Dogwood Strath We get lost talking days gone by

Late morning, for Moore only please! <3

She had travelled closer to the edge of the mountain than initially intended, caught up in snuffling among the snow-covered undergrowth in search of any last remaining medicinal plants that had not yet died off. It did not take long at all for her to be in a small area surrounded by unique trees, ones she hadn't discovered yet, and she found herself now craning her head backwards to look up at the tall pines. The wide but shallow valley was a bit of a dead end, with the other side coming up against the sheer cliffs of the mountain, so the only way to higher ground would be to go further north or south and find an area that was a more gentle slope. But she had no intention of heading up the mountain today.

Feeling in a bit of an experimental mood, Clover raised up on her hind legs and began scratching at the bark, using her teeth here and there to help strip away the edges so she could pull a piece of the bark off the tree. It came away easily, a bit too easily, and it tore off the edge leaving her with a smaller piece than intended. She frowned a bit around the piece in her mouth, pushing off against the tree to stand on all fours once again. The bark was too soft to be used as a splint, but perhaps she could use it to layer on the ground and place pelts on top to make a nice comfy spot to lay down on, seeing as the bark was pretty soft and flexible. She huffed softly, thinking to herself about how she would go about bringing more of the bark back home without needing to make multiple trips.

Following trails had never been... an especially strong suit to him. He could do it, well enough to feed himself and others. But beyond that, there was no grace or quickness to it, not in the way it came to others. Thankfully, numerous tracks remained in the top layer of snow by the time dawn had broken, and the sun had risen, doing half of the job for him. Now Moore just has to manage to follow it and hopefully be able to dig into something by the time the sun reaches its peak. Dead brush provides little cover; intense eyes pick up the slightest movement from within. Mice would do little good, and in his experience, attempting to snatch birds in a fit of hunger does little more than net one a belly full of feathers.

Ah. There. The wind shifts, bringing with it the scent of a hare that had previously been undetected. That'll do, at least for now. After a moment of watching and waiting, he spots it. Powerful haunches shift, and he bolts. Darting after hares… Also, not a strong suit. While it weaves and ducks, putting as much between it and Moore as possible, he struggles to keep up and turn on the same figurative dime the hare can. Eventually, he slows to an amble, watching the critter from a distance, almost defeated. As he contemplates the next move, a new sound carries over. Ears flick as he runs down what it could possibly be in his mind. Scratching? The newfound interest grabs his attention, raising to large paws and going towards the sound, abandoning the hare for the time being.

Peeking his head from between the pines and watching his step, he spots a white shape moving in the distance. Another wolf? A tilt of the head. His gaze goes from the wolf to the pine, following the trunk all the way until his eyes meet the sky. Ultimately, he wanders forward, at the least to un-obscure himself, before falling back on his haunches and sitting down.

"What're you doing?" The question is a genuine and curious one, his ears tipped forward and eyes watching. He'd spent a lot of time around loners and strange packs alike, but can't recall any sort of practice like this. A pause. "Are you trying to climb it…?"

The voice behind her had Clover turning just her head to look over her shoulder, the piece of bark still gripped between her jaws. A laugh bubbled forth around the bark in her mouth, and she shook her head at his question, before dropping the bark onto the ground. There was no need to gently place it down as it wasn't as delicate as other plants she normally foraged for, so she had no qualms about simply opening her jaws to let it fall out. "That'd be quite a feat for me to accomplish!" Sometimes she wished she could climb trees, but ultimately it was probably for the best, as getting down would be a pretty big issue.

"But no, I was peeling off some of the bark to see if I could use it for something." She took note of his immense size, even with him sitting back on his haunches, but it was pretty part for the course as she was fairly small in comparison to most wolves she met. "I'm a healer by trade, and bark can be used for a few different things, so I like to find a variety of trees and test the pliability and strength of the bark in case it'd be useful to me." This wasn't the first time she'd been caught ripping bark off a tree by a stranger, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

She then dipped her head in greeting, giving the larger wolf a wide smile. "I'm Clover, by the way."

The intense, studying looking on his features softened to mere curiosity, his orange gaze following the bark as it hit the ground before flicking back to the smaller wolf. A healer? Who was she healing? He thought he had scented a pack nearby, but hadn’t thought he had gotten that close to them to run into a member from it accidentally. That is, if she was from there. If he had to make an educated guess, though…

“I’m Clover, by the way.”

Even if she was a pack wolf, there was nothing unfriendly about her, and it didn’t look as if there’d be a territory dispute, so there was no need for him to act aloof. Maybe she’d be kind enough to tell him about the area. Although, his priorities were more focused on the bark and what she did with it. He had never really mingled with healers in the stranger packs that he had stayed with, if there were any. Healing and the things used for it were about as familiar to him as the land around him.

“I’m Moore." After a beat of silence, he gave a shrug. "Or Moose.” He gave her his own lopsided grin and returned a brief nod, mirroring hers. “It’s nice t'meet you, Clover.”

Moore looked to one of the trees closest to him, regarding the bark for a moment before he tilted his head to the side. “D’you… Want some help?” He offered. Having seen how she had been peeling the bark back, it wouldn’t be hard to mimic. Questions could wait until after.

Her smile turned into a grin when the male introduced himself. "And the same to you, Moore." It was interesting that he offered up two names for her to pick from, and she decided to go with the first one as he didn't seem to have a preference either way. She hummed softly at his offer, glancing at the tree she had peeled the bark from with a scrutinising eye. It was soft and supple, and she knew just how hard the ground could get in winter, so it would be a nice addition to the sleeping dens. As a bonus here was a wolf who could potentially help her carry an extra bunch of the bark closer to home so she wouldn't have to make as many trips. Maybe she could use his help, after all.

"That'd be very much appreciated!" Ever happy and friendly, she motioned to another pine tree with her muzzle. "You can take some from that tree, want me to show you how?" Clover wasn't sure how long he had been watching her, but she was always happy to provide instructions for how to do it properly so the bark didn't simply shred under his claws. "This bark is softer than most so you need to be a bit more gentle, but the process is the same." She turned back to her own tree, scooting the bark she had already peeled to the side with a hind leg as she looked up at where she wanted to peel another piece off to use. It needed to be larger than the first piece she pulled off, as that one was just a tad too small.

Glad, and even eager to help, Moore followed the motion to look at the tall pine. Aside from being able to help, it posed a new learning experience, something to keep on hand for the future. He hefted himself up onto charcoal colored paws, before lumbering his way over to the base of the tree.

"Want me to show you how?"

He grinned, confidence beaming behind his expression, and beige brows knitted together in determination. "I think I can get it!" Was about the extent of words he offered to Clover, before he raised up on his hind legs. The motion sent a rather unagreeable pang through his knee, but resting his front paws and more of his front weight against the tree alleviated it slightly. Briefly, he studied the pattern of the bark, citrus gaze settling on a part that looked as if it'd tear back easily.

Carefully, remembering the words of minding his own strength from his family years ago, he began pawing at the edges of the bark, using his front teeth to grab and yank where he could. Gentle wasn't exactly Moores' forte; he was more used to utilizing brute strength and sharp wits, being able to throw his weight and temper around. Not to mention, his record of clumsiness wasn't exactly a clean one. Still, the man was determined to make a clean peel. This bark won't even know what hit it, he thought, and if he hadn't been preoccupied, he might have vocalized it.

After enough scratching and peeling, a decent sized piece dislodged itself from the trunk, almost sending the huge wolf tumbling back. Obviously proud of his first attempt being a success, he turned to look at Clover, before placing the chunk on the ground. "Easy as can be!"

Moore exuded confidence, and whether it was justly deserved or not she supposed she would find out very quickly. She glanced at him for just a few moments as he propped himself up against the tree, but left him to his own as she focused on her own tree. It took a bit more finagling than the first piece, but very carefully she extracted a suitable large chunk using both her claws and her teeth, until the bark finally pulled away with a satisfying tear. This was a much better size, and she set it down on top of the other piece with a soft hum.

Movement in her periphery had Clover turning her head to watch as Moore stumbled back from the tree, but she grinned as he displayed the piece of bark. It looked definitely big enough to be of use. "I see you're a natural!" It wasn't the hardest task in the world, but making sure the piece of bark didn't tear in the middle, particularly with soft bark such as this, took a bit more patience and skill than normal.

"I need a good six or so pieces in total," she said after a moment to think, "I would very much appreciate your help in gathering more, and perhaps helping me carry them closer to my pack border." Her tone was soft and friendly as she spoke, wanting Moore to know that he was under no obligation to help her any further if he didn't want to, but having another wolf to help carry the bark would make the task go by much more quickly.

"I see you're a natural!"

At her comment, Moore couldn't help but grin wider, fluffy tail sweeping in quick beats behind him. Perhaps there was something to be said for minding his strength and patience with tasks that required it, as much as he would be loathed to admit that to his parents had they been standing in front of him. Good thing they weren't.

As Clover asked for his aid peeling more bark and carrying it, he already felt inclined to agree before the smaller wolf even finished her request. Not a part of him minded assisting, two sets of paws and teeth were better than one, and it was undoubtedly something to pass the time. Fostering a good relationship with the wolves of the area would be important, as well, if he were to be sticking around.

"I'd love t'help, six pieces is nothin'!" Joviality shined through in his graveled voice, clearly ready to assist her. Although he wasn't confident that the first piece wasn't just a fluke on his part, the task required Moore to repeat the same gentleness that got him the bark that laid at his large paws, and now he was determined to do it again.

Perhaps it'd be easier to begin peeling at a piece that neighbored the piece he tore off? Or would that damage the tree if he took too much from one spot? Brows furrowed, and pumpkin eyes squinted as the thick-furred man studied the tree he initially targeted. Ultimately, he decided it to be better safe than sorry, and try another one, lest he caused some sort of harm.

Moore seemed more than happy to continue helping her, and as he appeared to be skilled enough at extracting bark she left him to it to focus on her own task. She circled around the tree a little, and began to tear away another piece a bit more higher up along the trunk than the previous piece. Completely shedding a single tree of all its bark in one area wouldn't necessarily do the tree too much harm, depending on the type of tree or course as some were a bit more fragile than others, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

It came away a bit more cleanly this time even with her needing to really reach up to properly tear it away, and she set the third piece down on her slowly growing pile, giving it a quick stare as she thought deeply. Perhaps just one more piece.

Clover continued to circle the tree until she was facing a large patch that she hadn't yet disturbed, and with great finesse managed to pull off another decently sized chunk of bark. Four pieces was about the limit that she could carry somewhat comfortably, and after placing the final piece on her pile she looked over towards Moore, wondering if he had managed to successfully gather enough of his own pieces.

"Ready when you are, Moore! My pack border isn't too far away from here." It was a short trip that wouldn't take the two of them very long, especially taking into account his much longer legs.