❝

Cowards and the brave are all looking to save what little pieces left of their imagination. 'Cause the rest is adrift deep inside the ocean.

⚓︎ Rivia stalked along a game trail with her tail lashing behind her. Her pace was swift, but footfalls light. The shallow cuts on her face burned, the tan fur around her muzzle stained and dirty. Her punctures above and below her left eye were luckily shallow as well thanks to her swiftness of pulling away. The seafarer kept her mind occupied with the thoughts of anything else aside from the other woman. Flames licked her belly and she sighed a frustrated breath.

She leaned against the trunk of a tree, rubbing her shoulder into it to alleviate an itch. Tucking her chin down she inspected the gauges Sabine had left trailing down the front of her neck. "Stupid seawitch," She grumbled, lowering herself to the floor to rest against the cool earth. Evenings were cooler now and the cooler temperatures seemed to calm the fiery woman. It reminded her of her seaside home, the pleasant days before it was all taken from her.

@Aries

novi

This forest is both like and unlike the home that he and his friends have settled in for themselves. It's more dry here, with less undergrowth to get caught upon, and he has come in search of plants that prefer this climate to the humidity of the jungle southeast of here. Despite his youth, Aries finds that he is not often bothered by others, given his large size and gentle nature. There isn't much point to claiming a nearly grown boy who would have to be dragged kicking and screaming, after all.

A light breeze ruffles his growing mane, his pace steady and casual as he stops now and then to observe plants that are unfamiliar to him. A few, he gathers so that he can bring them back to Auntie for further investigation, and others that he recognizes as useful are bundled up as well in his jaws. He really ought to find a better way to carry them soon, and he is certain that the blue and gold monkey can help him with that task.

He is distracted from his vagabond wandering when he suddenly catches sight of another lion, laying up against the base of a tree and looking somewhat fussed. His mismatched gaze looks her up and down, hardly able to miss the fresh wounds that paint her face and neck, rivulets of blood dripping down her fur. He drops his herb bundle at his paws, concern furrowing his brows. "Hey, do you need help?" the boy queries, his ears lilting forward, though he does not yet seek to broach the few yards of distance between them, in case she does not want him here.

@Rivia

+10 Heal a character’s sickness or injury 0/2
+5 Study the flora of a neutral territory 1/2
+5 Collect herbs 1/2

image by vhitany, code by koi

❝

Cowards and the brave are all looking to save what little pieces left of their imagination. 'Cause the rest is adrift deep inside the ocean.

⚓︎ Just as her chin lay to rest of the top of her paws, a voice beckoned her eyes to open. A two-toned violet gaze found a youthful looking lad maintaining respectful distance offering help. At first she furrowed a single brow in confusion. “Of course not—“ She half-snapped, cutting herself short before she could actually finish. Help? Help for what? Raising her head she twisted her expression and the stinging of her cuts answered the rhetorical question for her.

She observed the bundle of herbs he dropped at his feet, narrowing her eyes at them to get some better details from her distance. The healer back home was quite the brute and often hardly did his job. Tough it out or you ain’t worth saving next time the crew found themselves in a pinch. She grit her teeth and sighed. She knew next to nothing about how she could’ve helped herself out anyway. And her strength was waning on top of that. “How?” she questioned, almost skeptical at this stranger’s offer.

@Aries

novi

His ears slick back at her first response, half prepared to shrink away and leave the woman to her wounds. Aries is a gentle soul, and easily miffed, but he doesn't run off just yet, for she stops herself short before saying anything truly cruel. Instead, he waits quietly, watching her gaze shift between the plants he has been collecting and him, and then asking a question instead. One ear perks forward, and then the other, a soft and hopeful smile touching the corners of his lips.

"Well, um, those cuts on your neck need cleaned," he mentions, able to see even from a distance that they are fairly deep and in an incredibly difficult location for her to tend to herself. "This plant here lowers inflammation and chance of infection," Aries explains, gesturing to the bright green flowers of the nibima plant with his paw, and then to the red-berried ashanti pepper, "and this one helps with pain." His curious gaze returns to the cool woman's face, head tilting slightly. "I can make you a poultice?" the boy offers, clearly concerned about her well-being despite them being complete strangers.

@Rivia

+10 Heal a character’s sickness or injury 0/2
+5 Study the flora of a neutral territory 2/2
+5 Collect herbs 1/2

image by vhitany, code by koi

❝

Cowards and the brave are all looking to save what little pieces left of their imagination. 'Cause the rest is adrift deep inside the ocean.

⚓︎ Rivia shifted in her spot, pushing herself up to sit up while the boy explained his herbs and how he could help. She hummed, chewing her lip before nodding at him. "Thank you," she said, her version of acceptance. Rivia didn't like being or feeling so vulnerable. It made her anxious. But the young lad didn't seem to be such a threat. Picking herself up she moved towards the lion and sat before him. "So, this one," she pointed to the red berries, "You said that was for pain?" Might as well attempt to learn a little something. Her eyes studied the plants at his feet. It would be nice to have a hint of an idea of something she could grab in a pinch. It likely wouldn't be every day a stranger would happen to find her sulking after every fight.

@Aries

novi

It takes her a few moments longer, but eventually, the woman seems to be willing to accept his help. A soft smile breaks across Aries' lips as she comes closer, his posture relaxing as he begins to root through the rest of the supplies in his bundle. "Mhm, yeah, you eat the seeds," he answers, holding the plant down with one paw and stripping it of the red seeds with the claws on his other before pushing them before her. He's not the sort to try and make her do anything -- if she wants relief, the opportunity is there in front of her.

He pulls free some fresh moss from his bundle, his keen gaze appraising her injures with a soft hum. "I have to clean these," Aries warns gently, leaning onto his haunches beside her and reaching out to press the moss against the fur of her neck, working as nicely as he can without causing too much discomfort. "I'm Aries," he offers as he works, hoping to break a bit through her gruff demeanor with idle chatter.

@Rivia

+10 Heal a character’s sickness or injury 1/2
+5 Study the flora of a neutral territory 2/2
+5 Collect herbs 1/2

image by vhitany, code by koi

❝

Cowards and the brave are all looking to save what little pieces left of their imagination. 'Cause the rest is adrift deep inside the ocean.

⚓︎ The lioness drew in a breath, closing her eyes for a moment to calm herself. As the seeds were placed before her Rivia hesitated a moment before scooping them up and putting them in her mouth. She grimaced at the taste, but pushed through it until she swallowed and sighed. She flicked her tongue with a 'blech' and cleared her throat. "Gross," she murmured, resigning to accepting this lion's help.

Begrudgingly, Rivia moved her head to expose the wounds that he was going to clean. He was gentle, which was appreciated. She bit the inside of her cheek as he worked, a small grunt leaving her lips at some pressure. "Rivia," she replied as @Aries introduced himself. "You look young." She stated as she looked over him. Not that it was a bad thing, necessarily, just an observation.

novi

A slight smile and a momentary chuckle escape the boy at her commentary, his shoulders shrugging a bit sheepishly. "Sorry, shoulda warned you," he murmurs, though truthfully, it's probably better if she hadn't known the acrid taste that the seeds bear. They work, and that's the most important part, really.

He winces empathetically at her subtle indication of pain; he can imagine that the wounds sting smartly, and his fussing at them likely isn't helping. Well, it is, it just doesn't seem like it right now. "Yeah, I guess," he muses when she mentions his age; Aries has never really felt young, given the rough start to life he'd faced. When he's satisfied with the removal of dried blood, he searches his surroundings, looking for one more plant he hadn't gathered yet. Spotting the white flowers a few moments later, Aries trots away to harvest the leaves, returning shortly after to plop down next to her again.

Using a piece of bark and a rock, he grinds the new leaves in with the ones he'd pointed out before until he's concocted a crude green paste. "I still have a lot to learn, but I have a good teacher," he mentions, applying the salve to her injuries as gently as he can. Auntie Meinir had been a part of their group since Aries had first been found by them, and he's been learning the ropes under her teachings ever since; he's a very astute student, eager to drink in any information he's offered. "Do you live around here?" the yearling queries idly. He's never been the greatest at knowing when to shut up, so unfortunately for poor @Rivia, she's stuck with his awkward line of questioning.


+10 Heal a character’s sickness or injury 2/2
+5 Study the flora of a neutral territory 2/2
+5 Collect herbs 2/2

image by vhitany, code by koi

❝

Cowards and the brave are all looking to save what little pieces left of their imagination. 'Cause the rest is adrift deep inside the ocean.

⚓︎ Rivia shrugged off the bitter taste knowing full well she would ultimately live. All she really cared about was the effect at this point. The less pain she felt, the less she would have to be reminded about the other woman. Rivia cooled her breathing and made sure she stayed still for the young lad to work on her. Even when he bounced off to find an extra plant. Her bi-coloured eyes watched his movements, studying what he did carefully.

It sure did seem like he must have a good teacher indeed. "I'm sure you'll get there," She replied. Hard work and perseverance were surefire ways to make sure you made it where you were trying to go.

When @Aries brought up the topic of her living situation, she hummed quietly and shook her head some without too much disturbance to what he was doing. "At the moment, I'm not attached to anywhere specifically. I wander where I please." Where does one even go when everything they'd known was gone? How do you start over from that?

"What about you, kid?" Rivia returned the inquisition, raising a brow at the stripped lion.

novi

A slight smile touches the edges of his lips whilst he works, agreeing with her encouraging words. Aries is an astute student, and truly loves working with medicines -- it's his favorite thing, right after stargazing. He leans back onto his haunches with an approving nod, surveying his handiwork. "That's better," he hums, tilting his head boyishly and flicking his ears towards her.

"Yeah, me too, kinda," he states with a shrug. While his group has a camp set up, they're all prone to wandering, just like Aries had been doing today. "I should go, actually," the yearling mentions, his mismatched gaze glancing up towards the darkening sky. "My friends will be wondering where I am." Aries gathers up his supplies and offers @Rivia a lopsided smirk before he turns and flits into the bushes with a, "it was nice to meet you!" tossed over his shoulder in departure.

Exeunt Aries

image by vhitany, code by koi