4 Ash, Year 122
[Closed - Rickter]
Forests, trees. Green lands, as far as the eyes could see. It was a rarity, something described for her, not something that the Vastiana was used to seeing or experiencing. The closest to a forest she could think of was a few of the largest oases centered around the basins of the Vasta. Or even the walk-through aviary that her father had paid considerable amounts of money for elementalists to grow and maintain an assortment of trees and foliage for the exotic birds on his estate in order to impress guests, local and foreign alike. But forests like this? No. These were northern forests from far across the sea, and the plants that she was looking at were those she only saw in books or greenhouses.
But there were plants she recognized quickly, from samples at Sweet Remedies or from her Great-Aunt’s apothecary in Tertium. She was able to recall the pictures in the pages, linking them with the names of the plants, books that her mentors had collected, and books that Hilana had paid that came from overseas. What she considered a worthy investment was what others felt was a strange obsession, being fascinated by plant life that was so very far from home. But Hilana knew that there were many valuable plants beyond the borders of the Kingdom, and if they could benefit her people, then what was the harm in learning about them? Of importing and making use of them? There weren't any, and yet there were so many benefits.
The sun was fading slowly, disappearing beyond the trees. There was a twilight that the canopy made darker still, but in the meantime, the onyx-haired young woman found the creeping snowberry, crouching down to touch it, deft fingers feeling the vine-like plant. There were no blossoms on it, not at this time of the year, but the little white berries with the strong scent of mint... She didn’t harvest any, not in a dream. But she inhaled its fragrance before getting up and carrying on, passing through the boreal forest at a steady pace, dark eyes wide, but bright with delight. Maybe one day, she would get to see it for herself. To really feel it and experience it, to harvest these plants and bring them home.
In the distance, she heard something that made her blood run cold, and at the same time, made her heart race. At home in the sands, that was a familiar sound. She’d grown up with it, heard it from her own found family, a way to communicate over distances and check in, though with the actual golden-furred dire wolves, however difficult they were to find, that was a real danger. But they were an inspiration for a family that was brought together by bonds that were not born of blood. She listened, hearing the howls, trying to identify how many there were. It was tough to call, but Hilana moved quickly, boosting herself up into the tree and climbing from limb to limb with ease despite her sandals until she was out of reach for even one of the giant wolves of home. And from the safety of the branches, the young woman brought a hand to her mouth, and howled back.
Pack song, and it had been so long since she’d heard it. If there was one place the wolves didn’t come close to, it was the great golden capital city, and the only howls that she heard in the night were the jackals. As she listened, the source seemed to be coming closer, and Hilana repeated the call of the pack, feeling her energy surge and rush. She’d always wondered what the woodland wolves were like, and perhaps she would find out. There was a coolness to the air here that was beyond what what she felt in the sands, especially in Ash, and her normal day-to-day felt somehow inadequate for these lands. The long, tiered cotton skirts that hung off of her hips were a deep, rich green, which she supposed helped hide her with where she was, but her linen halter shirt showed off most of her abdomen, and left her arms exposed as well. The light of the two moons peeked through the treetops, and the girl was content to watch the ground below to see what, if anything, came.
[Closed - Rickter]
Forests, trees. Green lands, as far as the eyes could see. It was a rarity, something described for her, not something that the Vastiana was used to seeing or experiencing. The closest to a forest she could think of was a few of the largest oases centered around the basins of the Vasta. Or even the walk-through aviary that her father had paid considerable amounts of money for elementalists to grow and maintain an assortment of trees and foliage for the exotic birds on his estate in order to impress guests, local and foreign alike. But forests like this? No. These were northern forests from far across the sea, and the plants that she was looking at were those she only saw in books or greenhouses.
But there were plants she recognized quickly, from samples at Sweet Remedies or from her Great-Aunt’s apothecary in Tertium. She was able to recall the pictures in the pages, linking them with the names of the plants, books that her mentors had collected, and books that Hilana had paid that came from overseas. What she considered a worthy investment was what others felt was a strange obsession, being fascinated by plant life that was so very far from home. But Hilana knew that there were many valuable plants beyond the borders of the Kingdom, and if they could benefit her people, then what was the harm in learning about them? Of importing and making use of them? There weren't any, and yet there were so many benefits.
The sun was fading slowly, disappearing beyond the trees. There was a twilight that the canopy made darker still, but in the meantime, the onyx-haired young woman found the creeping snowberry, crouching down to touch it, deft fingers feeling the vine-like plant. There were no blossoms on it, not at this time of the year, but the little white berries with the strong scent of mint... She didn’t harvest any, not in a dream. But she inhaled its fragrance before getting up and carrying on, passing through the boreal forest at a steady pace, dark eyes wide, but bright with delight. Maybe one day, she would get to see it for herself. To really feel it and experience it, to harvest these plants and bring them home.
In the distance, she heard something that made her blood run cold, and at the same time, made her heart race. At home in the sands, that was a familiar sound. She’d grown up with it, heard it from her own found family, a way to communicate over distances and check in, though with the actual golden-furred dire wolves, however difficult they were to find, that was a real danger. But they were an inspiration for a family that was brought together by bonds that were not born of blood. She listened, hearing the howls, trying to identify how many there were. It was tough to call, but Hilana moved quickly, boosting herself up into the tree and climbing from limb to limb with ease despite her sandals until she was out of reach for even one of the giant wolves of home. And from the safety of the branches, the young woman brought a hand to her mouth, and howled back.
Pack song, and it had been so long since she’d heard it. If there was one place the wolves didn’t come close to, it was the great golden capital city, and the only howls that she heard in the night were the jackals. As she listened, the source seemed to be coming closer, and Hilana repeated the call of the pack, feeling her energy surge and rush. She’d always wondered what the woodland wolves were like, and perhaps she would find out. There was a coolness to the air here that was beyond what what she felt in the sands, especially in Ash, and her normal day-to-day felt somehow inadequate for these lands. The long, tiered cotton skirts that hung off of her hips were a deep, rich green, which she supposed helped hide her with where she was, but her linen halter shirt showed off most of her abdomen, and left her arms exposed as well. The light of the two moons peeked through the treetops, and the girl was content to watch the ground below to see what, if anything, came.
