Sequoia Coast Of broken bones and seaweed

@Julooke

Blue ventured forth yet again early in the morning. The day before had been terrible for collecting sea weed for Perry and she hoped today would be better. Again she had put her trust in Atticus and Perry to be fine without her, they had done so before she was alpha female surely they could for a few hours now too.

She was traveling looking at the ground she already had a few strands of seaweed wrapped around her shoulders, she probably looked like some creature from the lagoon, but she needed it and she needed as much as she could carry so she didn't have to travel again for a few weeks. She was careful of the borders on both sides of her making sure to not cross Horizon ridge or Wheeling Gull Isle.

Julooke had been exploring the shore a little, wanting to get a feel for the little creatures that lived there, and things that washed up. She had found, and played with, a shell that, as far as she knew was empty. She flipped it up and let it land in the sand before grabbing it once more. After several times, a creature poked its claw out, and that's when Julooke decided the game was over. She wasn't interested in anything that could snip at her.

Heading back towards the pack, a figure in the distance caught her attention. It looked like a wolf, but with a large... mane. She began to trot towards it, slowing when she got closer. She chuffed, trying to alert that she was here. The other wolf was larger than she was, but still had an elegance about her. What Julooke couldn't figure out was that stuff around her shoulders. She realized now it wasn't fur at all.

Blue Willow was fast tearing up the sand lost in her own thoughts whilst she looked for the seaweed that hid in different places. She was momentarily surprised when she heard a chuff near her. She looked up, not having realized that she was no longer alone. She drew up next to the white furred female and smiled Hello I'm Blue Willow. I apologize I did not see you there. She dipped her head and shoulders and allowed the seaweed to pool at her feet presenting her actual wolfish features.Rather than the lagoon monster she had resembled.

I'm sorry for the delay, I could have sworn I replied to this :-(

The dark wolf immediately stopped and so did Julooke, though Julooke looked like she was ready to flee at the slightest movement. Then she realized it wasn't some big, bad, monster wolf, and relaxed a little. The other female actually seemed quite nice, and Julooke's tail wagged. No problem, she said with a smile. I'm Julooke.

She looked down at the stuff on the sand, What is that? she asked. She had seen it on the shore before, but had no idea what it was so left it alone. She had never considered picking it up for anything.

Blue Willow blinked green eyes as the son came to onslaught them, the seaweed having been used as a small buffer against the bright light. Well met Julooke I am Blue Willow. Healer of the Plateau. She briefly thought of stating she was an alpha as well, but then decided truthfully that had no bearing on outside relations of any pack. They were in neutral territory so in a way they were equals.

Blue chuckled That is Seaweed I use if for binding, it works very well for broken bones. Once it dries it tightens and holds it in place. She shifted her weight and moved some of the seaweed around, most did not know of the healing properties of sea weed, there were even some that could be eaten in times of need.

Her ears perked when she heard the word "healer." Really? she said excitedly. I'm actually wanting to becoming a healer! Thistle is training me whenever she can, but she has new pups that keep her pretty busy, she responded with a smile. Her tail wagging, ears perked and a hopeful smile, she asked, I don't suppose you could teach me a few quick things? She tried to look as cute as possible, but wasn't sure if she played it very well.

Little did Julooke know, Blue Willow was already teaching her something. Seaweed, the pile at her paws, was used for broken bones. Her eyes gazed at the funny-looking stuff as self-proclaimed new friend pushed it around with her paws. How do you keep it in place as it dries? she asked. It didn't look like it retained a set shape very well, but Julooke could have been wrong.

Blue had to chuckle at the girls enthusiasm, especially at her own trade. It was so seldom that there were aspiring healers, it made Blue feel good to know there were more out there. Yes Really. I have the trade myself. Blue listened with interest, so Thistle Ragnar’s own wife was a healer as well, she thought perhaps he had told her that before, but still it made her smile. Ah yes Puppies can be busy and if they take after their father, I am sure they are busy bees. Oh I would love to teach you some things, I am always willing to offer my own knowledge, as well as gain more. Blue chuckled at the next question; she had asked her father nearly the same thing, when she had first been learning. Good question, I asked the same thing of my father, when he was teaching me. The good thing about seaweed is when it is moist when you put it on, as long as the wolf doesn’t move in question, it sticks to itself pretty well, and then it dries like that and then stays. She took a smaller piece and motioned for Julooke to hold her up her paw, or she would use her own. If the other girl was not comfortable with that. I can show you if you like?

Blue Willow spoke as if she knew her father-figure. Do you know Ragnar? she asked. He hadn't mentioned knowing her, though all he had really spoken of the other packs was they they had no allies or enemies. She could gather, though, the enemy part changed as soon as the island was claimed. In the near future, however, they wouldn't really matter anymore.

To her excitement, Blue Willow seemed happy to share her knowledge. Julooke smiled, her tail wagging, Thanks so much! She went on to explain how the seaweed worked in helping broken bones. When she motioned that she wanted to demonstrate it, Julooke sat back on her haunches and held out her right foreleg, eager to be the dummy for her. Her eyes watched her teacher's every movement, trying to engrave it into her own brain. She knew she needed to retain a lot of information if she wanted to become a true healer.

Blue chuckled deep in her chest. To say she knew Ragnar was a bit of an overstatement. She had spoken to him briefly maybe three times, once to find out that a pack member had been a terrible father, the second time while he spoke to her leader about said wolf and finally a brief chat on the shoreline about the Isle pack. I would not say I know him well, but yes I know him. I have spoken to Ragnar three times maybe. He is not a very forthcoming wolf to strangers, as he shouldn't be. She added the last part, not wanting to anger anyone.

Blue bent down and ripped a piece of the seaweed apart, a small piece, she did not want to waste to much of it. She grasped it in her teeth, and laying part of it on the other's paw, placed her own on top. Grasping the hanging piece with her teeth she wound it tightly and then placed it against each other and it stayed there. Now if you move too much right now it will come right off, but once it dries it will stay like that, as long as you are not racing around. Here let me take it off so you can move more freely. With a few snaps of her teeth the seaweed was in shreds on the ground, she picked it up though, just in case she would need it.

The pretty female admitted she had only spoken to Ragnar about three times, but had an accurate depiction of him. Though, Julooke thought highly of Ragnar, and felt he was pretty open with her. Then again, there really wouldn't be any way to tell if he was keeping things about himself from her. She didn't really care, though. They had a good platonic relationship, and certain secrets wouldn't mess that up. Yes, he isn't very forth coming with strangers. They get the bare minimum, she said with a chuckle. She remember her joining day and asking questions about the pack. His answers were simple and to the point, without much explanation. It was alright, though. It gave her an opportunity to learn about the pack from different members.

Julooke watched closely to what Blue Willow was doing- taking a small pieces of the seaweed and wrapping it around her paw. She stayed as still as she could, which was a feat for her. She explained that if she was to move too much, it would just fall off, but allowing it to dry meant it would stay in place pretty well. Julooke nodded, Nifty, she said with a smile once it was taken off. Is there anything else you can use it for? she asked.

Blue Willow smiled at the white furred femme, a cute girl as it were. She was cute and bubbly and Blue found her liking her instantly. She would not have minded making her a friend, it was difficult to have other pack friends, but blue was certain she could try. Yes that is true, it does not help that there is a little bit of bad blood between a former member of our pack and him, but those are his secrets not mine. She meant no harm, but she would not tell another’s secrets, it was not common knowledge she imagined of Crete and Thistle, and she would do well to keep the gossip to a minimum, but it was the truth of the matter. He was probably even less forth coming with them because of the bad blood, or perhaps even a little more forth coming as there was a common enemy so to speak. Blue Willow smiled she could feel the energy all but humming off the girl. She was probably a very excitable, hyper active wolf, she was also probably playful. That alone was a trait blue herself admired and held. Not much else, it can be used to stave off hunger in lean times, though it is salty and not very good. It can also be used to bind up open wounds, the salt on it helps to heal and dry wounds up a bit. Other than that no. She shook her head with a smile.

Blue William admitted Ragnar and a former pack mate of hers had a history, but wouldn't say more than that. Julooke understood that he could be fickle about what information was given to who, and so she didn't press the matter any more. She nodded her understanding, and her attention went to the seaweed.

It seemed it wasn't super versatile, but could be eaten if a wolf was hungry enough. She lowered her head to sniff at it, only to end up scrunching her nose and reversing. That did not smell like something she would want to eat, even if she was starving to death. I'll take your word for it, she replied with a grin. She didn't need to prove the other wolf right by taking a taste herself. It seemed it could also be used on bleeding wounds to help stop the bleeding and secure them. How do you store your herbs? she asked. Thistle stored them in seemingly random places pretty much all over the territory, and inside her den. She wondered if this was traditional practice or if each wolf had a different way of doing it.

Blue willow laughed outright as Julooke sniffed and then wrinkled her nose. Her green eyes dancing with mirth. It does not taste all that bad, it could be worse I assure you. It is very salty as well. She licked the edge of her muzzle then as she thought of how salty it could be, she hated salt personally so it was hard for her to use her mouth, on the plant, but she took her healing seriously so she did what was needed.

Blue looked up and smiled I store mine in my den. I have little niches cut in the walls and I put them in there, I also have some in shells and pelts throughout it. I have a rather large den though. If I did not have a den, i would merely make a herbal cache, much like a prey cache.

She warned Julooke that it was salty, but the taste could be worse. Is it salty like the ocean water? she asked. Julooke had tried it once, and never again after that. It was so amazingly different, in a bad way, from the river and lake water she was used to. She also didn't know drinking too much ocean water could actually dehydrate her.

She smiled at the other female when she gave almost the exact same answer as Thistle had. The healer of my pack stores them like that, too! She also has little mini-caches buried all around the territory. I don't think my memory could keep up with all the caches that she has. But, it worked for Thistle. Julooke just needed to find her own system and work with it. First thing she needed was supplies! Do you want some help finding some more seaweed? Whatever we find together, we could split? she asked. It would be a win-win for the both of them.

Blue Willow smiled Yes it is exactly like the ocean water, that is where it comes from. She didn’t know how the weed grew in the water, and she didn’t ever ask anyone, she just accepted it for what it was and that was it.

Blue willow chuckled It is different for every healer, my mother for instance did not have a cache, she used what she could wherever we were at the time. Blue willow thought about the suggestion and decided it would do good to make a new friend. Okay that works for me. She smiled then and motioned for the other to start in front of her.

Blue Willow confirmed the seaweed tasted just like ocean water, and she did her best not to make a face. If it was just like it, than it was that bad. But, she still understood the benefits from it if a wolf had nothing else to eat. Like, nothing. The entire world would have to have been burnt to crisp, and the only thing left was seaweed. Then she would eat it. But, she simply smiled to the other female, chuckling inwardly at her own thoughts.

Blue Willow commented that her mother had a different system, and didn't have caches at all. Instead, she would find use in whatever was growing around her. It was interesting way to do it, but Julooke was more of a planner, at least when she could. Having herbs on standby would give her a little comfort when an emergency was taking place.

She smiled brightly and her tail wagged when the other female agreed to hunt down some more seaweed with her. Great! she replied enthusiastically. Following the silent command, Julooke led the way, almost prancing along the shore, trying to dodge the water that dared to try to touch her paws. She didn't mind the water, but at the moment, it was a fun game while she searched for seaweed. Coming upon a small pile, she nudged her nose under and shimmied until it was around her neck. Turning to Blue Willow with a smile, she commented, Now we look the same! She figured she could carry what they found from this point on, and that would be what they split, leaving Blue Willow's current stash to herself.

Blue heard the chuckle and though she was not privy to what the other female was thinking of, she could venture a guess. Given Julooke’s obvious distaste for the taste of the seaweed, her refusal to even try it, so she simply smiled. Yea I don’t like it very much either.

Blue had failed to mention that her mother and she had traveled her entire life, until she had come here to settle on her own. But that was something the other didn’t need to know, not that Blue would mind telling her, no it was just simply it hadn’t come up.

Blue laughed as Julooke, put the seaweed on her shoulders. yes we make lovely swamp things, now don’t we. She planned to divide up her own seaweed too, it was only fair and she did not mind sharing, she had more than enough at this point.

The other female admitted she didn't like it all that much, either, and Julooke was glad she wasn't alone on that. She laughed when blue Willow called them swamp things. Stiffening up her front legs, she zombie-walked towards the other female, I'm the seaweed monster! she said in a deep voice, trying to be scary, but not able to hold her laugh back.

The two woman spent a little time searching for seaweed, and Julooke felt successful in finding a few more strands. She added them to her neck. When they had searched a little longer, she looked toward Blue Willow, Do you think that may be enough? she asked. She wasn't sure how much they would need. Her mind went to where to store, when she realized she was confused on something. Hey, how do you store this and make it stay wet? They did need it wet, after all, until it was used.

Blue followed along behind Julooke, of the ridge laughter floating away on the breeze. This young female gave her heart some good. She made her laugh and she really was good at learning, Blue liked studious pupils she really did.

Blue dipped her head in yes. Yes I believe this is enough. She lay her's down and began to separate it. She did not need so much anymore as Perry's leg was healing well. It was yet to be determined if he would have a limp or not. Blue spoke softly I dig down as deep as I can and find the moist dirt and use it, near a riverbed sometimes, and I also put leaves on top of it to keep it moist, the thing with seaweed is it does not last terribly long, unless you can figure out a way that works. Sometimes caves with water dripping in them work as well.

Julooke had always been a quick learner. She was focused on her tasks and always gave him their best. Some might call her a perfectionist, but she wouldn't consider that an insult. She was taught to have a strong work ethic, and with her high energy, it was difficult to get things done.

Blue Willow agreed their current stock should be enough, and began to sort through her own. Julooke cocked her head, I thought we were only dividing what I have here? What we found together. she asked, pawing at her own to separate it. She wasn't sure how she felt about taking something she hadn't worked for. Their deal was made well after the other female had found her own stock, and Julooke didn't want to take it from her.

She listened intently while Blue Willow explained her method for storing the seaweed, and that it doesn't last long in a dry environment. If it gets dry, can I soak it in water to revive it and use it? Most plants didn't work like that, but Julooke had never worked with a plant that needed to be kept so moist.

Blue looked up and smiled softly, knowing they had talked about separating just Julooke’s. However, blue wanted to help the girl start her own stock and she would do so by offering some of her own. Consider it my gift to you. I would like to help you start your own stock, if I had some of my other herbs here I’d give you some of them too. My friend is healing quickly, so I do not need as much anymore.

Blue thought hard about that question and to be honest she did not know. She had never tried it, she always used her stock up well before it dried, being in a moist environment. To be honest I do not know. I always used my stock well before it dried.

Blue Willow was being nice enough to help start Julooke's stock of seaweed; it would have been more, had she had them with her. Julooke smiled, her tail wagging, Thanks! I really appreciate that. Julooke would have to find a way soon to repay her for her kindness, maybe take a rabbit to her or something.

Blue Willow admitted she hadn't tried to moisten the seaweed after it had dried up. Maybe I'll try and it out and see if it works, she said. Where did you say you were from? After I try it, I can stop by and let you know how it went, she added. It was also a way to find out where she lived so she could repay that favor.

Blue gave her a small shy smile, You are welcome, and thank you for passing the day with me. Blue had enjoyed this day much more than she admitted. It was nice to do something nice to someone else and she believed that you always got back what you gave seven fold.

Blue chuckled i am from the Plateau I am the Alpha female there so all you have to do is call for me and someone will get me if I do not hear it. And please do stop in, I would love to see you. Speaking of which I should probably head home as it is, my friend will need me to fix his wrappings. It has been a great pleasure today Julooke thank you. then she turned side ways to head the way she came, but stopped for a moment to listen for anything else that the other wished to say.

I'll archive this here. Would love a new one soon! <3

Julooke smiled, Anytime! I've really enjoyed it, she replied honestly. Julooke's attention span wasn't all that great, but it was always better when she was working on something she was interested in, like healing.

Her eyes widened when Blue Willow admitted she was Alpha of the Plateau wolves. Not that it should really matter, since they were on neutral lands, and Blue seemed really nice. Her tail wagged, I'll definitely stop by after my experiment with the seaweed, she said. TAke care! she hollered to the retreating form of her new friend. She picked up her own seaweed, wiggling until it was around her neck, then made her way back home.