A Lesson In Herbs

Featuring Maesa and Eirlys
Autumn, Year 767 of the New Age
Gumtree Hollow, Allied Territory, Windborne

Maesa:
The grey doe hummed a soft tune beneath her breath as she trotted along, making her way along on an herb hunt. It was a beautiful morning, perfect for searching out some of the herbs that she needed for her selection. Every day she was considering becoming an herbalist more and more. The war was over; stormbringers weren't in such a high demand. She would debate on it more and decide eventually, but for now she was happy with what she was doing.

Spotting one of the many herbs she needed, the grey doe let out a soft squeak of happiness was, trotting over to it joyously. She plucked it up by the roots, having practiced this many times before. At first she had done it wrong, breaking the plant in the middle and killing it. Bur, after a lot of practice she had learned to snatch it by the roots. She could save it then, if she didn't intend to use it immediately or turn it into something.

Eirlys:
Being a wanderer, it wasn’t surprising to run into Eirlys as she wandered all around Windborne expect into the places where a fawnling couldn’t survive. The doe avoid going to those places as her parents had warned her about staying there for long because of the dangers there. She had heard stories about the war from her parents though as those got told to her when she was young, being her bedtime stories or her mother telling her what it was like for her growing up. Wanting to learn what she could about the stormbringers and the herbalists, she was searching for an mentor, but had failed to find one yet.

Walking among the trees though, she quietly walked until she reached a clearing where the older doe was at. Eirlys’ ears flickered as she watched her pick at the herbs that were laying on the ground there. She shifted on her feet slightly though as she did walk out further into the clearing, hoping not to scare the grey doe “Um... hello there.”

Maesa:
Movement from behind her made Maesa jump and whirl around in surprise, brown eyes growing wide. Another doe had entered the clearing, softly giving her a greeting. “Oh goodness!” Maesa exclaimed with a soft laugh. “You nearly scared the daylights out of me!” She exclaimed, though she didn't sound angry. Her eyes swept over the other fawnling briefly. She didn't recognize the green-eyed stranger at all.

Immediately she became a bit wary, thinking maybe they were a Loyalist and this was some sort of trap. However, the other doe didn't smell like a Loyalist or an Allied. Windborne was full of wanderers and nomads, so that must have been what she was. Maesa decided to ask for confirmation just to be safe. “You're a wanderer or a nomad, aye?” She tilted her head to the side curiously, waves of black curls falling over her slender neck.

Eirlys:
It wasn’t her intention to scare the one who had been picking the herbs moments before, she was letting the other doe know that she was there. Ears flickered as she walked into the clearing “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you. I thought that it was a good idea to let my presence be known.” Eirlys knew that the gray doe wasn’t angry or upset though because of the tone that was in her voice. They were both strangers though, but she was trying to meet other fawnlings on neutral ground to show that she wasn’t a threat.

This wasn’t the first time that Eirlys had meet a wary fawnling because of the issues from the past war. She had only heard stories about the war from her mother since she was born after the war was over. The doe wasn’t able to settle down in one spot which is why she became a wanderer just like her parents did. Giving a nod to her question though “I am, I’ve been one for about a year already.”

Maesa:
“It's quite alright.” The grey doe laughed softly, flicking her long tail in a nonchalant, relaxed manner. The dark doe stated that she was a wanderer and that she had been for a year. “Oh, I see! I've always wondered what's that like.” She blinked at the other doe curiously. “I've been an Allied member since the time the war began. I've never been a nomad or a wandered before.” She couldn't help but wish that she was. Maybe things would be easier then. She could do what she wanted...love who she wanted.

The mental image of a red doe flashed through her head briefly before she shoved it away. That didn't matter. It could never be anyways. “My name is Maesa. It's a pleasure to meet you.” She ducked her head to the other slightly, showing her some respect. The other seemed pretty nice and laid-back, but Maesa still liked to be respectful to everyone. She found it to be a good way to avoid potential confrontations.

Eirlys:
Nodding, the small doe gave a gentle smile knowing that both does were on equal ground and no confrontations would be happening between them. Eirlys didn’t want to fight plus it was obvious about their size difference since she was still young and growing at the moment “It’s interesting at least, I’ve gotten to see a few different things around here. At least in the places that can be survived in.” Shifting on her feet a bit “My parents told me around the war, I heard about it as stories, but it happened before I was born.”

The doe has had a hardship already as getting attacked by that crocodile wasn’t fun that day. Thankfully, she had been rescued by a wandering stag who was helpful with her escape “Nice to meet you Maesa, I’m Eirlys.” The young doe bowed her head herself as her mother had always told her to respect her elders or anyone that she comes across. The dark colored doe has always been pretty nice and laid-back as the only time that she will seem “mean” is when she is defending herself from others. Lucky enough, Eirlys hasn’t had any bad confrontations yet.

Maesa:
The doe stated that being a wanderer was interesting and that she had gotten to see different things in the places that were survivable. There were places where a fawnling couldn't survive? Well, Maesa supposed that made sense, but she had never really thought about that too much. Interesting. “I've always thought that it would be nice to get away...to escape for a little while. Though the life of a wanderer is usually​ a permanent one, I'm sure?”

She smiled softly at the other doe, who introduced herself as Eirlys. “It's a pleasure to meet you as well!” She exclaimed. Although Maesa was very friendly she didn't have so many friends. The grey doe often had a hard time opening up, but so far the conversation with this stranger had been nice. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a stranger. They knew nothing about one another, except for name and rank.

Eirlys:
Eirlys enjoyed being a wanderer even though it got a bit lonely at times. She didn’t mind too much though as the sights around Windborne made it worth it, but she was thinking about taking up Rumple’s offer about joining his wandering harem. Plus she was still learning about the dangers that existed around this place, one of them which she learned the hard way already because of the scars that were on her right leg because of the run-in with a crocodile “It’s fun, I enjoy seeing all the sights that Windborne has to offer. It can be, my parents mentioned about ones that joined the herds after sometime of them being a wanderer. I’m thinking about joining a group of wanderers though.”

The doe gave a gentle nod as she smiled lightly “Likewise, I hope that I’m not interrupting you though. You seemed a bit busy, do you need help?” Eirlys was willing to help others if they needed it and the older doe seemed to be in the middle of picking up herbs probably to bring back to her home “I can help out if you need it.”

Maesa:
Maesa smiled softly as the other stated that she enjoyed seeing all the sights, though she was joining a group or wanderers. “I bet! And I certainly don't blame you for considering joining a nomad band. I'd say that being by yourself all the time must be awfully lonely. I mean, I enjoy some alone time, but I do love some company too. I'd lose my mind if I was alone all the time! Well what little is left of my mind.” She winked at the other teasingly.

Eirlys asked if she would like some help. “Sure, if you want! I was just picking up some herbs to take back to the herd and to my daughters. The girls are fans of mints, so I've been keeping an eye out for mint plants. Anything would be good though, it be honest. My stock is really low.” She giggled a bit, realizing she was probably talking too much. “I'm sorry; I talk too much!”

Eirlys:
“It can be a bit lonely sometimes, but the traveling and seeing everything does make up for it. I figured that it would be nice to travel with them though and have company along the way.” Eirlys gave a gentle smile “I probably would to, being alone isn’t very fun.”

The younger doe nodded “I would love to help you, I’ve been wanting to learn about herbs anyways. I don’t know much about it, but I will help you the best that I can.” She chuckled with a smile though “That’s okay, no one can really talk too much.”

Maesa:
The doe stated that she would love to help and that she'd always been wanting to learn about herbs. “Oh, lovely!” The pale doe beamed. “Let's get started then.” She turned and started forwards, long tail swishing in merriment. “The first thing I'm looking for is arrownettle. It kinda looks like an arrow and is super spiny. It tastes horrible, but had all sorts of good medical properties. Let's look for it first and then we can move onto some other, better tasting things.” She glanced over her shoulder, winking at the other doe playfully.

Eirlys:
She was interested in learning about herbs, just had issues trying to find someone who could teach her. Eirlys gave a smile nodding “Okay Maesa.” Shifting on her feet a bit, she waited to see what herbs she needed to be found first. Listening to her speak, Eirlys started to look around to see if she could find the first herb that she had described “All right, it shouldn’t be that hard to find, I think.”

Eirlys would try her best to find the herb though even if it would difficult. She gave a gentle smile at Maesa before she went back to looking around once more.

Maesa:
The grey doe continued searching, humming a soft tune beneath her breath as she did so. Many could find searching for herbs frustrating, but Maesa adored it. It was relaxing to her and, when she finally found the plants she was after, she always felt overjoyed and satisfied. It was like a game of hide and seek! The plants were the hiders and she was the seeker. Some minutes ticked by and then Maesa spotted what she was after. “Ah-ha!” She exclaimed, trotting towards the plants. “Here they are.” She beamed. “See how spiny the leaves are on it? That's it's most distinctive feature.” She pointed the arrownettle out.

Eirlys:
Looking among the ground, Eirlys was searching for the herbs that had been described to her. She was curious about it and had a will to learn since it seemed really interesting to her. It was the main reason on why she wanted to learn about herbs. The dark colored doe could tell that it would take patience and time to find the arrownettle, but she didn’t mind searching to find it.

Ears flickered catching the sound of Maesa’s voice once she heard her find the plant. Nodding, Eirlys trotted over to her to take a closer look at the plant “I see, it does seem like it is a plant that likes to hide though. But I’m sure that I can find them better next time.”

Maesa:
The other doe seemed eager to learn, which made a smile grow upon Maesa’s lips. She was always willing to help those who wanted to learn and better themselves. Eirlys stated that it didn't seem like a plant that liked to hide and that she was sure that she would find them better next time. “Absolutely!” Maesa exclaimed, tail swishing merrily. “You'll get the hang of it. It's all about memory!”

She turned now, pondering. “What now...hmm.. ah, spearmint! I'm sure you've seen that before, so let's get to searching!” With that she turned and trotted off again. The day was still young and there were plenty of herbs to find!