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

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.