Thick branches hung overhead, still unladen with springtime growth. The sun behind an overcast sky lit the world up in uncomfortable gray brightness, the kind that forced her to squint. Though the shadows were sparse and striped across her body like a cage as she stalked through the Ghastly Woods Amisun found refuge in the darkness, unexpectedly comfortable safety. She tried her hardest to resist the temptation to abuse her knowledge, staying sober as long as she could. As if the demons of her past could not make it past the borders of Cut Rock River. So far she had been doing alright, ignoring the undercurrent of anxiety that prickled her spine whenever she let her mind wander. So long as she was busy with work, the devil’s touch stayed away from her spine.

Whatever plants and herbs there were to find in the Cedarwood Ami had made short work of finding. Wet territories were great for certain medicinal plants, but truly abhorrent to others - and what good was her work without a variety? She had tried to stay close to the territory long enough that her scent would sink in, that the wolves of her home would know and accept her presence, but she was restless. The itch set under her skin to have an arsenal at her disposal, and when her feet could no longer take the burn of being home-bound the wolf simply had to up and go on her mission.

Somewhere along the way the welcoming Cedarwood had turned into a land of grey nightmare trunks, but the skeleton trees did not frighten the tawny she-wolf; she had seen far worse things before. She busied herself inspecting new stalks of greenery, sniffing close to identify it as solomon’s seal.  Though the roots were newly taken, she pondered harvesting a few anyway. If there was truly a war coming, they would need it soon and enough. And, as always, she kept an eye out for those brown-capped galenicals she was so fond of. Perhaps before she returned home from this little trip she would partake, just to keep the edge off, a little longer.

A word prompted her attention, monosyllabic and rumbling from the crooked shadows. She turned her gaze quickly, but stood still and quiet as she surveyed the form that emerged from the darkness - another wolf. By scent and sight they were similar in age and nothing else - he a large, two-toned with what she assumed were scars wherever his fur grew tufty. Her pale blue gaze settled eventually on his singular golden eye, but what Ami thought of was how much it must have hurt to have the other one torn clean out of his head. At least, that was what it looked like from her peripheral view. She did not dare look him plain in an empty socket. She averted her gaze toward the moist forest floor.

She mulled over his questions while her eyes perused the gnarled roots that poked through the dirt. “Lost? N-no.” She responded. It was not a wholesome lie, after all she had never been in this neck of the woods - his neck of the woods. She knew the way home, however, and had a purpose being within the shadowy forest. Her chin lifted only slightly higher, more confident in her answer after thinking it through. ”My pack resides further south. I’m only here for plants, herbs. I’m a botanist.”

Ami paused, wondering why she was speaking so much. Was it that important to say? It was difficult to remain so silent under his watchful eye. “Is that why you’re here?” she hazarded the question, doubling its relevance the moment it funneled from her mind to her mouth. Each word came out softer, less certain, and Ami could hardly apologize for it. Pursing her lips into an uncertain line she let her eyes come near him once again, if only to judge his answer, before she’d look away again.

The notion that this wolf had not heard of botany before surprised Amisun to gather a response, but the words were quickly stolen from her mouth at his approach. He came closer and she shrank, the tip of her tail beginning to curve toward her pale underbelly. The words refused a threat, other than the notion that her scent was entirely out of place, but she still didn’t hazard anything other than a submissive posture - and perhaps the tiniest sheepish grin at the word trespasser.

Perhaps despite her best judgement, Amisun was inclined to gradually relax in his presence - though she made sure never to quite stand her full height or lift her tail or ears too high. It was, after all, his claimed land here. If he was willing to suffer a fool, Ami would at least make sure not to be too foolish again. While the fact was likely that this wolf didn’t have the care to entertain her fickle nerves, she took his continued conversation as forgiveness for her previous transgressions and took the time to heed his questions and provide them some truth.

“I am Amisun Echo of Cut Rock River, a pack further south.” She lifted her tawny muzzle in the vague direction of the Cedarwood Forest. “I came alone because botany is a minority occupation; not many quite know what to look for to get the job done.” Her pale gaze shifted back toward the solomon’s seal she had been inspecting just before the male had approached her. “You’re living in a den of possibility,” she quipped, her words the first to be spoken in any confidence since their conversation started.

“You as well,” she returned his formality, though the gesture was not empty - it actually was somewhat of a pleasure to get to know his acquaintance, The One-Eyed Dragon. The first half of his moniker was not masked in secrecy at all. The scarred socket was plain as day on his face, made perhaps more noticeable by the glint of his live eye so brightly gold. But a dragon was a formidable comparison, perhaps even a frightening one. He seemed so amicable now. She stole a glance at his jaws and wondered if he could truly spit fire.

Slowly the hint of a personality crept into her bones, brightening up the corners of her eyes and relieving the tension in her spine. If life were truly so poetic, it was not ironic at all then that a dragon would be the one to tease her back from the abyss of tragedy where she had resided for so long. Her tawny ears lifted slightly and twitched as she considered Kjors’ words. “Both,” she mused in a thought. The shadows of the thick and gnarled wood supported certain medicinal plants quite well, especially as it was neither damp nor dry. The lack of a pack scent suited her needs because it meant she did not risk offending a group when she gathered. This, Ami assumed, was not a concern for Kjors regarding pack markings.

As Kjors relaxed Amisun didn’t hesitate to follow suit, finding a comfortable seat on the ground. The dirt was cool where the gnarled branches overhead cast a thick shadow, contrary to the adjacent spots where the relentless pale sunlight created warmth. Her tail swept by her side to rest at the tips of her blunt claws. The tip of her tail twitched with interest as she listened to him connect the arts in a thought. She appreciated his sensibility, wherever it came from. So many wolves seemed to ramble on through life, never picking up a lesson from any mistake. Amisun did not. Neither did the One-Eyed Dragon.

The conversation had been continuing easily until he picked up what she had dropped about the war. Ami paused. “No,” she started, uncertain how much she was supposed to say or not say. But it didn’t very well matter, she figured, given that she’d already revealed enough. Ami as well did not intend to worry him with matters of her pack, given that his last home had been claimed by a war that wasn’t his. It was only decent to inform him he was safe here. “Not yet,” she clarified. “Whatever trials are to come, they will take place far west of here. Your den will be safe from pack affairs, if not the occasional botanist.” She slid her glance toward him, the smile stretched across her tawny muzzle reflected in her eyes.

Her brows twitched as a thought wiggled its way into the folds in her brain. Normally Amisun would ignore it and hold the question in her jaws, but instead she spoke. “This is where you have decided to stay permanently?” If there were a pack he was considering, it was only prudent to find out if there was a chance he would become her enemy soon enough.