growing up is chaotic (1/2) +5 Collect herbs (1/2) +5 Study the flora of a neutral territory It wasn't her goal to find and collect herbs today. All she wanted to do was to explore the parts of Amaryllis she had yet to step paw in, and the thicket appeared to be an interesting enough place to satisfy her hunger for adventure. But as she ducked under and climbed over gnarled branches and thick vines would Jiera stumble across white weed - bushes and bushes of them. With a delighted purr would she admire the small purple and white bulbs that were considered flowers that adorned the lush green stems and leaves, allowing for her nose to take in a deep inhale of the plant before exhaling it just as slowly. 'Might as well,' she thought to herself as she began to dig around a small bush, working on uprooting it. She made sure to be careful, to not disturb as many roots and bulbs as she could manage, letting out a soft hum while she worked.

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+5 Study and track footprints 1/2
+5 Create or tend to a hidden food cache in neutral territory 1/2

+5 Learn something useful from someone else


Every time Arcturus ventured to a new land, he had to repeat a process of learning. Where herds were, where prides were, what places to avoid, and so on. By his second year it was force of habit, taught by the consequences of not adhering to the way he was raised. Nomadic and isolated. By his fourth year he rarely ran into anyone he did not wish to see, and therefore had managed to avoid the lurking shadows in what he’d come to learn was this place’s entrypoint. Instead, Arcturus had made a beeline for a shadowed place, full of life, if one knew how to look for it.

He had arrived the night before and quickly made himself a den and cache. It had yet to be filled, but it was a start. The den was small, just big enough to fit a curled lion, but with that and his thick fur it would keep him warm enough if the nights grew cold. It wasn’t so bad yet, but who could say?

In the interest of filling his stomach and his cache, the ranger had set out to track the hare burrow he’d scented on his way in, through the twisted roots and thick branches. As all rangers should, Arcturus moved with the forest rather than barrelling through it, stepping lightly to avoid being heard. The space his silence makes is filled by another noise - an unexpected one. He follows it, more annoyed than interested in finding out who has scattered his lunch to their hole. To his surprise, it takes more than a moment to find her amongst all the greenery - she blends in almost perfectly to the thicket, and if not for her humming, Arcturus might not have seen her at all.

"You’ve cost me my lunch." He tells the forest nymph with a huff, meaning to pass her by with that impolite greeting, lifting his head to the slight breeze to try to locate something else to eat. His stomach growls, suggesting eating her might be worth his while, considering how many days it’s been since he’d last eaten.

@Jiera

growing up is chaotic Company was the last thing she thought she would encounter being this deep into the thicket. So when she heard the disgruntled voice close to her would she let out a startled hiss. Eyes wide, Jiera would turn herself so that she were now facing whoever it was that had caught her off guard, feeling her hair stand on end and her muscles tensing. She watched him for a moment, noticing that he were far bigger than she; it wasn't like she were planning on attacking, but her fight of flight response had been triggered the moment his voice broke the quiet (excluding the typical sounds of birds and other creatures and the rustling of leaves as the wind blew). "I'm sorry," she would let out in an apologetic tone, eyes now shifting so that she were no longer looking directly at his face. Instead, she focused on the dual colored mane he had, her paws shifting underneath her warily. Nerves tingled and her body was screaming for her to take off, but with a gentle shake of her body would she try to keep herself from looking as apprehensive as she felt. @Arcturus

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For her reaction, Arcturus might as well have snuck up and grabbed the green-hued creature; she all but hisses, and he regards her from the corner of his eye with a small frown, but otherwise remains unmoved by her startled house-cat display.

She does not meet his gaze, and cows under his inspection. In an instant, the carefree woman vanished in his ever-grumpy presence. His frown deepens, weighted by a twinge of guilt. Gods help him.

"What were you doing?" He asks, shifting a little to face the girl more directly, looking at the bundle of plants and whatever else she’d been collecting. "Besides singing my lunch away." Perhaps she’s a healer, or a mystic. Arcturus never put any faith in those like, and he’d never the patience for healing - despite his own trade, which sometimes required hours of sitting utterly still in wait for prey.

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growing up is chaotic Jiera was quite sheltered life growing up despite having moved around several times. She kept mostly to herself and with her siblings and mom, and maybe that was why she was so easily spooked. But from the sound of his voice he didn't seem too upset, and with that would she force her gaze to move up and look at his face. "I was just collecting some white weed to take back to my stores." She would glance down at the small collection she had gotten so far before looking back at him. "I'm sorry about scaring your lunch... I could help you find something else to eat?" Jiera was a decent enough hunter, but mostly she just wanted to make up for him losing out on a meal as well as try to make sure she wouldn't be on the menu. @Arcturus

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He cannot tell if the girl’s offer is one born from kindness, or self-preservation, but despite his irritation, Arcturus does not believe there is a debt owed to him.

The ranger grunts, a noncommittal noise, and lumbers a few steps closer to her with his red gaze on her herb pile. White weed, she called it, but he could hardly tell the difference between it and any other damn plant in the area. It all looks green and non-edible to him, but he wasn’t trained in herobology.

"A trade," he says finally, heavy skull lifting once more. "I will help collect your weeds first."

And then no debt would be owed between them, and if her offer was from guilt or innocent kindness, it would be the same.

@Jiera

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

growing up is chaotic (2/2) +5 Collect herbs (1/2) +5 Teach herbology trivia to someone (1/2) +5 Study the flora of a neutral territory He is a hard one to read, that much Jiera knew. Although she wouldn't see herself as an expert at reading body language or physical cues, she knew enough to get by and to keep herself self - mostly. So when he let out a grunt and took a step closer to her she would stiffen, trying to bring herself to stand at her full height. But her body would betray her like it usually did, a quiver causing for an involuntary shake of her shoulders and forelimbs. Gruff voice would boom out into the still air, the lioness taking a moment to soak in what he had said. "A trade?" She would echo softly, almost as if trying to understand what the word meant itself even though she knew it already. "I..." A sweep of her tail behind her would rustle some brush. "Thank you." Jiera would dip her maw in gratitude before she glanced down at the small pile of white weed she had already gathered. "So, this is what it looks like," she would gesture toward the pile with her paw. "Clusters of white-purplish bulbs that have what look like tiny hairs on their leaves and stems. They smell..." Her nose would wrinkle up as if to emphasis the word. "The smell is undesirable, but their usage is not." After she ended her small speech would Jiera begin to move slowly around the bushes, stopping once she found another bush and began to dig around it. @Arcturus

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