Northstar Vale hang me out to dry

Summer brought forth an abundant of new herbs and remedies to try, and the Vale was perhaps the perfect place to test them out. It provided just about everything the aspiring medic needed, though finding the necessary ingredients was not always an easy ride. Many of the commonly found vegetation was easily accessible, but some of the more rare plants decided to sprout in areas that were difficult to reach. Perhaps if Rose decided to scout out the rest of the territory she would be able to find other herbs that could be used as substitutes, but for now she remained content searching only half of the Vale. She had only managed to explore the area near her herb store since she did not come out of her den very often. In fact she had spent the pass few weeks or so being a hermit that only ever came out to eat, pee or get her daily dose of socialization in. 

Today was one of the rare days when the young flame was found outside her den tending to her newly planted farm. Tiny sprouts budded up from the ground and Rose felt a swell of pride in her chest that she had managed to succeed in getting them to grow. Now they only needed to be tended and cared for so that they would grow strong enough to be used in her medicines. If she succeeded in this endeavor, Rose would finally feel like she had settled in (though its a little late for that).

Rannoch had spent a majority of his morning seeking refuge from the early-Summer heat. Nearly reaching the completion of his first year, Rannoch could not recall a time that was this hot outside. Truth be told, this was only the beginning of it and the wolves of the Vale, despite the shade that the looming mountains provided, were in for a hot season. Beating the heat, Rannoch had spent a good portion of his morning in upon the shore of the territory's main lake. The bottom of this body of water was covered with a layer of delicate shells and precious stones, giving it an extraterrestrial glow. He admired the sight for quite some time, taking it in as he took the morning to relax. 

Time passed, and eventually, Rannoch grew restless in his relaxation. Taking this sensation as a cue to move, Rannoch stood from his position upon the shore and turned towards the inner-most part of the territory, quickly catching sight of the pack's resident Medic. Brightening at the sight of her, the Alpha started in her general direction with water still dripping from his undercarriage and called out to her with a hearty chuff.

As the summer sun peaked through the tree tops and poured itself upon the ground, Rose caught sight of the wandering alpha nearing her garden and moved herself to greet him. She tip-toed her way around the sprouts before positioning herself between them and the grayscale leader in hopes of preventing him from accidentally trampling them. "Hey," she let out as a greeting along with a light nudge to the shoulder. "What brings you round here?" It wasn't often that she got visitors who weren't in need of medical treatment, so seeing the young alpha made Rose wonder if perhaps he needed something. However despite her speculation, the young flame remained quiet and instead kept her ears open for any answer. 

Rannoch was intercepted just in time, as he was hovering dangerously close to the neatly planted rows of herbs. He did not notice how dangerously close he was, as his attention had settled solely to the pack's resident Medic, and as such he lingered in place as their conversation began. 

"I was swimming in the lake and saw you, and since it's been a while I decided to stop by," he explained in reply to her inquiry, his damp tail waving as he spoke. To Rannoch, it seemed as though Rose only materialized when she was needed and was not often seen amongst the others. He wondered if this was a social preference or just the fact that she was preoccupied in her craft. Regardless of what the answer to his curiosity was, he hoped that she was doing whatever made her happy. "How are you doing?" He asked then, genuinely interested in what she had been up to since they had last seen each other.