The Sentinels Hi-dilly-ho, neighborino!

Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to carry the Jimson weed all they way back to Stavanger in her mouth - but she wasn't a raccoon or something that could just pick it up in her paws. So she'd carried it as tenderly as possible in her mouth, careful not to let it touch her tongue - I'll have to do it, eventually, but not yet. Not until the ceremony. Apparently, she hadn't been careful enough, because she was feeling a bit strange as she set out once more on her search.

This time, she didn't have to go very far at all before she caught the smell of snake root - the next item on her list of must-haves for the ceremony. Without snake root, she might weaken the very wolves she wished to bless with the ceremony. It was necessary to get to the plants - but they were on the other side of the border.

She paced restlessly for some time, feeling the affects of the Jimson weed more and more. I can't just cross into the other pack's territory... maybe there's more along the side over here...

She followed the border for the better part of the day, finding no place where snake root grew on the other side of it. There's nothing for it, she thought mournfully, but an idea came to her. Maybe, if I call for permission and ask very, very nicely, the wolves here will let me take some? It was worth a try. Doctor Doe tilted back her head and gave a piping, inquisitve howl.

'twas not the howl that drew deirdre that noon, but the scent. it was distinctly resemblant of the one her skellige wore, and the perfume lured her as a fish to bait. when the howl sounded, deirdre knew for certain it was not the man but another... perhaps one of his oceanic tribe, she imagined. it did not deter her at all.

the woman wove through the wood, plume even behind her hocks. still ranked among the youth, deirdre would soon assimilate herself into the ranks. the instinct to establish herself had only just begun to rear its head within her, and deirdre had grown into herself and felt confident enough to approach with an ample amount of pride. she had witnessed her own father greet others at the borders, and the seraph paused before the other when she reached the borderline the hybrid lingered at.

the other was small, smaller than her, even; deirdre, in her adult stature, had no hint of her youth upon her. rather, she looked like a woman with eyes rimmed in kohl and thick lashes, and with the return of food her curves were becoming far more evident. her tail flicked behind her and the jewel of the wilds smiled warmly to the other. she could smell the titan upon the wolf before her, and she wondered if she was sent here by him. greetings, she lilted, the hint of her fathers brogue still ever-present on her tongue. did skellige send you? though she stood confidently before her, deirdre was not at all cool or indifferent to the others presence. there was a warmth to her that was surely welcoming, and certainly disarming.

The wolf that approached was as white as Mirage, the mate of her darling Riverbone. In her green eyes, she found a difference, but the likeness was still astounding. The doctor wagged her tail in greeting, and made herself low as the other female came near. "Hail," she said in turn, when the white wolf had greeted her, and then cocked her head at the question that followed. No answer came immediately from the doctor's mouth - she was distracted by the white of the pelt before her, and was gazing at the lovely shewolf in open admiration.

Soon enough, though, she remembered her manners, and snapped her maw closed, her tongue escaping her teeth at the last second. "No, Skellige did not send me here, though I am his vessel," answered the scrappy shewolf, peering more closely at the white wolf. "How do you know my master? His scent is in your fur."

Purpose forgotten, the doctor waited for a response, ideas now swirling in her mind.

the lovely deirdre equally admired the other in front of her own eyes. never before had deirdre seen such an exotic blend, and to deirdre the other was a rare beauty. her emerald eyes sparkled as her tail swayed behind her, and her head tilted as the woman mentioned being his 'vessel'. how she meant it, deirdre was unsure--but the stranger was not chagrined to admit it, and so the term did not seem as  though this beauty before her was treated in an ill manner.

your master has saved me on more than one occasion, she hummed gratefully, he has informed me of his intent to settle next-door... you and i may soon be neighbors! and so i welcome you to the coast, a broad, heartfelt grin came to her lips as she spoke this. saltwinter was so very far, and donnelaith had never had neighbors before. it was preferred, peaceful as the pack was, but with skellige and his wolves coming into their fold it had become insurance that donnelaith would be untouched. she did not indulge the other in the details of their relationship, not because she intended to omit anything but simply because these did not come to the forefront of her mind when speaking to a new soul. such things were personal to her, and though she dwelled on them when alone they did not come to mind in moments such as these. deirdre was an honest lady with no cause to be wary of strangers and their ill-intent, and so had the thought been there she surely would have informed her of this as well. what may i call you? the girl queried, prepared to introduce herself in kind thereafter.

A vague disappointment hit her when the white wolf did not profess her love for the master - for a moment, the doctor had wondered if this was the spirit of Mirage, come to the sea as she and Riverbone had. It was strange to feel loss that it was not - for she had habored unthought hopes of one day bearing the Lethiathan's brood - strong, dark-furred sons that would grow bigger than her -

So it would only make sense to bear resentment toward this girl, who she'd suspected of stealing the sea king's heart. Instead, she was merely disappointed that she was not Mirage, and when she took the time to think again of her unborn brood, they were pale instead of dark-furred, with ink dripping down their sides. (Unbidden, the doctor's tail began to wag once again.)

"Whatever you like," said the doctor, not remembering any name in particular, at the moment. "But please, sweet lady, look favorably on your neighbor - I need the roots of the white-flowered plant that lies just across the border. It is a cure for posions, and Skellige has need of it," she explained, hoping that her mention of the dark wolf would soften the stranger's heart toward her predicament.

i would call you àlainn aon, if it were up to me, to speak of your lovely features, but miss, it is not up to me. what is it you would wish to be called? truly, she was intrigued, now! her own tail waved slowly, gently, favoring the others open nature. deirdre was proud of her own name, the last mayfair witch of blue willow and lasher and undoubtedly, other than emaleth, his strongest!

to the others query, deirdre tilted her head. you know of medicines? after a moment, the girl paused. there is no cause for you and yours to be out of my favor--of course, i will deliver this to you. what is its scent? is there any danger in the plant itself?

Edited to describe correct plant

The doctor ignored the white wolf's first question, not wanting to get into particulars about her confusing ailment. She did not know them, firstly, but she was also in something of a hurry. Despite her desire to linger with the striking female, she knew that there was much to do, and she needed to ingest the snakeroot sooner rather than later in order to make the rest of her preparations.

"The flowers are sweet like old meats, but it is the roots I am after, and they smell of winter and mint. You will suffer no ill affects if you do not swallow too much of it - it is often used to ease pain during childbirth, but if you take in too much of it, feeling will be removed unto death; for there is no life without pain," she explained, trying to be patient. "Please hurry, lady - I need it for myself, as well."

tell me, then--what would reverse such a thing? is there an herb to counter its deadly effect? deirdre would move to get this for the other immediately upon response, but wished to know if there was saving anyone who mistakenly did ingest it. deirdre asked, how much of it do you need?, in case she did not bring back the proper amount. knowing the scent of it, deirdre inhaled deeply and sensed it was near. surely this was for what the other nameless woman had come for. i will get it for you thusly after you tell me this: do you seek to harm another with what i give you? to bring another unto this death, when it is untimely? or, to bring yourself to your end? all the other need to do would be say 'no', and deirdre would trust it. but she could not guess why the woman would need such an herb, other than...

deirdre looked to the other without judgment and with much wonder. was she with child?

Even with impending doom on her mind, the doctor had to smile at the wolf's rapid-fire questions. She might have the body of a woman, but her demenor was still very youthful. She sorely wished to indulge the girl, but there were things she had to see to, first. Already, there was a strange haze coming over her eyes, and she felt the stirrings of something strange and unpleasant tickling the edges of her mind.

"I will do no harm with it, miss," she assured the young wolf. "I can tell you more about it when I can show it to you - a piece as big as Skellige's paw will do just fine, and it will not kill you to eat even that much - but it might make you feel sick and dizzy, and then there would be two of us."

There are already two of you, thought the doctor, trying to focus on the young female's ghostly form.

"I will be happy to tell you more when we have it in our jaws, and perhaps you can tell me about your pack." The doctor settled down into a comfortable sprawl on her side of the border. "I should like to know a little more about my neighbors. Tell me again, sweet girl - what is your name?"

at the others promise, deirdre nodded. for she knew skellige would make right what the other would intend to make wrong, if that was the womans true purpose. word meant much to the girl, but she did not want to be naive and harm another. at the others finishing words, deirdre bid her to wait just a moment with a small gesture, and retreated into donnelaith. it was not quite so far, but deirdre found the plant the other had requested, and fished out precisely what the other woman had asked for. 

deirdre gripped it carefully, salivating around it and letting her drool ooze to the earth rather than swallowing it. the scent and the sight of it was exactly as the other had described, and the former twas not a bad thing, really. she placed it before doe and nosed it gently in her direction. you stand before donnelaith, she informed, the winds stirring behind her softly, and i am deirdre stella mayfair. at this the winds blew louder as though applauding the very name she spoke, and the breeze grew so strong that some branches arched so that it might appear that they moved in something of a bow for her. deirdre expected to be informed more of this thing she had brought the other, as the other had told her she would when she had it.

In reality, snakeroot is fairly toxic and not all that beneficial. Just a warning.

The doctor gave a sigh of relief when the younger wolf disappeared to find the root, but she knew she must already be suffering the Jimson's ill effects already when she seemed to come back almost at once with the dripping tuber in her jaws.

"Thank you kindly, Deirdre," the doctor said sincerely, positioning the root between her paws and cleaning the whiteish puss off the broken stalk. She nibbled at it for a moment before turning her attention back to the waiting woman and remembering her earlier promise.

"This is called snakeroot, Deirdre. Your pains will be soothed if you eat of it, and it can exorcise demons that have preyed upon weakened minds. For this reason, I will take it back to my pack, and when we are done speaking with the ocean, we will heal our minds and bodies with this root," she explained, making sure the plant was firmly out of the other wolf's reach - unless she wished to cross teeth for it. "There is another plant - Jimson weed - that will allow a wolf to commune with the gods for a time. But it is a weakening herb, and should only be taken in the most sacred of ceremonies. Not all can escape the grasp of the Jimson weed, but the snakeroot will bring most back from where their minds have taken them."

She watched the white wolf intently, waiting for her to speak her understanding of the subject, or else ask for more information, that she might better absorb the knowledge. "My mother knew the importance of herbs, and she taught me very dilligently. She always made sure I knew to ask questions when I did not understand," she hedged, wanting the other to know she would be of service, if need be.

maybe we can fade this one out!!!

 

deirdre listened, rapt as ever, and not humoring taking what she had given after the other bestowed her intellect unto her. she drank in the knowledge hungrily, and nodded. though deirdre was intrigued by this, the spirits communed with her regularly with no need of any herb. though sometimes the voices whispers, there were times that they roared--regardless of the volume, or the tone, deirdre heard. even now, her ears seemed to prick as though receiving words from another realm as the wind did blow... and she tilted her head toward the becoming stranger, and smiled. 

my mother, too, knew of herbs. i learned much from her--but not all, you see. i did not know of your jimson weed, or your snakeroot. i have more to learn, she did not pretend to know what she did not, nor would she ever behave in such a proud manner. she could always stand to learn more; she loved to do so, and was truly a grand pupil to have. what ever you are willing to teach, i would listen. but i will not keep you--i know you have important duties to attend to. i know that we will see one another again, her emerald eyes held the other, simply watchful--though in this, she was no less warm than she truly was. deirdre was appreciative of the other, and though the other had ignited a fierce longing in her that she had thought was put to rest--the wish for ones mother--she also had brought back her fondest memories with the willow, her wisest and most favored of teachers.

Arlighty!

The doctor inclined her head, eyes sparkling as she regarded her becoming new friend. She was as kind as she was quick to learn - a good girl, by all accounts. The doctor found no fault in her, and the scrappy shewolf's tail flipped happily as she imagined other meetings with the pretty child. Though unlike Shink, the girl awoke no strange and or fleeting urgings toward motherhood, the doctor was glad that she wanted to learn, and was willing to impart all knowledge on the subject of healing and herbs.

"I will be happy to aide you as you have aided me," she said to the girl, plans of furture lessons already half-formed in her mind. "Thank you, and thank you again."

The girl made her intent to depart clear, and the doctor dipped her head once more. Goodbye, she thought, though she was still too dizzy to depart herself. It would come in time, and she would rather make her recovery on her own than in the presence of another - even one as harmless as sweet Deirdre.

Content between the relative safety of the two great packs, the doctor laid down her head to sleep off the jimson weed. She had the last herb she needed, and all would be well.