may still be around." Without waiting to see if she would follow he started a trot, following a trail through the forest while he checked left and right of the path to see if there were any mushrooms, good or bad, around (or maybe even plants if they were lucky).

Venus was happy about her answer. She quickly caught up to Cicero. Her long fur bounced as she trotted. The cold air stung as she breathed in. "Thanks for helping me out by the way." She said as she smiled. She looked around, trying to find mushrooms or any not dead plants. She saw a brown mushroom on the base of a tree, and walked over. She didn't get to close, straying away from spores. "Is this anything good?"

Cicero nodded in acknowledgement at her thanks, and then turned to look at the mushroom she had found. "Very good. Keen eye." Mushrooms were not always easy to find in the forest around this time of year, with autumn leaves and other brown clutter muddling the landscape and blending them into the background. Cicero glanced at the mushroom and sniffed it. He smiled, looking somewhat forlorn as he did, while he thought of Potema. These were some of her favourite mushrooms. "They have some sort of healing property." Though they looked a lot like a sort of mushroom that was very deadly. Cicero, not thinking much of it, did not divulge this information; he could not even tell what sort of healing property these mushrooms had, and since this was not the very-deadly mushroom that looked like it, he did not even think to tell her of it.

"Cicero does not remember what they do, exactly. Potema knew this." His ears twitched while he tried to think of it, but he could not. Instead, he decided to share important information with her so that she knew which not to eat: "Poisonous mushrooms are often very bright in colour. Not all of them are, however. There are many mushrooms, more so than plants, that are deadly." Cicero looked at Venus, waiting to see if she understood, while he looked around to see if he could find anything, mushroom or herb. It was late in the season, and since his own knowledge was limited, Cicero was not sure what to look for that still grew right now. Maybe he could take her to his cache later to show some dried herbs.

Venus stared at the mushroom as Cicero explained about deadly mushrooms. Mushrooms were a plant you could not mess with, you would have to be certain it was safe. She walked a bit closer and sniffed it. It wasn't the most pungent of plants, it wouldn't be easy to sniff out. She was very obviously intrigued by the way Cicero explained how to tell mushrooms apart. Mushrooms made her nervous, knowing they could kill quickly. Herbs were easier to tell apart than mushrooms were. She nodded quickly. "Ok, I will remember that." She said and smiled. She joined him in looking for any other mushrooms or herbs. She couldn't see anything off hand, so she waited to see if Cicero would move on to a different looking place, or he would find something. She dug her nose into the snow and leaves, searching while she waited.

Piles of leaves were dug away, but no herbs or mushrooms that Cicero had knowledge of were found. Cicero shook his head after searching for another while. He looked at Venus and shook his head. "There are not many herbs in winter. Cicero has a stash not far from here, so Venus can see some dry herbs." He beckoned for her to follow, then set off in the direction of his most nearby cache of healing herbs.

After half an hour of moving through the dark forest, Cicero nosed around an old fox den to reveal some dried herbs. He picked one out and explained: "This one is for fighting pain. Fresh herbs are always better than dried herbs, but it is good to have dried herbs just in case. There are not always fresh ones." This winter's day a testiment to that very statement.

Venus followed Ciecero, still keeping her eyes out for any straggling herbs holding on to dear life as winters bite slowly killed them. When they arrived, she stood in shock. "This is amazing Cicero!" She said as she looked around. When he brought out the small dried leaf, she got closer, sniffed it and stared at it. "Where do you find most herbs? Like on tree bases, or by water?"

Venus seemed excited by the prospect of the many dried herbs, though Cicero showed no signs of excitement himself. He did not consider dried herbs as useful as fresh ones, but there were times when you needed herbs, fast, and there were no fresh ones about; today being the perfect example. "Tree bases, the ground, caves. Cicero knows little about water herbs." He knew that plants grew in them, but he had not heard of any useful ones yet; most of them were, like most plants that grew on land, just herbs. Cicero had figured out the uses of many herbs simply by testing them, and it was perhaps for that reason that he knew more about poisons than healing herbs.

Venus listened carefully to where herbs would grow. She would get a hang of it once winter passed and she could go out and see for herself. She would learn with the guidance of others, but she would help herself to. She looked forward to her training, and the help of Cicero. She ran her eyes over the dried herbs. "How do you properly dry them?" She asked, her eyes still fixed on the herbs. They were so carefully taken care of. They were obviously not thrown around, stepped on, mistreated in any way. It really amazed her, and she focused back on Cicero.

Venus seemed almost to see his herbs as a form of magic, though Cicero did not see them this way. He felt he was not adequate enough at them to be called a master, but as Potema and Meldresi were both gone, there were little other wolves to teach but he. Scouting was more in his area of expertise, in Cicero's own opinion.

As for her question, Cicero answered: "It is normal to put them in the sun for drying, so it is best to find a place that has sun. Not always easy here." He glanced about demonstratively; most of Blackfeather Woods was cloaked in shadow.

Venus had a great respect for herbs. She was a sickly wolf, so herbs were a big part of her. She didn't see them as magic, but they weren't something to mess around with. They could either help or hurt in her mind. If you slip up, someone else would have to pay for it. She would be able to live with herself if she made an obvious, tiny mistake that the whole pack would look down at her for. "When herbs get dried, you said they don't work as well. Is it because the vitamins or the soul reason for using the herb, get dried out and they become weaker?"

A lot of questions were posed, and they made Cicero blink and consider briefly. He didn't know a thing about 'vitamins'. He just knew what to do with herbs and why they worked better or not because of personal experience.

He shook his head. "Cicero does not know. It is just how it is." That was the answer she would have to do with. He did not know more. Cicero patiently waited to see if she had any questions remaining.

Venus blinked and nodded her head. Sometimes, learning on her own did better. "Alrighty then, thank you for your help. I really appreciate it." She said and smiled, dipping her head. She looked back at the herbs. She would have to learn to adapt with the seasons, and her general supplies.

If Venus ever needs anything from here, she can take it. Cicero nodded at Venus, signifying that she was welcome to take things from his herb caches. Hopefully she would learn much on her own too; the pack needed more herbalists and healers, really, what with Potema and Meldresi gone.

Venus dipped her head. "My greatest appreciation. I promise I will learn more, and be able to help you out." She said. She winked and laughed. Venus walked away from the cache. It was very sweet of Cicero to offer the herbs like this. She would be helpful in the future, medicine was her try calling, and she would not ignore it. "Thanks again Cicero!" She called over her shoulder, now trotting off to hopefully find a few herbs to stock up on.

It would not be such a bad thing if Venus were to learn more so she could help Cicero. He did not intend to focus too much on caretaking and healing, after all, so it was good to have someone else to pick up where he left off. She would do well, Cicero guessed. She seemed the type that cared for others where he felt nothing. That was helpful when healing. Empathy.

Feeling particularly empty after Venus had left, Cicero wandered the forest until he reached Burke's den so he could watch his family from afar, from the shadows; where he belonged.