Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on May 4, 2023 5:20:46 GMT
In all truth, Lendri wasn't all that annoying of an apprentince. At least it took the burden off his sister of having two, but it was still an extra burr in his side that he now had to deal with on a daily basis. Some cruel twist of fate it was that he was not only forced to be an owi, but to create more as well. The boy seemed sharp, and his passion for the natural things exceeded Likal's own greatly. His sister had good words to say about him, despite the injury to his leg that kept him in medical confines for quite a while. Lucky him getting the broken apprentice, but hey, at least he wasn't constantly scratching. This morning, Likal decided that he wanted to see what the little ren really knew. Scrounging around in the depths of his den, he found some old - dried herbs far past useful but simply not cleared out yet. Among them was a shrivelled root of Zora'mira, which would definitely be a challenge for his apprentice - at least to his knowledge. The young pup was less than a year old, and fresh roots weren't plentiful until summer. He wouldn't be surprised if Udu'e had some much better cared for specimens somewhere in her own personal stash, but for now this dehydrated scrap of plant would serve as a good test. Despite his urge to only go out hunting, Likal did bring a few herbs back here and there to keep up appearances. The first shoots of Yowie Yip were starting to sprout up in their usual places, and Likal made sure to surround a small patch with plenty of his own huffa to keep those damnn felines from ruining his little patch. He was familiar with scrapping against the addicted little pests, and expected to be doing the same this year but hopefully less frequently. Leaves of Eewee'ook dried flat against rocks in his den to preserve the plentiful but useful herb, and a small bundle of fresh leaves lay next to it in preparation for their own drying soon. Pata'mira was also strewn about the den thanks to the amount he had been supplying Lendri and Hara'mukha as they healed their legs. He figured there was plenty here to test this apprentice. Grabbing the dried Zora'ira, a small clumb of fresh Eewee'ook, and the stems of a few Pata'mira blossoms (the flowers would make it far too easy) and brought them outside. Luckily the sun was peeking through so he didn't have to worry about his hard work washing away or being buried by snow. He sorted the herbs into three distinct piles , nudging them apart with his nose until he was satisfied. With his herbs laid onto the concrete floor of the abandoned prison, Likal took a few moments to pad away from them and further into one of the lengthy hallways. "Lendri," he boomed out, saying nothing more as the echo carried his voice throughout the prison. If his apprentice knew what was good for him, he would come quickly. The collie had a sour mood most of the time and being late wouldn't help him. Once his apprentice arrived, the owi swung his head towards the piles of herbs behind him. "Identify these," he barked again, more at an acceptable volume for speaking face to face rather than the call through the halls. Likal wouldn't say he had high hopes. High expectations, yes. But hopes? Barely. Lendri |
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Why'o
Ele'cannara
Played by Collie
7 MOS
22"/50LBS
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
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Post by Lendri on May 8, 2023 3:53:20 GMT
If Lendri had known that his grouchy mentor's voice would suddenly erupt through the hallways, demanding his presence immediately, he might not have been goofing around with his brother and sister at that very moment. As luck would have it, that's exactly what he was doing. He was bent into a play bow, smiling and wagging his rump teasingly at Haka'far when Likal's very loud, very unhappy sounding voice called out his name.
The poor pup gasped and leaped to his feet, spinning round and round for a moment in an effort to find out where the voice was coming from, and then he shot a quick, "sorry, gotta go!" to his siblings and took off running as fast as his still-broken leg could carry him. His front leg was still splinted, but the splint was becoming more of an ornament than anything. Lendri was growing stronger and faster every day. Pretty soon he'd be able to whip through the hallways at top speed like any other Why'o, he was sure of it.
He took a little longer to get there than most pups, but it wasn't long before he was skidding round the corner to stand face to face with the big collie. Lendri peered wide-eyed up at his mentor, chest thundering. He probably looked terrified. It wasn't that he didn't like Likal - No, he was great! He was just kind of the exact opposite of his gentle sister, a dog who had gently introduced the youngster to herbs and plants and healing in a way that made him fall in love with it all.
Before Lendri had a chance to address Likal and ask why he had called his apprentice so suddenly, the bigger dog was already barking orders. Lendri peeked around the collie's fluffy form at the three piles of plants lying in the snow outside, gulped hard (he hadn't had time to study!!) and then crept forward, tail tucked, only stealing the smallest of glances at Likal as he passed.
"Uh..." He said, bending over the first pile and giving it a good, hard sniff. He drew back a bit and sneezed. It had a sharp smell that kind of stung his nose. At this realization, his eyes brightened and he stood up a little straighter. "Oh, I know this one!" He said, tail wagging now. "This one is Eewee'ook. This is the stuff that Li'Ronagh slept in when humans hurt him. It helped the wounds close. Isn't that amazing?" And then he turned to smile at Likal and the grin fell quickly from his face as he remembered who he was talking to. Whoops.
He quickly turned back to the next pile and again gave it a sniff. It was a root, and it was still kind of dirty. And it smelled kind of...old? Definitely not anything that had been freshly harvested. He hesitated on it for a bit and then placed one white paw gently on the herb, turning it over quietly, puzzling with it for a while before that lightbulb went off over his head again. His eyes lit up with realization and a soft grin crossed his muzzle.
"Zora'mira." The young pup said confidently. His mind flashed back to the day he'd fallen down the stairs and hurt his leg. He'd been so afraid that day that he'd questioned every step of Udu'e's process as she worked to help him. He remembered being deeply suspicious when she'd sent Kitchi-kitchi to fetch some Zora'mira for him to swallow. Udu'e had then explained to him that it was a special plant that would help lessen the pain in his leg. It had tasted terrible - Like eating dirt, but more bitter. But it definitely did ease his pain.
And then on to the last one. It was a collection of greenish stems. Again, Lendri sniffed, poked, and prodded, turned his head this way and that, and even took one into his mouth to taste it. In the end though, he stepped back with a shake of his head. His floppy ears swayed as he did so. "I don't know that one. It's kind of sweet? I think I've had it before, maybe, but I don't know. I don't know what it's called."
And with that, he turned to his teacher in hopes that he might have an answer - Or at least let him know that getting two out of three was a passing score for this pop quiz.
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Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on May 22, 2023 12:21:52 GMT
"Uh..." oh this was just great. Nothing instilled confidence in his apprentice's abilities more than a clear sign of confusion and uncertainty. He would need to teach the ren about not outwardly displaying his trepidations. To those with little knowledge of healing, being injured was scary and full of frightening new things to eat and processes to undergo. Any uncertainty on the healer's part could cause them to panic, making the whole process exponentially more annoying. Likal wasn't one for coddling the injured. As long as they shut up, stayed still, and ate or did everything he said, they would get better. No need to go crying about it.
"Oh, I know this one! This one is Eewee'ook. This is the stuff that Li'Ronagh slept in when humans hurt him. It helped the wounds close. Isn't that amazing?" the overeager ren belted out the answer, his joy bouncing off the furry wall of apathy as he realised what he had said. An eyebrow raise to the young apprentice sent him off sniffing the second herb. Likal did Lendri the service of stifling a chuckle as his apprentice turned away to continue on with his surprise test. Lendri had so much excitement for herbs that it was almost intimidating. He was sure his sister would have swooped him up under her guidance and care if not for Kitchi-Kitchi being there already. He couldn't help but feel that his sister would have done Lendri much more justice in his education, or at least given him a more gentle touch. Likal had learned against his will about the various herbs he was now teaching, and his style reflected that harsh upbringing. Teaching Lendri was an opportunity for him to start healing from his youth... but it was much easier to stay the grump he knew he was.
"Zora'mira," Lendri's final conclusion, he hated to say it, impressed the collie. Admittedly, he had picked the shrivelled root to trick the pup, but Tavi'elu's son managed to thwart his efforts. He had clearly learned a lot with Udu'e, being her perfect sponge while recovering from his injury. Likal knew that he certainly wouldn't have been able to identify such a challenge at that age. His sister probably would have showered his apprentice with praise for completing such a difficult task, but Likal was no such joy-spreader. A curt nod and short hum were the only affirmation given to the pup that he had indeed gotten it correct.
Lendri's pondering of the last pile made him rethink the internal praise he was giving the pup. "I don't know that one. It's kind of sweet? I think I've had it before, maybe, but I don't know. I don't know what it's called," the young pup finally decided. It took a lot of gumption to not even take a guess at what the stems could be. He was about to bite back some sarcastic tirade about what a fool this pup was for not knowing the plant pups were often encouraged to eat, but he held back. Yelling at him would only dim his sparkle, and this young ren's enthusiasm could be his ticket out of being a healer once he was fully trained. He could tell that the white pup was intimidated by him just by his face when he had first come limping around the corner.
"Pata'mira," he answered for him, bluntly, "Though the flower is most often eaten, the stems have similar properties and can be useful come Rahani'hu Lendri when they do not grow, or once the flowers go to seed." The collie moved next to his apprentice, pressing his paw on top of the stems to force the white, sticky sap to come out of the nipped-off ends of the stem. Removing his paw, he continued, "When the flower is bitten off, the plant produces this white liquid out of the hollow stem." With that, he sat back on his haunches. He was reticent to mention his outright successes. Surely it was clear that if he didn't have to teach him more, he knew what it was. He didn't want to waste energy jumping for joy or singing Lendri's praises. "The other two were correct," was all he offered the young one, which was the closest to a compliment that he would possibly ever get to say.
The crabby male hadn't expected himself to be so lenient. His lesson plan was for Lendri to mess up and get lectured on the correct identification of the herbs and the importance of knowing each plant thoroughly so as to not cause anyone harm and the pressure that being a healer held. Instead, he found himself finished, much less rudely than usual, with an apprentice that already had a clear baseline of knowledge. What to do with him now? Not causing harm was one of the key facets of being a healer. That gave the healer an idea of another, actually important lesson to teach the young pup. "Did Udu'e teach you about Eliri'rumblier?" he asked, finally turning his attention back to his apprentice rather than the air between them. He doubted the Lendri would have seen it before considering Rozo'ama Akoda and then his broken leg had kept in the healer's dens. A place with medicinal herbs was no place to keep that plant, even for educational purposes. Maybe this was something he could actually teach the young affa.
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Why'o
Ele'cannara
Played by Collie
7 MOS
22"/50LBS
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
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Post by Lendri on May 23, 2023 3:55:22 GMT
Lendri tried not to wince at Likal's blunt, clearly disapproving tone when he named the plant. "Pata'mira!" He exclaimed, clearly realizing all at once what he had missed. The pup bit his tongue. He should have known that one. The familiar sweetness should have given it away - There were distant memories, buried far back in his mind, of the healers coaxing Lendri and the rest of his pata to eat it. Maybe he'd been too young at the time to ask for the name. Maybe he hadn't cared enough then. Maybe they'd told him and he'd forgotten. Lendri was ripped from his own punishing thoughts though when Likal spoke again, continuing the lesson.
All at once his attention was back on the plant, keenly listening with perked (sort of) ears, leaning in to catch his mentor's every word. He bent low to watch Likal press his paw onto the stems, his mind buzzing with questions. Once again, the joy of learning had taken over and his tail began to wag of its own accord at his rear.
"When we preserve the stems for Rahani'hu Lendri, does that weaken their abilities?" He found himself asking. "If we gave a ren pata'mira to keep them healthy in Rahani'huda Mirahu, would they have a better chance of being healthier than one fed dried stems?"
"The other two were correct."
Lendri beamed with pride, even managing to puff out his chest a little - A gesture that made him look more like his litter brother Haka'far than he would have ever wanted to. Likal didn't need to shower him with praise for getting two out of three correct...in fact, if he did, Lendri might not have been able to handle himself. Nope, this was good.
But the lesson wasn't finished yet.
Eliri'rumblier. Lendri's pride turned quickly back into a concentrated frown.
"Kind of. Well, not her, but my mother. We were all told about it, and we were told never to touch it. It can make the shadows come and take you right away even if you taste it. Only..." He tilted his head at the bigger dog curiously, "I couldn't tell you what it looks like."
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Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on May 23, 2023 6:53:34 GMT
"When we preserve the stems for Rahani'hu Lendri, does that weaken their abilities? If we gave a ren pata'mira to keep them healthy in Rahani'huda Mirahu, would they have a better chance of being healthier than one fed dried stems?" the ever-eager voice of his apprentice, thankfully not crying, rang out again. The stoic collie nodded. This ren's extrapolation of new lessons from what he was already being taught was exhausting, but appreciated. The more he could pack into one lesson, the less he needed to teach later. "Yes. Drying any herb makes them lose their potency, but unless they're over a year old, they should still work. That is why we collect new ones whenever we can. Pata'mira is more of a precautionary boost to try and keep pups healthy, so it varies between individuals. There is always more than one factor in overall health. For example, if you hadn't been so young, your leg would have taken much longer to heal," he monologued, eyes glancing at the splint still on his apprentice's forelimb as he spoke.
Upon hearing the name of the ill-fated flower, the proud grin on Lendri's face fell back into his 'thinking-very-hard-for-my-mentor' face. Yup, definitely needed to teach him about thinking on the inside. Anyone could see that he wasn't fully sure of what his mentor had asked. "Kind of. Well, not her, but my mother. We were all told about it, and we were told never to touch it. It can make the shadows come and take you right away even if you taste it. Only... I couldn't tell you what it looks like," his apprentice answered honestly. Again, Likal responded with a hum, pulling himself back up onto his paws, "Alright. Come along then."
The weather these days was not perfect for growing every healer's least favourite flower, but the sprouts would surely be cropping up around the marshy areas a short distance from the prison. Tan paws lumbered slowly, not so much that Lendri would think he was being coddled, but enough that Likal didn't have to actually put any effort into his gait. Experienced eyes could already see the stalks rising up menacingly from the swampy area. He stopped a short distance away, nowhere near touching it to set a good example. "See those thin stalks growing by the swampy area? Those are Eliri'rumblier. Later in the season, I'll bring you back here to show you the flowers from a distance. Tavi'elu was right that you should never touch these. Its flowers are small and white, and clustered together on long stalks. They have many look-alikes that are not as toxic, but I do not want you to ever pick them unless you are 100% sure it is not eliri'rumblier. There is no antidote that can reach a canna in time if they eat it. Even if a canna is gravely injured living only prolongs their suffering, there are other herbs to send them to Rumblier. Eliri'rumblier is a cruel plant, and will punish you more harshly for the mistake of picking it than I ever could. I do not wish for you to see its effects," Likal only realised after speaking that he was describing this plant in a terrifying way. It was probably too harsh for the young ren, but he needed to understand the danger that this simple plant had. "Any questions?" he found himself asking, almost as a way to permit the expected babble that would come. Maybe this time he had scared Lendri silent, that would be a sight to see.
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Why'o
Ele'cannara
Played by Collie
7 MOS
22"/50LBS
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
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Post by Lendri on May 23, 2023 18:37:25 GMT
Oh? A field trip? Lendri scrambled clumsily to his paws and scampered after his mentor without a word. Likal didn't move to fast and for that Lendri was appreciative. Not entirely because of his splinted leg, but also because despite his hesitations and downright nerdiness, he was still a puppy who was only just experiencing his first spring. Every great now and again he would become distracted on their walk when a pillbug scampered across a cracked sidewalk, or he'd stop and do a double-take at a pretty yellow flower growing up through fresh grass. Pata'mira! Likal's pace made it easy to catch up.
Before he knew it though, they had reached their destination - The edges of a marshy, swampy place with damp earth that was already squishing in an unpleasant way between Lendri's toes. He probably didn't realize that he was making a face. He was glad that Likal stopped when he did. Wading through the swamp in search of a deadly flower didn't sound like his idea of fun.
And speaking of - Likal pointed out across the swamp at the stems. Lendri squinted down his nose at the stuff poking up out there. As his mentor explained the deadly powers that the plant possessed, the pup visibly wilted. His already unstable ears began to lilt like dying flowers, his feathered tail tucked. All at once he felt as if those horrible stems might leap across the marsh and attack him. Maybe they should take a few more steps backwards.
Likal'e gave the all clear for Lendri to ask questions, but for a while his brain was too busy, his tongue too heavy to actually ask anything. He needed time to untangle all of those thoughts in his head before they came spilling out...and spill they eventually did.
"Do the healers double-check with each other when they pick a look-a-like?" He blurted, still standing on his tip-toes to try and get a better look at the legendary monster plant. "If you have to pick those, should you still be extra careful handling them? Is it dangerous to go into the swamp cause we might accidentally touch Eliri'rumblier growing in the marshy stuff? Has anyone ever survived it before? What if you just smell the flowers? Can the pollen hurt you too? If it weren't deadly, would it have any use to us? Does it do anything good under all the death stuff?"
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Why'o
Owi
Played by Wrennie
5 years
25"| 77lbs
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
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Post by Likal'e Tir on May 27, 2023 11:11:16 GMT
The shrinking frame of his apprentice, Likal hoped, meant that he had finally deflated him enough to call the day done. Two lessons in one was plenty, and surely there couldn't be any questions about a plant that has one rule... right? Lendri's silence was a facade that Likal had relied too much on. In an instant, his apprentice was back to his usual self firing off question after question. With each new question, the rough collie's teeth gritted harder and harder together. He should not have agreed to take on an apprentice. Why couldn't he have gotten the one with fleas? He could treat fleas. Questions, that was much harder to fix.
Though he yearned to give the pup monosyllabic answers of 'yes' and 'no' to his questions, he knew he just wouldn't quit firing off more until his little brain was so full of knowledge for the day that it practically spilled out his ears. "Yes, always. You will never have to pick those, the only time you should ever see them detached from the ground is if a storm has felled them, and even then you should not go near. The swamp is dangerous because of biting bugs and drowning, and because of Eliri'Rumblier, so it's best to stay away in general. I will show you the uses of the swamp once the temperature has risen and they've grown. For now, stay away. No, no one has ever survived it, and I don't think anyone ever will. If you're close enough to smell the flowers or get pollen on you, you're too close. Those questions are best left unanswered to keep an abundance of caution in check. The roots of the lookalikes are what's useful as a last source of food, but the danger in identifying the wrong plant makes them rarely ever dug up. It does nothing good. The life after eating it is hellish, and the death is excruciating even to watch," the owi was forced to monologue again, hopefully for the last time today.
Leaving a second of silence was too long, and he couldn't risk Lendri exhausting him with another burst of questions so early in the morning. "That's all for this lesson. Hold on to more questions until tomorrow. I'll call you if you're needed. Go play," he barked gruffly, already moving back towards the prison. He lingered only long enough to make sure that Lendri wasn't about to dive in toward his certain death. He knew his apprentice wasn't that dumb, especially after all the information he was just told about how dangerous this one plant could be. Never hurt to be cautious though.
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Why'o
Ele'cannara
Played by Collie
7 MOS
22"/50LBS
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
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Post by Lendri on May 28, 2023 1:23:34 GMT
Lendri stared wide-eyed up at his mentor, drinking in as much of this information as he could possibly hold onto. If he'd been equipped with a notepad and thumbs to hold onto a pen, he would have been jotting Likal's words down as quickly as he could. Not only was the knowledge incredibly fascinating, but he had a really good reason now to tell his siblings never to go into the creepy old swamp. He was saving their lives. He figured that these were things that he'd definitely be lecturing Haka'far about sometime in the future.
At the conclusion of Likal'e's speech, he prompted Lendri to go and play - The lesson was over. Despite how apprehensive the pup had been at the start of the collie's quiz, he now deflated with disappointment. That was it? Likal might have been kind of scary, but he definitely knew a lot about plants and herbs. He was a full-fledged healer, something that Lendri could only dream of at the moment until Likal gave him everything that he knew. Yet, he knew better than to keep pressing for more. That was bound to just get him snapped at.
"Yes, Likal." He sighed, bowing his head in recognition before turning to bound away. A few steps in though and he skidded to a halt, turned back to the bigger dog and spoke again with the shyest of smiles crossing his lips. "Thank you!" And then he was off, his learnings already on the tip of his tongue to go and spout back to Haka and Kira. Or maybe Kitchi if she was in a good mood. Someone else had to hear about this stuff too! Who wouldn't want that?
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