Jade Fern Grove Searching, searching

Veritas, after her encounter with the idiot man and his slightly-less-irritating wife, desperately needed to cool off or risk blowing stuff up in pure, unadulterated anger. And what better way to do it than with a personal herb-hunting session? She trod along the wonderfully green floor of the wait for it... Jade Fern Grove, eyes and nose fixated on the ground beneath her feet. Nothing could have possibly distracted her from the task at hand when the female was this into it now. In a matter of time, she had managed to find cancer root and alfafa. Great.

Now all there was to do was to continue looking. With aforementioned herbs in her mouth, she went on looking.

She intended to pass over (or through) the mountains and begin the journey home. It felt like she had been on the road for weeks, even if it had only been a handful of days. Wildfire felt a tug in her heart every time Floki's face floated across her mind's eye, which was quite often. She loved traveling but, she decided, she loved him more. She couldn't wait to go home and see him.

But she had been sidetracked slightly the previous evening and it turned out she couldn't resist the siren call of the lands further to the east despite the Floki-shaped hole in her heart. With the morning sun shining on her back, Wildfire made a detour between a marsh and a small lake, heading toward a pleasantly hilly plain. Then woods opened up on her left and her stomach growled nearly simultaneously. You just late last night! Wildfire chided her stomach, yet she decided to try her hand at hunting anyway.

Nearly as soon as Wildfire ducked into the thousand shades of green, her eyes clapped upon another wolf. She slowed to a stop, the stranger's appearance immediately making her think of her father. Of course, it wasn't Peregrine. For starters, he would never venture this far from the caldera, and for another thing, this wolf was female.

"Hello there," Wildfire called softly, suddenly noticing the bundle in the stranger's mouth. Would she even be able to respond?

Veritas was still engrossed in her search, not even noticing the bundle of herbs in her mouth or for that matter, her jaws becoming uncomfortable from keeping them open. She did not even realise the approach of another wolf, nor the tell-tale scent of another pack. Only the sound of another voice was enough to shake her out of her reverie, her head immediately shooting up and eyes widening in surprise. Without her self-control, she would surely have crushed the plants in her mouth if she'd snapped her jaws shut.

"Yo, hello there. I'm a bit tied up at the moment, so a second, please."

Veritas said all this to the fiery red girl with her words still muffled by the bunch in her mouth. Then she realised, spitting the green things out onto the ground, miffed. "Apologies, I tend to focus too much on things sometimes". Apathetically, she watched the young child, judging her reactions, her looks, how she behaved and such. She was definitely young, and like this she could be naive. Flaming coat and dark tail with orange-vermillion eyes, she was the epitome of fire. Ears too big for her head, though she would be a good tracker. Small, sleek like a fox. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were named Wildfire, child. You look exactly like one." were the words that came out of the healer's mouth, easily letting her eyes roam over the petite figure before her. "What're you here for?"

@Wildfire

No need to tag me when you reply. I track everything through my thread log. :)

The clearly startled wolf pardoned herself, her speech garbled by the things she carried in her mouth. Wildfire dipped her head in both understanding and apology (for having disrupted her endeavor), milling patiently in the background. When the she-wolf deposited the contents on the ground, she blinked at them, then raised her eyes to see that she was being scrutinized pretty heavily. She shifted her weight, allowing the stranger to assess her and waiting to see if she would say something.

The yearling's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "My name is Wildfire," she replied wonderingly. "I'm not a child," she added, not in a petulant way but with a genial smile. She was small but not a pup any longer. "I'm ranging," she said in way of an explanation. "I'm a scout by trade. Are you a healer?" she guessed, peering again at the bundle of greens on the ground, then falling into expectant silence, waiting for a mutual introduction.

The look in the girl's face showed first realisation, then surprise at how her name had been guessed. So she was right. "Good thing I said Wildfire, then. I was going to say maelstrom instead. Could have been wrong! All this Veritas gave with a light smile, winking at the girl. 

"Ranging, eh? I see." The woman nodded to show her understanding. "Not quite a child, but not quite an adult. Yes, I am a healer. But not one by trade, because I have no trade. I just picked up all these skills from my old pack. We had no such system there."

Her words drifted off in thought, wondering how her pack was dealing with. Hopefully they weren't dead or anything, because that would have been a shame. "Here, if you wish to know more, you can find many plants with medicinal value in these woods. 

"This is cancer root," she said, pointing to an oddly shaped plant. "It helps heal wounds. Wildly effective." In truth, it was only one of the varieties that could be found in here. Veritas would have gotten caught up in explaining the uses of that one herb if she hadn't seen the look the girl was giving her. 

"How could I forget? My name is Veritas, but Ritas or simply Tas is fine"

She was an adult, yet Wildfire didn't feel particularly compelled to correct the other she-wolf again. It didn't matter. She cocked both ears as the other female identified the cancer root at her feet. Wildly effective? the yearling caught herself thinking, especially because the name was sort of awful. She didn't question the healer—Veritas, she introduced—since Wildfire scarcely knew anything about medicinal plants, other than the few tidbits she had gleaned from Raven.

"You mentioned an old pack," Wildfire pointed out after being given a list of nicknames to choose from. "Are you a loner?" Perhaps she could attempt to recruit her, in that case. Moonspear could always use another medic, especially with their bear problems.

Tick tock goes the clock, till all our time's away, Veritas hummed in her head as Wildfire spoke. "Adaqoer, roqa aeui raord uk es? I vok Qiaam Varesok Jobaz Rapieak uk sros vocd, sruisr I dmuv mus ruv es korak muv." Just for kicks, she took the time to speak in her native language, pleased that it was still fluent and sounded well on the ears. The once-queen lifted her head, a proud smile blossoming on her features. The Adevair of old had been glorious indeed, and she would honour her birth pack's name.

"I was from Adevair, a pack far away from these lands. Perhaps on your travels, you one day will find it." Yes, I am a loner. Well, I'm not really one, but I'm leaving anyway. Veritas found herself nodding to the yearling's words, almost knowing next what she would say. Are you looking for a home? Something along those lines. Pack wolves were almost certain to try and recruit them, though perhaps Wildfire was a loner too. However, it was highly unlikely that she was. She had the scent of multiple wolves about her, familiar scents lingering near this territory.

"I'm not a loner, but you must be a pack wolf. Pray tell, which one do you hail from?"

Amber eyes blinked several times when Veritas responded in a foreign language. She said several words before slipping back into the common tongue, speaking of a pack called Adevair. By the sound of it, it was far away from here. So she wasn't part of it any longer... but she wasn't a loner? The fox-like yearling tilted her head, gnawing lightly on the inside of her cheek and letting the flash of disappointment transition into curiosity.

"Moonspear," she said simply. "Do you know of it? Whereabouts are you from now?" she added. She didn't mind providing some information, though she always expected to obtain some in exchange, of course.

The look on her face could only be described as curiosity, Veritas mused, as it transcended from mild disappointment down to what it was now. Wildfire posed a question on what pack she was and at this, Veritas let her amber-gold eyes wander away as if in thought. What could she tell the yearling, and what not? Not too much information, definitely. In the end, she decided upon a healthy mix of stuff... like one sentence.

"Moonlit Hills." There. Short and sweet and filled with mystery of what could be there. Perhaps the girl had heard of it? Anyway, she was here for herbs, wasn't she? If they were going to do nothing but talk, Veritas wanted to talk and get stuff worth her time done. "I came here to search for herbs. I could use some help." Hinting that she wanted to chat while doing work, Veritas began to stand.

She had never heard of it, though that was no surprise. "I like the name," she quipped without even thinking, smiling slowly. Wildfire was sure Veritas would get the joke without her having to explain it. "Is it named after the territory or...?" she asked, glancing around as if she might see a moonlit hill somewhere in the distance. All she saw, of course, was the green, green grove all around her.

Speaking of greens... "Oh," she replied when invited to help with the herb search, surprised but willing. "Sure. What are we looking for?" She had done this countless times with Raven, so hopefully she would be more helpful than some other random wolf on the proverbial street.

Veritas tipped her head and smiled, doing nothing in particular with that grin. That was funny, she always had a reason behind what she did. Perhaps she'd look into that issue later. "I didn't choose it, thankfully." The woman nodded, as if she knew the hidden joke, the unspoken humour. "You'd be surprised," she got a gruff snort out, pawing the ground. "It was going to be in a canyon at first. No hills, no plants." A claw dug into the ground in the rough shape of a flat thing. Basically, a line. "Now, it's flat. Definitely no hills, we should be named Moonlit Trees instead."

"Great!" The most excited Veritas had been since coming here, she was enthused at the stran-no, Wildfire's decision to help. "We're looking for daffodils. They bloom in late winter, standing out amidst the snow, so it should be easy to find them... Unless there's no snow. But it's fine, just point out any large, yellow flowers and we'll go check them out." Instructions given, Veritas turned and began her own search, ears flicking atop her head as she sniffed for that one, particular scent. She wondered if the girl would be able to find it. Though she'd accepted readily enough, had she ever seen the herb before? Or known of it's properties and nature? Shelving the thought that Wildfire could be more a hindrance than help, she kept it in the back of her mind but didn't allow it to interrupt her work.

Daffodils? They were so commonplace, Wildfire had never realized they could be put to use, medicinally speaking. "I know what those look like," she informed Veritas with a nod, immediately dropping her amber eyes to the forest floor and beginning to scan it for any bursts of yellow. "They bloom in winter?" she echoed, interested in this phenomenon.

Their search slowly led them deeper into the woods, green despite the time of year. Maybe this particular territory simply defied the seasons, she thought. She blinked over at Veritas's back, questioning aloud, "What is this place, anyway?" There were some bare trees and shrubs, of course, but plenty of evergreen as well. "It's kind of like an oasis. Reminds me of the hot springs," she murmured to herself.

Wildfire's eyes widened, perhaps in recognition and definitely in surprise. "You do? Awesome." Veritas, likewise, carried on looking for the yellow blooms and their telltale smells. "Well, if they were planted or started growing in fall, but yes, they do bloom in winter. Late winter, to early spring." Mostly ignoring the younger wolve's words, Veritas went on snuffling, perking up when she found a small patch. It wasn't much, only 3 flowers, but it was enough, until...

"Stop that!" She growled, swiping at a clearly malnourished rabbit that was currently trying to chew at her herbs. Veritas lunged forward intent on trapping the devilish creature, slamming down straight onto it's neck with all her weight. It snapped, a sickening crack sound under her paws before spasming a few times. Just for good measure, Veritas picked the limp body straight off the ground and wriggled it about, then satisfied, set it down again. 

She spat the fur out of her mouth, turning to Wildfire. "Fancy bringing something home for your pack? Gods know they might need something in this freeze." Tossing the thing over to the girl, Veritas would let her decide for herself whether she wanted it or not. Then, turning her attention back to the flowers, was disappointed that all of them had been bitten at least once. Still, the entire plant was usable and the bulbs probably hadn't been hurt. 

"See the bulb of the plant?" Veritas hefted one plant out of the ground, roots swinging where there had previously been soil and a sad-looking patch of brown, soiling the blanket of green that painted the area. "Grinding this bulb (or any other part) will release oil. The oil when rubbed in causes complete desensitisation - or numbing. Still, the effect's duration lasts on the immune system.

"You could always use it to amputate limbs or apply painful stuff to wounds. It'll get rid of the pain."

Veritas didn't answer her question, probably because she was busy deftly slaying a small rabbit. Wildfire straightened in surprise as she watched the events unfold just a few feet away. She jerked when the she-wolf haphazardly tossed the carcass in her direction. Although the intention seemed benevolent enough—and Wildfire often gave others the benefit of the doubt anyway—she felt a pulse of distaste at the implication that her pack couldn't fend for itself in the winter. She was one of Moonspear's up-and-coming small game hunters, so it pressed a pretty specific button.

But she wasn't one to anger easily, so Wildfire just shrugged off the likely unintended insult, while simultaneously ignoring the dead rabbit, at least for the moment. Instead, she moved forth to inspect where the rabbit had been foraging, since it was where Veritas's attention focused now. Her amber eyes dragged over the half-eaten daffodil blossoms, the sight of them stirring a very early memory of trying to gobble one after seeing a portly puppy Nightjar do the same. They tasted awful, if memory served.

Veritas drug one of the plants out of the soil by its roots before explaining some of its medicinal properties to Wildfire. "Amputate a limb?" she blurted incredulously. "How often do you have to do that?" She peered dubiously at the unearthed plant. How could that wilted little flower take away the agony of something like having a limb removed, she couldn't help but wonder.

Veritas smirked at the outburst, knowing that that specific introduction never failed to induce stifled gasps from the recipient, though this seemed much more. "Amputate, yes," she replied brusquely, now all business and no fluff. "Once or twice a year if you're lucky. At least in my old pack, yes. You rub the oil on and when it seeps in, it completely desensitizes the area." As if to prove a point, Veritas crushed one precious bulb and smeared smatterings of plant juice, oil and bits of daffodil plant onto her arm, then stuck it out, beckoning for Wildfire to bite into it.

"Yeah, you can touch. Just don't go too deep. I still need my legs." Vague amusement peppered her features, nodding at the girl to go ahead.

Once or twice a year? Wildfire mouthed in disbelief. She wanted to ask how it was done, then she reconsidered. Anyway, Veritas was now attempting a practical demonstration by rubbing the flower's oil on her leg, then thrusting it at the yearling. She stared at it for a beat, then blinked up to the other she-wolf's face, brow slowly quirking.

"Ummm," she began slowly, "I'll take your word for it." She was not going to sink her teeth into someone, especially not for no good reason. "It's crazy, the things certain plants can do," she added a little inanely, taking a step back. The situation was mildly uncomfortable, though her curiosity about it all was pretty genuine. She had enjoyed tagging along with Raven on her herb-collecting, back in the day.

"Is there anything else you're looking for?" she wondered, eyes sweeping the forest. She was happy to help Veritas as long as she required assistance, though Wildfire silently decided to further explore the forest on her own once they were done here. It was such an interesting territory; she wouldn't leave it until she had plumbed its depths.

I'M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG WITH THIS, I WAS TRYING TO GATHER UP MUSE. We can probably end this after my post with maybe an exit from Wildfire?

"Why yes, most of the time. We were not so sophisticated as this land's packs. We had only three healers and little to no good land. Predators everywhere." I suppose that answers your questions? She then mouthed back, winking, then taking her leg back. Indeed. The things plants could do were nothing short of amazing and Veritas intended to find out what at least a good half of them were able to accomplish. 

"No, no Wildfire. You've been a great help and I'd like to thank you." Placing one of the two remaining bulbs next to the girl, then about a third (4 plants?) of her cancer root and half of alfafa (5 plants) as well. "Until we meet again, my dear."

With that, the mollified healer smiled in soft satisfaction, making her way back to the woods.

A few days is not long! Thanks for the thread. :)

Veritas's next comment seemed like a non sequitur, though at least she didn't press the issue when it came to her leg. In fact, she withdrew and more or less dismissed the yearling, though not without thanking her first. Wildfire replied with a smile and a bob of her snout, amber eyes trailing after the she-wolf as she organized her findings and retreated back home.

Then she turned, trying to decide which direction to go. She eventually began to plod east through the grove, taking her time to explore the somewhat exotic terrain. The trees seemed to stretch on forever. They only thinned after a few hours of trekking, whereupon the scout found herself staring out over a sprawling plain, another forest in the distance. Wildfire paused to mentally map the views, then began loping steadily southwest.