Gatherin' Time

Walking quietly in a line, the mismatched group weaved carefully through the thick Vitalus foliage, ducking underneath low-hanging branches and the occasional crystal that sprout from the trunks of trees. 

In the front of the group, Omari and Torin are taking the lead, their heads hung low and gazes quizzical as they examine the plants they pass, occasionally pausing for a moment to pluck something up from the bushes to place inside their own separate bags.

Aodhán and Valor, however, were not here to foliage, though they understand that their companions are gathering ingredients for herbal medicine, and have no complaints about the somewhat slow pace that they’re taking, they’re here mostly for the company, after all.

“How much do you think you need, anyways?” Aodhán asks, before snorting when Valor gives him a bump with her hips, a playful smirk on her maw.

“Aaaaall day,” she answers, head held high.

Torin rolls her eye, while Omari quietly chuckles, though the pink unicorn remains silent for now as Torin decides to address them, a glance being thrown over her shoulder, “it won’t be too long. We’ll move up towards the valley, the river there is said to have a lot of plants that we’ll need,” there’s a brief pause as she jumps over a log that lays in their path, “we’ll grab what we need around there, and then we can head back… of course, you can go home sooner, if you want.”

“Nah, that’s fine,” Aodhán shrugs, he doesn’t have anything in particular going on today, so he doesn’t mind following along. It’s a nice day out, warm sun, cool breeze, clear skies… this is nice; he thinks he’ll steal a nap once they’re at the river, he’s sure there’s a good sunning rock he’ll be able to claim.

Valor doesn’t mind either, she actually quite likes these girls… though Aodhán is someone she doesn’t know, so truthfully she’s a bit wary of his presence. While she won’t voice it, she’s partly sticking around to make sure that Omari and Torin are safe… though she’s sure her suspicions are unfounded, you can never be too cautious, her upbringing has never allowed her to be too trusting.

One of Omari’s ears flicks, her pink gaze glancing subtly towards the other two, as if sensing Valors unease. She turns her eyes away, focusing ahead as they begin reaching the edge of the forest they’ve been walking through, a clearing presenting itself in front of them… and in the middle of that clearing, a large river cuts through it, with tall grass and a variety of foliage sprouting out around it. An absolute haven of resources. Perfect.

“We’re here,” Omari’s voice is quietly, easily missed if her companions aren’t paying attention, though it seems that they’ve heard her just fine as the two in the back come up beside her and Torin, examining the sight in front of them.

“That was quick,” Aodhán whistles, eyes rapidly scanning the horizon in search of what he truly seeks… there! A nice large, flat rock that’s close to the river, a fantastic spot for him to lounge and relax. 

Following contentedly behind the two lead females, Aodhán makes a beeline for the rock, happily leaping up on top of it, and then flopping onto his side with an indignified huff, he’s snorting at Valors expression, the leopard raising an eyebrow at his display.

“You have to hog the good spot?” She teases, watching from the corner of her eye as Omari and Torin pace along the edge of the river, already rooting about for their ingredients. “At least make for a decent packmule!”

“Hey, that’s not my problem,” he waves a dismissive paw, “I’m here to hangout, not be put to work.”

Valor simply huffs.

Torin chuckles, overhearing their mild spat in the background, “it’s fine, Valor, let him relax, we don’t really need any help, anyways.” She swishes her tail, giving Valor a light whack when the other Vayron approaches, “I’d rather we handle things, since we know what we’re looking for.”

“Yeah, there’s some toxic stuff over here,” Omari pipes up, her paws carefully working around the harmful plants, collecting the other herbs that surround it, “nothing lethal, from what I’m seeing so far, but it’ll give a nasty rash if it’s touched,” she’s confident working around it, though, hardly batting an eye at its close presence.

Valor immediately stops approaching, ears flattening and her nose scrunching in distaste, “well why didn’t you say anything sooner! I don’t want to touch that shit!” She looks around her paws, attempting to determine if she’s already fucked herself over. Aodhán laughing at her disgruntlement from the safety of his perch isn’t helping.

Torin snickers, her teal gaze quickly glancing over Valors pathway, “you’re fine, I don’t think you stepped in anything.” She’s not spotting anything concerning, much to the females relief. “Head over to the rock, though, if you want to keep that from being changed.”

“Right, sure.” A bit miffed at being shooed off, Valor trots back over to Aodhán, plopping herself down beside the rock with a huff, “I guess being lazy is the way to go.”

“Took you long enough to catch on,” the male sneers, his head resting comfortably on his paws as he watches the other two shuffle about.

With the two inexperienced ones out of the way, Omari and Torin are able to quickly and efficiently scour the area without any worries about them. Each plant they set their sights on are delicately harvested, both doing their best to avoid overgrazing, not wanting to damage the natural population. 

Vitalus’ diverse ecosystem is a boon for the duo, there’s a rich mixture of normal plants, and ones that are infused with the continents magical properties. These are perfect for the herbal remedies they have in mind.

“When we get back, I’ll have to see if I can try to regrow more of these,” Torin mumbles before plucking up a bundle of glowing flowers, settling them inside her bag, “Vitalus soil is… temperamental.”

“Ugh, I know,” Omari sighs, “so many variables… it can be such a pain to figure out the amount of magic each plant will want in the soil.” A tricky, but truthfully rewarding endeavor. Once that perfect composition is found, it makes the process of creating remedies so much easier; especially since having to travel to dangerous areas just for a certain plant is… less than ideal.

With a yawn, Valor decides to follow Aodháns lead, the female curling up from where she lays to get more comfortable. She has no intentions on sleeping, but the warm sun on her coat does feel good.

“Why do you have to yawn, that’s contagious you knoooow-” Aodhán grumbles out before a yawn overtakes him as well, “ack.” Ah, whatever, it’s time for that nap, anyways.

◘ HEALER you can become a MEDIC

For reasons of their own, Medics are often foragers and masters of flora and fauna. Their knowledge of herbs and medicines is expansive and [mostly] well tested results grant them an ability to heal with droughts and potions. When they reach a level of skills and respect, they can gain the specialist: Doctor
Prompt:- Draw or write your Reosean foraging for ingredients.

Vays: Torin 15324, Omari 13429, Valor 12655, and Aodhn 16213

WC: 1145