Bramblepoint Dump her on a doorstep

It was strange to follow the boy through the woods in this way. He could see them as if from a distance, and superimposed in their places, the ghost of Ulysses and a much younger Aureli. Or Rémi, as he'd been called at that time. Strange. Strange and oddly idyllic.

"This is the one," he agreed, and then he offered a mild but sincere, "Good work, Delos."

Delos. Perhaps he, too, would someday take another name.

"We will discuss your prize later, with your mother. For now, pay close attention." He was sure to address Delos head-on, side-stepping so that the boy faced physician and medicinal plant both. "This plant is toxic when ingested. You can easily harm yourself by plucking it with your mouth, or by grooming after it has been applied. This is what we do..."

He talked Delos through the method, and then showed him how to rake his claws through the plant, opening its slimy green veins so that it excreted astringent fluid. There was not much, but it was enough that a good roll was enough to coat a wolf.

Aureli taught him about how his coat would need to be wet with water first to help the fluid seep in and reach his skin. He taught him to let the fluid soak for at least three hours before he could rinse, and that only after a thorough rinse was he safe to groom himself again.

It was a longer lesson that the first. Aureli spent as much time as needed making sure the boy understood.

"It's getting late," he told the boy, at the end. "Let's return you to your mother. I will teach you more another day."