PM to join A Sorted Exchange [Lian]

[Amunet]

6th day, Fall, 515 a.v.
7th bell
Two miles north east of Endrykas

Belly full of buckwheat porridge she was on her way to start hunting and foraging for her own stores. The wind through her hair as they ran across the grass was exhilarating. Her heart was lifted when she was out riding with the wind, with her Strider like this. It was liberating and gave her perspective. Her heart soared and reveled in it. The red head felt very much the child of the wind in times like this.

Once she reached the location she was seeking she started to slowly rise and sit back on the mare. The mare started slowing. The gentle scooping of her pelvis against the back of the mare settling her back even more as the signal she wished to stop. The mare came to a gentle stop . The cub was put near the ground where she leaped the rest of the way and Camile was not far behind. Amunet let the dog rest a bit while she got her bearings to the location. She had traveled a bit east then north towards the Zies river. The foraging on this side hadn’t been touched as yet. She hoped the rich foraging would also mean game or something for her dog to hunt.

She looked to the right and to the left seeking the brush line that marked the edge of the river bason. Berries liked water but not keep their feet wet. The girl moved towards the line of brush she spotted east northeast. Once she spied the dark dots in the brush she moved towards them. She looked at Camile and said “sit.” Then after that, “stay” The dog had quickly picked up on simple obedience. The redhead was thankful for this. Amunet gook out her mesh bags and started to pick berries. The legs squatted and picked the dark purple treasures with quick small fingers. The fingers darted in and out with what seemed like a monotonous procedure. She would come up and squat down while moving sideways then her fingers would dart into the low lying bush. Her legs began to protest at this repeated measures as she picked till she had half a bag worth. This took her the better part of a bell. The girl stood up and rubbed her back and the back of her thighs as she hadn’t realized how long she was doing that. The industrious girl put that with the horse tieing the bag along her shoulder.

She got another out as she saw the taller chokecherry trees were nearby. Both the chokecherries and the berries would preserve nicely. Amunet could not resist eating a little while she picked. She used her dagger to cut some of the larger bunches down and bagged it whole. Amunet could only get the lower branches as she had to reach up and pull down before cutting the chokecherry bunches. The girl moved down the staggered line to grab a low branch and cut the chokecherry bunch off with her dagger. The girl had to jump up for the next one and cut a bundle. When she cut one she had to let go only to have to bring that same branch down to get another bundle. The branch was by no means picked clean when she went to the next branch.

She did not pick any one tree for long leaving a great many of the fruits as she took only what she needed. The bag was half full of bunches of chokecherries which took her about half a bell to collect. One of the choke cherry tree had a damaged branch that she pulled the rest of the way down. With her dagger she carefully stroked away from her to get the lesser branches off the longer part. She figured she needed a stick to rustle the grass and underbrush to get a rabbit or a partridge or maybe even a turkey to show up. The girl honestly didn’t know what game was here but with such fruits there had to be.

Once the chokecherry bag was with the berry bag she took the stick. “Camile, come, “ as she patted her thigh. The silkena came to her side moving with her as Amunet started poking around grass for hidden furry things or feathered things. It worked but it didn’t work. The girl heard scurring but it must have went further into the grass. Leia gave her a weird look as she also was paying attention. Amunet then went into the grass as she swatted it with her stick to see if she can scare something out. Rabbits and a couple of partridge went everywhere. Leia went chasing something and Camile took off after something else. It was rather chaotic realy. The girl lost sight of her dog and cat.

“Oh!! “ she looked around unsure which thing which one chased or ran after. The girl called Shetanae to her. The mare had to come around this section of tall grass. Amunet moved to a less thick part of the grasses and was trying to go towards where she thought her mare would find her. Then she heard the low snort. A group of wild pig was moving across the unprotected place of one bit of heavy grass into another section. The girl got out her slingshot and loaded it. Maybe, Just maybe?

She stood still, aimed through the ‘Y’ at something vital and on the exhale let the stone fly. The pig moved and the shot landed on the hind hock with a loud pop. The squeal set the others to running including the wounded one she got. Off she ran after the thing. The pigs buried themselves in the tall grass and the girl lost the pig. She looked down at the blood but it was everywhere and could make no sense of it. Amunet came out to the relative shorter grass ‘trail’. The word trail is used loosely as it was merely a section of shorter grass.

[Lian Windrunner]

6th Day of Fall, 515 AV
7th Bell, morning
Two miles northeast of Endrykas

It was going to be another hot day. Experience told Lian that the best times to hunt would be early in the morning, and at dusk, during the cooler parts of the day. Most of the animals would be seeking shelter from the worst of the heat, making it harder to hunt. As a result, first light had seen Lian making his way way of the city to make the most of the early morning before the heat truly made itself felt.
He had started at the Zeis river since it was easier for him to find a trail at a water source. And he had found a deer trail clear enough for him to be able to follow.

Unfortunately, a wolf pack had caught the scent before he'd managed to find the animal. As soon as Lian had seen the wolf prints mix with the trail he had been following, he backed off immediately. Lian was no fool. He wasn't about to draw the attention of what looked like a large wolf pack when he was on his own. One man with a single weapon was no match for what looked like a pack of at least ten wolves.

Rather than backtrack all the way back to the Zeis river and start over, Lian allowed his mind to slip into the Web in order to find other prey near by. He found a small herd of deer moving slowly. Lian returned to his own body, and turned Talise towards the herd once he had recovered from the transition back to his own body. Conscious of the fact that his time was limited, Lian urged her into a brisk canter. Talise's gait was a smooth one, and it felt as though Lian was in the Web, soaring among the glowing blue strands. Lian wondered if this is what if felt like to fly.

Strider and rider were one. His was the mind that guided their path. Subtle gestures from Lian's legs and seat correcting their direction as needed. Hers was the body that took them where they wanted to go. Strong. Powerful. And far faster than any Drykas could hope to go on his own. It was an amazing feeling, and one that Lian knew he would never forget.

But it didn't last for long. A game bird of some kind was startled by their approach. As it exploded into the sky in a flurry of wing beats and feathers, Lian gestured for Talise to stop. Sensing his need, she held rock steady as he hastily grabbed his bow, and readied an arrow. He would only get one chance at this prey. If he hesitated, the opportunity would be lost. Remembering Trail's advice to shoot where the prey would be, not where it was not, Lian took aim, and released his arrow.

He didn't really have high hopes that he would succeed. But he had improved somewhat since his lesson with Trail. The arrow clipped the bird's wing lightly before falling back to earth at the end of its arc. It was a glancing blow, and a minor one at that. But it didn't matter. An injury to a bird's wing, no matter how slight, would still render it incapable of flight.

The bird fluttered helplessly to the ground in a semi controlled fall. It cried out in distress as it flailed wildly on the ground in an attempt to gain the sky once more. Lian readied another arrow, and released it quickly. This arrow hit true, putting the bird out of its misery. Lian dismounted so that he could retrieve his prey, and his arrows.

Lian placed the bird into one yvas bag, and the arrows into another so he could inspect them before putting them back into his quiver. Then he mounted Talise once more. He entered the Web a second time to see if the herd he was following had changed directions while he had been killing the bird. The herd hadn't changed direction. In fact, it seemed to have stopped to graze since it wasn't on the move anymore. But that was of less interest to him than the fact that a fellow Drykas was near by. One that felt familiar in a way that suggested he had met the person in the physical world at least once. At the same time, it wasn't a presence he knew well, like Dravite.

There were a number of wild pigs in the area as well. Was one of them a boar? Lian couldn't tell. But if one was, there was a chance that the Drykas he'd sensed might be in danger. The herd of deer was forgotten for the moment. Curiosity and concern had him changing course so he would find his fellow Drykas.

He requested another canter from Talise, and the mare was happy to oblige him. When they came into sight of the Drykas he had sensed, Lian slowed them to a walk. It was a young woman, and she had a sling shot in hand. Amunet, perhaps? He thought that was her name, at least. There was no attacking boar in sight, thankfully, but Lian could see blood all over the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

He couldn't see any obvious wounds on the girl, so he didn't think the blood was hers. But there could be an injury he couldn't see from his position.

"Do you need assistance?".
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[Amunet]

The girl was looking around the slight trail the pigs went down. As Amunet huffed a sigh, Shetanae nickered to the other strider which clued Amunet in as the man came up. There was a tug at her memory as the caves came flooding to the fore. Lian, Lian… what was his last name? The girl pondered it a tick or two before he asked after her well being.

“You. You’re Lian. Right?” Her head tilted up looking at him from the ground. The girl felt shorter than she already was. Amunet should be used to it, but some days she felt smaller. Somedays her size left her feeling inadequate or less of a person. It was foolishness, but it sometimes couldn’t be helped.
“Im fine. I clipped a pig, I think. “ The little woman looked around with a look of frustration. “I lost the pig though.”

Those sky blue eyes looked up at Lian as he asked her if she needed help. She bit her lower lip absently before speaking. “well im kind of new at hunting. I have no tracking skills at all. “ The girl admitted to the man.

She waited for discouraging words that she shouldn’t be out here if she didn’t know what she was doing. Trail’s words echoed in her head. “Trail said I should take someone to hunt with so I can learn to hunt with this thing.” The slingshot was waved. The weapon was growing on her, but getting precision was a challenge. Her head dipped down waiting for him to say something as the words of her brothers would ring in her ear as to her shortcomings. There were women Drykas who hunt. Why couldn’t she hunt and fend for herself? Why did they think she was utterly incapable of doing this?

Her hand shifted nervously on the slingshot as the fingers unfolded and folded back around it repeatedly. Those little feet shifted nervously as she moved closer to the man and his Strider. Amunet thought maybe her hunting trip would be cut short and she would be dragged out of the sea of grass to be pushed home. She provided a soft low sigh as her head tilted up to look right into his eyes. It wasn’t fair she placed her fears and doubts on this man, but she didn’t know him. Those sky blue eyes searched his own blue eyes for something telling of something other than disdain or disappointment or anger or worse, disapproval.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian nodded in response to Amunet's question.

"And you're...Amunet, right?"

His hands signaled "apology if mistaken."

It was all too possible that he had misremembered the girl's name, after all. Amunet, if that was what her name truly was, explained the situation. Lian's eyes widened in surprise. A wild pig? With a sling shot?

Lian's hands moved almost without conscious direction. "Brave." they signed. And "Foolish." He spoke soon after, hoping to dissuade any possible anger from the younger woman.

"I do not know whether you are very brave, or very foolish. Perhaps you are both. Not because you are a woman." Lian said hastily, realizing too late that his words could have been taken that way.

"What would you have done if a boar had been traveling with the group of wild pigs? Are you skilled enough to handle such? An enraged boar defending its family is a prey that I would hesitate to take on, and I have been hunting for many years. Many skilled hunters have been injured, or even killed by an enraged boar."

Lian paused.

"Admittedly, I do not know enough about boars to know if they would be traveling with females and young this time of year, or not. Wild pigs, and boars are not my usual prey. If they are yours, you have my respect." Lian said sincerely.

Lian's hand signs reflected the sincerity of his words. He looked around at the blood soaked ground. His own tracking skills were nothing to boast of, but he could tell by the color, and the wetness of the blood that it was fresh. Furthermore, he could see a blood splotched trail leading away into the grass. Amunet continued, explaining that she was new to hunting, and didn't know how to track prey.

"You know Trail, too? He gave me a lesson with the short bow last season. The man is very skilled. I've managed to improve my aim thanks to him. If he thinks you should take someone with you, maybe I can help? I've never used a sling shot before, but I could teach you a few tricks about tracking that someone taught me." he offered.

There was no condemnation in his words, tone, or stance. He saw nothing wrong with a woman wanting to know how to hunt. If anything, he approved of the idea. If a woman knew how to hunt, both she and her husband could bring food back for their family, doubling their chances to thrive. Should the man be injured, the woman could take over the hunting completely until he recovered. Or if his skills lay in another area, she could hunt while he focused on his own areas of expertise..
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[Amunet]

The girl nodded and smiled politely. “Yes, I am Amunet. You are Lian? “ She had hoped his last name would come as it was at the tip of her tongue.

Lian’s words started haphazard as those shoulders tightened up. His words were more explanatory then condemnation. Her brow furrowed a little. She had her curious fearless streak. Well maybe it wasn’t fearless so much as so curious to the point of pushing away trusted sense for the sake of finding something out. He went on to explain that wild pigs could have a boar protecting it.

“Im not sure if I clipped a male or female but it was one of the smaller adult pigs. I think it was an adult. It was lagging behind. Im sorry I did not know a boar might be among them.” The girl said in her soft voice. Her chin lifted up as she was ready to stand her ground though. Truth be told she didn’t know about the wild pig’s habits.

“What would I have done? Well running comes to mind. “ The girl answered in a bit of a short burst as she would have done something. Though she isn’t sure what she would have done really but running sounded awfully good in that situation.

Amunet got excited when he mentioned knowing Trail. “Yes! Well I mean not that I know Trail really really well, but he showed me the basics. My brothers laughed at me when I bought this. “ The girl brandished the slingshot. “I couldn’t afford a bow at the time. “ The girl shrugged gently.. “I wanted to prove to my brothers and father that I can hunt and fend for myself. “ That little foot stomped with emphasis. It was meant to make a point but it could have be a bit on the comical side. Those sky blue eyes looked up into Lian’s eyes. The eyes Amunet was always drawn to. There were a lot of little things with the eyes.

“Could you?” The girl said in an exclamation at Lian offering to show her how to track or something. Those blue eyes brightened considerably. Her cub found her at that point as the four month old hunting cat came lumbering by. The silkena had learned to follow the cub as Leia always knew where to find Amunet. “Where have you two been?” The girl crouched down to check each one and offer a quick pet or scratch behind the ears.

“That would be most kind of you if you could teach me to be a better hunter. I am a midwife with the River Flower, but one must be able to hold their own weight. Trying to prove to my family that I can sustain myself without being a burden on the Pavilion’s resources.” It was perhaps a foolish notion, but if she could hunt and fend for herself maybe they would stop pestering her to get married when she wasn’t ready. Why was she telling this man all of this? The girl looked down as she stood up from around the hunting dog and cat. Those thoughtful eyes of Lian’s caught her notice again which raised her curiosity a notch.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian nodded again, feeling slightly foolish that he hadn't mentioned his last name the last time Amunet had asked.

"Yes, I am Lian Windrunner, of the Sapphire Clan." he confirmed.

He smiled at the young woman's apology.

"If you are new to hunting, then you had no way of knowing. But...and I mean this as no disrespect to you. A lack of knowledge is a quick way to get yourself killed out here. I would tell any new hunter as much, be they man, woman, or child. Knowledge is the power that just might keep us alive out here. As a fellow Drykas, I know I don't need to tell you that we are far from the deadliest predator out here. And even animals that are not predators can be dangerous if angered, injured, threatened, or defending their young. Boars are especially dangerous when threatened or injured. But I have even seen an injured stag turn on its tormentor, and gore the unsuspecting hunter who believed that deer were harmless. Trail was right when he said you should take someone with you until you get the hang of things. If you'd like, I could give you a few lessons this season? I am by no means the best hunter, but by teaching you what I do know, it will reinforce those lessons for me."

When Amunet mentioned that she would run from a boar if it attacked, Lian chuckled. There was no malice in the sound, but he simply couldn't help it. It felt good to laugh. For a while after losing his children, Lian was certain that he would never laugh again. Even now, it was rare for him to find something that could make him feel like laughing. The image in his mind's eye of this young woman trying to run from a boar on foot was one of those things. Had it happened in real life, and the woman was in danger, it wouldn't be funny, of course. But no one had gotten hurt. And it felt good to know that he could still laugh.

"Apologies." he signed quickly.

He sobered quickly.

"A boar can run faster than we can. If you had your strider with you, you could get away...if you were mounted when it attacked, or could get to your strider fast enough. But not on foot."

Amunet seemed to get excited when he mentioned that he knew Trail, too. She explained that she had bought the slingshot because she couldn't afford a bow, and that she wanted to prove to her family that she could hunt, and fend for herself. Lian nodded, his hands signing "understanding," "approval," and "respect." It wasn't for him to approve of the young woman, or not, of course. But he could understand the desire to fend for one's self rather than having to rely on others. He was of the opinion that everyone should know at least the barest basics of hunting. Not everyone was meant to be a hunter by trade. And it would be wrong to try to force them into it. But everyone should at least be able to hunt well enough to bring in small game to feed themselves, and provide for their families if they were physically capable of doing so.

The young woman seemed to be interested in his eyes for some reason. Did they look odd to her? Was something wrong with them? He could see normally, so surely if something was wrong, it couldn't be serious. Lian considered what had caught Amunet's attention, but she spoke again, her sky blue eyes brightening as she accepted his offer for a lesson. Lian was about to reply when he saw a silkena pup and a hunting cat approach Amunet.

"I'd be happy to." Lian replied with a smile.

It was strange, but Lian's words were not simply to be polite, or an exaggeration. He never considered himself to be much of a teacher, but he seemed to keep finding himself in the role of one. In the few days since the start of the season, he had found himself in a position of sharing his knowledge twice now. First with Ruari, and now with Amunet. And to his surprise, he found that he enjoyed it. Lian turned his attention to the two animals briefly.

"Did you train them?" he asked, gesturing towards the cat and pup.

"If so, perhaps we could agree on a trade. I can teach you something of hunting, and you could teach me how to train an animal?" he suggested.

"Maybe something of herbs as well since you are a midwife?"

Lian wasn't certain if a midwife would know about herbs, or if only less specialized healers would. But it was worth asking, at least..
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[Amunet]

The young lady saw in his eyes hurt. It was brief as the laughter erased it and the man explained to her that her lack of knowledge could very well get her killed. That never dawned on Amunet. She knew the Sea of Grass was dangerous. It shifted and tested you constantly. The thought of it killing you out right has happened in many stories that she heard through her childhood. The perception of her own danger was not readily apparent till he pointed it out. The girl looked around as if noticing that she was in game trail, in a precarious situation and if it wasn’t for Lian’s presence the said boar dominant male could have turned on her.

She bit that lower lip again as she looked down the trail then back at Lian. The lessons would be good. The trade he mentioned caused a furrow of her brow. “I taught the dog basic obedience. I’m still learning to teach her to hunt. The cub is a bit young yet to start learning. Herbs I can show you a thing or two if you wish, “ With that she smiled.

“Camile, come.” The girl tapped her side. The silkena move towards her. “Camile, sit.” The fist was formed as she motioned it down. The dog sat primly. “You can use only voice, but it is wise if you combine signs. Through repetition, the dog will respond to the sign and out here that might be wise. Reward behaviors that you want the animal to perform.” With that she petted the dog telling her she was a good girl. This was followed by a light wag of the tail. “I hope I can find someone to teach me, to teach her further.”

Once he was stewing on that. “Herbs well. What would you need? I can best teach you that based on your needs. It would provide no service if I teach you an herb that you would have no need to pick.” The girl was practical like that. With that she gladly moved forward with the exchange of knowledge.

The young lady furrowed her brow. “There are common herbs that benefit everyone. Come with me please.” Amunet moved boldly out of the trail and into the open with little thought. The girl tapped her side as the dog followed. The cat followed suit seeing the example. Once out of the taller grasses, she looked up and down to get her bearings. “that’s the heart shaped clump. That’s Hoof rock, then the Hangman’s tree should be that way. “ The Hangman’s tree was a big tree. It had great many large limbs. The punishment of being hanged was a great dishonor. The history hung on this tree like a thick fog.

Amunet gave call out to her mare as she also followed somewhat behind with a mouthful of grass. They came up to a patch of bright green low growing foliage. The smell upon the breeze was equally bright and refreshing. “Mint, “the little woman started. “Mint is good for a lot of things. My mother taught me this first as its good with cooking, scenting your clothing, salves, teas for coughs and chills. Its multipurpose and a good one to learn from. It is a forgiving herb that is gentle for children’s maladies. This is a very common herb and very useful. “

The young lady bent down and with her dagger started cutting low at the bottom. “If you cut low, this will grow back. I have seen whole patches of mint take over a section within no time and it recovers quickly from freeze and other conditions. It does not like it overly wet I believe. I have been told that varieties of Mints are all over Mizahar in various forms. It must be so as the Gods seem to have graced this herb with a lot of favor. “ The girl spoke in great reverence and it perhaps showed how often she was out in the sea of grass and it’s probably more often than her family was comfortable with. Those with a penchant to medicine were not a common commodity amongst the Ruby clan.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian watched as Amunet called the silkena over to her, and told her to sit. When she suggested using sign as well as trying to teach an animal to recognize vocal commands, Lian nodded thoughtfully. It was something that made perfect sense to him. When out in the Sea of Grass, it was often a good idea to be as quiet as you could. Whether you were trying to get close to your prey...which almost certainly had much better hearing than you did, or trying to escape the notice of a predator that had crept up on you unawares, silence was important. Relying only on vocal commands could get you killed in some situations. But Lian had never really thought that an animal could learn to recognize a hand sign. It made sense, though.

"How long do you have to work with an animal to get it to recognize a command, either verbal, or sign?" he asked, curiously.

As a child, he had tried to help one of his friends train a young hunting dog. Even after weeks of trying to teach it one simple command, the dog hadn't learned it. Lian wasn't sure if they had done something wrong in their attempts to train the animal, had just given up too soon, or if the animal was just unusually stubborn,and resisting their efforts.

When Amunet asked about which herbs he wanted to learn about, Lian gave the matter some serious thought.

"Common herbs that are simple to use would be best." he said slowly.

"Ones that ease pain, reduce fevers, and treat common problems and illnesses. Minor things that someone might hesitate to bother a healer at the River Flower about like headaches and upset stomach. Also ones that could help stop bleeding and infection. Things that would be of use to a hunter out in the Sea of Grass if they got injured and had to treat themselves before they could get home to help."

Lian followed the red haired woman eagerly as she led him off the trail, and used a few of the nearby landmarks to get her bearings. Hoof Rock was one he knew, but he hadn't heard of the heart shaped clump before. To him, it looked like an unusual shaped clump of grass. But was it truly a reliable landmark? Grass changed constantly. It was bent by wind and storm, and eaten by many different creatures that called the Sea of Grass home. Perhaps it was a temporary landmark? Something that would be of use today, but not necessarily tomorrow? It was something worth considering, anyway. And the Hangman's Tree was one he knew well. How many times had Lukar told him all sorts of stories about that tree?

When Amunet showed Lian some mint, he carefully picked a plant so he could examine it more closely. The leaves were bright green, narrow, and ended in a point. They had a crisp, pleasant scent that seemed to get stronger as Lian handled the plant. It was a scent that he enjoyed greatly. Lian wondered if it could be used to mask his own scent to allow him to get closer to his prey without spooking it. It was something to consider.

And apparently, it could be used for many other things as well. Cooking, salves, teas, and scenting one's clothes, which gave credence to Lian's thought that it could be used to mask a human's scent. He learned that it was good with coughs and chills, making it exactly the type of herb he wanted to learn about. Something that would help with simple ailments that many would rather suffer through than bother a healer with. Better yet, it was one that was gentle enough that it could be used on children. Even Lian knew that some herbs and medicines were too strong for children to use.

Lian watched as Amunet used her dagger to cut one of the plants low to the ground, explaining that by doing so, the plant would grow back. He would have to remember that. It made him feel slightly guilty about pulling the one he had picked up by the roots. But that guilt eased somewhat when she added that mint grew quickly. It meant that the loss of one single plant wouldn't hurt things for long. Lian took not about what she said about mint not liking wet areas, and being able to recover from frost quickly.

"Can it be found all year round, or are there certain seasons when it can be found? Can it be dried and stored, or does it have to be used when fresh?"

Amunet spoke with great reverence about the herb. To Lian, it showed that she had a great love for the subject. She certainly seemed to know a lot about it, and Lian was grateful for the lesson. After a few chimes, Lian glanced back the way they had come.

"Thank you for teaching me about mint. This is exactly the kind of herb I want to learn about." he said with a smile.

"If you want to go back to where the blood is, I can give you your first lesson in tracking." he offered..
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[Amunet]

The man with the liquid blue eyes asked her how long before a dog gets the command. She regarded the question with an arched eyebrow.

“It depends on the dog. You have to be patient as it will need to be repeated multiple times a day for many days. When you reward the behavior that you want each and every time, you will find that the dog will want to do it. It’s a constant thing. It took Camile about 2 months to get the basic commands down. Every day I do the command words and sign at least three times each a day. Do not reward the behavior you do not want. “ During the discussion she was petting the dog. Camile relished the attention.
The Heart shaped clump was a difficult subject. It was one of those mercurial things that Amunet could not explain. It was the Sea of Grass all over. When she saw the Heart shaped clump, she knew she was close to low laying herbs. Well at least in her experience the clump leads her to good things. Should she rely on such a landmark? Maybe, maybe not. She paid no more thought to that than she did in going out into the Sea of Grass alone.

A delicate blush crossed the sun kissed cheek as the man thanked her for the knowledge. “Your, welcome. “ It was in an awkward way as if she wasn’t used to such things. Actually she wasn’t really, not for knowledge. Who asks a young inexperienced woman such as herself for anything? “You can use it fresh or dried. Fresh leaves can be preserved by oils, sugar, syrup and tinctures.” The girl said in a softer tone. “Dried leaves can be made into tea any time which is handier and easier. Sometimes mint is added with other bitter herbs to help the flavor. It usually does not offend other herbs or take away from their properties. “

He asked her if she would like to go back to the blood trail. Her eyes widened and perked up brightly as the spark in those sky blue eyes lit up. “Sure!!” Off she went towards where they came from back to their trail. Her horse just put her head down to continue grazing. Amunet without thinking of danger or anything else went head long into the thick of it.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian listened intently to Amunet's words. Don't reward behavior you don't want. That was something he had known before. But repeating the commands you wanted to teach an animal more than once a day wasn't. When he and his friend had tried to train the hunting dog as children, they had spent at least a bell a day working with it. Sometimes even two or three bells. But it had been all at once, not spread out throughout the day. Had that been where they had gone wrong?

"So practicing the command words and signs at different times throughout the day is better than working with the animal for a bell or more at once one time each day?" he asked, wanting to make certain he understood what she was saying.

The discussion turned to the subject of mint, and Lian tried to memorize what he was being told. Mint sounded like a very useful herb. One that could be used for a wide variety of things. Flavoring, medicinal purposes, scent to freshen your clothes...the possible uses seemed endless. More importantly, it was exactly the type of herb that would be useful to him. It's distinct scent was impossible to forget. If he were to go foraging for the herb, he should be able to recognize it by scent alone. But he wanted to be able to identify it by sight as well. And it seemed as though the herb could be used in just about every form, both fresh, and dried. Even better, it could be used with other herbs without changing or diminishing the effects of those herbs. Lian liked the idea of using mint to make some of the more bitter herbal remedies taste better. Not only would he appreciate the better flavor, it would make it easier to get children to take the medicine they needed if it tasted better.

"Do you think you could teach me how to preserve fresh mint leaves some day?" he asked hopefully.

When he suggested they go back to the trail, Amunet rushed off without heed for any possible danger. Lian followed quickly, bow in hand. Normally, he would have checked the Web to make certain the area was safe first. But he didn't have time for that now.

"You always have to be careful out here, Amunet. A single moment's distraction, or heedless action can get an unwary person killed." he said mildly when he caught up to her.

His tone was not chiding in any way. It wasn't his place to scold her. And in truth, he found her eagerness refreshing. But there was a cautionary note in his tone. Once they reached the trail, it was Lian's turn to share what he knew. The first thing he noticed was that the blood had started to dry in the time they had been gone. And in doing so, it had started to darken in color. Lian pointed this out to Amunet.

"Do you see how the blood is darker now?" he asked.

"Blood darkens in color as it dries. It also starts to flake. You can judge how old a blood trail is by the way it looks. If you find blood that is bright red and wet, the way it was earlier, you prey is very near. But there are a lot of other things you can look for, as well. The hoof or paw prints of your prey. These will be more easily read if the ground is wet, but if you know what you're looking for, you can see them on dry ground as well. Tufts of fur caught in the grass, and grass that has been bent by the animal's passage are clues as well. So is the feces of the animal you are trying to track.".
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