Firefly Glen xix. still with eyes meeting

AW, botanist #7 (plant identification: borage vs. mint)

When Lótë had first returned to the Terrace, she had been happy to see that the land had been recuperating -- albeit slowly. But it was clear from the moment she arrived upon the Glen's threshold that the sister village of Kukutux's and Sialuk's fallen home had been damaged more extensively. There were sections of the forest that had been blown to bits by the strange storm, places that were now treacherous or unnavigable. 

In the far northwestern boundaries of the narrow forest was the point where things seemed closest to normal -- or what the ecologist assumed was normal for this particular area since she'd never seen it before the comet fell. A few fireflies danced -- green, winking stars against the black backdrop of the shaded Glen. Lótë slowed to a drawling pace as she explored here, feeling her heart well with empathy for the village who had claimed it as their home.

The mousy two-year's fawn ears piqued with intrigue as her green eyes landed on a few small stalks covered in white fuzz near the roots of a sapling, adorned with lovely blue-bell flowers.

Mint maybe..or what was the name of that one? It starts with a 'b'. That was all the herbologist could recall at the moment though, brow furrowed in heavy thought as she studied the plant. 

This would likely be one of her last long trips, but she needed supplies.

At least she wasn't far enough along to have too much trouble with the travel yet. The subtle swelling was more noticeable on her bony frame than it might have been on a stockier wolf, but she barely noticed a difference as she jogged through the deeper parts of the Bramblepoint, then crossed into the Glen.

She had wondered about coming here, but she remembered one plant in particular that she hadn't managed to find anywhere else. If she was lucky, she still remembered where it could be found.

Apparently she was more than lucky. She found more than a few of the roots she needed on the bank near where her old den had been, and on her way to return, she crossed paths with a stranger. At first she didn't notice them, but a sudden shift in the breeze alerted her to the silent presence.

She dropped her bundle and, without much thought, touched a paw to it to ensure it wouldn't roll and she could find it. Didn't think I'd find anyone here, she said, wondering as she did if it was someone she knew. She didn't recognize the scent but it had been a long time.

She'd had her back turned to the woman but her head swivelled at the sound of footsteps, the other likely not too worried about the noise since she thought the land to be uninhabited. Lótë smiled, unaware just yet that the other agouti lacked eyesight, in welcome as her tail gave a faint swish where it hung at her hocks. "Me either," she admitted. "I just came to see if the land was still in ruin." 

"Did you know the wolves who lived here, then?" the birdwatcher asked out of mere curiosity, wondering if the woman knew Kukutux and Sialuk or perhaps Keyni. She did smell vaguely familiar, like the one they'd called Meerkat, but not enough that the botanist could pinpoint her as one of their allies.

wooof this is crusty, sorry!

I live right on the other side of the forest. She gestured the direction, though the trees were well out of sight now. Not that she could know that. It was half of an answer, but it explained it well enough. She didn't really feel like getting into the weeds on what happened. Did you?

She didn't remember this woman either from her short stint in the Glen. Her voice didn't sound familiar at all.

Well, if she didn't know, Fennec was going to lie. She'd claim she didn't know what happened here, let the woman find someone else to explain, she decided.

It wasn't even entirely a lie. A part of her was curious how two entire packs had been wiped out - she'd been on the coast when everything happened. But she more of her hadn't wanted to ask, especially when Bronco was the clearest source.

She felt her brow wrinkle in consternation, wondering why the woman had evaded answering the questions. It had seemed harmless enough but maybe the stranger was just suspicious of others. "Not me. It's kinda complicated." It seemed they both had stories they didn't want to get into.

"I come from village Moonglow," she offered by way of explanation, knowing it hadn't been much of an answer, as she gestured towards Ouroboros Spine in a similar manner to Fennec. "My Alpha used to be allies with these wolves."

Fennec couldn't see the gesture to know where it came from, but the name sounded familiar. Had Meerkat mentioned it once?

She didn't remember and it didn't entirely matter. Is it? A ruin? she asked, which might come across as an odd question. And it was a question that was a little counter to her previous goal, but she was suddenly pretty curious. It was hard for her to imagine what could have happened here that was bad enough for everyone to dip and asking this stranger if the territory was still fucked was a pretty neutral way of finding out.

From what I can tell, things are pretty much the same as always. She'd come in from the Redhawk direction and hadn't come across any gaping fissures or weird monsters that might have swallowed the pack up. Unfortunately, as the latter woulda been pretty cool to find.

She found the question a bit odd, something about it nagging at her until she took a few steps forward -- squinting slightly at what she had thought was a pale gaze. With a blink, she quickly realized the woman was blind. "Sorta," she murmured, sitting on her haunches -- knowing better than to say anything about it. It wasn't as if she was tiptoeing around the fact that the she-wolf was blind, it was just obvious that she was, so why make a big deal about it? Fennec seemed to manage fine and Aiwë knew if she were blind she wouldn't want people making a fuss.

"This part of the Glen seems mostly untouched but the southeastern part of the forest has been destroyed by the falling star. Some places seem pretty dangerous." A subtle warning. She thought to offer to walk with the woman through the wooded grotto, accompanying her as she refamiliarized herself with the damaged terrain -- acting as her eyes and keeping her from accidentally wandering into a pit or upsetting a pile of broken stone and crushing herself. But she wasn't sure how comfortable the stranger might be with her suggestion so she kept it to herself for the time being. "I'm Lótë, by the way."

She was half bothered, half grateful by the time the other woman finished. She was annoyed in part by the subtle warning, but she appreciated that she hadn't outright called her out. So she accepted the tip the usual way, without a thanks and without much acknowledgement.

Fennec. Healer and local bramblewitch. She smirked at the last bit knowingly. If the stranger thought it was a joke, she was half-right.

Wonder what makes a star fall. she mused. Not that she remembered what stars were; all she knew of them were her dad's descriptions from late-night sessions sitting by while he stargazed. Little points of light high in the sky. How did light even hurt anyone as it fell? Wasn't light the part of the sun that warmed her back?

Aiwë grinned a little as Fennec introduced herself, assuming it was a joke as the Caldera wolf had thought she would. "What does a bramblewitch do?" She asked curiously, wondering what exactly the other agouti was referencing. "I work with plants too, just not the healing part," she added, perhaps needlessly, just to add to the conversation. 

"I don't know. Nothing seems to be keeping them up in the sky..I never even knew a star could fall," the aspiring ecologist wondered in return, nearly turning to look skywards but stopping herself at the last moment. It wasn't like there were any stars out for her to examine at that very moment anyhow. 

Fortunately for Fennec, perhaps, not knowing exactly what stars were kept her from dwelling too much on the imminent threat their falling randomly might present. She was way happier to latch on and focus on that first part; that interest could easily turn into another client for her work.

A few things. I'm a healer, but that's the least interesting bit. I also deal in plants for... other uses. Fennec's smile turned a little suggestive. Never knew how someone would react to outright mention of poison. I also deal in fortunes, favors, and occasionally, curses. Even have a few proven successes. In the last one - but the statement implied a bit more.

If your herbs don't heal, what do they do? she asked, interest piqued. It had been a while since she'd met anyone she could trade knowledge with and if she could learn a few new things without having to accidentally poison herself, she'd leap at that chance.

"Oh, some of them do," the greenpaw corrected gently, "I just meant that I cultivate herbs for Moonglow is all. I usually grow healing herbs, I'm just not really a medic. I've grown poisons before but I don't have any planted in my garden back home currently. There didn't seem to be much use for them, but I suppose that was naïve of me." She grimaced sheepishly even though the other fawn agouti couldn't see it.

"I did find some water hemlock not too long ago but I disposed of it, unfortunately. Our pack is due to have a few litters this season and I didn't want any little ones finding it," she explained, not seeing any harm in revealing this to Fennec since they were allies after all.

"Perhaps if I find anything else, I might grow it for you and bring it to the Caldera sometime? I'm supposed to come visit with Sialuk in a month or two -- that would give me plenty of time to search the Spine for any plants you could use." Lótë suggested with a few sweeps of her tail and a questioning cock of her head -- her gestures borne from habit, unable to stop them in spite of the fact that their visual effects were useless in this situation. There was an excited pitch to her tone, thrilled by the idea of setting up some kind of trade between their village and the Redhawks. 

Fennec was slightly disappointed when she said it was just herbs, but at the mention of poison, her expression lit up with obvious interest. Should she? She barely knew this wolf, but there were so few around here to share this interest. And so many who would likely actively judge her for it.

That'd be really cool, actually. She replied, smirking. I'd give you a fortune in return, if you did. Especially if you could also tell me something about how to use it. If it was a plant form elsewhere, Fennec would probably need some information. She only really knew the local stuff, aside from a few tricks she'd learned from Kukutux. Wait - hadn't she survived the mountain's collapse? Fennec hadn't had a reason to really think about it until now, but wondered if she should ask her mother where she was.

Here. I can take you somewhere, if you want? I have a garden here, in the Bramblepoint. I keep it hidden in the thorns so nothing gets into it, but it's where I keep, yknow... just in case. She tilted her head in the other wolf's direction. If she really was interested, maybe they could share. It had never been meant to be just hers, but since everything was sort of gone now, she'd had no one to tend them with.

we can go ahead and end here if you'd like or fennec could show her the garden if you'd like to continue? :)

The doe chuckled lightly at the mention of a fortune, wondering silently what exactly that meant. A youthful aspect of her longed to make some kind of witty quip in return, inspired by the carefree and bold additude the other agouti possessed -- not unlike a younger sibling wanting to emulate a cool older sister. Alas, circumstances and the dove's upbringing had molded her into a wallflower and she came up short in the jokes department as she ran through what she might say in return. And she figured the fortune was likely other herbs that her new colleague might have whenever she made the visit with Sialuk. "Count me in." It wasn't quit a joke but it was said in a light and playful tone. 

"I'd love to see your garden. Perhaps if you ever make the trip to Moonglow, I might get a chance to return the favor," she agreed easily, tail still wagging faintly at her fawn hocks. Lótë moved to trail after the girl whenever she moved to lead the way, ears pricking with silent curiosity -- wondering how Fennec navigated the world without sight but loathe to ask since it seemed a touchy subject of sorts. 

we can fade with them goin!

Unaware of the effect she had, and the woman's curiosity, Fennec inclined her head instinctually when she heard the agreement. Maybe. She wanted to, but the answer came out typically noncommittal. I'll show you the open one first. Her lips twitched up in a bit of a mischievous grin as she hinted at the less open option. She would love to show off her secret trove of poisons too.

Fennec would lead the way and show off her collection, a surprisingly organized affair despite the irregularity of the garden's shape. She tried to play it casual, but as discussion grew, likely some of the facade would drop into vivid interest. It was rare to find someone with similar interest in this kind of thing to talk to now.