Sleepy Fox Hollow Took this dagger in me and removed it

the newly fledged gatherer picked along the streambed, scanning foliage for the bright, nodulous plant. of the myriad bushes, none of them appeared to be red-fruit-bearing and she was starting to lose the measly amount of confidence she possessed in her ability to complete the delivery. never mind the paranoia that she would pick something poisonous by error.  

after five minutes, groaning, phaedra whipped her head around to look elsewhere when her effort was suddenly guerdoned by the sight of a shrub with telltale ruby clusters, crouched in the shade of a broadleaf tree rootstock. 

the vierte wasted no time piquing herself upon the discovery, feeling her pulse quicken with a sense of urgency to get back to her parents. satisfied that the herb suited (well enough) the image fashioned in her mind by mahler's german brogue, the girl cropped as many of the plants as she could before wheeling about for the return trip. 

[enter phaedra]

burdened with the green ravel, she was unable to announce her presence with much coherence, breathlessly shouting: “i'ack! i thoun’ ih!” as she careened onsite and nearly collided with mahler’s backside. 

she hawked the ginseng at his feet, scraping her tongue on canines to dislodge spit-slimy stems stuck there and working tension out of her jaw. "what now?" she panted, sliding down and glancing between the both of them; unaware of their ongoing conversation (if it could be called such).