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[Naiya]

80th day of Summer, 515 AV
12th bell of the day. One bell away from Endrykas on foot

The mild weather had lead Naiya out into the sea of grass early that morning. Barefoot and alone in hopes of sneaking quietly out to bring home the parts and pieces of a lovely rabbit stew. A basket hung from her backpack, along side her quiver and bow, and the body of a large rabbit.

She wanted to find another rabbit before she began gathering herbs and edible plants. The basket would only be in the way once it was full, and she didn't want to lose the fruit of her labor. At this point of her day, crouched to take cover behind a low growing shrub, she was beginning to think her efforts would leave her with nothing.

It was far past the time for hunting, the afternoon at its peak, the animals likely hiding out of Syna's harsh light. She scanned the ground around her for the small light tracks that had led her this far, following the marks in the ground while maintaining her crouched stance, the cover of the grass and brush her only chance for finding a creature who might be lounging out of the direct light of the sun.

She turned her eyes to the horizon, scanning the grass for something to shoot at. She wanted a meal to impress with, and using something that Shahar or Khida had snared was far less helpful than bringing home food of her own. Depleting the stores, or taking away meat that could be sold, that was less than helpful.

If she ever wanted to move beyond the gentle loving touches of her husband to the fiery intimacy they had almost shared early in their relationship, she obviously needed to do more to impress him. The playful touches of her hands or hair were not undesirable, but that they moved no further was the cause for her concern.

Her distracting thoughts had her frozen in a crouch in that grass. Perhaps an intervention of fate, because in her silence the wake of another's passage became clear in her ears. The gentle rustle of grass, the snapping of twigs, from walking or browsing she couldn't tell.

Moving slowly so as to not draw attention, she pulled her bow to they ready, holding it at a slight angle to give her a safe release. Drawing an arrow from the quiver without notice was more difficult, instead of her usual draw, she pulled the arrow with short draws, sliding it out flat and letting it fall carefully into her palm before righting it and nocking it against her bow.

She peered towards the sound, but she couldn't see the creature through the brush. It sounded larger than a rabbit, perhaps an antelope, or maybe just a deer.

She began to rise from her crouch when the creature snorted, the sound changing all her assumptions and making her situation more dangerous than she had intended. A boar, of unknown size and age, was surely cause for concern she needed to see him, to know if it was a fight she could come out on top of.

She knew her prey now, though, which gave her a small advantage over the sharp toothed creature. She aimed low, for the main body of the pig, hoping to rise and release her arrow before the creature noticed her.

[Naiya]

She rose from her crouch in a controlled motion, keeping her arrow aimed at the boar. He was young, both good and bad luck for the woman. It made the creature more valuable to her, but also more dangerous. His teeth were young and sharp, all the better to bite her with.

She had planned her movement carefully, so her bow needed only a slight adjustment in her aim before she released the anchor at her cheek. The twang of the bow string was too late at such a short distance, the unlucky boar only a few feet from the huntress's hiding place.

Her shot went high, above the heart, below the spine, and the creature, while wounded, was more than capable of expressing his anger at the attack. That was something Naiya had hoped to avoid, because the boar charged at her quickly. Luckily Naiya was never one to rely on a single bolt to dispatch her prey. She had begun to draw the next arrow as soon as the first had left her grip.

It didn't save her the boar's collision with her legs, nor the bite on her calf, but it let her fire an arrow from her new found prone position. The angle of the boar as it tried to get a good hold on her leg with its little mouth let her fire her next shot right through its neck.

The angry squeal turned to a gargled cry as he realized the need for a retreat far too late to save his life. Naiya let him go, the pain in her calf more than enough to keep her in place for a few more long ticks.

A few more ticks, then half a chime, and she realized she needed to move, to get back, away from the boar before he decided he would try and take her out with him. Boars often circled around to attack the hunters who hunted them. She wasn't sure how long he had left, but she didn't want him chewing on her anymore.

She shoved herself up into a sitting position, eyeing the wounds on her calf gingerly. For all that the creature had a relatively small mouth, he had really managed to gnaw on her leg. With great care, she moved back into the cover of the brush that had served her so well before, her leg protesting even the slight movements as she scuttled through the dirt, holding her wounded leg carefully out of harm's way.

Hidden again, at least to some degree, she ripped away what was left of the bottom of her breeches, bringing the wound out from under the cover. She pulled the water from her hip, washing the blood from her leg so that she could better examine the plethora of small punctures. The water wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't as bad a she expected either. It revealed what was the equivalent of three bites from the boar, the shapes overlapping some, others torn where he had pulled at her flesh. One set was deeper than the others, and although it did not reach as far across her calf as the other two sets did, it hurt the most out of the trio of wounds.

She wiggled her toes, the motion shot pain through her leg, manageable. She rotated her foot in a circle, and that was not nearly as mild, bringing tears to her eyes as the echoes of the movement continued. She blinked the moisture away from her eyes, waiting for her vision to clear before she returned to assessing the wound. It oozed blood rather slowly, but some places seemed to bleed more and if the wounds got dirty, she would only be in more trouble.

She used the dagger at her belt to cut the other leg of her breeches just above the knee, folding it to form a bandage long enough to wrap around the wounds. The draped the folded cloth over her knee, taking a drink from the water in her hand before pouring it over the wound once more.

[Pearl]

Garrison babbled happily as his grandfather mounted up and tucked the toddler in front of him against the curve of the yvas; Garrison held to it with one hand and waved to his mother with the other. A smiling Pearl waved back. “You two be careful and have fun, aye?” She watched as Trail and Garrison left, still waving and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped when she heard Garrison yell, “Gid up!”

Now that she had a bit of time to herself, Pearl had set off on her own adventure. Her stocks were in need and the weather was proving to be beautiful on this early summer’s day; it seemed like the perfect time to set out and do some gathering. Knox met her at the large oak near the edge of the pavilion, seeming to understand Pearl’s desire to set off, or perhaps trying to push his own desires on that of his rider; either way it proved beneficial.

Pearl checked his feet, making sure to clean them, using a small stick. Knox was patient and chewed on some of the grasses while Pearl worked to be sure he was ready for their ride. The yvas was placed on his back and tightened over the pad; Knox snorted and turned his head back to nudge at Pearl’s shoulder while she finished tightening the straps. “I know you’re ready. Give me a minute to make sure everything is settled and we’ll be on our way,” she fussed at him and was met with another nudge; this one more forceful than the last. Pearl laughed. “Okay, okay.”

When they passed through the gates, Pearl lifted a hand and waved to Bayon, who asked, “alone?”
“Aye. Not going far. I saw some lavender and chamomile about a half a bell away,” she answered.
Bayon furrowed his brow at her words; it was obvious he didn’t like her going out alone.
Before he could insist that she take another with her, or accompany her himself, she clicked at Knox with her tongue against the roof of her mouth and leaned forward. That was all the urging Knox needed. He nickered and lunged forward; the trot was rough at first and it jarred Pearl through to her bones before he quickly merged the trot into an easy lope.

A few chimes ride and she was ta the small clump of lavender that she had seen beginning to bud into beautiful blueish flowers just a few short weeks ago. The scent of the flowers was amazing and she couldn’t help but to smile as she slid down from Knox’s back. “Beautiful, aren’t they, Knox?” Pearl had a habit of talking to Knox when they were alone, and the strider didn’t seem to mind; sometimes it even seemed like he answered with his nickers and nays.

Knox was content to munch on the grasses while Pearl set about snapping off several of the flowers. When she had gathered quite the handful, she stepped up to Knox’s side and opened the saddle bags, exchanging the flowers for her herbal book, her journal and an ink stick. She settled onto the ground, stretching her legs out before her on the sun-warmed ground and began to sketch the lavender plant. The spindly flowers and stems being much easier to draw out than she had at first expected. “Not bad,” she muttered.

Finding the proper page in the herbal book had been easy as Pearl had folded in one corner of the page for each of the herbs and flowers she had expected to gather on this beautiful day. Once she had the book open, she began to write down the properties of the lavender down in her journal so she would have them for easier reference. Plus, writing down the words helped her to remember the qualities more easily for recall and use later.

Lavender, use one heaping tablespoon in a pot of water and steep for ten chimes. When drank it will help to calm the nerves (butterflies) and can help you sleep. Use the tea after it cools off to treat flaky scalp. Treat sunburn with a few drops of lavender oil in some water, then put it directly on the sunburned skin. Lavender oil is also good for bug bites, cuts and scrapes as it helps kill infection. Crushed lavender flowers are also good for cooking and can be used much like mint and sage to season food.


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[Pearl]

Instead of mounting back up on Knox and riding, Pearl decided to let the animal graze and enjoy the day much as she herself was enjoying it. They didn’t often get an opportunity to wander aimlessly. Knox never strayed too far from Pearl as they meandered across the grasses. Pearl in search of the chamomile flowers she had seen growing; Knox in search of anything else edible. His tail swished forward, slapping at flies that tried to bite, catching Pearl on the shoulder a time or two as she stood close.

Pearl rolled the sleeves of her shirt up past her elbows, tucking them in so they would stay rather than fall back down. The sun was so inviting and she couldn’t resist enjoying the benefits of its warmth. She untucked her shirt and tied up the bottom of it so that her stomach and lower could soak up the sun. Her boots were removed next and tucked into the saddle bag on Knox’s, opposite of the one that contained her lavender. She wiggled her toes against the grasses and ground as she bent to roll up her pant legs to her knees, tucking them in as she had her shirt sleeves. “There. That’s much better,” she explained to Knox; he nickered his approval.

“Look, just up there. There they are,” she pointed out the flowers to Knox and headed in that direction; the horse following along at a leisurely pace, gabbing his grasses along the way and filling his belly. Pearl broke off the flowers from their stems, leaving some of them longer than others as she gathered them, then tucked them safely in the saddle bags along with the lavender.

Consulting her herbal book once more, she found the page for chamomile and read over the uses of it before jotting them down in her journal with her ink stick. Chamomile was good for so much, and it shared a lot of the same qualities as the lavender. To make chamomile tea pout the boiling water into the tea pot and add some apple slices, mash them with a spoon. Next add some washed chamomile flowers and two cups of boiling water. Steep for a couple of chimes. Strain before drinking. Can add honey or lemon juice for extra taste.

Chamomile tea is best drank a bell or so before bedtime and will help you sleep better. Cooled chamomile tea can help a heat rash. Drinking this tea can also help a cough and can help get over a cold quicker. Chamomile tea can also help relieve muscle cramps, even female monthly issues. Cooled tea can also be used on your hair to relieve flaky scalp and lighten your hair. It will also lighten your skin and help a sunburn when applied directly to the skin. When poured on a wound, minor wounds like scraps and small cuts, it will clean them and help them heal quicker. It can also help heal mouth sores. Pearl followed up the instructions with a small sketch of the pretty white and yellow flower.



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[Naiya]

The water didn't hurt so much as it brought her attention to the wound, the pain flared with the attention. It wasn't so bad, she thought, as she moved her foot again, this time, braced for the pain, it wasn't so bad. She lied to her self, repeating the phrase to make herself believe it, to make the pain fall second to the mantra.

What nonsense had made her believe, even for an instant, that coming out alone was a good idea. She would be a better hunter if she could do it alone, Shahar would be proud of her, Khida would grow fonder of her. She would be able to show them that she could pull her own weight.

She still would. She was fine, she could get her boar and go home.

With a gentle hiss, she wrapped the cloth around her wound, trying to end with the knot tightened over the worst of the punctures. It hurt to tie, but having it covered, out of sight, made it easier to deal with. Or rather, easier to ignore. The bandaging would keep it clean, and hopefully help stop the bleeding.

It was fairly quiet, she assumed that meant the boar was dead finally. She hoisted herself up, limping as little as she could manage on her right leg. Limping, she knew from experience, often led to pain in other places.

She had to track the boar a bit, finding first one, and then the other of her arrows along the way. The second one was fine, the first was broken, perhaps snapped when the creature stepped on it? She didn't know, but she would save the arrow anyway, maybe some of it was worth reusing.

The path of blood wasn't hard to follow, he'd bled like a stuck pig. She took care to notice the tracks though, so she would be familiar with the shape of the boar's hooves. She noticed also that she could see where the boar had rested, and where he had been moving, the difference in the shape and size of the drops of blood making the movement clear.

She followed the trail all the same, spotting her prize far before the end of the trail. She ceased to follow the staggering path, cutting the distance as short as possible.

She reached down, checking that his chest was still, his eyes did not flicker. He was dead, and that meant she was safe to grab him. She took hold of his haunches, the tuft of fur along his spine an easy hand hold, her other hand lifted his legs, hefting the creature up into her arms.

She nearly fell over. The boar, tumbling from her grip as she staggered, her injured leg protesting the weight of the creature. She had unthinkingly, leaned onto her leg in a half crouch to help heft the pig up off the ground. It was not her brightest moment.

Nor was her hesitation to move after disturbing the pig, because she seemed to have all the luck on this hunt.

Beneath her boar, now exposed due to her efforts, was a large birds nest, and in that nest had been a snake. A snake who was now quite angry.

Her long moment of disconnect while she fought the pain in her leg was just long enough for the snake to strike, her crouched position over the boar letting him take hold of the curve between her neck and her shoulder. Sinking his fangs in right beneath her pulse.

If he was poison, she would be dead, she had no chance. Panic took hold, squeezing her chest even as the snake wound himself around her arm, tightening a body of muscle around one of a similar form. The squeezing grew tighter, and Naiya despite her panic, realized that if he was venomous, he wouldn't be trying to squeeze the life out of her. Or her arm for that matter. She let the thought calm her as she drew her dagger.

She struck with the tip of her dagger, unable to see the snake's head, she had to chase the flat of the blade down her neck, seeking the resistance of the snake. When she found him, she tried to cut him free of her neck, slipping her blade into what she thought was his mouth.

With a hiss he pulled back, releasing her neck in favor of the new danger, her hand. His fangs bounced off her knuckle once before they sank into her palm, and she shouted her anger at him. She dropped her dagger, drawing the other from her calf in her right hand, she very carefully severed his body from his head.

She had to pry the snake's mouth loose from her hand, shaking with some combination of pain, anger, and fear. She tossed the head away in anger, once she had pulled it free from her flesh, and her stomach heaved once, threatening to spill its contents into the grass.

She sat in the dirt, resting her head on her knees as she calmed down, letting her stomach settle. What had she been thinking?

Hunting alone.

She stirred once her stomach had settled and she ceased to feel light headed, she looked around, distantly admiring her work. She had killed the boar, tracked him to his grave, found a snake, dispatched him as well, and the snake's lunch sat untouched, there had been four eggs in the nest, two had been crushed, but the other two looked to be in one piece.

She would return home a champion, but also quite a bit worse for the wear.

[Naiya]

She pulled her water once more, pouring it over her neck and her hand, washing the blood away, and after cutting another strip of cloth from her mangled pants, she tied a bandage around her hand. Clean and covered was as far as her understanding of wounds went, and she didn't know how to wrap her neck at the moment, so it would just have to be left alone.

She cleaned her dagger, the one that she had killed the snake with, on her ruined pants, putting it back into the sheath that usually fell just inside her boot.

She scanned the ground for her other blade, tucking it back into it's proper place after wiping it off. Her weapons gathered, she turned to survey her findings, the boar, the snake, and the eggs. What luck she had, to have found so many useful things, but to have done so with such poor form, a joke, the best and worst of luck.

The snake was large, twice the length of her arm, and quite heavy. She could put it in her bag, though, without running into much trouble. She did so, and put the eggs in a small pouch on the outside, individually wrapped in cloth, where they would hopefully be safe as well.

The boar was a bigger problem, hefting its weight once more, she struggled for a long moment with it in her arms before she could manage the strength she needed to swing it over her shoulder, where it landed with a thud.

He was quite heavy, close to a hundred pounds, she imagined. No trouble if she hadn't been wounded and carrying the snake and her weapons and her water. Laden as she was, it was going to be a long walk back.

Her eyes scanned the grass, seeking the landmarks that she had passed, the sun was high in the sky, but beginning to fall towards the opposite horizon. It had been behind her when she left the city.

She positioned the sun to her back once more, the passing time having lent its aid. She would not have to walk into the sun her entire way home. She grasses rolled out before her, promising no change to a person unfamiliar with the sea. To Naiya, though, there were many signs of her city, flattened grass in large tracks, occasional snares set in the brush, grasses grazed low.

Her city was not grand, but it was hers and she recognized the signs of her people. She smiled, more grimace really, and continued on, seeking tracks on the ground to practice identifying.

Mostly what she found was hoof prints, both those of zibri and of the horses, but there was the familiar shape of hunting cats too, and even some dogs, although they were usually smaller. Boots and feet marked the path as well, both large and small.

She was nearing the city, surely. If the sweat on her brow and the burning in her leg were any indicators. Perhaps less so today than another day, but she couldn't be out too far now.

She was quite warm, though, and her burdens grew steadily heavier. They weighed her down, and soon she was considering a rest. She drank deeply from her waterskin, checking her leg and hand to find that both bandages had spots of red showing through, more so the wounds on her leg which had dampened the bandage and begun to drip down over her ankle.

She didn't have a solution. She wouldn't leave the boar out in the grass for the scavengers, it was meat that would likely feed them for days.

She trudged on, her limp growing more pronounced as she began trying to keep the weight of the boar from weighing down on her leg. In the distance, not quite on the way back to the city, but not far off either, she spotted a horse and rider in the grass.

Relief shook her form, as she called to them. Her voice not so loud as she expected it might be. That was odd, she thought, as she wiped more sweat from her face.

She shouted again, the sound echoing painfully in her chest. Surely they had heard that?

She began to cut across the grass, hoping the rider and horse would help her back to the city. If someone would just carry the pig for her. That was surely all the help she needed.

[Pearl]

Clouds moved across the sky, floating silently on the winds of Zulrav. Many bells of Pearl’s childhood had been spent lying on the grasses and looking up at the clouds in the sky on days such as this while trying to imagine shapes in the clouds, of any sort, and make up stories to tell friends that lay with her. The thought reminding her that she needed to do just that with Garrison and Kyanite soon. “Perhaps later this day,” she murmured, smiling as she let a hand rest at Knox’s shoulder as they walked.

It was wonderful to walk in the grasses barefoot, though she remained vigilant of dangers that lurked in the tall grass, to feel the earth beneath your feet; it was as if you were one with nature at that point, truly connected with the earth and able to feel Semele’s strength and wonder each time your foot reconnected with the bare earth. Pearl wasn’t graced with many days such as this, to be able to wander at will; she intended to enjoy all of its splendour as she gathered what she was able.

The lavender and chamomile had been her main goal for the gathering, and so that, that had been accomplished, anything further would be a blessing from Semele. Pearl wiped a bead of sweat away from her temple; the heat of the day building as the sun held high in the sky. “Zulrav, god of thunder and storms, please, if it be your will, rain upon these lands to replenish and cool that which is upon it,” she prayed as she glanced up to the skies once again, shading her eyes with her hand and smiling as she saw the shape of a cotton tail in one of the clouds.

Knox’s snort brought her attentions back from the sky; her hand still upon his shoulder. “What is it?” she asked. His answer came in the shaking of his head as he shifted his walk towards the right, pushing at her to do the same. Pearl stepped out of the way of Knox’s feet, but then stood her ground as she looked to see what might have gotten the strider’s attention. It wasn’t a reaction that brought up her defenses fully, or one that gave her great concern, as Knox hadn’t been desperate in his change of course; more that he was insistent that he didn’t care for what he had noticed to his left.

Pearl’s hand slid over his neck and around to his nose as she stepped around the front of Knox. The strider snorted again, this time sending a light spray of mucous over Pearl’s forearm. “Oh Knox, really?” Her words were answered with another shake of the strider’s head; when he stilled it and flared his nostrils and looked down at Pearl, she saw his nose begin to drip a slow, but steady, drip of clear mucous. Pearl stretched her neck and began to sniff at the air, seeing if she could scent anything out of the ordinary that would cause Knox’s obviously sensitive nose to run as it was; she paid particularly interest to the area left of Knox, as this is where he had not wanted to be.

She noticed a large clump of large flat leaves that were slightly wavy at their edges standing nearly straight up from the ground; the leaves being at least as long as her the bones in her leg from her ankle to her knee. It wasn’t a plant she knew. Stepping closer to the plant in question, she sniffed again; the aroma from it caused her own nostrils to burn a little and she had to sniff again as her own nose reacted to the smell.

Pearl began flipping through the pages of her herbalism book, searching for the plant within its pages. Pausing at one page, she compared it closer to the plant and decided against it being the same one; the leaves didn’t quite match. A few more pages were turned and she found the match. “Horseradish. I’m surprised you don’t like,” she teased Knox as she approached and took out her hatchet.

Once she had the few roots she was able to unearth, just as her book had told her to do, she sat them to the side and began sketching the plant and root into her book as best as she could with the ink stick. Her eyes were watering and her nose was running, causing her to sniffle several times as she began writing out the qualities of the plant: Horseradish, good for the treatment of colds, flu, and chest congestion because it thins and helps rid the body of mucous. “I can certainly attest to that,” she muttered as she continued to write. It is also good for helping your body get rid of excess water through urination. It can be used on wounds to treat infection and ease pain, but may cause the skin to redden. Store in a dry, cool place. Will keep for more than a season. Grate the horseradish, add honey and vinegar, two tablespoons honey to one cup grated horseradish. Eat this on bread. Can also put the grated horseradish in a sip of warm water and add honey. Drink this to ease a cough and chest congestion. “Thank you Semele, for providing such a blessing. This is going to be so helpful this fall and winter.

Knox wasn’t thrilled to be carrying the horseradish in his saddlebags; it was something he had tried to avoid and now the scent was following him. “Stop fussing. It’s not that bad,” though even as Pearl spoke the words, she sniffed again against mucous draining from her nose; Knox answered her by snorting loudly, causing Pearl to chuckle.


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[Pearl]

Checking the placement of the sun in the sky, Pearl tried to gauge the time of day. She wasn’t as accurate with this as she hoped to be someday. “It’s getting later. We should probably be heading back to the gates, before Bayon sends a party out looking for us. You know how he gets when we are out alone.” Her course changed, and she headed them back in the direction of the gates, taking a large loop in her return path; she was obviously in no hurry to return, yet knew the consequences of a too late arrival.

Pearl was going over the days gatherings so far, reading from her journal and trying to commit to memory all the things she had learned of the chamomile, lavender and horseradish. She never stopped learning in her profession and recalled the words her mother had spoken to her so often; “Education is the key to survival.” The memory caused Pearl to smile.

Pearl thought she felt a sprinkling of rain and looked up; the clouds giving no indication that they were releasing any of their waters as they remained a fluffy white while they floated through the bright blue skies. As she brought her gaze back down, she noticed the spiny and spikey arms of the aloe plant a few ticks ahead of them. She had read about the plant in her herbalism book and heard her mother speak of it often when she was younger. She even recalled that Willow kept a plant growing in a pot in their tent.

The digging with a hatchet had been more strenuous than Pearl had realized; by the time she had the plant freed from the earth with what she thought was the root system intact, her arms were quite tired, but the effort had been well worth it. If the plant lived, that is. She began making a list of things she would need to purchase when she got back to the city. The list being next to the small sketch she made of the aloe plant. Below the list was wrote out the uses for aloe.

Medium or large pot for plant.
Better tool for digging.

Aloe is good for the treatment of burns, rashes and bug bites. Break off a portion of the plant and tear it open, using the slippery gel on the inside and apply it directly to the skin. Aloe juice can be drunk to relieve binding of the bowels. May fillet the aloe leaf and scrape out the inside, but never use the yellow part of the aloe to crush into a juice and drink. Aloe juice can be added to tea or water to drink. A pregnant woman should never drink aloe juice. Aloe juice should never be given to a baby or small child; it can be passed through a mother’s milk to her baby.

As she was finishing her writing, she thought she heard someone calling out. Looking around, she didn’t see the source immediately, but she was certain she heard something. Her book and ink stick were sat back into Knox’s saddle bags and everything was adjusted to make room so that nothing was harmed or crushed. The aloe plant was still in her hand when she heard the call again; turning she held her free hand up to shade her eyes from the sun and was finally able to spot the lone female. Pearl raised her hand and waved to the person; indicating that she had heard and seen them, then quickly stored the aloe plant in the saddlebags.

With a pat to Knox’s neck and a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth to beckon him along with her, she began walking in the direction of the woman. Pearl raised her hand again and called out. “Greetings! Are you alright?” She quickened her pace, fearing the worst, but the woman was walking, or at least standing, so that was some relief to Pearl’s thoughts. Still her concern grew for the woman; call it intuition.


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[Naiya]

Greetings, apology a shaky hand signed to the woman who approached. She couldn't draw up the effort she needed to shout across the distance again. Her shoulder protested the the movement of her free hand and arm as her signing continued, easier to read from the closing distance between them than it was for Naiya to speak.

Apology, inconvenience she signed the words again, in case they had been missed at first, but they were reasonably close now, and Naiya ceased her forward movement, focusing instead on not dropping the heavy burden of the boar.

She took a moment to scan the horizon, looking for the landmarks that she had passed on the way out into the sea, there was the rock on the hillock, the tree that grew at an angle. They were still perhaps a half bell from the city proper, maybe a bit more.

That would explain the scant few tracks she could see, the lack of flattened glass and woodsmoke. The last, though, was visible in the distance, but only just. As the sun grew lower in the sky, it would illuminate the trailing cinders, the billowing gray trails. That was always something to remember in the grass, that you could find the city by the evening smoke. Cooking food, green wood, dry grasses, all of them burned in the evening, the latter two of the the adding extra strength to the smoke of the fire, a beacon to the Drykas returning home.

The woman was closer now, and Naiya shifted, trying to relieve the pain in her leg by changing her stance before she began to speak, hoping the woman would miss the strain in her voice.

"I'm sorry to be a bother," She began, "I was hunting and ran into a bit of trouble." She gestured to the boar, most Drykas would know the danger of such a creature. "He got the advantage when my arrow went high, took a bite out of my leg," Poor luck, and embarrassment underlined her words, "I was out a ways, left my strider home. Do you think your strider would help me carry the boar home?"

She didn't notice immediately the woman's look of concern, but then, she was rather distracted by the sudden feeling that she might be sick. Apology she signed again, stepping back away from the woman, if she was going to be sick, it shouldn't be on the woman.

[Pearl]

Pearl smiled as the woman signed to her; quickening her pace yet again when she thought she saw the woman’s hand shaking with her signing. She couldn’t be sure, but thought it best to get closer quicker. Welcome, welcome, she signed twice while urging Knox to keep up with her instead of filling his belly with a small click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Knox kept up without much protest, but he did nicker at the smells surrounding him, especially with the scent of dead boar thick upon the air.

“It’s no bother,” Pearl spoke when she was near enough to hear the young woman, though she noticed the underlying hint of embarrassment upon the woman’s words. “Please, think nothing of it.” Pearl retrieved the water-skin from Knox and poured some of the water over her hands, washing them as clean as she could get them without having any soap or an abundance of water with her while she walked closer still to the woman. Once she was able, she returned the water-skin to its place.

While closing the distance between them, she noticed the woman looking a little ashen when she signed apology to her. “I’m a doctor at The River Flower,” Pearl explained. “If you let me, I can take a look at your leg quickly, and perhaps I have something with me that will help. I carry a few supplies with me, always.”

Pearl hoped the young woman would allow her to tend to her leg before they began the walk back to the tent city. She didn’t like the look upon the woman’s face and bites could become quite nasty if not cleaned properly, as she well knew from her husband’s recent bout with sepsis. She didn’t expect a wild boar bite to be much worse than an infected Zith bite, but she also didn’t like the look she saw on the young woman’s face.

“It wouldn’t be any trouble, really. Then Knox and I can help you get back home safely, with your dinner,” Pearl added with a gentle reassurance to the woman as she took a small piece of cloth from her bag and poured some water from the water-skin upon it, stepping closer so she could offer it to the young woman. “Put this at the back of your neck. It will help with the nausea.”

“Sit and rest a few chimes. Let the ground hold the weight of the boar for now,” Pearls words were gentle still as she instructed the young woman on how best to alleviate her nausea. “Pull your knees up just a touch, and let your forehead rest just between them, a cheek to either knee.” She helped, as much as she was allowed to, while offering her name, “I’m Pearl,” pausing just a tick to be sure she didn’t speak the wrong last name, as it was still relatively new to her, “Blackwater.”


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