The flame pelted lassie was patrolling - did she ever do anything else? - though, this day, her eyes were wide for herbs as well as prey. She followed the same path as always, marked clearly by the scent-trail of her alphas along the border, but now, as some of the snow had melted away, and no new flakes had fallen for many days, it looked different than before. Patches of yellow, green and brown were visible under the heavy brambles of the thicket, and here and there, fresh sprouts popped their pale green heads up through the cold dirt. These were the young woman's targets today; as a healer-in-training, it was one of her duties to look for herbs, especially now wee the stores were depleted after the winter, and many fresh shoots held plenty of remedial potential.

Every time she came across one such bud, she would stop up and bend down her head to inspect the young plant, and then either pick it carefully, or leave it be, to grow into its full potential. She had gathered a small bundle, and was about ready to head back for the den, when she heard the cry; Oof! It was followed by an audible thud as something, Someone, hid the ground, and Aideen wasted no time in rushing towards the sound. As she came upon the scene, a large, Rufous wolf laying as long s he was on the forest floor, her jaws parted, dropping the diligently gathered herbs; "Are you okay?!" She asked with concern lining her features, carefully stepping closer to check to fallen man for any injuries. Suddenly she froze, eyes widening, worry disappearing from her face as disbelief and elation took its place; "Rayne..? Rayne is that really you?!"

She couldn't believe her eyes, yet, here he was, right before them. He was quite a lot thinner than last time she'd seen him, but so was she; winter had been rough on everyone. But it was definitely him. "What are you doing here?!" Her face was one big smile, any thoughts of herb-gathering gone from her mind, as she looked upon her old friend.

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She couldn't believe the words that erupted from the big wolves maw as he jumped to his feet, her own overjoyed incredulity mirrored on his face. Tail a high, fluttering banner behind her, the fox-like girl found herself dancing with excitement, while her glittering copper eyes inspected her friend. Their keen gaze noticed Rayne's small wince as he put weight on the paw, and saw how he quickly pulled it back; but at the moment she was too discomposed to truly pay notice to it. I can't believe it! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Kept echoing in her mind as the sienna man explained how he'd come to be here; No way! Pack mates?! It was unbelievable, with the vastness of the land, that they should end up in the same pack.

Rayne's words even seemed to reflect her thoughts, as he voiced his own disbelief, before his attention turned to the plants that had fallen when she first called out. Aideen had completely forgotten about her gathered herbs until now, and she felt a faint heat flush her cheeks as she looked down at the small pile in the snow; I could have crushed them in all my dancing around! She shook her head at her own brainlessness and looked back up at the brown boy, a sheepish expression on her, grey masked, face; "Yeah..." She piped, rubbing one leg with the opposite paw; "The stores are low, and these early sprouts can be very powerful..." She trailed off, partly flustered that she had gone off like that - That's not important. OR interesting! What did he care about the use of fresh herbs - and partly because her thoughts had gone to the woman who had taught her this; Ashanti... I wonder where she is now...

As silence stretched between them, the petite lassie looked at her paws, feeling strangely deflated now that her initial enthusiasm had died out; replaced by dark and saddened thoughts. After a little while, she shook her head once more and bowed down to pick up the precious herbs; There's no use in worrying about that now! She walked a few steps to carefully put down the little bundle, gingerly placing it on a small rock amongst the branches of the thicket. Then she turned back to address the rest of Rayne's questions, a, slightly pale, smile on her lips; "Thank you, I've been very well. I came here a few months ago with... Another friend," Her smile grew, and she felt her heart grow a little lighter, as she thought of Coal, heat once again flushing her face.

Tail slowly starting to wag again, the tri-colored girl sought to meet her friend eyes as she continued: "How about you, are you well? Did you find your sister?!" She hoped her efforts in seeking out Senka and bringing her location back to her brother had been fruitful in helping the siblings to reunite. Aideen thought of them both as friends, and nothing would make her more happy than to hear that they had found each other, even in the midst of this horrid winter. She had just finished her question and was about to sit down to wait for the reddish man's answer, when she remembered something; "Your paw! Did you hurt it? ...Here, let me take a look!" She motioned for him to extent his limb so she could examine it, face suddenly serious as she slit into healer-mode, calmly considering what best to do to help her friend; It depends how bad it is... Hopefully it's just a sprain. And then, she couldn't help but smile a little; it seemed today would offer quite a catharsis of all the emotions she had build up over the past months; A perfect way to start the spring!

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Her smile grew wide and bright when he asked about the plants she'd been gathering, her tail wagging high above her once more in renewed excitement; So I haven't been boring him! This made her glad, she was very eager about her newfound purpose, and anyone asking to hear of what she'd learned always made her feel warm inside. Coal had had to put ear to much of her exhilaration at this new knowledge, and, though he was always kind and full of interest, she was beginning to feel slightly embarrassed about babbling so much about herbs every time they saw each other; Though, it has been a while now, since I last saw him... But the thought was fleeting, gone right after it arrived, consumed in her enthusiasm.

Glittering copper eyes met bright oranges when the girl grinned warmly at her friend, a fresh warmth spreading in her chest at his offer; "You don't have to, I mean... It can be quite time consuming, especially when they're this small," She gestured at the bundle on the rock; "But, if you really want to, it would be a great help!" She beamed at him, tail still flailing like a young birch in a storm. She was about to explain what to look for, when he commented on her mention of Coal; and her face flushed. The mild teasing was clear in his cunning eye, and the emotional young woman knew, all too well, how easily her feelings registered on her face.

She gazed shyly at her paws, tail slowing it's wag; though thinking of Coal always made it sway a bit. Her feelings about the large man was growing to be very clear to her, but she was still young when it came to love, and the sensation was still quite perplexing to her; "Well... His name is Coal," She started, glancing back up at the reddish wolf, feeling a little awkward; "We uhm... Well, we met not to long after you and I and... He got injured, so I helped get him here in early winter. We've... denned together." The full story was too long and complicated, at least for now, and that was all she felt comfortable saying. Her eyes returned to the trampled snow below her snout; It's such a strange feeling... But, kind o wonderful!

The slender girl was more than happy to jump on to a new subject, and Rayne's words about his sister delighted her. She finally relaxed enough to properly seat herself on the frozen ground, once more grinning brightly, tail sweeping over the snow. It was such a joy to see him again, and now they would be sharing a pack! I still cannot believe it! When he mentioned visiting Senka, come spring, she waved her ears in interest; "Oh, that sounds lovely! Maybe I could come?" She would very much like to see the spirited lady again, an she was rather curious to see the siblings together; They seem so different. It was a bit like her two older siblings, Calesta and Yami where as different as night and day, but that didn't stop them from loving each other fiercely.

When Rayne dismissed his injury, the young healer gave him a pointed gaze; "Are you sure?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. She eyed the paw warily, it looked all right. After a few moments, she stretched out her own, smaller, forelimb and swiftly scraped together a pile of snow; "Well, at least put some snow on it to cool it, it'll help lower the swelling if it's a serious sprain." She looked back up at the maroon lad, a small smile once more replacing her serious expression; "I'm so glad to have you here!" The ambivert girl had made a few friends in The Woodlands, and she hoped to make more, but she was still overjoyed to have an old one back as well.

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The orange girl smiled when he assured he'd be glad to help her out, nodding back; "Thank you." She could really use the help, what with stores being depleted after winter and her now being the only one with the knowledge and time; Another set of paws would be highly appreciated!

She was glad when he moved on to the next subject without addressing Coal, she wouldn't have known what more to say, and the topic made her all warm and flustered. His agreement on travelling together to meet Senka made her even happier, tail waving wildly as she smiled broadly, dancing a little on the spot. She took a moment to compose herself, then nodded, face a little more serious, though still smiling. "Of course." She agreed, while spring would, hopefully, mean that the time hunting for food would be lessened, the new year brought other responsibilities; they might not be able to both leave the pack for a longer journey. But she hoped they could; I would love to see Senka again.

When the russet man lay down, dutifully covering his sprained paw with the cool snow, Aideen too sat down, smiling more softly now; but still equally warm. He asked about her dream then, and she blushed slightly, looking down at her paws; "Yeah..." She said, looking back up with a bright light in her copper eyes; "I think it was always in the cards... I mean, I like helping others, you know that," She grinned at him; "When I learned about herbs, I just knew that I wanted to be a healer." Finishing her speech, she glanced away again, shyly, but when Rayne told of his own ambitions, she was quick to encourage him, meeting his orange eyes with a wide smile; "Oh that's a great idea, I'm sure you will make a great guardian!"

He continued to suggest they patrol together sometime, which only made her more elated. She didn't even notice his light fluster, simply nodding gladly; "Absolutely! I will be happy to show you around." If her circumstances had been different, his question might have made her self-conscious or bashful, but with her heart filled with Coal, she didn't even notice the possible undertones of his enquiry; or her own words. She just smiled brightly, overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time with her friend. "Not now though," She added, wrinkling her brow in a semi-serious grimace; "You need to rest that paw."

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It was impossible to stay serious in Rayne's company, and boring too! A bright smile once more spreading across the tri-colored girl's face, she dunked the snow joyfully with her tail as Rayne promised to follow her orders and rest his wrist, before proclaiming his excitement about helping with het gathering. She laughed warmly, both giddy and amused; How wonderful that we're pack mates! She was slowly making new connections around The Woodlands, but to have such a good friend here made her very happy.

And the suddenly, the joy was over. The maroon boy's smile vanished, as if pulled off his face, and in its place spread a grimace of pensiveness and pain. Aideen responded with an expression of shock; "Wait, what's wrong?!" Her eyes instinctively shot to the snow covered paw, brows wrinkling; Maybe it's worse than I thought?! But it didn't seem like the injury was the issue - the wrist rested peacefully in its cooling poultice - and Aideen's eyes returned to her friend's face, wide with concern. Rayne seemed to shake it off though, asking an unrelated question in a, mostly level, voice.

The orange lass tilted her head slightly, looking at the boy through slightly narrowed eyes. After a few moments of silence she attempted to shake it off, answering his question, though in a voice much more muted than before; "Uhm... Well, we came in the beginning of the winter... So, some months now." She smiled, but palely. Suddenly she felt very tired; Probably all this excitement... With a small sigh, the slender girl rolled her shoulders, glancing upwards to try and tell the time; though the sun was hard to spot trough the branches, even when they were still mostly leafless. Returning her eyes to Rayne, she gave another smile, more genuine now, and gestured at his sprained leg; "We should probably get you back to the den..." There was a risk the wrist might still swell, making it hard to walk, and it was better to get the walking over with now so he could rest for a longer period. She couldn't help but smile to herself; You really CAN'T stop thinking like a healer, can you?

Word Count: 366