Herbalists' Cache Hoping to hit you somewhere vital

@Lainie 

Her days flowed together seamlessly. Passing glimpses of Surya as she pedaled about, gathering the lush summer herbs and taking advantage of the fact the tundra melted enough to dig roots. She was in what could quite possibly be her favorite place in the world- the garden. Everywhere you turned there was some new discovery. She currently was snoring softly in the midday sun, surrounded by the scent of  wildflowers, a pile of drying herbs between her paws.

Shellshocked by the reunion with her sister Lainie had promised to stay close, to keep in touch really soon but she'd gone off again. She'd only gotten a short distance before she remembered that papa was dead. She'd said goodbye to him too and now....

Polaris would be fine. She shook her head trying to distract herself from the scary thoughts. Why did her brain do this? Why did it show her so many terrible possibilities? She had enough to deal with in life as it was. Then the breeze blew to her the scent of herbs, medicine, she knew what it was well enough after being treated for wounds as a child. Curious she sought after them and was quick to notice the scent of a member of Whitebark stream, a scent she knew well enough by now to suck in a breath and hope it was nobody who'd know her father. Nobody who would bring it up and make her face the fact that he was dead. Looking at the woman with shy glances she noticed the herbs between her paws and hesitantly asked "I hope i'm not bothering you but could you teach me what those are?" her curiosity thus far had gotten her into much trouble but....someone who was a packmate of her father's wouldn't be someone to hurt her. Then again Pygmalion was supposed to have hurt Bhediya back in Ibis's pack and he'd been both of their packmates, pack didn't instantly mean trust anymore. Wary she tried to show she wasn't a thread her tail held low to her ankles and swaying in a submissive and friendly manner as she waited with emerald pools filled with eagerness to learn. Medicine was useful and she currently was not with her inability to keep herself upright all the time.

When she had dozed off in the warm afternoon sun, she hadn't expected to be woken up by a sad eyed young girl. 
and yet that's precisely what happened. Rather unnatractively she snorted, body convulsing defensively, nerves rapid firing as she leaped to her paws, eyes wide in fear. For a brief moment the dark pelted shewolf wasn't there, replaced instead by Donovan...his hulking form standing over her, yellow eyes leering down at her. 
She blinked rapidly, gulping down the waves of panic, trying to find her footing in reality. 
Finally, after a moment, the apparition faded and her nerves settled. 
"Goodness you gave me a fright! I...uhh...hello...who are you?" She asked, still a bit foggy from sleep.

Oh!

The frightened woman's reaction startled Lainie causing her to leap backward too fast for her hind legs to prepare and she sunk to ground ears pinned back and eyes wide with fear as she expected to be attacked. Peering up into blue scared sleepy blue eyes belonging to the stranger she realised they were both scared of one another and relaxed. That meant neither would hurt the other right? Finally the woman spoke clearing the air of it's uncertainty, she was safe around the woman. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it I promise!" She gushed trying to reassure the she wolf guiltily that she wasn't a creeper. "My name is Lainie, I didn't realise you were sleeping. i'm just looking for something to do I smelled medicine all over the place here and then you were here and I saw thw herbs and I...could you tell me what they are? And do?" god look how far she'd lowered herself. She was so lonely that she was now trying to get sleeping strangers (that she woke up!) to entertain her. Lainie felt validated enough that at least she was asking about something useful and hadn't just clumsily woken a stranger up for no reason. 

When her nerves settled she listened to the pleas of the young shewolf, who looked absolutely terrified. Her expression softened, as she looked the poor girl over. 
"I'm sorry if I frightened you...Ive had an... unpleasant time recently and suppose Im still a bit on edge. Lainie, is it?"  She dipped her head, her gentle, almost maternal nature showing through. "I'm Aphrodite. And yes, I'ld be Happy to teach you a few things. Actually, I wouldn't mind having an apprentice if you're interested?" 

Lainie was a sweet child and so Aphrodite's apology was met with the first smile she'd made in a while followed by a relatively bitter and sad "Tell me about it" but she went no further. This woman was kind, it showed in the gentle nature and softening in the demeanor. However, this she wolf, Aphrodite she said her name was, belonged to the place her father died in. The offer for an apprenticeship was tempting, she had already figured out that if she could heal people she'd be useful. She wanted so badly to be useful, to Polaris and Zephyr and...whoever else she found along life's path.  "I can't join your pack...but we could meet here? Once a week?" she offered in return not entirely wanting to give up the opportunity entirely but...the thought of Whitebark Stream made her want to jump off a cliff and into the sea to let the waves take her to Papa. 

It dawned on her- the family resemblance. 
"You must be of Kavik's family. I'm...sorry for your loss." She had been about the girl's age when the humans had stripped her of her own paternal figure. "Just...know that the pain eases...after a while. You'll always miss him, of course, but..." She trailed off, not wanting to hurt the girl further. 
It made perfect sense why the shewolf wanted nothing to do with Whitebark. 
"I can ask Artyom...if you can see the place they rest. But for now," she inhaled, resolving herself and changing the subject. "Yes, we can have lessons here. Here. This is Anise. It's good chewed, for coughs." She gestured to a feathery looking weed.

There.

Snuffed out like the teeny start of a wildfire by a gust of wind. 

The recognition, the mention of her father. It was something she didn't want to talk about, didn't want to hear about. She especially did not want to hear about it from a stranger who seemed like she barely knew them at all. "Thank you. But no. I've spoken to Artyom" while she'd clearly been put in a worse mood by tone Lainie was a good child and was still polite, turning to the herb the woman produced and repeated the name, Anise. It looked feathery for a plant, identifyable enough that she nodded sure that she'd be able to keep it in mind. "What about for pain? Trouble sleeping? Joints?" she couldn't help it but the woman knew her stuff and where else to ask than a place that reeked of so many medicines she didn't know where they'd start looking. Not wanting to seem like a totally helpless child she added "Soaking in hot water helps with muscles and joints. Pain too. Sometimes soaking in cool water helps too" if there was ever someone to speak from experience it was her. 

There was an akward stillness. 
So much she wanted to say to this young girl, this lost child who had just had her entire world ripped away from her. 
It was odd, she was the same age as Surya yet she very obviously didn't view Surya as a child. Yet here she was wanting to nurture this girl, the need for a child never really having left her. But the girl barely knew her, and now was not the time to go prattling on about herself. 
"Very well. If you ever want someone to talk to, I'm not a hard wolf to find." The shewolf leaped into her studies and Aphrodite was more than willing to follow. 
"For sleep, it depends on what's causing the sleep to be disturbed. Pain, willow bark soaked for two days in a pool of water. Nightmares, Valerian root-its easy to tell by the smell, smells like a bad case of flatulence." She laughed lightly at the crude comparison. "Bitter Leaf, smells pungent, and will ease the mind of anxiety." She had been using it herself since she had escaped Donovan. "This one, here." 
The girl tried to offer her own knowledge and Aphrodite nodded. "Very good. There's hot springs at the base of the dragon, and I have heard on the other side of the mountains there are some as well. You can find cures for many things in the water, mud, Ash, even the crystals that grow near the pools." 

There was a softening in her eyes and a small but genuine nod as she swallowed down a lump in her throat. Ibis...Valette...now Aphrodite...the kindness of strangers that usually left her with reasons to keep on pushing herself through each day. Thankfully the lesson was quick to start and Lainie stared with wide startled eyes at the amount of information whilst sorting it in her head resulting in her brows drawing together creating quite the comical expression. Willow bark..."Willow is the pale bark trees right? That kind of peel off sometimes?" she wanted to make sure she wasn't just soaking some useless treebark in water to munch on..."Do you drink the water or chew the bark? or maybe both? Lainie hadn't realised how much she'd need to ask, to clarify...or was she just dumb and anxious? She frowned at the thought of waiting another two days for a good night's sleep and supposed the Valerian root would do on it's own ridding her of nightmares. The fear of them still being there....that was what would keep her heart racing at night. Trying to ensure she wouldn't forget she was almost too deep in thought to process the joke but when she did a small peal of laughter rose from within "Gross. Does it make your breath smell?" she could picture herself as a small child running after Polaris huffing some rancid breath at her and laughing gleefully, tail swaying at her hinds as she followed the train of conversation back to the lesson. Bitter Leaf...the plant at the woman's paws. For anxiety...."Anxiety...thats just being really really anxious all the time right?" she felt it resonate...it stung, was that what was wrong with her? Why every day sucked beyond normal suckery and it was...so impossible to drag herself away now that she'd lost her rock. Papa....

"Crystals?" She perked up eyes lighting up at the thought of those magical sparkly rocks she'd only heard about. "They..how do they heal? You can eat them?" She asked eyeing the woman with a little less faith muzzle wrinkling and brows shifting into the dubious expression only a child could muster. 

I'm really really sorry this took so long. I'm having a hard time keeping active at all. I'd really like to continue if you can give me another shot to reply better <3

No worries, I know you've been having a hard time mentally lately. Almost like you're cursed, I swear -_- 

The information came burbling out so quickly Aphrodite couldn't help but smile at the confusion on the young girl's face. 
"Yes, the one withthe long thin leaves and branches that sweep the ground. And drink the water- not too much, it can make you sick. " 

The laughter at the valerian brought a smile to her lips. It was good to hear her laugh- the road the girl was facing would need it. "A little bit, only for a while though." She laughed back, remembering the first time she had eaten the foul smelling root. 
At the girls question about anxiety she nodded. "Yes. The fear that... something bad will happen. Even when there's no reason to fear that." It was a sensation she was all too familiar with, unfortunately. She was terrified of leaving Whitebark. 
"Some you lick, for minerals. Some you mix with water and bathe in for mange, or other skin infection. " 

Though she was over a year now the confirmation that her breath would reek brought the mischievous urge to find some and do the very thing she'd been picturing. Polaris would be disgusted....but she imagined the peals of shrieked laughter and her tail swayed. Clearing up everything she needed to know about the herbs listed Lainie tried to recall the last place she'd even seen willow. Somewhere near the mountains maybe...dragged out of her thoughts again Lainie frowned at the definition for anxiety...it sounded like what she suffered from for sure. "Sometimes it's so bad it's like someone has their jaws around my lungs and are squeezing them so I can't breathe. My heart races so hard...I just want it to stop so I can focus on getting strong physically again"  Aphrodite seemed kind enough, the admission tumbled from her maw nervously. Sometimes passing a pack she'd pause and make sure someone wasn't coming after her. She couldn't walk herself down steep hills because of the landslide...it was all pathetic compared to what she once was. Fortunately she wouldn't have to focus on her woe for too long as the subject went back to crystals which apparently had a ton of use. "I've never seen any. Just heard about them...I want to go back to the springs now" she smiled her eyes twinkling with humor again before softening again "I should probably learn herbs first though" 

I am pretty sure you could be actually right about that at this point lmao

The girl described a panic attack and Aphrodite couldn't help but sympathize with her. 
She inched closer, an almost motherly affection on her features.  "That, unfortunately, takes time."   It wasn't long ago her own mother and father had been torn from her. 
"I lost my family when I was about your age. It's a long story...I didn't get to say goodbye to them. My sisters all died of illness and starvation...my father was taken away by humans. My mother got sick...and the humans took her away too." It was somehow relieving, sharing her grief with the girl. 
"The pain...a wound that deep takes a long time to go away. And I have suffered other, terrible wounds since coming here."
there was a fire and optimism to the girl. She had faith she would do well, with time.

As she she wolf shared her own story Lainie felt bad. Aphrodite had lost everything but she still had Polaris and though he hated her she had Zephyr too. Alsek...the newest name to her family..she had him to get to know too. "How do you...still get through it? My family was lost in part of the mountains when they crumbled a while back. Everyone except Papa and Zephyr my brother disappeared. But...but Zephy hates me and now Papa is gone. I know Polaris is here now (my sister) so...I should feel better right?"  her ears shifted back a little feeling wrong for still finding herself lacking in gratitude and happiness for having three siblings alive to go to when there were people like this kind healer who really did lose it all. "you said it takes time...so I guess I just grin and bear it?  This stuff can make me useful....it isn't being strong like Papa but at least I can be there to heal them..if they..if they ever get hurt or sick" her brain raced a million miles per hour grasping at the sliver of hope that....she could still help even of she couldn't fight. Did packs take healers that couldn't do much else?