Moonspear The truth of the matter

Thistle walked among the mountain ranges. She had found where she wanted to keep her herbs and plants. Now she simply searched around, trying to find the best places come spring .There were many hidden gems of herbs and it made her heart swell wtih longing. She couldn't wait to begin to pick through them and piece together a working medicinal den again. It was a good thing, at least in some ways this mountain.

She settled to her haunches and she looked out among the land and she stared. Her thoughts briefly fell on Charon and Amekaze. She wondered at the two. Was there more there than met the eye? And if there wasn't did Charon expect there to be and did @Amekaze know that?

Short days and long, chilly winter nights had her restless and yet full of energy. They were approaching the longest, darkest days of the year and its influence had long since seeped into her day to day. She was finding herself more sensitive to the shifting seasons the older she became, even when the weather seemed not nearly as fierce as in year's past. Or, perhaps many moons of watchful naturalism had brought her more into the rhythm of nature.

Fruitlessly tracking the goats higher up the slopes had finally worn her down enough to call it off, so she was heading down when Thistle's trail caught her attention. She paused for a beat before deciding to follow it until she caught sight of the sandy-coated female. With no time between only the two of them to recall, she was not sure what would be waiting for her there, but it was high time to establish something. Ame moved closer -- tail relaxed, but up tall, and rest of her body language suggesting interest in how she would be received here. She didn't get the impression she was interrupting anything, but it was too soon to tell.

She chuffed her customary low greeting while observing the matriarch.

Thistle had noticed the days got darker sooner and colder. And she had been right, the mountain was cold, though truthfully not as cold as by the sea. The sea itself had been cold when the winds would whip across it. IT was a welcome difference and one she was quickly growing accustomed too. Thistle had no designs on naturalism, but she knew enough to know what was going on. IT was a bit like healing.

Thistle did not wish to go hunting or search for any game. She was not a hunter, she was too small for big game, and even small game sometimes caused her to have issues. Thistle heard the soft chuff and she turned her gaze to the large black wolf that had taken up a mantle she had no longer wanted, but had been duty bound to keep.

You are Amekaze?

Her ears were pressed forward, careful in their curious neutrality. She was quite a petite wolf up close -- which Amekaze hadn't realized in full. Knowing her sons.. well, she would have guessed otherwise. But the dark alpha nodded. "I am." She was watchful, for this was the first mindful test of the water's edge. Amekaze knew Charon had not made the transition for her quite as easily as he could have, but maybe time had passed to ease it. Nothing else about it had ever come to her attention, so she'd assumed that to be the case or that it had dissolved largely into a family matter..

"And you are Thistle Cloud," she provided with a soft nod. It was a little less of a question than hers had been. She was fairly recognizable, by scent and sight alone. She was just distinct enough in both of them, down to the subtle reminder of herbs about her and the stocking on her paw. Plus, having Charon brief her on her on a few occasions made it even easier.

Thistle was used to most taking a double look when they saw her. Especially when she had been close to Ragnar or now her sons. She was a petite thing, and her husband had not been at all. It had been comical she supposed if others had looked on them, him large and she small. Thistle perked her ears forward and waited for a question or something. She was surprised when there were none. 

Thistle's lips twitched genially and she dipped her muzzle. Yes I am. What brings you this way? Not that  I don't mind the company. She shifted her weight and tilted her head, curious. Thistle had not realized that Charon had talked so much about her that others would recognize her on sight.

She was far away from the point of drawing real conclusions here, but at least there was a small sense of relief taking shape. Thistle was at least welcoming to the idea of company and even said so herself. Amekaze was still feeling this out, though, and took to Thistle's questions readily. "I was moving down from tracking goats," she said and swung her muzzle towards the higher elevations. It went without saying that she'd not accomplished much in lurking after them today, but she still took solace in knowing they were all there on the mountain still when winter may eventually drive them to greener pastures. "The paths were quiet until I found yours." Following it when nothing else appealed felt natural.

"Were you busy?" she asked.

Thistle perked her ears forward and listened closely trying to pay attention so they could form a coherent and lengthy conversation. Thistle tilted her head. Are there many goats? Are you going to plan a hunt soon? Honestly it had been some time since Thistle and those from the bay had anything larger than rabbit or fish. It would be good to have something larger and the caches completely full.

The next question caused Thistle pause and she smiled and shook her head no. No i wasn't busy. I was merely searching for different places that I may find herbs come spring. I have found solace in healing again.

"A solid population. Not too numerous, but they seem to be staying near." She'd checked in on the same group a few times now. Problem was, they all looked healthy and vigorous still. If they were going to hunt them, they'd need to bring their best to it in order to stand a chance. "Maybe. No immediate plans just yet though." Unless they seemed like they were beginning to move on suddenly, or one turned up injured, or the caches ran scarce faster than anticipated. But until then, they were there if they needed them.

She listened, and nodded. "Charon told me you were a healer.." she mentioned. "But.. that is good, and I think the mountain will be generous in that regard come spring." The Sunspire had provided decently, not that she'd known what to do with most of the plants. It seemed lush here even though she only knew it in the autumn and now winter.

Thistle listened and smiled. That's good. Were my husband here, paired with the other large males we have I imagine we could take one down easily to fill our caches. Thistle shifted and looked down, berating herself for bringing him up, especially when she was feeling semi good. I imagine those from the bay would look forward to a hunt, though they made need to learn. We were so small not many know how to fight in a large group of others. My youngest babes, perhaps not at all.

Thistle nodded her head. Yes I have been a healer for a long time. My mother was a healer/midwife before me.She taught me all she knew. Thistle moved a few herbs around and wagged her tail gently. It was a good day.

Her husband. Ragnar. Another piece of their past she'd been allowed to glimpse into only briefly through the words of others. "Most likely true. I have.. heard some of him as well." All of which seemed to suggest he was a formidable wolf. They still had a good collective of able-bodied wolves, but even one more, and one with experience, could serve to tip the odds in their favor. But she suspected that if Ragnar still lived, none of this may have come to be as it were, and her involvement in their future would've likely been none..

But, perhaps it was more advantageous for them to hunt sooner rather than later. The more they'd practice, the better they could become. She took note of this with a nod, and would keep it in mind regarding Floki and Tevinter most of all. Admittedly, she was still not entirely accustomed to having juveniles in the pack.. but she was learning. With or without the youths in mind, she believed the pack could use to work together anyway.

On healing, though, she was quietly attentive. A midwife was a vaguely foreign concept to her though. Then again, she'd never lived in a pack with high demand for the duty. But surely it was valuable, considering the.. delicate situation it focused upon. "I cannot say I have ever known a midwife," she chuffed, although was interested in hearing more details of this -- herbs included. "You still maintain some stocks, right?" Charon'd mentioned moving them and Amekaze was curious what all she had still -- just for her own information mainly. "I.. dabbled a bit in collecting what I could before, but I was never a practicing medic beyond the very basics. I would just gather what I could and figure out their use later." She shrugged a bit. Her interests were more in the botany and less on the actual medicine involved. It was half a strategy but had paid off a few times at least.

Thistle chuckled quietly, Most everyone has heard of Ragnar in some form. He was larger than life. She grew quiet and looked around, briefly wondering herself if any of this would have happened had her husband been alive still. She didn't think so, but it may have. Truthfully would it have even had happened if it had been she that met Amekaze and not Charon, she wasn't sure even about that.

Thistle frowned for a moment thinking on those few she had. She had not scented Atreyu in the pack lands, and it made her nervous. He was a good hunter, even with three legs she thought he could manage. It was a shame he was not there to help. She also thought on  Tevinter, she wasn't sure of him, whether or not he had learned to hunt. She had not raised him to almost adulthood as she had the others. Him and Kaylan and Ragna all three had been gone for sometime.

Thistle's ears perked forward and she smiled. Not many hold that title. It is not really needed. My mother just knew much of birth and afterbirth and the herbs to take safely while pregnant more than other herbs. Thistle tweaked an ear forward and listened. She nodded her head yes. Yes I do. I actually have much of a stock. I have been collecting it since I came here. I have been here two full rotations of the seasons. She blinked it was hard to believe she had come here so young only a year old, and now to be three with two litters of babies. Sometimes it was hard for her to believe. Thistle's eyes went wide at the others admission. That was very dangerous. You are lucky it didn't kill you. Granted, most medics who are not taught by someone else, we have to learn through trial and error, but still.

She listened, first nodding to the note about Ragnar then with more keened interest, the notion of midwifery. Ame's expression had furrowed up some. She could recognize the practical appeal of having one in the pack, even if the demand was low. However, she was not well-versed on the topic in any way -- from pregnancy to birthing puppies, so she tended to keep herself a respectful distance from it and any opinions to her own (not that she had many of them). "Then it seems to be a.. ah, delicate subject. No wonder no pack I have been in has had one," she mentioned. It required a specific sort of knowledge and one not readily practiced.. "Although useful when the time calls for it." She thought briefly of her mother then, wondering if perhaps a midwife could have helped when times had been difficult for her. That was Amekaze's only real up-close interaction with the matter of new life, so it seemed natural to think of it then.

From there, it was good Thistle's stocks were.. well, stocked. Amekaze took satisfaction from knowing this now, and felt a significantly diminished sense of loss for the small stockpiles she had left behind on the Spire. Not that they had been much, though. "I am well aware of the risks," she breathed, ears angling back as she did. The dangers were understood, and she'd always proceeded with the appropriate consideration. It was not like she'd ever administered anything unknown to anyone before or done anything entirely too reckless. In moderation and with tiny steps, she'd learned a bit. "On the Spire, we had several aspiring medics come and go. Often, I was left with whatever stockpiles they had made or expanded my knowledge with them before they went. I knew.. bits about some types of plants from my homeland. Growing up in tumultuous times, you can't help but learn what stops bleeding the fastest." She'd picked up other facts too, such as from her experimental mother and the wolf hunting psychedelics in the swamps, but she didn't mention this.

Thistle herself hadn't studied her mother's exact science as studiously as she had studied regular herb lore. She knew enough though to take care of herself and others much better than most. The right herbs to take while pregnant, the ones to induce labor, or to take away one. Thistle chuckled and shook her head. It's an interesting aspect. I am not as knowledgeable as my mother is. Do you think I should be looking into remembering that? Will there be puppies this spring? Thistle knew she would not be having some, she was actually unsure if she would ever have more. But Amekaze was of age and so would be Charon, so perhaps.


Thistle looked down and averted her gaze. I apologize if I offended you. Thistle shuffled her feet for a moment, but the fire burned bright in her eyes still.  THistle nodded her head and shook her shoulders. Yes a lot of knowledge is trial and error, but if you pay attention you can learn a lot.

She certainly had no answer right away, and knee-jerk response to it was just more splayed ears with a narrowed look of concentration. "Ah, I do not know," she breathed and tried not to make an obvious face. She was not a wolf dedicated to a mate, nor one who secured her position with alpha just so she could breed freely because she had little attachment to the idea of raising whelps herself -- despite having good genes and a good eye. She still felt the basic instinctual pressures, though, and believed it was her duty to propagate the pack's future. "Well, what I mean is, that I have no immediate plans either way for that," she shifted. Lacking an officially designated mate made it hard to say. "But I still feel that information like that is useful to have around since nothing is ever certain.." Since times could change quickly, preparedness was always better than nothing. She did want Thistle to still pursue it, but just did not know how she could help without promised needs of such services...

Anyway, she decided not to remark on the apology, and nodded readily. "True. Even better from a proper teacher, but I do enjoy the satisfaction of learning it myself.. when I can," which was a joy in the trial and error approach. But, it was risky and not without its costs. Sometimes, even the rewards of discovery weren't even worth that.

Thistle did not say anything at first just listened. I apologize if I spoke or speak out of turn, but I just assumed that you and Charon would couple. I apologize for being so forward and assuming such. It just seems to me that two alphas well would. It had never entered Thistle's mine any other way, though she supposed Pump and Ragnar had no immediate plans to couple when he was beta and she alpha. No nothing is ever certain. Not ever. Her ears splayed to her head as she thought of her husband, he had been young, she thought he had years and all too soon he was taken from her.

Thistle smiled, Ah there isn't quite anything like the satisfaction of learning something and accomplishing something on your own. It's a truly wonderful feeling. I remember when I mastered something on my own it's like floating on air, sometimes more. She sniffed gently adn looked around, her eyes happy for a change.

Ame shook her head. "You did not, do not apologize," she said to dispel that concern. Thistle wasn't out of line. Ame was just.. unaccustomed? No one had asked. She'd never had a fellow Alpha and deep in her bones, she did agree with Thistle. Alphas were supposed to be the ones breeding. It was their right, and she'd been raised under similar customs with her parents being the alphas, so indeed, alphas would be the ones breeding. "Alphas should.. but he is young still," she mentioned, having been fairly certain he was not too close to sexual maturity. He'd get there one day and maybe that'd change things, but for now, Amekaze was uncommitted. "And for the time, I have no other intentions for a mate.. nor would I know if nature deems it, ah, fitting." Timing was important in this sort of thing and she had absolutely no sense of it, or experience -- despite her age and longtime standing as a dominant wolf. Just as Thistle said: nothing was certain.

Then, she found she liked the joy put behind the matriarch's words. "Indeed. I like being mainly self-taught in that way. It is... a personal sort of victory that I find few things can rival," she smirked, tail switching as she spoke too.

Thistle chuckled at the other woman's words and dipped her muzzle. Nature is fickle on it's best day. He is young, but coming from a woman who has had sons, and a mate there will come a time when he will be seeking more. Don't be surprised if he sets his eyes on you. I wouldn't be. Thistle smiled again and wagged her tail.

Thistle sighed contented, Yes far too often we forget our own personal victories or selves as time moves on. We neglect ourselves, and our own lessons it's a shame really. I am wiling to help if you have any questions.

Nature was terribly fickle and they were at the mercy of its unpredictability. She'd been around long enough to know there was no questioning it and that it was better to trust in its call, for truly, mother nature knew best. But, Thistle's words were of no surprise to her and she nodded thoughtfully. Amekaze knew it was likely enough -- he'd mature in time, and it would probably not be an ill-advised choice on his behalf. Especially not when she looked at it from Charon's point of view.

She'd see how it happened, and how she felt about it in enough time. While not opposed, it was too abstract to think too far into it at this moment.

"I will keep that in mind," she said, on all accounts and to everything down to Thistle's offer to answer questions she brought to her. She didn't have anything in mind right now, but it was certainly good to know, and odds were good she'd make use of it when necessary. "Anyway, this has been.. good, I think, but I plan to head on to the borders," she said, unsure of how exactly she wished to phrase this conversation as, but felt Thistle would understand what she was getting at. She was feeling far less uncertain about where she stood with her.

So unless the sandy matriarch had any reason to keep her, Amekaze gave her farewells and set off further down the mountain.