Bramble Falls Race Against Time

Making their way across the mountain, along frosted ridges or around its rocky base, Borden knew somewhere, someone was making their way down. If no one had heard his cry for help, then he would really need to think up a second plan. As they waited, he looked to Vlarindara, an ear swiveling to the side as the other remained forward, giving an expression of surprise and disbelief. She had traveled a while longer in order to get to him; rather than seeking their help, she risked an hour at best to reach him.... and it had initially been in vain. Or had it…?

Adjusting his stance, he raised a forepaw and then the other; he was getting antsy. His head shook, not saying anything about her not seeking aid from Relic Lore’s other pack. Now, was not the time to upset themselves further; besides, Borden wasn’t at all sure if Swift River had a medic to begin with. It wasn’t long until the figure of a lithe, cinnamon-and-cream-pelted female came into view. Running. Fast. His eyes, purely golden in the late morning sun, watched as she came to a stop before them. Her approach sent Vlarindara a step back into the snow and Borden gave a brief nod to Atiris despite her puzzled expression.

Ready to address her words, Borden glanced over to Vlarindara then nodded to Atiris as the Mackenzie female explained the youth in question was hers.

Keeping quiet as the two addressed one another, eyed the other cautiously, the scout nodded to confirm Vlarindara’s statement. ”He is dangerously ill. My… My friend, here, Vlarindara, is in need of a certain plant.” Glancing to his pack mate, he quickly introduced them, hoping their acquaintance with each other would ease any tension. ”Er,” he breathed. ”Atiris, this is Vlarindara. Vlar, Atiris… she’s new to Midnight Plateau.”

Taking time to reabsorb Vlarindara’s explanation of the situation, he acknowledged that Raigo had food and water. Hopefully it would hold him over, giving them enough time to seek out what he needed. As he and Atiris listened to ivory female’s description of the plant, he tried hard to conjure up the image of a cluster of bright yellow daisies with sharp, possibly thorn-like, leaves. His forehead creased under his dense layer of fur. What type of plant was that?!

Idly watching Vlarindara pace for a few seconds, he turned to Atiris, curious to see if she had any idea what the plant was. Memories of his mother were sparked as dropped his gaze to the ground. One thing he recalled his mother telling him was to appreciate nature, which was absolutely in no way relevant to the task at hand. The only other piece of advice she had offered her eldest son was about edible fruit. That was no use either.

Masking his frustration, he flicked his tail as he surveyed the area around the falls. He listened above the steady rushing of water, straining his ears in attempts to hear if anyone else had heard their calls. Worry, worry, fret, fret… If he could do anything to be more useful to Raigo, he would consider it while someone more skilled in botany took on the task. The best thing he knew he could do was to hunt for Raigo or keep a close eye on him. However, knowing now that the Thicket was indeed a hard place to navigate through, he knew the pup would be perfectly safe from harm and there would be no need for him to hover about where he could possibly more distress.

Ears folding back anxiously, he looked again to Vlarindara, admiring for a brief moment the courage she had summoned to brave the Wildwood and the thick snow in order to allay the illness that had taken hold of her adopted brother. Considering how he had acted as an older sibling, in his eyes, she shined like a gemstone among pebbles, venerable to say the very least.

Seating himself beside the pair, he listened now to their exchange of information. Perhaps, he’d learn something valuable, something that would be needed for future reference. However, as Atiris offered her list of known plants with golden flowers, his head tilted as if mystified by the sound of their names:

Trout lilies and goldenrods. Dandy-lye-ons. Okay, that one was familiar, but his father had often referred to them as useless weeds. Daff-oh-dills. Susans… with black and brown eyes? His nose wrinkled, wondering who would come up with such strange names as these. Purple hell-uh-bore. He shook his head… What in the world was that? And, Jin-jerr? He wagged his tail as if he were encouraging them to continue; though the names were strange, he had to admit, hearing of them was new… uplifting.

As Vlarindara scoured her memory for something familiar, he offered a small smile. Atiris, at this point, was invaluable. He made it a priority to reward her for her aid, the matter of how and when, he would figure out later; if anything, he would have to boast to Alexander about how she was able to produce a lengthy list of medicinal plants. Right now, there were pressing matters to focus on. Roots… she had repeated. The mention of them sent him back into his first summer in Bertram Valley – ”These aren’t roots,” his uncle said slowly, showing his nephews the large bulbous vegetable he had unearthed. “They’re… potatoes.” In another hole, he dug up a plant with a singular, dull orange root. “Carrots,” he stated. Borden’s head shook slightly. He was useless. He felt useless.

Resting behind him, his tail gave another slight wag. Well, okay, on second thought, maybe he could be useful; and, this feat would be ultimately defining of whether or not he would be. He noted the opportunity, not wanting to seem inadequate in front of either of them. Jin-jerr… Ginger… Given that Atiris or Vlar had an accurate description and the general area to search for it, he might be able to dig up a matching specimen. He’d bring back a number of different plants, but he’d try his best to match what they were looking for.

Ell-ee-cam-pane. Elecampane. Elecampane. That singular word brought Vlarindara to her feet and Borden, not realizing that Atiris had been observing him as he thought, looked quizzically at her. The name of the yellow-flowered plant was yet another piece of information he had not known of until today. It even sounded stranger then susans-with-black-eyes and hellebore. His tail simply mimicked the white female’s waving plume; if she was thrilled, then he absolutely would be as well. ”Dig” she had mentioned. He could do that... That should be easy enough.

Yellow or green or a mixture of both, no matter what color they seemed on any other day, his eyes seemed to be brighter in the instant he realized he could help. As Vlar strode over to him and nestled her maw into his fur, he froze. Atiris… Atiris wasn’t watching, was she? …was she? He absolutely hoped not. His heart quickened anxiously but he felt a wave of relief wash over him as she withdrew from him, asking his fellow pack member if she knew where they could start the search for Raigo’s cure. He simply gave her a hasty, closed-mouth smile, hoping she wouldn’t read his nervousness… his embarrassment.

Everything would be alright now, he thought, taking a moment to recover from her unexpected contact. If they could just find this one plant with its root intact, then Raigo’s health would improve. With his tail still waving about, he stood up and looked to the girls, everything in his posture indicative of his now gung-ho attitude about the situation. His ears turned forward as if he were awaiting instructions: where to start, where to look, where to dig... Vlarindara had mentioned rivers and shade, but he wouldn’t run off without specific instruction. He chose to remain silent, not only to allow them to exchange further information without being interrupted but to show that he was carefully listening to every word they spoke.