Bramblepoint Dump her on a doorstep

"Comfrey," he answered. "Purple flowers. Grows near rivers."

Aureli hummed to himself, looking toward the lake. Where there were lakes, there were rivers. He stole one last glance at the sun before deciding on his course of action.

Delos was led as far along the treeline as they could go. They pushed through the open plains, then, headed for the sparkling blue up ahead. The closer they came, the clearer it was that the northeastern stretch of the lake lead off into a rich riparian zone. Aureli's tail wheeled when he saw this, and he shot the boy a quick smile before picking up the pace just a bit more.

The result was that he was a bit out of breath by the time they reached the shade. He found a rock to set their plantain down atop of, and then lifted his leg to mark a nearby tree.

"Rest a moment," he instructed the boy, raising his voice to be better understood. "We will catch us a few fish for lunch before we resume our search."

And, more importantly, Aureli took a long moment to catch his breath. There was a wheeze to it that would be inaudible to Delos's sub-par hearing, and he felt guilty for being grateful. It was bad enough that the boy could likely see how labored his breathing was — and, on that note, he began nosing around in search of — ah! Wild garlic, the potent scent of which helped ease the tightness of his chest. He dug it up and scraped at it with his claws, opening the skin to intensify the fragrance.