Herbalists' Cache my baby, she don't love me

@Eleuthera

He was not a small man, but neither could he could be considered large by any true measure. And he was every ounce worth his salt, in his humble opinion, but the only soul who could attest to that was a hundred miles in the rear view mirror; Kincaid had been doing his best not to dwell on that.

One of the few pointsof pride he thought he could still lay claim to was that he was a well-travelled man. He'd had all manner of dust stuck between his toes, and had seen near every sunset from a different point of reference. And since that wouldn't matter much to wolves in these parts, who likely had no interest in the sort of things he'd seen eight days and a long swim to the north, he was doing his best to familiarize himself with his current setting.

So. His mental map now included these places: Easthollow, two abominable bogs, a scorched plain, a beautiful meadow, and this place. Full of plants that were plenty useful — Kincaid knew some by name, but others (those bright, orange flowers, for example) only by their rather extravagant effects. He stood next to these plants in deep rumination, wondering if it was worth losing a day of productivity to lose also a day of sorrow.

Perhaps sorrow was not the right word.

He moved along, tracing his black nose along one of the delicate orange petals before removing himself entirely from the temptation. He still had to get back to where he'd come from; maybe if he was still feeling sorry for himself, he would take some to go on the way back.

For now, he found a rock that was quite to his liking and lifted his leg on it, wondering to himself who he hoped might come and look him up.

@Taikon, some relationship building while waiting for our thread. Also @Juniper for a lesson 


The days since Taikon had changed his mind about joining whitebark had been filled with domestic bliss. 
Her heart still yearned for Surya of course, still held hope that somewhere out there, he was alive. But for now, this friend and would be lover, had her mind and heart occupied. 
She (with Dawn's permission) had offered to lead Juniper to the meadow, for a first proper lesson on herb collection. There was, after all, a right way and a wrong way, to collect certain herbs to ensure they weren't overharvested or stripped away. That there were plenty for generations to come. 

She looked up nervously- rain on the horizon again. It had been raining a lot lately, and she had been making fervent offering and prayers to Poseidon and Zeus. Eventually she would have to teach Juniper more about their gods as well...

Her eyes landed on the stranger with his leg currently cocked against the rocks and she gasped slightly, averting her gaze.
"Uhhh... excuse me...." She stammered, embarrassed to have caught someone in a compromised position.

The white wolf was in a new world. Taikon had gone so long on his own, he had nearly forgotten what friendship and comradery felt like. He couldn't help but recall Markus, hoping the young, now surely mature, creature was still doing okay with the Farukans. Though he was wandering still from Whitebark, his circles were becoming much less wide. Aphrodite had made sure to keep him strapped close to her side, working on him as though he was her pet project of sorts.
That day, the blue-eyed healer had somehow convinced him to shadow her during Juniper's herbal lessons. Maybe it'll be fun, he had thought to himself earlier, though where this newfound optimism had come from, he couldn't be sure.
Instead, he found himself worrying frequently about an impending downpour, as evidenced by the clouds looming dangerously overhead. Sullenly, the male followed the youngster and experienced herbalist toward a mysterious place with special plants, apparently ripe for picking.
Taikon nearly walked into Aphrodite as she paused and glanced at a rusty-looking male not far from them. Taikon stared, looking annoyed and stepped out past her to get a better look.
The white prince raised his head, sniffing at the air, trying to detect any sign of illness in the loner. Afternoon, he said simply, keeping his ears forward and body stiff, suddenly feeling quite protective of the girls.

The approach of not just one, but a trio of wolves had Kincaid quickly placing all four paws on the ground. Although he was unashamed to be cause pissing — he had pissed, shat, and fucked with impunity for most of his life, and often with an audience of at least one — he was uncomfortable being approached at all by more than one wolf at a time. Especially without Nine at his back, he felt small and easily displaced in confrontation.

"Ma'am," he acknowledged with a dip of his head, and then gave an even slighter nod in the male's direction. ". . . partner."

Then his sloe gaze fell on the girl, and he started to bristle all over again. She was young enough that he was quite sure he shouldn't be this close to her, and the way the male stepped out in front of her left no room for doubt. He skated his gaze elsewhere and began to slink away, chosing a path that would take him no closer to the trio, but would keep him from turning his back to them as well. He had been dressed down most severely the last time he'd accidentally gotten too close to a pup, and those scars were on his flank, hidden beneath his thick undercoat.

her mother's permission had not been an easy thing to wrangle, but with promises of obedience (less than effective, seeing her record) and careful use of puppy-eyes and the promise it would further her education (somewhat more effective) Dawn had allowed the outing, with strict instruction that Juniper ought to be sent back immediately should she misbehave. 

her teacher seem preoccupied with the horizon, though she was more interested in the sounds coming from up ahead. a stranger, emptying his bladder. "hi!" pipped the girl, glancing to Taikon (who she'd become rather fond of) as he moved to place himself between them and the stranger. the latter mumbled something, beginning to move away the moment his gaze fell on her. "where's he goin'?" she questioned, gaze following the man as he continued to slink.

In a moment she recovered, frowning as the man mumbled an apology. Gently she touched her muzzle to Taikon's flank, wordlessly encouraging him to relax. Still it would be better to be safe than sorry, and so she spoke quietly to Juniper. 
"Stay back, My Flower. Strangers aren't always nice." 
She took a careful step or two towards the man, smiling sweetly. 
"Sorry to have interrupted you. This is Taikon and Juniper. I'm Aphrodite. And you are?" 

The white wolf exhaled as Aphrodite gave him not even a tap. She already had him trained well to respond to her. At present, he felt as though on the job; Dawn had granted them permission to go, and he was there partly to ensure the safety of the woman and child. Taikon took such an escort job seriously, even if this amber-coated critter posed no threat.
Aphrodite took the moment to introduce them, at which he raised his head in a nodding gesture, sizing up the strange male. He blinked, waiting for the response and looking for a moment at young Juniper. His expression was quite serious, though his stiffness gave way to calm.

Kin wasn't apologizing or mumbling. Just talking :)

When the girl called out her own greeting, he lingered long enough to flash a smile and a quick flip of his tail. "Hey there, sweetheart," he replied, but returned just as quickly to his retreat.

But although he'd shown every sign of clearing out of the way, the trio wasn't done with him yet. With an ear still cupped in their direction, he heard the woman say something to her baby, and then sensed that she was addressing him directly when her voice carried a little further.

Kincaid paused, not quite turning his body toward them, but allowing himself to look once more.

"Just passin' through,"  he said, and contemplated leaving things at that. The woman seemed friendly enough, but Kin didn't get the sense that her man appreciated the headache — and he was sure neither of them were comfortable with him being around the kid, even if they were being perfectly polite about it. "I'm Kincaid," he added somewhat reluctantly, seeing no reason to be rude if they hadn't started it. "I can be outta your hair directly. Like I said — just passin' through."

He directed these words at the male, hoping he could gently steer his woman's attention elsewhere. They could be so kind, at times, but it really wasn't necessary. And what was more, it made a man's job — either guarding his girl, or guarding his own tail — that much more difficult.

Putting a bow on this - PPCed everyone as per discussion

The stranger offered a greeting to the group. Kincaid. Taikon was unwilling to be so trusting of him the way Aphrodite was, but he supposed there was little threat that he posed. In a former life, Taikon had been a young warrior trainee, and though he'd lost a lot of his fortitude, he was sure he could still be a protector if push ever came to shove.
Clearly, he had nothing to worry of, for Kincaid seemed keen to leave them be. Taikon jumped on the opportunity. Safe travels, then, he said, before Aphrodite could interrupt him. The travelling man seized the chance to take his polite leave. Taikon shepherded the girls back on the path toward the herbal crop, though he was sure he'd get an earful for being overprotective later.