Northstar Vale grains

today was one of rain. she tucked her little ones with their father and went out in search of @Meadow.

she followed the clandestine stream north, until she came to lotus springs. there tamar shook out her fur. it was time she sought a trade, but before this, she wanted the advice of the healer who had come to be her friend.

Teeth chattering, Meadow set herself to work. Rain had always been heavy in her heart—stirring a certain chill to her bones that came from more than being wet and miserable. No, a suppressed memory of sorts—perhaps from after the fire? Discomfort always blanketed her in the moments and so she found herself never pressing further, allowing the thinly veiled memory to be tucked away safely once more, leaving her in the comfort of the dark. 

The rain had soaked her over time. Droplets ran to her eyes, blurring her vision, but her gaze still fell upon the lovely figure of Tamar, out and about despite the unfavorable weather. Out puddle jumping without the kids?

"oh!"

meadow looked soaked! tamar grinned her direction anyway. the young mother swept close, moving to clean the worst of the water without thinking. she considered the healer a relative of sorts by this point.

"yes," she laughed softly. "i think i want to learn healing. will you teach me, meadow?"

She must have been a sight—and when Tamar moved forward and began to clean the water from her in an amusement, Meadow could feel the rumble of a laugh in her chest, though it was broken by another chatter of her teeth.


The news, though! “Yes!” It was an instant answer, and she nodded to an overhang not far, loping forward so they could get further from the rain that had lightened only a little.

Like a drenched cat, Meadow slunk under, but the flash of her gaze as she looked to Tamar was genuine. “I would love to teach you!”

tamar too found she was chilled.

she pressed against meadow, shoulder to flank, in a way that she might have with an elder sister. "i know a little from living in mereo. but not so much. i want to learn how to mend large wounds."

she did not expect a good deal of that now that they were no longer among soldiers. but it was still an important concept to know.

Her gaze drifted to the rain, the warmth of Tamar against her causing her to relax, even if slightly. An ear flicked in the direction of the woman’s words—her desire to have lessons a decent indication to the healer that the rut Tamar had perhaps been in before, after birthing, was perhaps taking a turn. It was a relief.

“We will start with some basics and then there,” she agreed, an amicable smile cast to the she-wolf. “My intention is to grow a garden in the vale. If that is something you agree to?”

"oh, yes!"

"my mother had a garden. she grew little yellow flowers that did not need much rain. we often lived without water."

how different was the vale from the home of her birth! she continued to smooth meadow's fur, ruffling and warming it.

Tamar’s energy was always contagious, and Meadow found a laugh bubble out of her, leaning over to place her forehead gingerly against the other woman’s own—relishing the fact that for once, she had found a home where it felt she actually belonged. “Then a garden we shall have,” she promised before pulling back, honeyed eyes sweeping over the beautiful woman.

“Tamar, what did you even do in Mereo? You’re nothing like any of the Mereo members I’ve met.”

"it is because i am not from mereo."

her lips twitched but not with humour; it was a shadow crossing her lovely face before it went away. "we only stayed there for a time, arsenio and i. lady ruenna was the matrona and she had me as housekeeper. so i went to the soldiers and i changed their dens. refreshed things. and i kept the lore of mereo as well."

but there was so much she did not know! "i am from the desert. you must be friendly or you will not do well. you must learn to work with those around you. it was of greatest importance."

Lady Ruenna as Matrona was a different name than she was used to with the title—thus, when Tamar’s friend who had been promised to Epoch had to remain in Mereo instead… It certainly made sense.

What stirred a light twist of her lips was the fact they had used Tamar as a housekeeper—not that the duty itself wasn’t useful, but could the soldiers not clean up after themselves in their dens? “Aresenio and you were together before Mereo?”

And then—a hint of her homeland, stirring her eyes to settle over the golden beauty. “I’ve never been to the desert. Do you miss it much?”

she nodded.

"we have been together for a long time." and she was not sure how to elaborate without speaking of akashingo. the fact she had been a slave and fellahin was shameful to her. it was perhaps her deepest sorrow.

but from it had come her love with arsenio. and from that had come their beautiful children.

"i do. there are things in the desert that can never be here. and there are ways to live that i will not have to use in epoch. such as how to find cactus. how to open the skin to drink the water inside."

“It sounds like it has made you resilient… and you will be a wonderful healer.” She was eager to train the woman—not for the extra knowledge that Epoch could use, but simply to spend time with her. Meadow had never had a girlfriend before—she found it to be a rather pleasing chapter in her life.

“What do you both envision for Epoch?”

the young mother mused.

"i want many classes. and — discussions, with all of us. i want everyone to learn healing and defense. and, when we are strong in teaching, i want to invite others. i think arsenio is much the same. i want him to teach singing!"

she laughed.

A laugh escaped her—not one of disdain or malice, but certainly surprise. Arsenio, singing, was something she would wish to see, and Meadow was curious if the man held talent or Tamar spoke in jest, good-natured at his expense in ways.

“Others, such as other packs?” A pause, and she gave a small smile. “Do we have strong bonds with other packs, aside from… our alliance, not-alliance, with Mereo?”

the young woman hummed beneath her breath.

"i think — no. only mereo." and everything that had happened since had strengthened that.

"but i want to know others."

archiving, so we can focus on more present threads, maybe?

She smiled, leaning over to press her forehead to the exotic beauty. "Then Epoch shall have allies. You shall be a wonderful healer, and together we will have a vast garden that will be the envy of every other healer and medic," she murmured, bemusement lacing her tone.

They would just need time--and then the dreams her leaders had for their ever-growing pack would be able to become tangent.

Until then, Meadow would enjoy her time with her new friend.