Stone Circle this land is your land, this land is my land

the morning after the hunt, blondine leapt from her sleeping space to run rounds on the caches. there were several of them scattered throughout the territory — smart wolves. — and though meager, she noted that they held more than had been expected. later on, once there were others awake to help, she would go out to see what else could be caught and added.

after sniffing around a handful (pawful?) of the caches, blondine thought that she ought to see what herbs were still around in the cold.

She stumbled upon Blondine somewhere between the forest and the plain, and drew nearer with an easy gait. Assured, and secure, but by no means pretentious. "Salutitsinik," she tipped her nose, and let her lips tug into a small, testing smile. "Or, how you say, howdy."

Nanook recalled the newcomer from the hunt last night, but had found little time to speak with her then - her own tired spirits, having raised her to a height where speech came difficult, but where laughter passed easy through the lips. After a good night's sleep, her wits felt fully with her again. "What are you doing? Come, I will join you."

blondine forced herself to stifle a giggle. and a howdy to you, too! she replied, a wide smile on her face. this woman, she had spirit. remind me of yer name, darlin.' the wolves of the hollow were kind and welcoming, almost making blondine want to turn her winter home into something more permanent.

i was sniffing about for some herbs, but uh..., she gave the land a quick once over, ain't really much to be found. it wasn't an urgent task, anyway. worst case scenario, blondine figured she could always take a foraging trip to the mountains. good for mosses and allat.

she turned back to the greyscale sylph beside her. you reckon its huntin' hour? or would you rather help me sift through the snow. a small flake drifted down upon her snout, causing a most ungraceful sneeze.

"Nanook," she freely offered, with that same small, yet easy smile. The newcomer had a refreshing air about her, genuine and warm. If this was who she was to more than just new faces, then she would fit in well with Easthollow, Nanook had little doubt. "And you, remind me of yours." The mercenary had heard numerous monikers crop up around Easthollow in recent days, but each only in passing, and she sought every chance to amend that.

Her ears piqued at the newcomer's mention of herbs, and her thoughts turned immediately to Arlette. So they had finally recruited a healer for once. True, these winter days were hardly weather for finding any green thing alive and useful. In an ideal situation they would be working off the stores of the summer and spring. But this was perhaps the first real healer they'd had in a very long while, and Nanook hoped that she would stay, that by next year, Easthollow would have an ample supply of ingredients ready for any injury or illness that the Wilds were so prone to bring about. A supply, and a trained healer to help them.

"The snow seems to have a way of sifting around us, even without our help," Nanook mused, and quirked a good-natured smile as the newcomer recovered from her sneeze. "No, let us look for herbs. The prey is returning, and we have many paws who will make quick work of filling our caches with the provision they catch. We do not have many paws who are trained in medicine. Tell me what you look for, and I will do my best to help." Besides, if she wished to get to know the stranger, conversation would be necessary, and one did not need to stay quiet for plants the same way they did for prey.

blondine, blondine abernathy. the huntress smiled, turning to wink at nanook with her remaining eye. she turned to make way for the pond, assuming that her company would follow. if you insist, she laughed, looking back over her shoulder, then we'll look for some mint by the pond. watermint, good for an upset stomach.

the women of the pack would soon go into estrus, and likely in quick succession. blondine knew that it was time to prepare for the hoard of pregnant mothers that would follow. while she'd never been pregnant herself, she'd been told several times over about the nausea experienced in the first few weeks. 

once at the pond, she began to sniff around the edge for any hiding stalks. i doubt we'll see any flowers this late in the season. just look for a, uh.. minty scent. blondine peered up to smile at nanook, then bent back down to continue her work.