we'll be fine

The Moors were a welcome respite from the coming cold weather. He walked, pelt slick and wet from the rain above their heads coming down in a slow cascade. Still close to the mountains, and therefore Dragonford, Baelfire sought company with his old friend; plants. Expertly, he picked out more than one herb with one eye glancing around. He settled on thyme for now.

It was an excellent reliever of cold symptoms, another aspect of why he had come out. With autumn now in swing, he would probably see an influx of patients with those symptoms. He approached the prickly-looking batch, beginning to dig around the base. The steady work made his muscles groan - are we really doing this again? - and yes, he would answer. Of course.

Bae had only been half-serious upon leaving New Caledonia to hang his healing trade up. With nothing else to offer a community but this, he slipped back into herbalism quite easily. "Hello." He grunts softly, but his tone was visible to them. He sensed someone standing behind him. Wiping a brow with a paw, he leaned back. He didn't turn to look at them though.

His focus was entirely on the thyme.

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In most cases, Aries came to the moors to relax and enjoy — indulge in the freshness of the flowers and it's beauty as a whole.. Yet, she had also discovered within these alpine flowers, there was more to the eye. Between the blends of violets she could see other plants, covering through — at one point lavender was discovered! A well-needed source, to which the hare came to gather. She had her caribou pouch, fully ready of the gathering of lavender.. They were quite useful after all, often a calming to many and even helped cured insomnia on occasions. With some being so close and winter on the rise, she knew it was time to gather.

The rain started to come though, and she hastened her steps in the moor, "Oh, hello," Aries greeted with a dip of head, and curiously lifting her muzzle to lightly peer above his shoulder.. "are you here to forage for medical supplies too?" most wolves would not dig near thyme if not for otherwise.

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"That I am."

He dug faster, his legs caking with slick and wet dirt. Good thing he lived near the water. A quick wash would do him some good upon returning. It wasn't like he was trying to impress anyone anyway. That ship had sailed not too long ago. It hurt to think about it now. His paws were precise and careful, not shoveling for the sake of digging. He bent his neck to grip the roots and snip the stubborn ones, pulling out the loosened crop now.

Placing the thyme on the ground beside him, he turned to look at a silver-grey woman. Except for her eyes, she reminded him of something lost. The Valkyrie had blue eyes. Not his Valkyrie anymore. He resisted a scowl and resisted turning away in disgust, partly because he didn't know how to deal with the quick rejection she had delivered. Not because the woman was ugly. Outwardly, he looked neutral. Save for a soft twitch of his good eye.

He could blame that on something else.

Bae sniffed idly. "Do you live around here?" He asked her, the scent of the Tundra strong on her coat. He knew the answer, but he didn't know where. Hence, he asked. He looked back south. "That is where I reside, currently." He plucked Dragonford's location from his memory.

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She smiled idly while turning toward her own bundles of gathering. Though most roots were of gathering of the roots, for Lavender.. It was a substance many didn't use, and because of that, she was slowly cutting off from the lowest of stems. Plucking as she went, and daintily putting it in her caribou pouch for later use. She would need to dry some on a later date.. Perhaps if they could find a hot-spring of sorts, it'd be an amazing bath to use — but the tundra was a hard place to find one. Aries was humming in thought of what else she could use..

"I live in Duskguard," she turned her head back toward the man. He was rather tall, bathed in onyx and embers, "in those mountains beyond these moors," her paw pointed toward the North, as she followed a look down to where he was direction ; the coast. She tilted her head wondering if whether he was from Northfall, of Dragonford.

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"I see."

He commented for the sake of conversation, not having a decent grasp on the packs thus far. He lifted his good eye to see beyond the tundra's moor. Snow and more snow. He wasn't very used to a heavy winter. New Caledonia had mostly flat surfaces and dense woodlands. Twice as big as these packs claimed. Each pack here seemed to have a theme of sorts. Duskguard was... something.

"I live in Dragonford."

He didn't know where Duskguard was beyond what the woman told him. Dragonford was... Stormy coast weather, cold rain, and lots of water with rocks. He didn't use the word 'home' since home was something you earned. He had just arrived in this world, and he didn't feel any pack was his home. More like a house.

"I'm... Baelfire" he added, wiping a brow with the back of his paw. He finished gathering somewhat, placing another stock after straightening to the side. Thyme was still a good source of cold relief. He eyed the lavender she was gathering "anyone in Duskguard suffering... from insomnia?" Or was she gathering it before winter?

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She stopped for a moment, digesting such information — a Dragonford wolf. To meet wolves from the waring packs was.. A conflicting feeling, to say the least ; as many were quite nice to her, but she would be a fool to think someone's light persona upfront was all that there was to it, and anything more then an evil blending in. She wondered whether he was aware of the murder, and she surely thought he would — to join such a pack. If a leader didn't inform a member about battles, or even a recruit.. Aries frowned at such a thought. 

War was an evil wick. 

"I am Aries," shaking her head lightly to relieve such thoughts, the woman smiled while placing the lavender within the makeshift satchel. It was but a spread of a caribou hide, one she had crafted herself and it looked like she may need to mend another one.. Quite dirty, she thought while gently tucking the lavender in, and starting to move to gather more. The more the plenty, for if no one used — a grand leftover to aromate her den.

"No, but it never hurts to be prepared.. Plus they are often soothing to many, I would hope it could help any alleviate some stress." She would turn to see what he was gathering, "you are gathering thyme?" it looked quite closely. She suppose flu season was coming full-swing as winter would be upon them.. Maybe it was wise for Aries as well to gather some — and she changed her direction of hunting for lavender, to shifting on the scavenging of thyme. Although moved a bit away from his own, not wishing to take intrude on what he already found, and most likely needed as well.

"I hope you don't mind as I look for some as well."

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While not aware of the murder, he was aware of the war. And if he had been aware — would it matter? People slew lives for the sake of their own morals. Their own beliefs. Nobody was innocent of their own righteousness. Bae found he did not care. He had killed people before. In the name of religious belief, of community, of survival... He was not so innocent either. While he assumed Aries paused and moved on because of Dragonford, he didn't call it out.

"Not if you do not care if I gather some lavender."

Bae directed the conversation back to neutral behavior, shuffling his body away from the thyme that hadn't been gathered and moving to where the lavender was. It was just a short trek back to the Ford, so he could gather what he liked and report back. A cache of plants would make the war efforts easier "I do not own this meadow... Take what you need." While she was being polite, he didn't want her to feel she was coddling him.

Bae gave a respectful birth as he neared, proceeding to dig the spare lavender from the ground. He curled a lip, huffing, and shook some dirt from his dark limbs before proceeding. Yes, he would need a good bath after this. Thankfully the coast was not far from this Moorland. Just a casual walk back, avoiding Northfall in the process. His fur was not totally Dragonford's scent yet, but it was obvious he belonged to a pack of some kind.

"It's better to stock what you can, yes..." He agreed quietly.

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"Of course, we can switch spots." She said minorly chuckling at the idea as now moved around and shuffled a bit to gather each of their own. A movement of her hide as she settled it nearby and was on the move to the thyme. Unlike the lavender, Aries would need to in-fact dig as the roots were used more then the above plant at times. Carefully snow-white paws dipping into the dirt, the mud blemishing the lightness as she was carefully plowing away the dirt around the roots.. Nothing was ever perfect though, and she could feel the light tear away from the main. She needed to keep it whole as much as she could.

"Winter is coming of course, bringing many changes in one's body. I hope we can prepare for any sickness." Although she has never lived through a plague or epidemic, it was always a large warning to any who studied the medical arts. It weighed on her mind, and she rather be over prepared then under.

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To Baelfire, who had lived through siege with limited stock... The gathering was an essential duty that a healer should regularly practice. Be it times of peace or not, it never hurt to have a surplus of stock. He grunts in agreement, nipping the lavender after his vocal rumble, and gently yanks them from the soil. The pungent smell of the meadows seemed to hit him full force at this close range. His nose was directly under the lavender and other plants as he worked.

He leaned up, away from them somewhat. Not wishing to casually relax on the spot... Being tense and aware made him alive. It worked so far. He wasn't going to be caught unawares. Not if he could help it. Thank goodness this land did not weaponize fire. If any was to be made, it was natural. A freak accident of nature. Burning supplies was a warring thing to do, yes, but also malicious. He didn't count such emotion out of anyone. "We do what we must" he commented.

However. "Sometimes even skill and medicine isn't enough" People assume healers had a natural cure-all and if they failed it was cause for punishment "learning to live with the natural order... Makes us better healers" Bae uttered, knowing it was hard to accept defeat or even own to a mistake "though I shall hope Duskguard does not fall ill" He was not a praying sort of man "winter can be cruel." And he did not want any pack to suffer. Even ones that were conflicting in nature.

Nor did he want any vagabond to suffer either.

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"This is true. The best we can do is prepare what we can — I always fear the day that something is out of my paws, and my help means nothing." She was by no means an expert, and lacked much of the ability. Everything was but surface-tension of knowledge, and much was of @Olive guiding so. She could only do so much, and grab herbs as currently is.. Carefully her maw lifting some of the cut roots and placing it back into the hide.

"I hope Dragonford stays long and healthy — perhaps if a day ails us, we could exchange herbs," although as Aries gazed around, she could easily point out even more herbs. Hidden within the violets, the hare could see bistort in the distance, a fluffy little plant — it helped ah, some digestive issues and more.. And she, snapped one off — but only so much could fit in her satchel, that it was the last thing she could gather before it became too cluttered. 

"The moors is a good place for herbs though, I wish I could take more, but this is as much as I could carry without damaging them."

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At least she was reasonable and realistic. Most healers he had met on travels beat themselves up over one little mistake. Bae had learned that lesson the hard way and moved on just as difficultly. In time, the mistake had been forgotten. Though it had not been a fatal one. He knew one day would come when he couldn't save someone. He only hoped it would not be someone he cared about. He nodded to her words.

And even agreed. "I do not know the Tundra well to go further and gather" Bae admitted quietly "it would be a waste to go all that way, find nothing... Or find something yet it does not keep well on the travel back" And so "it would be beneficial to exchange Tundra and Mountain herbs from time to time." He could gather them below, and take them to Aries. She would gather from above, and take them to him. He saw no fault in it, truly.

The satchel she wore was more convenient than his own methods. He placed a paw on the pile he had gathered. "If you find moss, you can wrap a thin layer over the other plants for transport. The herbs will not bruise as much; moss is sturdy and can take the abuse of travel..." Though it was only a suggestion. It was up to her to accept or deny this. Bae glanced away, his eyes scouring the Moors. The rain had hydrated most of the summer-affected plants, and he would have to come back soon...

Before winter's grasp killed most of them. He had hoped with the Tundra so close, the Moors wouldn't be so terribly affected. But this would be his first cold season here. He didn't want to make mistakes.

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Her eyes gazed to the sky, the sun was gradually setting to a sunset. The time was nigh', as she looked to the mountains back and assumed by some time when it was true dusk, she would make it back, "I would like that," Aries said, gathering her things, "perhaps another time we can meet, as the day is getting late." She met many within the moors, many who Aries promised to meet again. This place felt a luring, something magical that she would continue to visit — she made sure to do so.

He dropped some valuable information, and she flashed him a grateful smile, "Thank you, I will surely do that when I return home."

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It truly was late. He grunted in agreement, shifting to gather what he had come here for. Gathering what he had also found. "Then I will travel back to the Ford." He uttered before plucking the herbs from the ground. Bae doubted he was missed, but it never hurt to go back early. Nobody was waiting for him, but he believed he could do better as a healer with supplies now.

Farewell. He flicked an ear at Aries before traveling south. Entering the mountainous region that he called 'house' before taking a western route. Attempting to avoid Northfall and the problems associated with it. When he was back in the Ford, he called it a success indeed. Now that he had herbs, he could start to treat patients better. /end

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