Swiftcurrent Creek castles crumbling

"No, no need to change your routine for me!" she assured him. "I prefer waking up early. I usually wake up around sunrise to tend to the garden, so I can handle waking up a little earlier." The afternoons were beginning to be brutal, and she preferred swimming or napping when the day was at its hottest.

Eshe carefully and gently swept away the dirt on Arric's face, not wanting to irritate his eye. "There, much better," she said, pulling back to examine her work. She couldn't see anything, but it was possible the smallest specks of soil lingered and hid in his dark fur.

With the number of compliments she'd received since leaving the Frosthawks, Eshe was finally beginning to feel like she was capable of her craft—that she was an excellent botanist. "Thank you," she said, standing a little taller—but not too tall. "You're a good friend and helper—I really appreciate all your work." And she meant every word.

"Eshe. You didn't have to do that. Though I really appreciate it." he said as she applied the balm all over. In a very Arric-like manner, she shrugged her shoulders, smiled, and assured him: "It's no big deal" Eshe hadn't done it because she felt obligated—she did it because she wanted to because her love language was making others feel valued and safe.

"Alright," she said, walking to the plant and crouching at its side, "You ready?" When he confirmed, Eshe moved quickly. She carefully grabbed the stem in her mouth, tugged, and uprooted it. Then, as though she was handling a hot potato fresh out of the oven, she tossed it toward his paws.

"Alright, let me go and get something to wrap it up in!" She called said as she got onto all fours and bounded away. Once she entered the cave, she searched her belongings and could only find one thing to hold everything in and emerged again with a rabbit pelt in her mouth. The hide belonged to the rabbit who had stolen her poppy-infused fermented apples; this seemed like an appropriate ending for its remains.

"Ohwite," she said with a mouth full of fur, re-emerging from her den and striding towards him. "If we tightly roll up the ivy, we can put this around it." she said after dropping the pelt at her feet. "Would you prefer to wrap the ivy? Or wrap the fur around it?"