Otatso Wetlands The Field Trip

@Néa , but any other wolf is also welcome to butt in.

Scarlett had settled in quite well in her new den at Duskfire Glacier. Her little roommate/adoptive child had helped greatly with this. The albino could smother the little one with all the love she had, while also caring and teaching the 6 month old. It was no secret that Scarlett loved to be a mom one day, especially after taking care of several pups at her old pack. Temperatures seemed to start dropping after a mild transition to the winter. Scarlett was keen on observing the weather since it played such a big role in their lives. The female tugged herself lazily out their den and ruffled through her fur. Although she had an extra mouth to feed it was worth the company Néa gave her. Today Scarlett decided to take the sweet pup with her on a field trip. It was quite the walk but that would be good for her muscles. A wolf needed the stamina to chase down prey after all.

After some quick sips from the glacier water Scarlett checked if they were all set to go. "I am taking you out of the Duskfire borders. I will teach you about the wetlands and what type of special animals and plants house there." the mother lectured briefly. She wasn't going to ask if Néa disliked water. Even if she did, she would have to deal with it. Wetlands are extremely important as an ecosystem which a young wolf should know about. Her red eyes studied Néa. She was fed and all clean. She would have no problem with catching up. "Okay, lets go." Scarlett started trotting away in a quick pace before settling into a run. Yet, her run was at a slower pace so Néa could keep up with her. Scarlett remembered when she had to get used to her new long legs.

Scarlett kept an even pace throughout the different grounds; snow, mud or dry grounds didn't stop the well traveled she-wolf and her pace. It was important to keep the same pace if you wanted to make a certain destination. Once they got close to the wetlands she rewarded the both of them with a refreshing gulp of water. It wasn't nearly as cold as the glacier water. Scarlett gave a praising lick over the golden wolf's head. "That was quite the trip huh? You did very well. Now it is time to learn."

Néa couldn't believe how well she had settled into pack life, despite the vast differences and so many new wolves around to deal with but somehow, she'd made it out unscathed and... growing stronger. She grinned at the albino furred fae known as Scarlett, nodding and barking happily as she loped after the slow paced wolf, even as she attempted to keep pace. She really wanted to see these wetlands, a running list of medicinal plants in the area running through her head. Her mother had always informed her of what she was doing when she was making remedies, always reminding her and teaching her of what was useful and what was harmful.

The wetlands, at least from here, were dark but beautiful, plants and herbs growing in slightly greater quantities that upon on the glacier. A Canadian Anemone grew on the banks, small but at least surviving well in the winter. Thank the Gods and the Spirits for perennial plants, otherwise the winter would be twice as dangerous. Taking a long draught of water, she then sniffed the plant carefully and grinned. She was right, definitely what she was looking for. Good for wounds and cuts, it dried them out if used in a poultice and fought infection and septic shock, always a good thing in winter.

"Oh, I found something already!" She turned to the albino wolf and grinned happily, slightly proud to be a little of use. "I'll bring some back with me when we head back, it'll be useful later on."

She giggled at the lick across her head and waited as the other wolf spoke. "What are we learning about? Plants... Animals?"

The albino smiled at the exploring pup. "Excellent senses," She returned with a happy grin. She walked over there to sniff out what the pup had found. She wondered if she also knew what it was. Scarlett would be impressed. The female sat down and raised her muzzle. "About the wetlands in general at first. Then try and find some plants and species that we don't know or might do know." Scarlett looked around the wetlands and tried to gather the information she was learned when she was little. Wetlands were really interesting ecosystems that could be useful at times. "The main thing how you can recognize wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, that adapted to its unique hydric soil. Sounds so difficult doesn't it? 'Hydric' basically means that the plants are permanently or seasonally underwater! Super cool right? I mean we can't stay that long underwater we would drown!," Scarlett educated. She was in her element.

"Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, most importantly; water purification, flood control, and shoreline stability. This is very useful to know, Néa. If you encounter wetlands you always know that the water is clean of bacteria. If you have a wound or cut it might be wise to visit these lands and treat it with the right herbs of course. But it seems you know more about that than me," the white female chuckled. Scarlett liked to know about what plants where dangerous and what not. Or which plants would be typical for a prey animal to eat. The female had not shown interest in the healing functions of plants. It might be wise in the future, but for now her interests were laying with weather patterns and wildlife mostly.

" Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. Some vegetation you can only find in these lands. So I'd say lets sniff out some plants. Maybe we find some tracks in the mud and if we are lucky we can try and sneak up on a prey animal! Lots of fun!" Scarlett waded into the water which was getting pretty deep. She stopped to wait for Néa. The water got more shallow a bit further up but she stayed to help Néa through the small distance she had to swim. Scarlett was on sharp for other wolves, knowing that was her job. Néa should feel safe enough to explore.

Néa couldn't believe how awesome this place was! The water was way warmer than anything else she had found around here and the scents were so diverse. Tiny little fish swam in the water, and huge trees grew along the banks. She listened with wide eyes and attentive ears as the fae explained the ecosystem around the area and her eyes only widened further with awe at the complexity of the area around them.

"I've always wanted to be a healer, so thanks for the information! If you had a wetland nearby, it would be such a boon to a healer to be able to wash wounds, if they are relatively minor, in clean water and to help it heal even more. And the plants around here grow well and so close together because of the amount of water on the banks. And I don't know a whole heap, but I know enough about plants to know mostly what will hurt me, what will cure me and what works well on most illnesses." She sniffed once again at the small plant near her left paw and grinned. "This one is a Canadian Anemone, it's a styptic. That means it stops bleeding and if you chew it or grind it with water, then place it in a wound, it stops it bleeding and then allows the wound to heal without a risk of infection."She glanced around, before her eyes settled on a pink flower with an elaborate perfume.

"You might know this one. Milkweed! Swamp milkweed, to be precise. It's not actually good for you in theory but it helps you vomit. So it's good to swallow some if you've eaten something nasty or poisonous." It was a common plant, widely spread and easily available, so she assumed the older fae would have known it already.

She grinned and began to swim out the albino female, though she struggled a little with the depths of the water as they went but soon made it safely across, reaching the other bank with a happy grunt and she shook the water from her fur, leaving it a little puffy at the scruff and tail. She assumed this was where they would track for prey, on the muddy grass flats that inter connected the many wetland water caches.

Scarlett was honestly surprised with the youngsters knowledge. She blinked briefly, lips parting in amazement. She quickly closed it and returned a kind smile to the young girl. "Look at you! Your mother must have learned you great things already! So smart you are," Scarlett praised. The albino thought about the pup's words maybe one day a pack would settle here and healers would have the most amazing herbs and plants at paw's reach. Scarlett would definitely start a pack here if she had any ambition to lead her own pack. She hadn't. She liked the pack life. She had a higher rack she ever had before! The female did had ambition to grow higher in rank. If she did Malachi might allow her to have a litter one day, if she found a mate within the pack that is. For now Scarlett was more than content with taking care of Néa.

She focussed back on Néa and her surroundings. "And there I thought I was just about to tell you about the milkweed. Maybe you already know so much that I don't have to take you onto these field trips!," Scarlett was just teasing of course. She licked once more over the cub in a caring way when she crossed the water to the other bank. Scarlett could walk but Néa was just a bit too small. The white female joined her in shaking out her fur. Soon her nose was sniffing over the muddy grounds. She wanted to teach Néa the scent too. This way the young female could always find a snack on her own. "You smell that?," she asked and then looked at the youngster. Scarlett then starting digging in the soft mud, water rising from the ground, moments after, a hibernating frog came to light. Scarlett was quick to grab it before Néa could, she chewed briefly and then swallowed the light snack. It was perfect for cubs. It would be good for the younger wolf to find her own. At least it only took some digging to get the reward. "Try and find some of your own."

Scarlett raised her head and scanned the surrounding once more. Her red eyes scanned over the grounds for tracks but they were littered with their own from now. Scarlett was on alert. She had heard that mountain lions also appeared in these lands. She had encountered once recently and was not eager to relive that moment. For now everything seemed calm on this fair day.

Can wolves blush?? I have no idea....

Néa blushed at the kind praise the albino fae bestowed on her and looked down at her paws shyly, pawing at the soft loamy earth. She heard the last words though and her head shot up, aiming plaintive and sad eyes straight at the bloody gaze of her adoptive parent. But a soothing lick ran across her head and she soon realised it was a joke and giggled a little, returning to her thoughts of being a healer in a pack one day.

After they had arrived at the next bank, Néa watched with fascination as the older, experience wolf quickly located a nutritious meal hiding in plain sight. The fae ate the frog in her hole but Néa got a good scent of it, enough to aid her following Scarlett's instructions and she searched for frogs with her nose to the ground, digging a few times before she finally located a good one, snatching up the hibernating frog and chewing well. It tasted good, definitely a fine meal and she smiled as she swallowed it, turning to her mamma with a bright grin and a happy heart. "I got one! I got one!" She continued searching, quickly catching the hang of it and eating one more, though she left a lot of room in case there was something else the fae had in mind.

She looked back to the albino, noting how her eyes were alert and watching their surroundings like a hawk, obviously watching for danger in this free territory. She sat herself near the older fae, after washing the large amount of mud of her legs and belly in the shallow water. "Whatcha looking for? Are we meeting someone here or just on the look out?"

I always say that "you could see the blush if she didn't had fur" xD. ALSO! Nea shot her with puppy eyes. Scarlett might have a heart attack be careful XD

Scarlett's heart jolted when she saw the utterly sad eyes casted at her. Luckily the pup realized soon enough that she was joking. But otherwise Scarlett might have begged for her forgiveness. Oh she was a sucker for the puppy eyes, if one sly pup would find out she might not be able to care for it since it could make her do anything that pup wished.

The pale female watched the youngster find her own frog. Her tail started to wag faster. "I'm so proud of you, Néa," she hummed. She liked to stay close to her little one. She knew about wetlands but not about these wetlands she didn't want anything to happen to the young girl that had to endure the loss of her parents and siblings, wherever they might be. She grew sad thinking about that.

The female turned to the pup when she spoke. "Nothing you have to worry about," she smiled. "I'm just taking in my surroundings through my eyes, ears, nose and paws," she returned. What the pup might not know is that you could take in vibrations with your paws, sensing footsteps merely by listening to your paws. It was a skill that needed to be practiced a lot. The female liked to listen to the earth. Maybe it was just a gift she had, having sensitive paws that could catch those vibrations. Who knows.

"Lets find some tracks and things you don't know! I might know what type of wildlife it is." The mother nudged the youngster forward. Scarlett had sensed the raccoon close by, but wondered if Néa had. The grey animal jumped out of the grass and hissed. The albino wasn't impressed since she sensed the creature. With a simple snarl the animal sped away.

Néa smiled wolfishly at the older fae and practically bounced after her as she moved forward to find tracks and such, the yummy frogs sinking into her tummy and obviously giving her a lot of energy to work with. "Taking in your surroundings... Hmm.." She tried to do the same and found it came quite easily, though it was hard to concentrate while walking and thinking about other things. Maybe it was a manner of practice until it became instinct?

She scrambled to catch up once the older fae had drawn ahead a little, though her alert sense still only just caught the raccoon that had lay in wait in the grass, though she was still startled as she leapt back, before dissolving into giggles and looking around in the slightly squishy but drying mud, looking at a few tracks that truly puzzled her to no end.

Herbs? Yes!

Tracks... Nope!

She peered quizzically at a similar track to her own, almost like a wolf's but the claws were larger and so was the pad base. What track was it? It felt like it should be familiar to her really but it only niggled annoyingly in the back of her mind. "Hey mam- Scarlett, what track is this?"

Scarlett was pleased to see that Néa was full of energy and life. It did her well that she had a bit of her childhood back after what happened. She chuckled as the youngster slowed down considerately when she had to pay attention and walk at the same time. Scarlett was so fond of the little girl. The raccoon did gave the girl a bit of a scare, luckily it was met with giggles. The pale female could have hunted the raccoon but hadn't. Their purpose was education and not feeding time. The she-wolf walked to Néa when she asked a question.

"You can call me Mamma or Mom," she smiled fondly. Her red eyes turned to the print in the mud. A shover went down her spine at the sight. Her nose was quick to check if it was old. It might have been a day or two when a cat had passed here. Scarlett was quick to call off the exploration time. If they were in a cat's territory then Scarlett would want Néa out of here. "It is from a mountain lion. You have to be careful when encountering them. The one I met was really aggressive and can easily kill a wolf," She lectured. Her mind going back to that day when she met Laksha.

"Why don't we go back to the edge were we came from, huh? Get your plant on the way home." Scarlett had grown a bit more tense after she saw the mark on the ground. She nudged Néa in a caring matter in the direction where they arrived. At the shortcut even Scarlett had to swim a short bit, yet it was refreshing. "I should take you to the hot springs one day, Néa. It is so relaxing! We will have a girl's day out. Maybe on your birthday, yes?," Scarlet changed the topic.

As soon as Néa heard what the track was, she was already preparing to hightail it back to Duskfire. If there was even the slightest chance that a mountain lion was passing through, she was out of there. Though she knew this mountain lion was unlikely to be the culprit, her family had fallen at the claws of it's kind and it hurt her, to think of the events the paw print reminded her of. She huffed a little and her eyes darted left to right, on constant alert now, before she backed up to the fae with a pleading look.

"M-mamma... Can we leave?" She sighed in relief as they swam across the slightly deeper water channel to the opposite bank, the cool water both refreshing and soothing. But still her senses were on alert and as she stepped onto the opposite bank, she smiled both tremulously and nervously as she shook out her fur, grabbing her herbs in her mouth and making sure it was the correct herb. "The hot springs would be heaps of fun I think!"

I think this is a nice end. <3 We will soon have another field trip! :D Feel free to ad another reply if you like! :D

Scarlett nodded. "Yes. I don't like big cats," she spoke to the smaller she-wolf. The white older wolf helped Néa get across the water. The reeds were dry and high, obscuring vision. A shiver went over her spine. A cat could have been between those reeds with ease. She waited protectively as the youngster searched for the plants she needed, to then guide her safely out of the wetlands. A small sigh left her lips. "It will be tons of fun and relaxing," Scarlett returned. She wanted to leave this field trip on a happier note. She didn't like that it ended in a haste.

She licked over Néa's fur and then started to walk back to the glacier. "So we learned today that the wetlands are a great ecosystem. There are hidden snacks and plants that can cure illnesses. Even the water his purified. But, there can be big cats luring there. So I ask you to not go alone. I will go with you if you want new plants," the white female concluded. Soon a smile tugged on her lips. "Still very proud of you. You know so much already!," she added with a grin.