Blackfeather Woods Must Be The Season Of The Witch

All Welcome!

 

The Seer had traveled far, that much was apparent.
Lands she crossed were not lands she recognized like the lands of her birth - covered in snow and ice, sky-kissing peaks and stone...
They came into the Wilds as unassuming as any witch would - ghost-like, silent. Unwilling to wreak hell as many others may. 

The vanta-blacks and deep shadows of her furs gave her an eldritch look, almost. As eldritch as any realistic, mortal body could possibly be, that is.

The Seer eventually stopped at the tree-line of a deep, dark wood.
She looked into the trees to see crows, ravens...

A slow, spiderly-fluid glance downward to the roots and slowly dying underbrush...
Some evidence of buried bones, others assumedly covered in earth, likely never to be found.
The Seer would fluidly, calmly, cross into the Woods. 

And yet despite the lack of the presence of other wolves, she did not feel alone. 
No, magick reigned here - She felt that in her heart of hearts.
This place most definitely was sacred, at least once before...

And in her mind's image, it would be sacred again.

Perhaps a coven could be risen here, she mused...
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

The Seer would wander the Blackfeather Woods in slow thought, meandering more or less, taking everything in, especially the Tree, unbeknownst to her filled with toxic spores -  Where she began to see spirits, ghosts that she deemed to be inhabitants of the Wood.. perhaps even remnants of what used to be, though she knew not the greatness or the details or anything at all, about those who had once reigned here.

As The Seer continued to explore, she felt a possessiveness beginning to twist and curl and spark in her breast...

Mine. 

It was with purpose petite body dressed in spun amber, shadows and light stepped through shadowy eaves of trees.

Small pert nose to the ground she looked for herbs and poisons to fill their caches. She preferred healing, but some poisons proved a purpose. Even purging a body when they took too much of something. Inducing sleep for spirit walks.

Ash herself didn't endeavor to go on those, but she imagined they'd find someone amongst their ranks that would like it. She briefly thought of the mushrooms that induced berserkers and wondered if Death bringer would wish to try a very very small dose.

Through dappled trees she moved from one to the other, oblivious foe the moment that anyone else traversed the black woods.

The Seer swiveled her ears at the distant sounds of disturbed underbrush, the caws of the corvids in the trees as if they were an alarm.

She felt curious, possessive still of the Woods despite having no bodies to back it up...
The Seer hmmed softly and made her way in a silent prowl towards the noise of something moving within the forests.
For all she knew at the moment, it was a deer or some other prey.

But after some travel, she noticed another wolf.

The Seer paused, watching from within the trees a few yards or so back from Ash Paw's form...
She would only watch for now, preferably unnoticed - as the Witch trailed the Druid from the shadows mere yards away.

On any other day, Ash would have paid better attention. She would have noticed the shadow that tiptoed and slithered through the underbrush. However, with the crows overhead and the thoughts overcrowding in her head, she was on a mission for the plants and herbs they needed and she wanted before fall was over and winter was fully upon them. It would not do to not have properly stocked caches.

Ash Paw found some of the mushrooms she had been searching for and she eyed them with distaste, flipping a rabbit skin from around her throat, she flipped them into it with her nose. Lifting it in a tight bundle she continued on.

Belladonna was around here, and though she disliked it, it was useful. She also wouldn't mind some more sage or rosemary. The sweet ripe berries that grew beeneath shadowed eaves. Ginger root, she found. Could she find some Turmeric? or willow bark?

She snuffled continuing. Oblivious.

Seer watched as the oblivious wolf went along, plucking plants and shrooms and other things from the bushes and the forest floors, oh how The Seer was displeased in this moment-!

But logic and reason swirled in without warning...yes, these Woods had been uninhabited for who knows how long...her scent alone would not be enough to deter many.

So, The Seer would calm herself and eventually come closer to the Druid through the trees, eventually unmasking from the darkness just behind the visitor...

"Need any help?" She muttered, her voice was calm, eerily so, almost sounding absent, like half of her was elsewhere...
She would watch Ash Paw as she spoke, trying to appear as neutral, passive even, as her jagged edges and windswept, spiky fur would allow.

Noise behind her, voice seeking, muttering. Ash Paw whirled with a small snarl fixed on her petite maw, but she calmed as the words and the body language pierced the shield of her mind and defensive posture. She let her limbs slide into a more easy stance, and her lips fell back around her maw, as blue eyes searched the other's face. 

Purple eyes stared at her, from a large face. Russet fur a perfect mix into the autumn spun forest. I'm sorry. she spoke breathlessly. I hadn't realized anyone was there. To lost in my foraging.

Ash Paw looked at the small bundle she had dropped, most of it hadn't fallen apart. She could fix it.

If you'd like. I'll share what I have and what we find. MMM..I'm Ash Paw of Basilica.

The Seer would make no alterations to her appearance as the Druid whirled with a small snarl.
She understood the surprise the other must feel, not having known she was being followed and such...

The explanation given was met with an acknowledging hum, and the offer given, met with an interested glitter of pastel eyes.

"I am The Seer. I seek to live here, and perhaps, potentially also build something with others of like mind."
The tone of her voice was indicative that the dark-furred Witch saw no offense in Ash Paw's presence or her harvesting of the herbs and mushrooms.
She would leave it at that, unless her fellow wolf expressed interest in wanting to know more about this vision for one reason or another.

The Seer would move to stand beside Ash Paw, though close - not close enough to brush furs or touch.

Ash Paw felt now shame in her reaction, as such she felt it was normal to be alarmed and react with snarls and lifted lips.

There was interest in the she wolf's face as Ash Paw offered the trade. She found this was a way to get what she wanted in these wilds. Many were amenable to trades, specifically when it came to medicinals and poisons.

Ash Paw watched her. You read bones and futures?

What an unusual name, but it suited the mysterious enigma in front of her. There was a otherworldly presence that clung to the she wolf with veiled interest.

And what of your like mind do you envision?

Ash Paw didn't mind the companionship. And she bent her nose back to the ground as she picked up her pack. 

What types of herbs do you like to find in Autumn?

The Seer nodded once as Ash Paw asked if she read bones and futures.
"I do, yes." She confirmed quietly, prowling alongside the Druid as she picked up her pack and returned to sniffing.

"My vision is for Spiritualists. A safe place for those similar to myself in some way, those who believe in spirits, Gods, and perhaps in other things..." Her gaze briefly flitted to Ash Paw.
The woman had her pack's scent on her, so the Witch did not say more than this.
It was up to the Druid if she would guess to what ''other things'' Seer eluded to, but then again...

It was also up to The Seer if she would confirm it.

The Witch would lower her own nose and begin sniffing then, looking for...Peppermint, perhaps. 
Maybe Milkweed...
"What herbs do you lack at this time in Basilica?" She would muse to Ash Paw while sniffing through the underbrush.
It was a well-meaning inquiry, for she could not help if she knew not what to look for.

Ash Paw listened. I should introduce you to our leader. He too reads the bones. Though I am unsure if he reads futures.

Ash Paw rooted amongst the under growth for a moment pulling more of the mushrooms out. She motioned to them, a small frown on her face. Can make you crazy in battle I do not like these things, but we have warriors in our midst.

Ash tilted her head. You are much like us, though we also allow those who do not follow any god or goddess. So all things that go bump in the night.
.
Ash Paw frowned in thought, and then spoke. Ginger if we can. I recently had another come to the borders seeking to repress her heat season come this spring. I do not know of any plants that can do this inevitably. Though I have some that can.

Ash cleared her throat. Take care of it, after the act is performed. And I know Ginger in some cases can do both, repress it for a day or two or cause it to go away.

I just found some sage, but i'd like more. Both for the medicinal qualities and for any ceremonies that we can utilize it for.

The Seer hummed in thought and acknowledgement of Ash Paw's words, and the suggestion to meet her leader...
She smiled softly at this, but said nothing on it yet. 

"I have studied medicine and toxins, and spiritualism since I was very small. My home was centered heavily around these things." She mused in response to the mention of the mushrooms, as a sort of roundabout way of saying she already knew and understood. 

"My vision is also for those who do not worship. A Sanctuary or a Sanctum would be a better description." The Seer answered in her calm tones. 
She mused in her thoughts for a while before Ash Paw responded to her inquiry. 

"I have not seen any Ginger yet, though Sage I imagine might be on the outskirts, in a more dry area." She paused in her steps, contemplating...
It may depend on the type of Sage the Druid sought?

The Seer clearly knew her herbs. Ash Paw for a moment wished her to join them, but she realized this woman would never cowl to a man, not Ingram or any. And for a brief moment, she wished perhaps this woman had found her before Dreadfather, but her loyalty lay with him for now.

I have as well, though medicine was more what my auntie taught. The toxins were something I Learned on my own from others. Or from observation. My auntie and grandma were both healers and midwives.


Ash Paw moved along, nose to the ground. Can you think of anything other than Ginger I could seek out? I may have forgotten a lesson along the way.

The Seer hummed lowly in acknowledgement as Ash Paw spoke, thinking about the herbs the Druid could use, especially for warriors...
There were certainly plenty that could be used for healing wounds, it was just a matter of which ones her forest supplied.

"It would depend on what you need for the foreseeable future, until spring comes around again..." The Seer answered, still going down her mental list. 
The herbs here would likely be different than those of her homeland, so there was much still to explore.

"I recommend keeping cobwebs, if you do not already. They will help keep things in place on a wound. Like poultices, pastes..." She mused, lowering her nose to the ground again to keep sniffing for plants.

"Perhaps Burdock Root, to treat infections...Celandine, to ease pain...Goldenrod, for severe injuries...Goosegrass for stopping bleeding...Horsetail, for infected wounds..." The Seer mused on these plants for Ash Paw, suggesting them to the Druid with a raise of her head to look at the other.

Ash Paw did not just have warriors in her pack, but that was her concern at present. Then it would be winter sicknesses, and then spring. She tried not to think of Spring to readily, because it would overwhelm her.

Ash Paw gave a soft hum. I keep cobwebs, moss, and seaweed readily available.

Ash paw enjoyed that the wolf was offering insight, but she also felt at a bit of a loss, because she knew most of this. And she felt like a calcitrant child in the moment, but she had asked. Hadn't she.

I have some burdock. I do not have Celandine. I did find a very pretty patch of goldenrod near some of the densites. Goosegrass would be nice as well. What is horsetail? I am not familiar with thi sname?

I apologize for this lackluster reply. I do not feel well.

The Seer frowned slightly in thought, thinking of how to best explain Horsetail. 
"It may also be known as Snake Grass. It looks similar to a bushy fern, in a way." She looked around the Wood with a narrowed gaze, and upon coming close to the bank of a stream, the Witch groomed through the last of the greenery until she found it.
"This is Horsetail." She moved the still-rooted plant with a gentle paw towards Ash Paw for her to analyze.
It was a stroke of luck she found some this late in the season, and it was definitely going to be on its way out soon, given how the plant looked.

"It would be best to harvest some now, before the plant retires for winter." She muttered, mostly to herself. 

it's perfectly okay! <3

Ash Paw saw the frown, and was for a moment, concerned she had asked something unable for the other to teach at the moment, but then the she wolf spoke again. Her voice of hushed whispers growing in the quietness of the forest.

Ash Paw with gentle paws and teeth, removed some of the plant, making sure to as offered split it two ways. She would not take it all. If this she wolf, the seer was willing to help her gather and learn. Well then she was going to keep her end of the bargain as well.

Thank you and some for you.

The Seer offered a ghost of a smile as Ash Paw took some of the plant, splitting the harvested flora into two sects. 
She delicately pulled her share towards her, giving Ash Paw a dip of her muzzle in thanks. 

"I might come to Basilica in time, especially with winter on the horizon." She uttered, looking upon Ash Paw for her input on the matter. 
The other had said her pack was of an almost if not mirrored objective to her own, so she thought there might be little to lose from being there.

Her eerie stillness snaked and slithered around her, quietly asking if she could be wrong in this.

Ash Paw took the time to wrap her own herbs in the rabbit skin she carried. While she listened to the other she wolf.

Ash Paw smiled. we would be glad to have you. You would need to meet with Dreadfather our leader, but I do not imagine he would turn you away.

Ash Paw had no doubt that this wolf wouldn't stay long. She had her own ambitions and it was not to cowl to the leader of another pack, except for when it were needed like now, as winter curled it's icy fingers around them and squeezed.

Ash Paw tilted her head. I think I have a good amount of what i need. Do you need to gather anything before we go to Basilica?

The Seer nodded once in acknowledgement of Ash Paw's words.
Meeting with the leader was to be expected; She was not surprised at this, but in all fairness, most things failed at making the witch feel any type of way. 
She was not an easy one to faze. 

"I would prefer to gather some more herbs to take with me on the journey with you, but I can always return another time." She mused. 
Winter was on the horizon, so the visit would need to be before the first snowfall.

"I am ready when you are." The Seer uttered then, a ghost of a smile on her vantablack features that aside from pastel gaze was hard to see in the limited sunlight from the thickness of the Woods.

There was a nod given, to let Ash know this one understood. That was all that was needed. Ash Paw didn't press further infomation. She didn't need too. 

If you like we can look or I can return with you or even you can come by yourself if you prefer that? Ash Paw didn't wish to rush the lady. it felt rude. Though her answer was given not a moment later when the lady seer spoke again, and told her she was ready.

Ash Nodded and stepped past her. it is this way then.

The Seer thought on Ash Paw's words. 
"I will return once or twice alone and then more with you or another." She decided.

As the Druid began leading the way, the Witch would follow, giving a longing glance back to Blackfeather Woods before she turned forward again to go the journey with her potential new Pack-Mate.