The Heartwood Casual Greetings

Eee! He's so cute!

He was quick to pick up on her expectations and even quicker to fall into them without much hesitation. It pleased her greatly that he referred to her with such a title as he'd made it very clear as to who was teacher here and who would be doing all the learning. They set off, roaming through the forest in search of the goldenrod she was after.

She explained what she was looking for and soon her student set his eyes on a flowering plant. She frowned. He must have missed the part about this particular plant flowering in late summer and that they were looking for something with buds.

With a sigh, she shook her head. "No. That's tapertip hawksbeard," she identified for him. "That plant is no more than a good food source for elk, deer, and the like." A shame really. She wished all plants held some sort of usefulness in the art of healing, but some were just lying around to distract from the important plants. "If you were a hunter, that would be more important to notice, but for now, pay it no mind."

She turned away from that particular specimen and continued. "Again. We're looking for a budding plant. That means without flowers. Sweeter scent, though that won't be quite so obvious until they're in full bloom. Seek a stalk with long, narrow, serrated leaves." She mentally sighed. "Try again."