Colibri smiled shyly at the mention of the witchhazel plant, knowing it to be a useful shrub with astringent qualities. "We could plant that at the center. They can grow rather large, so it can shelter the ones that prefer shade, like feverfew," she suggested, trying to imagine the arrangement once they completed all the preliminary work. They could spend the next several days scouring the forest and lakeside for everything they would need; the thought was an uplifting one, a job she would actually be good at. It was easier to hunt things that had roots and could therefore not flee.
Once he had gathered their tools, the tall athletic Stormbringer set off at a brisk pace, white footpaws quickly covering ground ahead of her. Coli struggled to match his gait, jogging breathlessly in his wake and hoping he did not notice he was gradually leaving her behind. Her joints still ached from the trek to and from the southern packlands, and she was not as young as she used to be, finding that it took her longer to recover from physical exertion. When Saul reached the level ground outside of Jordheim, seemingly effortlessly, Coli hurried to close the gap between them. Perhaps she should try a little harder to stay in shape, now that she had all these fit young wolves to keep up with.
She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to will her rapid heartbeat to slow down to a regular rhythm. "This... seems nice..." Coli exhaled, out of breath from the unexpected run. Saul must have been more excited than he let on, if he was this eager to get started. Gardening had always been a slow and peaceful experience for her; hopefully Saul was not going to speed everything up in his enthusiasm, or she would be left behind again.
As her eyes fell on the flat earth that would soon be upturned and tilled, she felt a strange sense of guilt, the same remorse that had shadowed her in the Crimson Dreams orchard. The last time she had worked in a garden alongside another who shared her love for growing things, it had been with her almost-mate. Lending her talents to a new pack felt almost like cheating on Anu's memory. Coli shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous notion. She was no longer winded, so it was time to work.
She knelt, beginning the task of uprooting the weeds, grasping each one by its stem and freeing it from the earth. That seemed like the most obvious job, since they could not do anything until the soil was clear. "Saul... have you ever been in love?" she asked offhandedly, distracted by her thoughts and the task at hand. They would need something to talk about all day, and it seemed like a good place to start. Perhaps her Virding could give her advice on how to move on. He was a single parent, after all, so she assumed he had a mate once. All this time had passed, and yet Coli still had not come to terms with the breakup that had driven her out of Crimson Dreams, and into her solitary journey to the western coast. She had no one to talk it out with even now, but the scent of fresh loam dredged up a lot of memories.