Her offer was met with a friendly smile, and it relieved some of the tension that had been building up in Coli's mind. It had taken tremendous effort to put herself out there like that, to let a stranger know her name and residence in the hopes that word would trickle down to Anu. Whether anything would be set into motion by this chance encounter, it seemed unlikely, but at least there was now a thin ray of hope filtering through what had only been gloom before. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cassia," Coli replied automatically, nodding in response to the swordswoman's bow. This Cassia, she was no doubt a fearless warrior, resting her hand with familiar ease on the hilt of her weapon. Coli did not have a fraction of her courage, but she had still taken an important step towards facing her guilt, and perhaps one day redeeming herself in Anu's eyes. She felt a slight shudder of relief, releasing the stiffness she held in her shoulders, the wariness in her posture.
The irrational jealousy was also beginning to lessen as Cassia revealed that she had not been a Dreamer for long, perhaps a month's time. They could have been packmates together if Coli had followed Alder's advice and sought her old home in Crimson Dreams. Pure chance lead her instead to follow her half-sister and the Stormbringer family to the north. And perhaps that was lucky, if the southern pack was doomed to fall apart whether she was with them or not. "It's such a pity, this land is still so beautiful," she murmured, genuinely upset that the closely knit families had deserted. Her own time there had been soured by the war and the collapse of her only romantic relationship, but she bore no ill will towards the pack itself. The landmarks she had passed on her way here had invoked such a heartbreaking sense of nostalgia. "Did you say it was Anu's decision...? What... happened, exactly?" She asked softly, startled by the revelation. She did not know the circumstances, but Anu had always been fiercely loyal to Savina and the home they protected together. Something must have happened to the Marino leader if Anu was solely in charge. Coli caught her breath, silently hoping the black-furred woman and her brood were alright. Savina had always been intimidating to Coli, but certainly didn't deserve any ill fate.
The handful of sprouts were safely nestled into her bag, and Coli knelt again, brushing her fingers through the velvety soil to search for more. She knew from experience that moving plants was traumatic for them, and many of them could end up dying despite her best efforts. It would be better to find as many as she could, especially since she would likely not be returning here. It was just too sad to see the years of Anu's efforts unraveling, being reclaimed by the wilderness. "If you'd like to learn more, I suppose... I could show you how to take a cutting? I might need your help with that anyway, I don't have a knife... or a sword," she added with a faint smile, gesturing towards the cinnamon wolf's blade. Coli generally used her claws for tasks like pruning buds or cropping leaves, but admittedly a tool such as that sword would be better suited for hewing out wood. "You could bring a few back with you as a gift, because they can be grafted to the trees in your new orchard..." That way they could keep a piece of their home with them, just like Coli was doing.