i've got to make this life make sense

@Asteria

Walking along the shore of the river, she was humming softly to herself- captivated by the sheer beauty and peace of it all. Ansella's small pouch she had crafted, a piece of hide, she'd worked to dry- and gnawed a hole through- on one end, so that she could work a vine through it, and another hole on the other end, to make it a loop she could drape over her neck, to collect herbs, and perhaps even small game within it. She was rather proud of it, and wore it nearly everywhere she went.

Today, it was mostly empty, save from the few stems of wildflowers and marigolds that peaked out, and as she padded along the river- she eyed pretty stones and shells, along with herbs that grew closer to the water. Whatever she could find for herself, and whatever she could find that would help the pride.

She halted, where the water slowed, and paused at the edge to take a long drink, before she lifted her head, and shook herself. Ansella took the moment, of her own perceived privacy to stretch and then she set to work, carefully picking some watercress, where it grew against the riverbank- content to work, and enjoy the beautiful day.

ansella belmont

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Asteria ached.

The wounds from her fight with Apollinaire were barely begun to heal, and combined with the general pains of pregnancy she was feeling rather miserable. The Zero had all but forgotten how exhausting it was, growing whole new bodies, and yet she seemed unable to sit still.

Concerned about how things were healing she sought the icy cool of the river, trusting it to flush any concerning illnesses that might rise from the holes in her skin. Not only that but it was a relief to lay in the water, to find relief from the increasing heat (that seemed amplified due to her round belly).

She should have expected to find others, but still she is somewhat surprised to find somebody picking... plants? "What are you doing?" A quizzical beginning to their meeting, but she couldn't help but ask.

@Ansella

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i've got to make this life make sense

The water whispering against the stones of the river were like a soft soothing sort of lullaby. She lets out a content hum, as she works to carefully picked the plants- and placed them towards the shore, away from the water- so that she could get a bunch of it together before she left the shallows of the river.

Oh, Ansella should have realized that someone else was like to come along- but when a voice spoke, she was startled- flinching. Whipped her head around, her green eyes widened and narrowed on to another lioness- a rather striking and pretty lioness with a rounded stomach, that did more than hint towards a pregnancy.

"Oh," Startled words come from her. "Uh, water-cress. It's an herb." She explains. "I'm ah... collecting for my stores." She says, her tones soft. "I'm not... intruding on your space, am I?" She hadn't scented any markers, but... she worried that she had missed them.

@Asteria

ansella belmont

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For a fleeting second she felt bad for startling her, but the conversation flowed shortly after and she put her concerns aside. "What does it do?" Healing had never been her forte and granted she knew next to nothing about it -- maybe she should make an effort to learn a little. It could come in handy to patch up Rome, or, she muses thinking of her injuries, herself.

Quickly she sought to reassure the stranger. "No, not at all. I live nearby, in a band called Secondstone." Nearby but not here, their borders marked in a less significant manner. They were not a pride, but a family, and that suited her well enough.

"And you?"

@Ansella

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i've got to make this life make sense

Ansella’s careful nipping is paused, her green eyes now studying the lioness who has approached. A black lioness with bright magenta eyes- a half mane, that was rather pretty- and a strange sort of scent. That was aside from the pregnancy, that Ansella could scent, but that wasn’t her business, now was it?

“It’s good as an antibiotic, and can help some mothers once they’ve given birth develop more milk- among a few other purposes, but those are what I was taught it for mainly.” She shares, with a small smile. “I try to keep a fresh stock of it, as more of a ‘just in case’, but I’m sure someone within the pride will be expecting cubs soon enough.” She muses. Spring was here, and that seemed to be baby central, didn’t it?

As the lioness goes on to explain that the river wasn’t her space but that she did live nearby in a Band… a band? “What… is a band?” She asks curiously, wandering what that was- how it differed from a pride. Secondstone… such a unique name, she thought- something.. Different and simple.

“I live in Firnen Rainforest,” She shares, “Oh, my name is Ansella, Ansella Belmount.” She says with a smile.

thread notes: location: atraxia river, meeting @Asteria, collecting watercress for stores

ansella belmont

code by corvus

Asteria knew next to nothing about herbs, but as @Ansella spoke she started to believe it was a grievous lapse in her upbringing. nobody's fault but her own, but why had she not thought to learn before now?

"thank you for teaching me," she says, honestly, studying the plant that the medic was picking in case she needed it. "are there... are there any nearby that are good for pain?" asteria wasn't necessarily afraid of the birth to come, but she had a feeling it was going to be much harder than her first. bigger cubs, by the looks of things.

Ansella introduces herself and asks about the band, and Asteria finds another smile. "It's like... a family. A pride but... smaller? It's for all of those that need a home that don't want to get involved in any of the politics that seem to run these lands." Asteria wrinkled her nose, thankful to be seperate from it for now.

Until Rome rose to his throne, and then...

"My name is Asteria Zero," she offered in return, no matter how awkward the small talk felt to her.

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i've got to make this life make sense

Ansella softly placed the herbs on the ground, with extra care, and respect for the plants. When the lioness speaks, Ansella's ear flick forward attentively, and her head tilts. "I typically use willow bark, in areas like this for pain. Willow trees like water, and tend to grow in swampier areas- like jungles edged with water. The bark can be chewed to help alleviate pain." She responds, considering the other things possibly present. "Gnetum is also common within the jungle, and it's also good for pain." She says, and adds. "I can help you find some, if you want?" She offers, willing to help anyone else out, always.

She listens as the female talks about the band, and considers. "That sounds like a very peaceful life." She observes. Then the stranger introduces herself Asteria Zero. "Asteria, like the flower." Ansella observes with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She offers.

"You're expecting?" She asks, noting the subtle scent, the small changes a medic would notice- a polite conversation starter, if Asteria wanted to talk about it.

@Asteria

ansella belmont

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There was an almost reverence in the way that Ansella handled the plants, and Asteria notes it with a distant appreciation. It was nice to see others that loved their craft so deeply, even if it was not one that Asteria herself understood. Still she listened carefully to everything that she was told, trying to store the information away in case she found herself in need. Probably best to gather some things to be prepared; the band wasn't exactly stocked on healers or nursemaids.

"I would appreciate that," she says, honestly, having no idea how to begin to recognize what bark was willow bark or what gnetum looked like.

She blinked when her name was connected to a flower, having had no idea that there was such a thing. "I... didn't know," she mused, "I think... I think I was named for a star. Or something..." It was a vague memory, fleeting and just out of reach, but she felt oddly certain that her name had something to do with the stars.

You're expecting?

Asterias focus is drawn back to the present, and she gives a small nod. "I am, yes. I think they're going to be big." A wry smile as she shifts her weight, feeling bulkier than she had with her first litter.

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