Herbalists' Cache You oughta know by now

@Fallen Sun

On her ranging mission, Lilia had passed by a few areas she had wanted to investigate more closely, though she'd been on a time budget. And so, once she'd completed a round of the borders, she headed off in search of the dark, forested area that had had a rich variety of plant scents to see what there was to be found there. A day trip, she figured- she could go, scout it out, and return with news of what she'd found. 

When she came to the area, she noticed a wide variety of plant life; and while she was no medicine wolf herself, she knew the scent of things which were herbal. Medicines which had been used on her before, that had a light scent until they were chewed, mashed, and placed upon a wound where they would become pungent, but effective. 

She moved through the cache, wondering how all of the different kinds of plants had come together. Perhaps it was the ground was fertile, and the seeds had all simply thrived- or perhaps it was just by chance that so many different types of plants, herbs and flowers all rooted together here. She moseyed amongst the flora, and pondered which ones of them would be helpful, and which were to be avoided.

Fallen Sun had wandered up the way and back to the snow-covered forest he had first found. He did not quite know what to expect, as these wolves were quite interesting and a fair bit more talkative to the silent ears he had known in his old home. There were many more places to explore, too, such as this place brimming with plants that smelled more tasteful than they felt on his tongue. 

He saw a wolf in such a place, and he approached her, in his Quest for Knowledge and the ability to talk. However, the golden male did not know what she was doing, and it tugged at his curiosity like wildfire. Was she sniffing the many flowers in this location, as well?

Over the perfume of herbs, Lilia caught the scent of another wolf- but once she recognized it, she felt assured she was in no danger. The quiet, red wolf had been rather meek, not a threat at all. She meandered through the flowery copse until she caught sight of him, apparently also drawn in by the scent of plants in the area. Her tail waved, and she chuffed quietly. 

"You again," She said, though her tone was pleasant. "Hey, uh, you know if any of thethe planth ah thafe, or utheful?" She asked.

The noises from her mouth were arguably stranger than the other wolves he'd encountered, but nonetheless, they fell on unknowing ears. Whatever she said, he didn't have to vocabulary to speak in return. 

Though, she did wave her tail and greet him in what he understood as a friendly gesture, so he return it in kind. He tilted his head and tried to mimic her noises. It occurred to him that he would not get better unless he kept his throat tired with practice. Fallen Sun hadn't learned to hunt in a day, nor would this strange new skill develop in one go. 

From his mouth exited not words, but whines. the third-to-last noise he had decided to pinpoint. A lower start, a higher middle, and a lower ending. it sounded more like a questioning hnnownrr? Which he didn't think was anything like what the other wolf had uttered.

He stared expectantly, hoping she'd approve of his attempt.

If he knew something of plants, he wasn't able to express it. Lilia perked her ears, wondering at first if he might be speaking another language- and if he was, it was one with very subtle articulations. From what she could tell, the sounds he made didn't sound like sounds at all. Still, she listened attentively, tilting her head to the side when he managed to round something similar to a word with his mouth toward the end, that sounded a bit like a question. 

"Can you talk?" She asked, doing her best to articulate clearly. "Like..." She jawed, made some non-sensical sounds, "Talk, like thith." She finished, and tilted her head.

He tried again to mimic the noise, moving his tongue more. Maybe that was the missing part of his lack of articulation. Naahrnne. Fallen did not understand her sounds, but he did try to make them himself, the gears in his mind turning visibly with his concentration, doing his best to say more words than the one he had tried previously. Nnnik. Rrin. 

Fallen's eyes looked downward, a whine of disappointment and an urge to help her understand that he wanted to. 

This business was far more complex than he had anticipated, the intricate movement of air through his mouth and past his teeth and tongue. 

Irritation grew in a raised pelt. 

His head tilted again, eyes curious. What are you doing here? 

Do you like sniffing plants?

He tried, but wasn't making much progress. She wondered if he felt the same way she did, every time she had to make a word that had an s sound in it. It hadn't come naturally to her, and being abandoned at a young age certainly hadn't helped. She'd learned from others, once she'd joined the Redtail Rise- but still her speech sounded different. Perhaps, she thought, this guy had also been alone- and simply hadn't learned how to speak. Maybe his family were quiet, like Augur and New Snow- but he seemed willing at least to imitate speech. 

He looked disappointed for a moment, but took a breath. When he looked at her again, it was with a curious gaze. She interpreted that to mean that he might possibly be asking her to teach him. 

"Can you do what I do?" She asked, though she had to be mindful that he might not even understand that question. She opened her mouth, so he could see the way she used her tongue. "Eeeeeeeeyah. Eeeeeeyah. Eeeyah. Yah. Yah," She said, showing him how she channeled the air above her tongue, and then dropped her jaw to make the sound. She nodded, so he might know what the word meant. "Yeah. Yeah?"

He studied this carefully, eyes intent on watching every single movement. That! That was at least closer to what he wanted to do. He mimicked the movement of her head, copying her noises. rrrah? A better explanation was exceedingly helpful.

NNNyah? 

Nyah.

YAH!

He barked the last one, and then repeated it several more times in quick succession. Excitement filled his eyes and he bowed playfully for a moment. 

Did he know what the noise meant? Not quite, but it seemed to mean... agreement?

Good enough for him, he learned a noise!

"Hah! Yeah!" She replied, when he finally nailed the sound of the word. She nodded, to accent its meaning. "Yeah," She reiterated, tail waving. This perhaps wouldn't be too hard- so long as she could teach him two very basic words, she could ask him questions, and learn more about him. "You wanna leawn anothuh word?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. At least, if his answer was affirmative, he could now say it!

Did she understand him just then? Another excited wave of barking ensued, even him circling around her in bliss. Fallen Sun was happy. 

Noise Giver, as he has so wonderfully decided was her name, had a curious tone about her next set of noises. His excitement died down to a comfortable level, one that allowed for this very basic of understanding. His head tilted, and - mostly because it was the only word he knew - nodded. Yah.

His tail still wagged. 

Fallen was glad he had come here.

His gemstone eyes sparkled. His looks reminded her a bit of Mirelle, and she might have wondered if they were related save for the fact that Sapphique was a pack she knew to be formed of strong family bonds- if he was related to Mireille, he likely would have smelled of Sapphique as well. Both times she'd met him, he'd smelled of very few others, if anyone at all. Perhaps his quiet nature made him a bit more solitary. 

All of that could be pondered later- she had another word to teach him. "Yeah? Okay," She said, and cleared her throat. For this word, she drew a more stern mask, and shook her head. "No." Again, she pulled her lips back so he could see her tongue pressing against the roof of her mouth through her bared teeth. "Nnnnnnnnooo." She brought her lips together slowly, so he could see how she pronounced the diphthong. "Nnnnnnooooo. Nnnno. no." She said, and shook her head again. "No."

Noise Giver had another word for him. 

This one sounded even more simple, so he sat there, tail daintily curled around his paws, and furrowed his brows, acting very displeased. Was that the meaning of the word? It must be. Was Noise Giver upset with him? 

hnnooow?

That wasn't quite right, he felt, trying once more. 

No?

His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Would she like that noise?

"Yeah!" She exclaimed, when he got the sound right. "that'th right- no," She said, shaking her head at the same time she said the word again. She realized it might be hard to be affirmative about a negative word, but she figured he seemed to understand the meaning of yes, and perhaps he could come to the conclusion that no was basically the opposite. 

"Tho, Yeah," She said, nodding and smiling, "And no," She said, with a frown, shaking her head. "You like...get it?"

The rest of her sounds were lost on him, but he continued to repeat the two whole sounds he could make that others would recognize. Even a simple question would not fall on knowing ears.

But it did remind him of the blurry face he knew as Da, though he wouldn't be able to describe his past if he were to be able to say it. The only hunch Fallen Sun had was that he was relatively sure Da knew the secrets of language. 

Yah.

"Good!" She praised- knowing the approval would come across and help the meaning of the word. She wondered if she should begin asking him questions, to get a yes or no answer- but had begun to get the feeling that it wasn't just speech, but comprehension he lacked as well. Perhaps there was a better option- teaching, rather than asking questions. 

An introduction was likely in order. 

"Lilia," She said, pressing a paw to her own chest. "Lee, lee, ah," She said. That one might be hard- she opened her mouth so he could see the way her tongue curled against the roof of her mouth. "Lee. Lee. Ah," She stated again, tapping her paw against her chest, to indicate herself.

Okay. Noise Gifter had another word. 

Wait. 

Was she suggesting that she had a name? That... wasn't... Noise Giver? 

His eyes looked shocked, but again he tried to mimic the sounds she spoke. Spoke? That felt right, yes. 

Lea uh?

Leuh?

That one was most difficult to his tongue. Why were sounds hard?

"Leah?" She asked. He'd not quite gotten it right, but she considered the word for a moment, and was surprised by how much she liked the sound of it. "Yeah, you can call me that. Leah," She said, with a smile. It was nice, to have found a nickname with this new guy who...Also, didn't seem to have a name. 

She lifted her paw, and gestured to him. She didn't give him a word, just...Tilted her head. Did he have a sound for himself? Or an idea?

Unbeknownst to him, or Leuh, as that was an acceptable sound to call her instead of Noise Gifter, the golden boy knew two sounds he had carried deep inside him for seasons.

He tried his best to combine all of her lessons, to recreate the words he had never understood or knew how to utter.

allun un.

Quietly, he spoke- though there was some reverent timidity that made Lilia wonder if she was about to mispronounce his name. She'd heard something that sounded somewhat like Alan Hun, but she wasn't sure if that was what he'd intended. "Say...Again?" She asked, coming a step closer and swivelling both her ears toward him, so she could pick up on any letters she might have missed when he'd spoken a moment ago.

Maybe she didn't understand his words! Oh, that was so funny to the wolf. He repeated himself, straightening his back and sitting proudly, doing his best to say it clearer. 

He then saw the sun, blinding as it were, and motioned his paw to it, as she had motioned with hers to herself.

Allun 
un.

What even was 'fallen'?

Maybe if he lay down? He did so. 

Was that it?

She still thought he was saying Allen Hun, but when he gestured past her to the sun, she began to piece together the words, as though playing a game of charades. She inhaled, and her brows lifted when she realised perhaps that the second word was-

"Thun?" Of course, she couldn't pronounce it correctly either- but she gestured to it as well, though she lifted her head in surprise when he fell to the ground. He looked at her in a way that was urgent, seeking understanding. He hadn't fallen to the ground in exasperation- he was explaining an important point to her, and she gasped when she realized it. "Fallen Thun?" She asked.

Fallen Sun barked, jumping off the ground, his tail a blur.

Lauh had said the words Da had told him all that time ago! He was such a good teacher, he should find more wolves to teach them to. Or at least... that's what was behind those forest-green eyes.

Her noises... sounded a lot better than his version of the words, admittedly. But the fact she understood him and said the right things filled him with joy. A chuff of excitement parted from his silence.

He nodded and woofed his yah. yah! yah!

He seemed to glow when his words and gestures had been understood, and Lilia had to wonder how long it had been since someone had been able or willing to try and work out words with him. He was clever enough for it, and while he lacked the skill, he seemed to be a quick, eager learner. Teaching, as well, seemed to make him quite happy. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him to go a long time without having anyone speak his name. 

"Alright, Fallen Thun it ith!" She said, with a laugh. "That'th your name. Your name, Fallen Thun. My name, Lee-uh," She explained- hoping he might next come to grasp the idea of giving a word to mean one thing. "Nuh, nuh, nnnaaaaa-muh" She pronounced. "Nnnnaaaaame. Name." She said, gesturing then for him to try.

That one almost sounded like a sound he could make first try! 

Nahum! Nahum!

Was he close? Fallen Sun hoped he was close. Leuh looked happy; he was happy. The sunset male hoped the day wouldn't stop when the sun sank into its den for the night, and the moon rose to light the dark sky. However, it would be much harder to see how she made the sounds that were the key to this happiness inside him.

The sun made learning easier. 

Nahum?

"Uhuh," She said, nodding. Perfection wasn't needed- he grasped the concept, and his pronunciation would likely come with time. She didn't have a strong enough concept of phonetics to know how to coach him, anyway. "Yeah! Naaa-muh," She said. 

Now, it was just a matter of putting names to just about everything in existence, and then he'd be able to speak- right? 

She looked for something that might be an easy word to say- but found herself a bit discouraged. Even she couldn't pronounce grass correctly, and what if he modeled his speech after the way she spoke? He'd be pronouncing lots of things wrong, then. Flower seemed complicated, and Sky was yet another tough one for her to say. 

Fortunately, a bumblebee buzzing at a dandelion caught her attention. When it lifted off the bloom, covered in pollen, she pointed at it. "Name: bee!" She said. She pursed her lips together, and barked the word again. "Bee!"