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[Naiya]

Naiya nodded along as she processed what Seirei was saying, the scent of wood lingered in the carvings, that perhaps nuts and seeds would add to their decorations. It was all well thought out, and scented wood led Naiya to consider what might grow nearby. She cast her eyes out to the sea, remembering what they had passed in their recent travels and considering what they would reach in the coming days.

Seirei mentioned that perhaps the travois was a better option for pulling wood, and Naiya decided that the mostly empty vessel was probably easier to load, if not to manage out in the grass. Acceptance of the idea crossed her shoulders, and she repacked the body sled leaving it beside the pavilion before attaching the travois to the old mare instead. Her bow and quiver sat up just behind the yvas, a precaution only, and she added her waterskin as well.

Aani nickered softly as Naiya signed for her to follow them, a gentle hand on the mare's neck all the coaxing she needed. “Perhaps we can start sometime soon,” interest, happiness, “If you have time I believe that carving may be a useful skill to have.” Naiya was pleased by Seirei's enthusiasm, it was wonderful to see her light up with passion and excitement.

They cut through the grass, the careful eye of the watch following their departure from the city. Naiya waived a hand, greetings and thanks in the motions as she addressed them. They would keep an eye for the women until they returned, and if something threatened the city with its approach they would know there were two women out alone.

In the grass at their feet were the tracks of many people, boots and hooves both, Naiya counted on them to lead their path to water. They had only recently passed a lake, and it had many small offshoots that were mostly dry, but would provide enough moisture to keep the flora alive. The rich dirt and deep veins of water beneath the roots would grow many plants, but trees especially, and if she recalled there were a number of fruit trees growing near by. Most weren't yet in season, but they sought wood, not fruit, so she thought it would be fine.

“There,” Naiya spoke softly, pointing ahead to what was a quickly growing cluster of trees just beyond the dry bed of water they followed, “I think there will be good wood there, fruit, and perhaps nuts.”

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

When Naiya mentioned that carving would be a useful skill to have, and that maybe she could start teaching her soon, Seirei beamed brightly, and nodded eagerly. Again, she had to resist the impulse to suggest they start now.

"It really is a useful skill. You can make all kinds of things you might need like bowls, and spoons rather than buying them. But you can also sell what you don't need yourself for extra mizas. I've even learned that you can carve some kinds of weapons. Spears, javelins, fishing spears, and such. I'm not very good at it yet. I don't know anything about those weapons, so I'm only guessing at what they should be like. But we could learn together, if you'd like?"

"And I'd be happy to give you a lesson whenever you want." Seirei said with a bright smile.

Seirei paused to grab several empty yvas bags, as well as a couple of axes from her carving kit. She'd need them to carry any feathers, seeds, and anything else they might find for decorations. Then it was time to go. As they headed out, paid close attention to the trail they were following. She knew nothing of tracking, but the trail was so clear that even she could see it. Most of the trail was a hopeless jumble to her, and it was difficult to make out individual foot prints. But she did see some. And she noticed that there were differences in size from one foot print to the next. Seirei guessed that the smaller foot prints might have been made by children since children had smaller feet than adults did. Some prints looked deeper than others. They were clearer, and easier to read because they had a deeper imprint. But Seirei didn't know what might cause one print to be deeper than another. Hoping to learn the reason, she looked for an especially clear example. When she found one, she pointed it out to Naiya.

"Why is this foot print deeper, and easier to read than that one?" she asked curiously.

The two prints were similar in size, though one was slightly smaller than the other was. When Naiya pointed out the cluster of trees, Seirei smiled, and nodded.

"If we're likely to find fruit and nuts, too, it's a good thing that I brought these." she said, indicating the yvas bags.

They were too far away still for Seirei to be able to tell what kind of trees they were heading towards, so she stopped trying to guess after a while.

"What kind of fruit and nuts do you think we will find?"

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[Naiya]

Naiya nodded in excited agreement she would happily learn, especially something that brought out so much passion in the young woman. She paused in her walk, turning to see what Seirei was talking about. The impression of the foot here was deeper, more clearly marked.

Naiya smoothed dirt beneath her own foot, watch she signed to the woman, taking a few steps back, she then ran across the dirt, her legs pumping, although she was careful to mark the spot of smoother dirt. She crossed back over it at a walk and then gestured to examine the prints.

One was deep and clear, the other deeper at the heel, but harder to see, the toe having spread and kicked dirt back across the rest. She showed her companion, "It's possible that someone was walking, the other running," She grinned then, "Or someone was just heavier than the other, a man is likely to make deeper prints when he walks than a woman." She told the woman, only recounting what she knew to be true.

Naiya shrugged at the other woman's inquiry, unsure what they might find. "Plumb trees, apple trees, walnut, or chestnut..." She said just to name a few of what she had seen in the past. "Can we just scratch the wood to see what it smells like?" She asked simply.

She waited to see if the woman had more questions before she urged Seirei on towards the trees. Her eyes remained on the ground to see if there were stones or plants that she might gather, suddenly grateful for the other woman's thinking on bringing bags.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

When Naiya indicated that Seirei should watch, she did so. Her friend ran across the dirt, then returned a few ticks later. Seirei was puzzled as to why she would do such a thing until she noticed that there was a clear difference between the two sets of prints. The first, made while Naiya was running, was deep at the heel, but lighter towards the front. And parts of it was obscured by dirt that had been kicked back as she ran. That made it even harder to see the print. In comparison, the second set of prints were deep, and clear; easy to read.

Seirei made careful note of that. It made sense to extend that understanding into similar situations. If she was hunting something, and her prey was running away, its prints would be harder for her to see than they would be if she managed to stumble across a trail of prints made by an animal going about its normal life. The explanation about weight made sense, too. Men often weighed more than women did, so their prints would be heavier. Likewise, a child's prints would be lighter than either, as well as being smaller. And that could be extended to animals as well...once she learned how to recognize their prints, anyway. A smaller, lighter version of an animal's print would likely have been made by a young animal. One that probably should be allowed to grow up before it was hunted.

The conversation turned to the different kinds of wood they might find. Seirei was quite happy to learn that they might find apple trees. When Naiya asked if they would be able to tell what kind of wood they had by scratching it, Seirei gave the matter some thought.

"Perhaps. At least with apple wood. And probably plum, as well. I'm not certain about walnut, or chestnut wood, though. I haven't worked with either that often. Both types are good for making chests, tables, and things like that. So when the caravan I used to live with found a grove, any wood we took was usually given to the furniture maker who traveled with us, or was turned into planks, and was sold. The wood from fruit trees gives off a nice smell, so it is especially good for making beads. You would notice the scent of the wood more when you were stripping the bark off of it, but you might be able to smell it if you just scratched it, too."

As they walked, Seirei kept an eye out for interesting looking rocks, feathers, and anything else that she might use in a necklace. After a while, she began to smell the pleasant crispness of mint. That made Seirei grin as she turned to Naiya.

"Do you want to pick some?" she asked as her hands flashed a quick Do we need more?

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[Naiya]

Naiya's hand moved from Aani's neck to her chest, gentle pressure asking the gentle mare to stop. She tossed her head, confused, but willing enough. Mint, always more Naiya signed, scanning the ground for the dark green leaves and square stems of the plant. "Mint is good for stomach pains, head pain, and clearing a stuffy head." She spoke aloud, in case the other didn't know. "It is good for preserving meat too, although it isn't always the best if you've used mint on meat, because it can leave the flavor."

She pursed her lips, trying to recall other reasons to keep mint on hand, but could think of none beyond the horses's general like for it. Not a reason that was worth speaking. She knelt in the grasses, sifting through for the plant she could smell, until her hands found the small very dark leaves of peppermint. She used her fingernails to break off stems, taking the plant up in sections rather than leaf by leaf. The mint grew so mightily in the grass, rooting anywhere it touched the ground, it was no harm to take up large sections.

She took her findings to the yvas, stowing them in a bag, loose, and away from where they might put heavy things like stone or wood that would bruise the leaves. When they had gathered a decent amount, Naiya let Seirei pick a path through the grass once more, urging Aani forward with a call and a sign, she trusted the horse and her companion to keep track of things as her eyes turned to the ground for a short time.

She saw grass, of course, a small snake hurrying away from their heavy feet, and a tall red stemmed flower that caught her attention. "Look at this," She called, moving forward to sniff the plant. She made a note of their direction, promising herself to come back and pick some of the buds to make into perfume oil.

It wasn't until they neared the trees that she found a feather, long and black, a second shorter one beneath the same tree, perfect for the Blackwater boy's vest. She picked it up, stowing again in the yvas bag to protect the delicate items.

She turned to Seirei then, curious as to what she may have found as far as wood went. Naiya herself was little good at identifying trees without their distinctive fruits or nuts. "Anything worth picking up here, Seirei?"