Eden was worried. To be on guard? That was normal. But to be worried? That was something new.
The morning began as per usual - recently, that meant a quick outing as upkeep to her cache to curb the nausea - but something today caught Eden's eye. As she made her way to her cache (only a few paces from her den) she saw the wilting stalk of a poison ivy plant. Normally, this wouldn't have worried her. But with so many new, little faces here and on the way, it made her wary of leaving the plant be without telling anyone.
As she went off to find Alder and explain to him the situation, he concern grew to a state of distress. Eden's mind began to wander off, conjuring the mishaps that could occur should a curious pup nip at the stalk. A rash could quickly become infected, and infections weren't always an easy cure. She lifted her head and called for him, pacing and picking through thoughts as she waited.
Alder was on one of his rare trips from the children - one that kept him within the borders, this time - and patroling the borders. They were thicker with his scent than ever, and he was pleased to note that all four of the newest member's scents' were also a part of it. He was happy to pad along and hike his leg up to piss every couple of feet - until Eden's worried call rang out for the King. Fear pierced his heart - from where he was, it sounded like she was nearer the tunnels than where she was - and at once he turned and galloped her way.
He found her pacing, hackles prickled in anxiety.
"Eden! What's wrong?"
His one good eye swept around the area, but there was nothing wrong - not to his untrained blue eye. His worry swiftly devolved into confusion - what was wrong? Was something wrong with HER?
"Are you okay?"
It wasn't until Alder's shaken voice flowed into her ears that Eden realized the panic she had passed in her call. I'm okay, I'm fine. Just...pups grow up fast, and soon enough they'll be wandering the territory on their own. She halted her pacing and began to explain, There are poison ivy plant here. In the winter, it's harder to tell where they are, but where there's one, there's more. All of the pups are going to be more vulnerable, since they'll probably be exploring more with their mouths than anything, and a rash on a pup could quickly become infected. I wanted to let you know so that you're aware, and if they needed to be removed - which I recommend - then it should be done before they finish wilting.
Once all of the facts and concerns were on the table, Eden had a moment to breathe as she awaited Alder's verdict.
Thankfully, she stopped pacing and gave him his answer - and even better, it was not something that was of immediate danger. It was, however, something that could hurt his children, and that was enough to spur him into action.
"Show me."
His lack of knowledge in the poisonous plant was startling - it awakened in him an urge to learn, to know. His blue eye went to her face, questioning, and before either had moved to the threat, he was speaking again. If he was to keep his children safe, he needed to know these things - there were plenty of healers in their midst, but not one who knew solely of these dangers. Perhaps he would not make a life, a trade of it - but it couldn't hurt to know.
"We will remove them - every one we can find - and if you'll accept me, I'd like to learn about any other toxic plants."
Alder assured her that they would remove the plants, but not before asking to see what she'd spoken of. Eden nodded and was about to lead the way when he asked something she surely hadn't expected. Well I...I'd be honored. Here, we can start here, with the ivy. She was off with haste, quickly tracking her way back to the plant.
Poison ivy isn't exactly the most lethal of all plants, but it surely sucks to come across. There are a few ways you can go about removing it, notably with urine. The plant would die, assuming the urine isn't overpowered by rain, and we could safely remove it. The few paces between them and the ivy patch had been covered by the end of her explanation.
See, these ones are wilting. Once the leaves are gone, it gets a lot harder to tell which plants are okay, and which plants aren't. That's why I recommend doing it now before winter sets in. She looked to Alder to make sure he was still following, and waited for his word.
Eden seemed happy - whether it was his quick response to her worries or the sudden prospect of being a teacher, he didn't know, but he was glad to help. Her words came swift, and her paws followed suit, and Alder followed at her heels with both excitement and anxiety - what would happen to any other wolf that touched it?
As if she read the King's mind, Eden started talking about it. As she pointed it out and walked on, he stopped and made sure to memorize what it looked like - nodding to show he understood, he stayed put and waited to see what else she would do or tell him.
Eden sat, waiting attentively for any questions the King might have, but before she had a chance to say anything, she was back at attention with another thought. Oh! The other thing is that poison ivy is very easily spread. One wolf gets it and it's everywhere before you know it. She'd expected him to use his own urine to neutralize the plant, but maybe Alder hadn't caught on.
You can go ahead at any point. Try to aim for the roots. She turned her head to offer privacy, though she doubted it was necessary.
Eden sat, and at this he assumed she wanted him to piss on the plant - as a male, his urine was more potent. Apparently, it also killed bad stuff: who knew?! The King waited patiently for her to stop talking, at which point she encouraged him - she hadn't even turned when he stepped forward and hiked up a leg, loosing a spray of urine to cover the plants and seep into the roots.
"When do we dig them up?
These two have covered quite a bit so if you want to archive then you're more than welcome!
Well, it won't take long. We can come back tomorrow, but there are others that need to be taken care of as well, Eden explained as she motioned the male to follow along. The plants were already fragile, so it wouldn't be long before the urine worked it's magic. However, at least one other plant lined the territory, thus a quick round would be necessary. Whatever it took to ensure there safety, Eden figured.
Ill wrap it up with my post and archive :3
Alder's ears cupped towards Eden to catch her words as he pissed on the plants, claiming that tomorrow they could come back and dig the weeds up. Nodding in understanding, he followed along as she led him to the next spot he'd have to piss on. Like the Gentry wolf, he knew that no matter how long he had to pad around after a recruit and piss on some plants, it was worth it for his children's safety.