WC: 714
Coli nodded resolutely and turned, dashing back through the thick copse of pine trees that made up their pack's border. Excitement lent speed to her paws; she had glimpsed the plants she was being traded, and they were all worthwhile, even for the communal herb garden. Meadowsweet root could be chewed to relieve headaches, catnip had numbing effects, sage had antibiotic and astringent qualities. She knew all of them on sight, and this would be an excellent trade. When she reached her house, she barely paused to catch her breath before pushing the creaky door open. Her home was small, more like a den with no windows, furniture, or separate rooms; she kept the fur pouches of poison in a neat bundle underneath one of the cloaks Emma brought her. She kept meaning to give that cloak to Lilin, but she liked having the reminder that she had a friend somewhere else in the north. She plucked up three of them, noting that she only had one left, and strung them onto the necklace cord around her throat. There, that was the easy part. Then she burst back outside, the bright sunlight shining down on the many wildflowers she had planted around her small house.
Kneeling, she gently scooped the soft loam in her hands, shaking the clumps free from the roots so that she could separate the individual stalks. She needed two of each to trade; that should be doable, she had several of each variety. The sentimental side of her hoped they would be well cared for, and that they could be traded to another gardener in a different pack who would appreciate them the way she did. First was the wild chamomile, bright daisy-like flowers upturned to the sunlight. Next was the fly honeysuckle, common within the coniferous forests but rare everywhere else. It would bear little berries soon, a favorite for songbirds. Beggarticks and her yellow lady slipper orchids were next, gingerly uprooted and laid out on the grass in a neat stack. Her garden was going to look rather bare after this, until she could scavenge replacements. She still lamented that she could not find pink lady slippers anywhere, not since she had them in Dahlia de Mai.
That was all the wildflowers she had found here in the northern territories, so she had to dole out some of her precious southern plants. Marsh marigold was handled delicately, since the bruised leaves and stems could cause irritations and rashes. She would warn Amy if the trader was not familiar with them. Blue-bead lilies and blue flag irises were last on the pile, and that made the colorful bouquet complete. She wiped a bead of sweat from her nosetip, the sun warm on her face and shoulders. She would be sure to water everything after this, old and new. Oh, and the apple seedlings; reluctantly Coli unearthed the three she had planted above the roof of her earth home. The rest had been planted in the Vinátta vineyard, but she kept these three close to remind her of where they had come from. They would never pollinate in such a small grouping, though, so there wasn't much point in keeping them separated this way. She gathered the fourteen flowers and three seedlings in her arms, and began jogging back in the direction of Amy and her marvelous cart.
It took her longer on the return trip, since she was trying to be as careful as possible not to jostle her precious cargo. She breathed a sigh of relief once the cart was once again visible through the screen of pine trees; Amy was still waiting, as she had promised. "H... here I am," she panted, closing the distance between them. Her first trade was going to be a success. She knelt so that she could spread out the bundle of stems on the ground, seven species with duplicates, plus the twiggy apple saplings. Then she untied her necklace cord with a claw, pulling off the three fur pouches for Amy. "That should be everything we discussed," she added breathlessly, recounting them in her head to make sure. She wanted to be a good ambassador for her pack, not one who made a foolish counting error in her first transaction.