Noctisardor Bypass lilac hopes and dreams

i hope this is okay! also have it marked as trade as i figure learning will be enough to put it towards his trade?

the sun set.

then it rose.

he found himself with very little sleep in the hours between those two things. so at the first sign of light he scuttled out from the beginnings of a den he had made at silverstream. trailed his way to the pharmacy that @Mahler spoke of.

he didn't know the man's hours of work. he didn't even know if they'd be the only ones here.

either way he let out a soft chuff of a greeting as he peered around for the older man.

totally great on all counts!

mahler was just inside. the cave was a wide cleft. the sides were earthen, lined with carefully dug shelves upon which all manner of leaf-wrapped bundles had been placed. the more delicate things were kept deeper inside the pharmacy, away from light.
"guten morgen," mahler greeted, looking up to find ålesund standing there. "i thought ve could begin vith basic identification." he motioned the younger wolf closer.

the words that first greeted him were unfamiliar, but that did not stop Ålesund from attempting to mumble them back. poorly, of course.

with that out of the way he shuffled closer to get a better look at both man and herbs. shelves with carefully tended to items.

oh? his curiosity already bubbled up some through his tiredness.

what am i identifying?

mahler indicated a wider shelf, its flat surface holding four bundles. "each of these things may be used for basic vounds. scratches. nothing so deep as a bite mark, vhich must be treated another vay." a nip of his front teeth unfurled the first. dried comfrey leaves lay there in a small pile.
"smell," he instructed. comfrey had a strong, unpleasant fragrance. "this is chewed and pressed onto the vound vith your tongue. it eventually becomes a sticky paste vhen you have mixed it vell enough."
mahler gestured to the second bundle. "you open this vone." and it would contain small chunks of cut goldenseal root.

he watched thoughtfully as Mahler set right out to start their process. one bundle opened up to expose what seemed to be crushed up leaves. hesitantly he leaned in to sniff at them. only to pull back into himself from the sudden strong scent in his nose.

chew, press, sticky paste. he mumbled with a nod before Mahler moved on.

this time Ålesund would be the one to open the bundle.

he was delicate. easy when he was already so small and dainty in movements. when the bundle was opened, he was faced with...something.

chunks of something golden and earthy. he had not one idea what they could be. still he kept his eyes fixed upon them as he asked.

what's this for?

"the first is comfrey leaves. the second is goldenseal root. mix it in the same manner. it is for lesions of the skin. chewed finely enough and packed into a cut, it can also staunch the bleeding." the hunks of gilded root held a sickly-sweet odor.
the third bundle he indicated that his apprentice should open as well. "this is slippery elm bark. this you should mix vith water before adding to a cut, not only your own saliva. it is a protective poultice and vone that vill irrigate dirt from open slashes."
that bark also smelled sweet, more syrupy than anything. the fourth container of herbs was opened by mahler, gingerly and carefully. "this is chamomile." the rich honey-scented heads of yellow were exposed upon their leaf. "use these as a paste to reduce swelling. you may also administer a tea of chamomile to a patient for easier sleep or relaxation after an injury."
the fifth bundle held an important drug. he waited for ålesund to finish with the chamomile and rejoin him in contemplation.

comfrey leaves — chew, press, sticky paste.

goldenseal root — he was informed to do the same thing. chew, press, paste.

the he opened another bundle. slippery elm bark. this one was different despite being one of the basics he needed to learn. use water and not just his own saliva. one to help with the dirt from open cuts.

softly he moved his lips as he mumbled the information back to himself when Mahler was not supplying new information.

like the chamomile. the sweetly scented buds were tantalizing but he listened closely. another thing to make a paste with for irritation in the injury or...a tea. he was not blind to the fact that another bundle waited but he did have a thoughtful question first.

tea? how do you make that?

mahler turned back. "a tea is made vith vater and the herb. warm vater is best. you soak the chamomile for a while, then have your patient drink the liquid after." he pointed to a small stack of long-dried moss. "look for that vhen it is green, in the springtime. if you soak it at a stream or lake, you vill be able to carry more vater back for soaking."
mahler waited. so far he had been asked good questions. perhaps there would be more before he and the new rivenwood wolf continued.

warm water.

he wondered then if tea might be best in the summer and springs. admittedly his knowledge of where warm water could be found was limited, but he could learn, he could explore.

eyes bounced from the clump of moss back to Mahler. another small nod.

what's next?

"open it." and when the boy had, mahler looked at the pleasant orange hue of the dried and shredded flowers.
"arnica," he grunted. the plant smelt of pine and sage mingled most pleasingly. "it is for all sorts of pain. however, it should be diluted. never chew and give arnica until your dose has been diluted with water. too much and a volf might not vake again."
mahler waited for any more questions to come. the delight of teaching moved within him.

he did as told and was greeted with a brilliant orange hue. although he did feel some...mild panic at the news that Mahler shared.

how much is...too much?

he peered closely at the arnica. the scents of it bloomed in his nose. a lump in this throat built as he stared down the dried flowers.

"i measure it by the veight of your patient. for somevone your size or age, use only an amount to cover the tip of your tongue. for somevone who is more like me, use tvice that amount. do not administer this to children under four months of age."
it segued into midwifery, but he was not certain the boy was ready for that. "mix a paste from the chamomile for me," he instructed. "you vill know it is done vhen you can feel no lumps."

oh.

that was...such a small amount to use. he immediately hoped he never had to use it. at least until he was not more advance in his knowledge.

a welcomed distraction came in the way of having to present skill now. he had not thought he would actually use anything on his first day but Mahler was kind enough to dump his wealth of knowledge into poor Ålesund.

okay. he steadied himself with a deep breath. he figured his best bet was to use his mouth. no dangerous side effects had been warned of. perhaps on his tongue it might ooze some of its relaxing properties into him.

delicately he took a head of chamomile into his mouth. gently rolled it around on his tongue as he mentally reminded himself to not eat it. then gnashed it between his molars, his saliva mixing with the ground chamomile to make the start of a paste.

in a few moments more, he would be able to smooth it against the roof of his mouth and his tongue, to open his jaws and present the paste to Mahler.

they sat in silent except for the sound of the boy's jaws. mahler wrapped the arnica again and put it away. he found a clean leaf and lay it upon the shelf. when ålesund had finished, mahler peered between his teeth and gave a single nod of approval.
"spit it here," he grunted, pushing the leaf closer. "unfortunately herbalism is full of chewing and spitting," mahler said dryly, amused despite himself. "ve should go to the stream vhere you can vash your mouth," he decided, lifting up from where he had been sitting for quite some time now.

the boy did laugh at that, a sound he had not made in some time.

although it was more of a croak due to the fact he held his mouth open for inspection of the paste. which he worked to try and push off his tongue onto the provided leaf.

i would like that. he answered softly with a mouth still slightly coated in leftover paste and some tiny grits of chamomile between his teeth.

did i do good?

"very vell," mahler chuffed. he led the way to tealwater creek, pausing alongside it to drink his fill. the man chose this moment to look out at the growing dawn, finding a good appreciation for the beauty of another day as it rose over the snow.
"vould you like to come back another morning and learn more?" he asked after a moment, his lavender eyes reaching for the features of the young man who had come to them so frightened.

while his teacher drank, he'd rinse his mouth out, drinking some of the chamomile down into his system. little fear of it as compared to the arnica that he had been taught about.

there would be comfort found in the things Mahler said. both the praise and invitation.

i would like that.

some subdued eagerness in his features as he looked towards the older man.

"good. i vill see you at the same time then." mahler straightened. as before, he nodded toward the pinne and set off again. first a patrol, and secondly wylla. he looked forward to telling her about the boy willing to learn, which had raised him in estimation almost immediately.
rivenwood could be a place for teaching.
the idea reared high in his head as he sought the far reaches of the territory.

closing! <3

see you. meek still, but this time his tail swayed behind him. not wide and wild but certainly a more positive adjustment from the usually tucked position it held.

he would slip back off to the stream he had made his own den by and set out to make it something more...permanent.