Quiet settled over the pride lands underneath the loss of the matriarch, something he'd not bore witness to. Hope that @Alvena hadn't witnessed such awful savagery filled him, though he'd not seen her for days now. For the time being he'd give them all their space, knowing the loss resounded within most of those long-term members of the pride, but there was also this rumor about her rebirth. He'd only met Morrigan upon arriving, but the charcoal lioness had accepted him into her folds without hesitation, something he'd always remember her for. Dying and coming back didn't seem ideal, and he wondered if Morrigan would be the same after such an occurrence.

Underneath the stars he sat within a sparse field, an expanse still covered with the slightest powder, though he didn't feel the chill near as much since coming here. Head was tilted in such a manner that his eyes peered at millions of dots among the ink canvas above; the moon but a sliver hanging somewhere above. Peace seeped within the silence of the night, interrupted occasionally by the rustle of a bird or cricket clicking its wings. Even under the heaviness which befell the pride, there was peace, for now.

War would be inevitable now, he felt this strongly as he traced constellations in the sky. Time for relaxation would become small, short periods of rest between entanglements with the enemy. Atop the distress Illyria Summit found itself in, he wondered how Alvena's mother faired, if she agreed with keeping her children in the folds of the pride, or if his girlfriend would be safer in Lorien Plains.

CODE•ART•BG

The snow falls soft

drawing the world down to a whitened hush, forcing us to pause long enough to take stock of everything that we miss in our crazed pursuit to gain everything that we can. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes.

He thought of the daughter, but he got the mother instead. While Alvena hadn't been at the death match (and thank goodness for that) her mother had, and Faelyn was similarly troubled as Hendrix was. And, unfortunately for her, there were none she could discuss it with, her mate having made himself scarce once more. Which she wasn't upset at him about, perhaps strangely enough.

She was still upset, though, mostly because she couldn't think of what to do. She worried this place wasn't safe for Alvena or herself, but if she left then Roan, Hero, and Bakarea would return to find neither of them there. Splitting the family like that wasn't an option, but neither was putting her daughter in danger. She also felt an obligation to help Morrigan however she could, as she had taken in the family when they needed it, and the Hollow had been allied with them under Roan's rule. He would want to help the high sovereign, she knew.

So where did that leave her? With nowhere to go, it seemed.

She had herbs clutched in her jaws as she walked, deep in thought so she didn't notice he presence of another, having gone not far from the borders of the pride to collect them. They were going to be needed soon, she had no doubt, and she wanted to have a supply on paw for both herself and the other healers of the pride to use as they wished. She did glance up at Hendrix, seeing something in her peripheral vision, but didn't recognize him, having never met him of course. He at least stood out, unlike her, who might have been a moving snow drift.

@Hendrix

It is growing cold

code by corvus

Although Morrigan willingly accepted him among the fold, he didn't wish to keep those he cared for in danger, and if Lorien Plains was less a target than Illyria Summit, he'd encourage his friends to go there. Not because he didn't want to help Morrigan, but because he could still help heal wounds and protect his friends this way.

Gargoyle statue, he sat peering at the stars, contemplative, ever thoughtful, until he heard the rustle of foliage. Molten eyes descended, finding a pretty alabaster woman clutching herbs, and he knew instantly this must be Alvena's mum. They looked much the same, but Alvena had cute floppy ears and light blushing in certain spots. Well, this was the right woman to speak to, about relocating to a safer haven.

Legs stretched out first, arching his back as he felt muscles groan under movement, displeased to be displaced from their relaxing position. Hey, calling at a mid-tone, since night always seemed to amplify things, he started after @Faelyn, you're Alvena's mum, aren't you?

CODE•ART•BG

The snow falls soft

drawing the world down to a whitened hush, forcing us to pause long enough to take stock of everything that we miss in our crazed pursuit to gain everything that we can. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes.

She hadn't actually anticipated the young man calling out to her, nor that he would know her daughter, so though she stopped and looked up at him again it took her a moment to drop the bundle of herbs in her mouth and offer a response.

I am, yes, she confirmed, taking a seat as he approached. You must be Hendrix. for just a moment, she flashed back to her youth, back to a forest and a different young man standing before her, as she and Roan danced around each other, their attraction to each other obvious to everyone except for them, who were both too nervous and inexperienced in such things to admit to each other how they felt. She hoped, for Alvena's sake, that things were simpler these days, because she saw the potential for much the same to happen there. Not that life was ever simple.

Alvena's spoken about you quite a bit, she concluded as she came back to the present. She'd wondered when she would run into the young man from the Plains, as she knew he wanted to learn about healing. She suspected there was more to it, as well, but she wasn't going to stick her nose into things.

@Hendrix

It is growing cold

code by corvus

Chest swelled from confirmation this was Alvena's mother. Attempting to appear every bit as manly as possible, his still young mane wasn't quite fully grown, he waltzed towards this woman. Haunches lowered to the ground with her, taking note of the herbs once clutched between pale jaws. There was such a familiarity in the face, just missing the blush of Alvena, as well as those floppy little ears, that he thought Alvena would age very well.

I am. Eager, friendly, his smile widened to a grin, squaring his shoulders to appear stronger than he was. News that Alvena had spoke of him nearly made his face split in two. He'd not had the chance to share with his father that he'd found a girlfriend, having left Lorien Plains without telling much of anyone. Upon coming to Illyria Summit he'd only intended to visit, but once he'd gotten there and every important lion had greeted him there'd only been the choice to join.

She has? Molten eyes widened somewhat, though he really couldn't be too surprised. Makes sense, since she's my girlfriend. Truthfully, if he hung out with more lions, he'd probably talk about Alvena a lot more. Since coming to the mountains he hadn't even seen Sawyer again. She told me you were the best healer to learn from. Hopeful, his gaze lowered to the herbs @Faelyn had deposited on the ground. Seemed a bit obvious, but he did intend to learn more from her.

CODE•ART•BG

The snow falls soft

drawing the world down to a whitened hush, forcing us to pause long enough to take stock of everything that we miss in our crazed pursuit to gain everything that we can. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes.

+5 Teach herbology trivia to someone

Girlfriend eh? That surprised Faelyn a bit since Alvena hadn't mentioned that particular bit, but she did remember what it was like to be young and in love and imagined it might not be something she wanted to bring her parents in on just yet. Not when there was a perfectly good excuse for them to get to know each other organically without all that added pressure. Seemed like Hendrix didn't have such reservations, and that was fine.

Goodness, she felt old now though. She hadn't anticipated that at some point she would watch her children grow up and have kids of their own, though this point had been at least two years coming.

Ah, yes, well, I'm not the best healer ever of course but I do spend enough time patching up her father to know a few things, she replied with a smile. Leave it to her daughter to talk her up like that. Either that or he was using flattery, which would in fact get him somewhere, though he'd get to the same place just by asking politely.

She noted his glance towards the herbs she had and nudged them forward out from under the shelter of her paws to point at the two different ones with a claw. This is garden cress. It helps with infections and coughs. And this is usnea, which helps with pain and fevers. Both plants you can use any part of for the desired effect, she explained. No time like the present to get started, she supposed.

@Hendrix

It is growing cold

code by corvus

He most certainly wasn't one to hide anything when it surrounded relationships. All those close to him should know about others he was close to. Although, he hadn't told his dad about his girlfriend, which he ought to have done before leaving. Ears twitched at the thought, wondering if his dad worried about him. Eventually, he'd need to visit Lorien Plains again.

Drawn back to @Faelyn, he offers a smile back. If Alvena said it, then it's true. No one as pure as Alvena would lie, so he assumed that Faelyn was the best, even as she spoke humbly of her talents. Thus far he enjoyed Alvena's family, and could see them fitting well into the Frei family. They didn't linger long on Faelyn's prowess, for she brought up the herbs at her paws just as soon as he'd glanced down.

With boyish interest he leaned forward, making sure he could see the difference between each plant. Both plants seemed widely useable, with winter bringing on common colds, furthering into the spring time as the world warmed. Do you get a lot colds? Another assumption based on the usnea and garden cress Faelyn presented.

+5 Learn something from another about your trade (1/2)

CODE•ART•BG

The snow falls soft

drawing the world down to a whitened hush, forcing us to pause long enough to take stock of everything that we miss in our crazed pursuit to gain everything that we can. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes.

+5 Teach herbology trivia to someone
+5 Warn someone about a poisonous plant

He doubled down on his compliment and she nodded slightly in acceptance of it. Flattery could get him everywhere in life. She could see why Alvena was attracted to him, presuming he wasn't just sucking up to her because she was her mother. She wouldn't even consider such an uncharitable thought, though, and so accepted the compliment as it was intended.

We do, she confirmed, pleased by his question which showed that at least he had critical thinking skills. Particularly in the winter months, and then again in the spring when it slowly begins to warm, and especially up this high, where the cold lingers and is more extreme than in other areas. And which lions are most susceptible to cold weather and illness? she asked, testing what baseline of knowledge he had. Cubs and elders being the answer she was looking for, but she would potentially accept other responses depending on his reasoning.

Oh, she added suddenly, holding up a claw to forestall his response as a thought came to her. You should be careful not to confuse this garden cress with cow parsnip, which has a flat, more tightly grouped circle of flowers. Cow parsnip isn't lethal, but it will burn your skin and mouth if you try to gather it. A mistake one would only make once, I'm sure. One she almost had herself, at one point, hence the warning. Anyway, she concluded, gesturing with her paw for him to continue with a soft smile on her features.

@Hendrix

It is growing cold

code by corvus

Perhaps his natural charm was quite noticeable, but to him, he was simply working with what he'd been given. Alvena spoke highly of her family, thus he felt highly of her family. Strong familial sense drove him throughout life, with a duller component of intelligence that made it impossible for him to suck up knowingly to his perhaps future mother-in-law.

Although, he'd worked rather hard to have a basic knowledge of healing. No one within Lorien Plains was a healer, that he knew of, and ever since he'd been a cub he'd found an interest in healing. That had made it worthwhile to consider becoming the family's healer, even if he wasn't the best at it. Except @Faelyn posed some rather hard questions that he wasn't completely sure of. The ones with less hair? Molten eyes glimmered with acceptance that this was likely not the right answer, but it wasn't something he was overly familiar with. Since coming here, since he wasn't as fluffy as many of the lions on the peaks, he assumed he was more susceptible to colds than others.

Eyes dropped to the garden cress, now trying to memorize every detail as much as possible, given that the plant was close in relation to another that might hurt him. Don't touch cow parsnip... got it. Lips twitched in a soft smile as his brain worked hard to keep pace with @Faelyn's offerings of knowledge. He hadn't worked this hard even as a cub.

CODE•ART•BG

The snow falls soft

drawing the world down to a whitened hush, forcing us to pause long enough to take stock of everything that we miss in our crazed pursuit to gain everything that we can. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes.

+5 Warn someone about a poisonous plant

At his response, Faelyn opened her mouth, closed it again, considered his answer for a moment, and then offered an accepting, head tilted slightly sideways nod, pleased by his critical thinking. It was a skill that would come in handy in his desired line of work. Not the answer I was looking for, but a good answer nonetheless. It would technically be true. The answer I was looking for was elderly lions or cubs. They have a tendency to become sick more easily. Though honestly, there are few elderly lions within the lands, I believe, she replied. It occurred to her then that she technically counted among that number, and soon her mate would as well, but she opted not to comment on that thought for perhaps obvious reasons.

There aren't many herbs that have a poisonous, lookalike counterpart within the same area, but there are a few. I'll warn you of them of course, she said, trying to think of another pairing at the moment but not coming up with anything.

Have you had any formal training, or are we beginning from scratch? she asked, fairly certain she already knew the answer but going to ask the question anyway because, well, it was only polite, and she didn't want to waste his time by going over things that he already knew.

@Hendrix

It is growing cold

code by corvus