A vibrant glade of lush grasses and trees that bloom during all but the coldest of seasons. The sweet fragrance of spring flowers hangs in the air and delicate petals float on the wind and a gentle creek flows through the green meadow.
"Oh spring, how I did not truly miss your beauty," Larkspur said wryly, walking slowly as the new body perched on her back hopped around. As the world warmed and the plants were rejuvinated, so too were the long, fragrant blossoms that were erupting from her spine. It always felt rather nice when the blossoms opened up, taking in the warm spring sun and providing them with a bit of extra energy than they were used to. But they hadn't really missed the way that pollinators from all over the forest would flock to them, like the hummingbird perched upon their back at the moment while Folke glared daggers at the hitch-hiker. They resisted the urge to shake their pelt out as their hopping around disrupted the fur and thin feathers along their spine causing a faint itching sensation and instead refocused on the circular garden.
In their quest to search for Snapdrgon, they had left their little herbal garden unattended to grow unimpeded and in response, the herbs that had been placed had promptly exploded. Larkspur had returned only once before the snow could blanket the ground to put a cover over-top their little garden, preventing the frost from killing the herbs outright and it seemed to have been right move given their garden was presently the only thing alive this early in the spring. The chocolate furred wolf ducked their head, gently collecting a few stems from waving, coneflowers to join the everlasts she had already settled.
This is wonderful - if I keep doing this, my travel herbs will be back to normal, Larkspur hummed to themselves. The next step would be gathering physical equipment - bandages, wool, clips and they could start on making some proper tonics and potions to keep with them.
They snuffled gently among the stems, debating whether they should keep harvesting or let the rest begin to propagate.
Patlin had followed their nose. High on the sun-warmed air, set against the cold slice of winter, they'd found the delicate sweetness of flowers and the fragrant spice of herbs. This early? And such variety! From there, they'd hopped from point to point, playing a one-beast game of hotter-colder until they found the garden at the source.
And the gardener.
The wolf that moved among the flowers was a flowerbed unto themself; arcs of blue larkspur blooms cascaded over their back and tail, and they were accompanied by a cloud of optimistic early pollinators. Such adornments usually meant Ohr, but Patlin didn't much care.
"Hello there!" they called from the edge of the herb patch. "Hail and well met and all that. What are you doing?"
Larkspur's ear twitched, the wolf shaking off the offending hummingbird determined to believe that their rounded ear was yet another flower as they inspect their haul. This had been a good set - they would absolutely be cultivating the garden further. The little mesh net around the leafy plants trying to grow outward seemed mostly unscathed, though a few of the plants themselves had passing nibble-marks - no matter, so long as they was enough to harvest that's all that mattered.
Next I think I'll plant some poppies, the wolf mused, circling their creation. And then I'll need some hollies. On the edible side, maybe blackberries and-
Their ear lifted, twisting in the direction of a voice calling out and Larkspur turned their attention. They blinked slowly, a bit taken aback by the brilliant shade of pink that crested the corner of their vision.
A hyena? Larkspur wondered, their tail swinging curiously behind them though they nodded lightly in acknowledgement all the same.
"Hello in turn," Larkspur responded politely, shooing off another hummingbird trying to rifle through their fur. The hyena smelled like one of the major pack borders - the one Larkspur hadn't really encountered often. They assumed there would be nothing wrong with their presence given the lack of scent markers or border patrols but pack-wolves can be unpredictably aggressive. "I started this garden last spring and came to collect the fruits. I'm willing to share, though I do ask that you leave enough to grow on their own."
Patlin was tickled by the wolf's generosity. There was something so delicious about showing up and being invited to take. They trotted happily down a furrow in the foliage that may have once been a winding path, pausing here and there to sniff the garden's offerings. Duskorna had many things, accomplished herbalists among them, but Patlin would be the first to admit that they didn't have much variety in the way of gardens.
A small black beetle trundled across their path. With a few quick, gauging glances between the gardener and the insect, they ducked to snap it up, momentarily adding a chorus of crunches to their stroll.
"I'll confess," Patlin said, delicately flipping a leaf with the back of one paw to inspect the underside, "I'm not much of a...connoisseur when it comes to, ah, vegetation." They looked up at the wolf. "If I were to take one thing from here, what would you recommend?"
Larkspur’s ear twitched at the quick consumption of the bug, though they offered no opinions of their own about it. Who were they to judge what others chose to eat? They were walking around with a python wrapped around their shoulders and being harassed by pollinators under the impression that they were merely a strange looking and oddly mobile flower.
At the levied question, Larkspur immediately reached for a gently plucked a sharp petaled, thick stemmed pale pink flower with a yellow’d center and turned toward the hyena for inspection.
”Coneflowers have many uses and though they insist on growing in many non-optimal places, it’s never wrong to have extra on paw,” they explained, shaking off yet another attempt to burrow into their ear. They turned back toward the garden, gesturing with their paws toward the white-petaled, delicate forms of the pearly-everlasting blowing delicately in the wind. "Everlast is a bit harder to come by and it would be good to take a bit of this as well - handles muscle cramps and coughs which will be good for when spring truly hits its stride."
