Stone Circle If I could save time in a bottle

A murky grey veil of clouds cast a smarmy drizzle of rain across the plains, their heavy, dark, billowing undersides threatening to release a shower or a downpour that never came. At least, not in the plains. What they got was no more than a misting at best, and while it wouldn't serve to aid the plants in the area blossom and turn green, it did make the grasslands look very pretty. From a distance, Oryx could see exactly where her packmates had passed through the grasslands- as they left a dark trail through the grasses, brushing the silvery droplets from the tall, yellowish blades. It would be easier to track prey, given she could simply scent something out and then follow the path it left behind, at least until the mist gathered on the grass again, but she decided instead that she would search for herbs. 

The damp ground would make it easier for her to unearth herbs with useful roots. Dry earth would clump and clamp onto the roots, causing them to tear when she dug at them so she found it easiest to do her digging in the rain. Her first impulse was simply to wander and look for anything that caught her eye- but instead, she sought out something that she knew would be helpful; valerian. She could stash it away...Though she knew full well that it might be helpful for her to take some herself- to help her sleep, and to quiet the nightmares that transcended the bridge between sleep and wakefulness to haunt her even during her daytime hours. If she could quiet her anxiety...Perhaps she might have a better chance at fitting in. 

When she found a good patch of valerian, it had begun to flower. The tall stalks held up large heads of tiny flowers that were faint purple in colour. She sniffed it, making sure it was not a lookalike- as those could be lethal in some cases- and once she was certain she'd found the right patch, she began to dig, gently, so she could harvest the plant by the roots.

This looked lonely!! For Arlette's timeline sake it will happen before.... the incoming drama haha. Arlette is also going for medic so we can make it a trade thread!!

Arlette had been feeling terrible and stressed. Her mother had not said a word to her. She had bluntly ignored her when Arlette ran into the Matriarch. The pale female's sides revealed the reason why the Matriarch had been upset with her. There was no hiding how pregnant she was, illegitimately so. Arlette had always been the one of the daughters that had been keeping to the rules and this had honestly been an accident but her mother didn't want to believe it. Frankly, each time Arlette ran into her mother, her heart skipped a beat in fear and her stress levels rose. So, Arlette kept to herself and found comfort with Kaito. They were in this together after all.

Arlette felt restless and stressed. Resting made her even more nervous and anxious. She decided to go for a walk. While it was clear the female was pregnant, she wasn't the size her mother was last year. She could still move around. The pale female then saw a dark colored female digging. She curiously approached. She didn't know this female. Perhaps she could be a good distraction. 'Hi, are you new?," she asked curiously, after all the female could have joined while she was traveling.

...And here I was thinking "incoming drama" meant like...Well, let's just say I certainly wasn't expecting all THAT. <3

With careful paws she pulled the dirt away from the base of the plants, aided without a doubt by the rain that had fallen earlier which made it easier for her to coax the main root bulb out of the ground without tearing it. The smaller roots weren't terribly important, but she was not a wasteful creature so she took time and care to extract as much of the main root structure as possible, before clipping the roots from the stem and setting her prized root bulb aside before moving on to the next plant. 

She'd managed to unearth and separate a few by the time she was discovered, and was greeted with a birdsong voice. Oryx was a timorous creature by nature, and skittishly wheeled around in surprise to cast her startled gaze upon the alabaster sylph who had addressed her. Sheepishly, she dipped her head in an apology, and nodded faintly. She knew she should trust her packmates better and be less reactive, especially given the fact that she lived with a pack. Pack wolves shouldn't have to fear enemies while dwelling within their own territory- but experience had taught her never to be too comfortable, and nature had a way of making sure that all wild creatures, even apex predators, were aware of the fragility of their crown. 

"I am," She peeped. It wasn't necessarily the truth- she had been with the pack for two months now, but she still felt like more of a stranger than an established packmate. "I am Oryx," She said, quietly, and frowned softly as her gaze fell to the valerian roots she had gathered. Greyback had expressed some trepidation when he'd found out that she used plants as a healing aid and she feared that this female might feel the same. There was really no hiding what she'd been doing- with the ground dug up behind her, and a small pile of roots placed neatly in a pile the size of her paw, it was obvious she'd been digging the plants up. "They're...Medicinal," She explained softly, hoping that she wouldn't sound too guilty.

yeah it was one massive whump xD

Arlette wagged her tail to show that she was friendly. Perhaps the new wolf didn't feel comfortable yet. Arlette hoped to make her feel welcome. Arlette dipped her head in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Arlette," she greeted. She moved her curious red eyes towards the thing the female was digging up. Arlette nodded. "I figured!," she returned and grinned. "I am trying to become a medic myself! What is this root and what are the uses?," she asked curiously.

It would be nice to have another source of information. Now she learned the most from Kaito and well, maybe he was wrong about some things. So with this female being also into healing they had a bigger pool of information which the female liked.

Arlette. A very pretty name- and she couldn't help but notice its slight similarity to their Matriarch, Valette. She thought she could see a bit of resemblance as well, as they both possessed a finespun form, and a handsome femininity to their faces. Valette was taller, she thought- but there was something about their eye shape that hinted that Arlette was likely one of Valette's daughters. Valette, to Oryx, was a gracious and empathetic leader- so Arlette was extended some of the same respect with which she regarded her mother. She noticed, too, that there was an unmistakeable curve to Arlette's abdomen- and though Oryx knew better than to voice her observation, she nevertheless jumped to the conclusion that part of Arlette's summery glow came from the fact that she was pregnant. 

Oryx's worries were swiftly snuffed when she learned that she wasn't the only one in the pack pursuing a medic trade, and she was coaxed out of her timid nature slightly by Arlette's piqued interest. She was relieved, and offered a slight smile in response. "This is valerian root," She said. "I don't use the rest of the plant...But the roots can be eaten, and are a mild sedative...Can be used to help with insomnia, or to control anxiety." She said. Part of her wondered if Arlette might jump to the conclusion that Oryx was trying to harvest this plant for herself- and a lump rise in her throat. "But it resembles a few other plants that are very harmful," She said, hoping to steer the topic away from becoming personal, and nudged the stalk of the plant, which led up to a cluster of small, light purple flowers. "It looks a bit like cow parsnip...or giant hogsweed...But is more purple, and...Well, you'll know right away if you end up digging one of those two up," She said, with a visible wince.

Arlette repeated the name of the girl in her mind. "Where does your name come from? Does it have a meaning?,' she asked the other female. She then looked at the root by the female's paws. Arlette raised he brows. So she would only use the roots instead of the plant. So interesting. "Oh that is a great usage," she commented and stepped closer to look and smell the root. She also had a good look at the plant as she wanted to identify it if she ever needed it. "I didn't know about valerian root yet."

"Oh interesting. If I go out looking I will come by and ask you to check it for me," she spoke. "If that is alright?" She hoped it was, Arlette was excited that this female knew different things than Kaito, it meant that she was able to learn more about it. "Those other plants, are they really harmful?, she asked. "And can you use this on a wolf that is pregnant or elderly?," she asked as well. She blushed. "Sorry so many questions. I am very eager to learn more," she revealed to the other.

It was surprising, but flattering that Arlette seemed actually interested in knowing more about her. She felt most comfortable being hardly noticed and barely known and wasn't used to having questions directed at her that were actually about her. It was a novel concept, to be recognized as an individual- and even moreso when she became an individual who actually interested someone else. Amongst the women, there had been comraderie in her pack, but she'd meant little to nothing in the grand scheme of things. "I...I'm not sure," She confessed sheepishly. "It was the name of an elder who had passed before my birth...We often recycled names," She said. It had been a means of implying accountability- that she should live a life that might pay tribute to one who had come before her, and that she would be dishonouring the dead should she misbehave. But she didn't feel that she needed to articulate that to Arlette, as she thought it might prompt more questions about her former pack's traditions. 

She was pleased, though, when she realized she was teaching something new and valuable to Arlette. There was something akin to a beam of sunlight that seemed to emanate from her, and Oryx perceived immediately that she was likely speaking to one of the most genuine wolves she might ever meet. There was nothing pretended about her demeanour, nothing false or put-on for show in a bid to gain Oryx's favour. The others she had met had been very kind to her- but had given her space, and had not asked too much of her. They'd spoken warmly to her, and had offered her solace- but Arlette was the first to make Oryx feel like she might actually mean something; a novel concept for the fairly sheltered individual. 

"Of course," Oryx said, with a dip of her head. She blushed- she wasn't used to others deferring to her, or going to her for advice. She was not a master medic by any means- she had a fairly limited knowledge of plants, and would have had to learn for years yet in order to be the top medic in her former pack. Fortunately, she was able to answer a bit of Arlette's additional questions. 

"The others...Have sap in the stem, that will burn the skin and blister when exposed to daylight. If it gets in your eyes...It can cause blindness." She said. "I would consider them very harmful...We might find some around here," She said, casting her gaze across the plains. "I could show them to you...For comparison," She offered. While she respected the fact that Arlette too was training to be a medic, she had to be responsible for what she told her. It was all well and good to use herbs for medicine- but there were dangers that came with each, and at the end of the day, if she did not properly educate her packmate, she would be the one responsible for any injuries that might happen.

And as such, she frowned slightly when Arlette expressed what she believed might be an interest in potentially taking valerian herself. Not because she worried Arlette might abuse the medicine, but because she did not believe it was in her best interest to take something when Oryx did not know what it might do to her children. "I am not sure what effects it might have on unborn children." She said, and heaved a sigh. "Most medicines are discovered by...Trial and error, and those lessons are passed down through generations but...I did not finish my training, so I do not know the answer- and would not want to make you or your children a test subject." She said. "So...I would simply advise against it." She said. Better safe than sorry. "But in the case of elderly- I have known those who have taken it, and they did not seem to suffer adverse effects; aside from what I believe might have become a dependency; though...The elderly tend to suffer from chronic pain...And for end-of-life care...I do not see harm in keeping them comfortable." She admitted. She took Arlette's eagerness in stride, and felt truly at ease in the company of another for perhaps the first time since joining the pack.

Arlette dipped her head when the other explained about her name. "Well, it suits you. I guess you give your own meaning to your name then. You will just be the embodiment of Oryx," she smiled at the other. She had a bit of the same with her name. She was not sure what it meant. Though she did know it was a version of her grandmother's name as she looked so much like. She wished she had known her. But even her own mother didn't get to have her for a long time.

Arlette swallowed thickly when the other explained about how harmful the lookalikes could be. A frown came upon her maw and nodded in a serious matter to let the other know she understood. "I would like to see them, yes,"she confirmed. ' I wouldn't want to take the wrong one. That is my biggest fear of being a medic, knowing I can pick the wrong plants and induce harm. That is why I have been very committed to knowing with 100% certainty that a plant won't do harm." She was very dutiful about it. She studied this one again and made note of it.

The female's ears swiveled forward when the other wasn't sure that she was able to take it. Arlette blinked. She had not meant to take it herself but it was just a question to better understand for who was this root to eat. Still, what she really liked was that Oryx showed no judgment about her being pregnant. It was such a nice feeling. Of course, the female didn't know that she had gotten pregnant without her mother's permission. Arlette hadn't really wanted to talk about it with packmates in fear of judgment. The pale female just smiled at the other, appreciating the anonymity she still had with this female. "We have the same view on healing. I like that," Arlette returned.

She let the other female take the lead with finding the ones that look like Valerian root. Arlette was very submissive by nature, so it was just easy for her to go in a follower mode. It was nice to have such knowledgable female around. "I've been also practicing in setting broken bones, so I could give you some information in return. If... if you don't know that at least," she offered with a soft smile.

Some might have disagreed with Oryx- and she had met others who pushed forward with medicines, wanting to test plants for their use, though she had always been unwilling to wait and watch for reactions or symptoms that the plants had caused more harm than good. She was simply glad that she'd not been one of the ones asked to take medicine without knowing what its use was, and had avoided becoming a victim of medicinal experiments. 

Arlette seemed content to learn whatever she could, and demonstrated a thirst for knowledge that made Oryx feel a bit flustered- given that she was no expert. She had a limited knowledge, and would teach Arlette whatever she could, but she hoped that the pale woman didn't think that because she knew one plant, that she would know about all of them. She began to lead the way through the tall grasses, keeping her head up so that she could survey the area in search for stalks that grew above the grasses, adorned with a crown of small, white flowers. 

She did pause, though, when Arlette mentioned bones. "Mending bones?" She asked, clearly interested in the subject, though there was a bit of disbelief in her voice as well. "I...Can't imagine that would be an easy thing to practice," She admitted, as it would mean that Arlette would have to find someone who had naturally broken a bone- one that could be fixed- and had done something to help fix them. "I would...Learn about that, though...It's one of those things you never want to have to learn," She said, expressing slight trepidation on the matter. Subduing symptoms was one thing- but healing something that had life or death repercussions was so much more stressful.

Arlette dipped her head. It had been one of the things she learned from Kaito. She hoped that she never would have to use it. She shook her head. "Well, I don't know. We practiced it on ourselves, to set the bone and hold it straight. I don't know where Kaito has been taught but I hope I never will have to use it." Perhaps it had been easy when they tried it on her. Maybe when a bone had really been broken it was much harder. She winced softly. Maybe she had been too confident about her knowledge in it. "I don't have any real experience with it," she admitted then, a bit flustered.

"What I've learned about it, is that you need to straighten the leg, and then have straight reeds that will serve a splint so the leg will grow straight. It is only with legs I can do it. I don't think it works for other body parts," she admitted to the other. She quirked up her lips, she didn't know that much it seemed, but if someone had a broken leg she at least had some idea of what she needed to do.

Going to archive this because it's getting a wee bit outdated- my fault, heh. But it should could toward a trade! And the beginning of their friendship *heart-eyes*<3

Setting bones! It sounded dreadful, but there was some hope in knowing that there were some wolves who could attempt to fix them when they'd broken. She mentioned a name- and with a warmth and endearment, that Oryx felt this must be the name of her mate, the father of her children, who was apparently also a medic. "The pack is fortunate, to have so many with medical knowledge," She commented with a small smile. It would be safe, then, if they were a family of healers, rather than a group of warriors. 

Oryx stiffened when she saw the head of a tall plant, looming above the grasses, and she gestured toward it, but purposefully put herself between Arlette and the plant as they reached it- just to make sure that she did not attempt to touch it. She would describe the aspects of the plant in detail, contrasting its characteristics with those of other plants, and warned also of the blisters that its sap would cause, when exposed to sunlight. Carefully, she dug into the ground around its base, breaking through the roots with her claws so that the plant would die, having not gone to seed or harmed any of their packmates. They would spend the afternoon together, learning tricks and tips from one another, and for the first time since she'd joined the pack, Oryx began to feel as though she belonged.