Now that Eshe's season had ended, she found herself out and about more often than she had been the week prior. There was a lightness about her, and she felt though she had been unteathered from a heaviness that had been weighing her down.

She had been outside of the territory for most of the morning, and now she had returned with a small bouquet of marigold and carefully walked towards her blossoming (haha get it??? Blossoms??? Garden????) garden. On her way there, she spotted a confident looking figure out of the corner of her eye, and she looked at him.

Eshe felt a pang in her stomach the moment she saw Nicodem.

He looked just like Akavir. She stalled her steps momentarily, awkwardly watching as the child continued to stroll.

Nicodem marched towards Eshe with a confidence that she lacked—especially in the presence of a stranger—and she couldn't help but admire his fearlessness.

"Hey there," she greeted, her voice soft as she lowered her head to sniff him, realizing his scent was familiar. His scent was fresh, untouched by the world's harshness, and she felt a maternal stirring in the pit of her stomach; she would do what she could to protect him.

"What're you doing?" she asked, lifting her head.

Eshe found it odd that Nicodem wasn't responding. But, given that she was a stranger to him, she rationalized that he might be shy with those he just met.

"It's alright," she said as she sat. "I'm a and a pack member. It's okay if you want to talk to me."

"But, I understand your dad might have told you not to talk to strangers, and that is the right thing to do when you meet somebody who isn't a part of the pack." Stranger danger and whatnot; she didn't want to teach him anything that conflicted with what he'd already been taught.

Even without speaking, Eshe understood the intention behind Nicodem's expression. "I haven't explored too much since I joined the pack," she admitted. "Is there anywhere neat you could show me?"

She could introduce him to the garden, but she figured that wasn't the most exciting place for a child to go.

There was still a lot of the pack's territory that Eshe hadn't explored yet, and Nicodem's choice was new to her. She looked around, slowing as he pointed towards the tree and smiled. He'd done a wonderful job; it was picturesque in every way.

There was a large tree that overlooked the rushing creek. The grass was worn around the roots, but it seemed like there was still enough of a cushion to sit comfortbly. She quickly scanned the area to see if there was anything she could collect for her medicine stock, but nothing stuck out to her. Although she was sure she could find something she could use, she knew that she could come back another time to look.

"It's lovely," Eshe complimented, motioning towards the tree with her forepaw before heading in that direction. "You did a great job! I'm sure theres lots to see—especially in the water." She sat and curled her tail around her forepaws as she watched the water. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, a fish jumped out of the water and tried to catch a dragonfly that'd been hovering above the surface. Eshe couldn't tell if the fish had been successful, as she'd lost track of the bug, but she turned towards Nicodem as it dove back in.

"Did you see that?!" she asked.

She relished in his enthusiasm—smiling to herself as he bowed and twirled his tail spinning ‘round like a propeller.

”Do you want to try and catch a fish?” she asked, hoping to keep his spirit alive with a fun and engaging activity. ”We can use berries to lure them over here, and then pounce when they‘re distracted!” She pulled back to study and interpret his reaction.

She grinned. ”We’ll look for raspberries,” she paused, wondering if he had ever learned what they were. ”They’re bright, red berries that grow on bushes. Fish like things that’re colorful.” They had some bushes in the territory, in a sunny field about a thirty minute walk from where they were. ”The berries grow on bushes that like to grow in the sunshine—have you ever seen these bushes?” She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had. They were located in a high-traffic area of the territory, along a worn path that lead to the creek.

When he nudged her leg, she nodded encouragingly. ”Lead the way!” she prompted. ”I’ll follow you!”

They set off from there, straying occasionally as he worked through what he could remember. She was impressed with how well he’d led the way, as they really didn’t stray too far from the way she would have taken, and they arrived no more than fourty minutes later.

The bushes were scattered on a hill that basked in the sun, and they were ripe with berries. ”Great job!” she praised as they walked to the nearest shrub. ”We’ll pick a few, but we’ll make sure we leave some behind so other wolves can use them,” she explained. ”You have to be suuuuuper careful when you pick them—they’re very squishy.” But if he happened to squish a few, there’d be no harm done.

”While you pick the berries, I’m going to pick some leaves. They can be used as medicine—did you know that?”

Their lesson spanned for many hours—from learning about the native berries, to trying to catch fish, and eventually they caught one for dinner. They enjoyed it together as the sun began to set, and then Eshe put him to bed and stayed until @Akavir returned.