He'd slept fitfully last night, for a varieties of reasons. He'd felt a certain anxiety about leaving Ichika again, unsure of how long he would be staying at the festival. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, for trade and to put down some solid connections with other packs. He wanted to find some other healers to make some connections with others who might be able to help him in the future if he ever needed it. The noise from the festival, and the combined noise created by the packs gathered, had been so loud that it had taken him ages to even relax enough to get to sleep. They'd been in their new den for just a matter of days, but he and Nayru made little to no noise when it was time to sleep. He'd gotten used to the quiet stillness that permeated most of Ichika no Ho-en.


He'd woken early this morning, his eyes still tired and his mind a little groggy. He'd been more than grateful for the ice cold plung in the near frozen lake that the festival had been set up beside. His run had been short, although he'd almost reached the old territory of Dahlia de Mai before he'd realised where he was going and turned back. His fur was dry by then and he was a little more alert. He'd swung by the corral to find Hermes and had found the stallion more than happy. He'd spent a few minutes making a fuss of the stallion before he'd moved on. Today would be the day that people started setting up routes of trade and Saul was curious to see what would happen.


Green eyes were bright as he moved towards the area that most people had chosen to set up their various wares. He moved slowly, taking his time as he took note of the various items on the outskirts of the trading area. He didn't have anything specific in his mind that he wanted other than medicinal herbs and oils that others might have. But he could see things that he wanted, see things that he would like to have. His own bartering wares were on the simple side- his own skill with wood carving would serve him well here, as well as the pelts, bones and various nicknacks he'd picked up on his way back to Ichika that he would be able to use. He moved forward, eyes darting around as he spotted a blonde female close by with lots to sell.

The little blonde female who stood in front of a large collection of items to trade, seemed in tune with those who walked past her wagon. It was clear to her, Saul could see, who would be willing to approach and who would not. So as she caught his eye, Saul could see the slight spark in her eye as she recognised a potential customer. Saul smiled softly in return as he moved closer, green eyes taking in everything that she had, whilst not really taking in anything at all. He knew he was going to have to take his time to look over everything she had to offer, as well as thinking about what he had to trade. His most useful asset at the moment was his skill in wood carving and he knew that. Of course, he might have to make this female a lot to get something off her, he was never quite sure how this situation worked. Her strong voice came then and Saul chuckled softly to himself.


"I see you have some medical herbs that might be of use to me" He commented as he moved to sit down on the designated stool the trader had pointed to. The large satchel he usually carried round had been replaced by a larger bag that held the majority of the items he had to trade. The numerous blocks of wood he used to carve the smaller items he wanted rolled around in the bottom. He'd been working on a larger wooden sculpture since he'd got here- a rearing horse emerging from the sea, carved from oak. It was almost finished, and perhaps he might be able to bargain with it. It wasn't until then that Saul spotted the horses behind the female.


"You're selling horses?" He asked, the interest in his voice hard to dismiss. He already had four horses if Finn was included. While the white and black spotted horse was Gideon's, his brother had left the colt behind when he'd left. His care had been taken over by Saul since his return. Still, there was no harm in expanding the gene pool in Ichika, and Saul's green eyes stayed close to a darker colour stallion who looked to be about two years old. Turning back to the female, he extended his hand. "I'm Saul Stormbringer, from Ichika no Ho-en" He offered to introduce himself first.

It wasn't Saul's usual style of initiating a conversation. He knew it was a bad habit, but the male knew that he had a flowery way with words and he often beat around the bush. Still, he'd jumped right into this conversation without feeling the need to tell this female his whole life history. With a soft smirk, Saul began to seriously look at what the female was selling. The horses behind her were ranging in age, but the stallion, who looked to be the youngest of the bunch caught the young males eye. For the moment, he forced himself to seriously consider what she had in front of her though. A male emerged from further back and began to uncover various sheets that protected items from damage. Her voice came again, brusque and blunt.


"A pleasure to meet you Amy. I have my eye on one of your horses."


He chuckled softly before her last question made him pause. What did he have to trade with? Well, there was certainly the physical items he had with him- the furs and bones of a few animals, his wooden carvings and sculptures as well as a few items of medical herbs that he had an excess of. He could offer a lot as well- physical labour, favours for another time, knowledge that she might want. With a deep breath, he regaled these wares to her. "I have the pelts and bones of various large animals, as well as wooden sculptures. I also create wooden jewellery, which I'll do while you wait. I can offer physical labour as well as favours and certain knowledge that I have acquired." He spoke softly but firmly, with a soft smile on his face.


"I like the look of one of your horses, as well as some of the medicinal herbs you have to offer." His desires were simple it seemed, although he knew his eyes kept looking over to the ornate wooden bow she had on offer. He didn't, however, want to trade all of his items to one person, so he limited himself to only a few items from this female.

He could see the intelligence in the females eyes as he listed what he had to trade. He didn't think it was much and that he would be gaining more from their deal than she was. But there was a certain vigour in her eyes that made him think that his wares were perhaps not as worthless as he'd imagined they might be. When he'd first heard about the festival, he'd been disheartened by what he actually had to trade with. But as he began the bargaining process in his mind, he realised that one mans rubbish was another man's treasure. And perhaps he had something in his repertoire that interested the female. She said as much when she commented that she had much to offer.


"I guess you're right." He murmured softly, his mind working fast as the male with Amy lead the horse he had in mind forward. Saul took hold of the lead reign that was attached around the horses head, holding him at arms length. Critical green eyes looked over the horse, noting his condition. He stood straight which was a sign of good posture and character. Saul handed the lead reign back to Hadley before moving to stroke softly down the horses muzzle. He was a docile horse and he didn't mind as Saul slowly examined his eyes and ears and teeth, moving down to his legs and hooves on all four sides. As far as Saul could see, there was nothing wrong with the horse. "He's in excellent condition, Amy." He said softly, before she began to name her prices.


He knew right now would be the time to bargain for a cheaper price. But most of what she asked for made perfect sense to him. He paused, not wanting to give up on this process completely. "A medium carving for each pouch of herbs after the first pouch. I can made most things from the wood I have here." He stated simply, before he went to look over the herbs she actually had. She had a few pouches for pain relief, anti-inflammatories and various pouches for other illness. Mostly, they were mixes of herbs that would be useful to him. "I'd like the horse and three pouches. I'll give you a large pelt, a favour, my knowledge and one medium sized carving for those items." He said, voice firm. His knowledge would be invaluable to her and a favour could be called upon at any time.


"Is there anything in particular that you would like to know? Or should I just tell you information that I know? I warn you, I know most about the medical profession, although I'm a good builder as well. Also, what will your medium carved item be?" He asked, reaching in his bag for his carving knife and a hunk of dark wood that he thought would suit the female. He'd bought along a brown bear pelt and it lay nestled in the bottom of his bag. Pulling that out as well, he lay it across the horses back for safe keeping as green eyes turned towards Amy, wondering what she might wish to know.

Thoughts of what he would do with the horse began to overtake his mind and inspiration hit Saul hard. There would be no more perfect horse for Temeraire when his son grew than the stallion in front of him. Hermes remained Saul's horse entirely, and Finn and Arete were both two young and jittery to serve as a horse for a young wolf. He would rest easier knowing that Temeraire had a companion that was calm and docile, who didn't seem to mind being prodded and poked. He knew that it would be a long time before his son was ready to start learning to ride, but Saul was certain that the horse in front of him would be perfect for his son. A feeling of satisfaction settled over the male as Amy considered his offer. With a blunt word, she agreed to the price he'd set. Saul returned to the chair she'd offered him when he'd first stopped outside her stall. She named her price on knowledge and Saul dipped his head in agreement. She went on to consider what she wanted, before naming the carving. A wooden map.



"A useful piece" He murmured as he set his satchel on the ground, replacing the chunk of wood he'd removed first of all before searching for the flatter length of wood that would serve better in this endeavour. Green eyes turned up to the left, a thinking pose if anything before he began to slice away sections of wood. "I'll answer the blood poisoning question first, its the easiest." He said, collecting his thoughts. Half of his knowledge came from experiances, while the other half came from the reading he'd learnt. "First, you'll need to make a tourniquet above the area of the worst poisoning, to prevent it from spreading any more than it has. You'll need to use the leaves of the Alfalfa plant, as well as the leaves and flowers of the Burdock plant as purifiers. Alfalfa will remove most toxins, while Burdock cleans the blood as well. Make sure these are ingested- they won't work if they are applied topically. A secondary line of treatment comes from cleaning the wound that the blood poisoning came from- Marigold and Witchhazel are probably the best at cleaning wounds of all kinds. For pain relief, you could use Poppy seeds, although Chamomile would work at calming the patient without leaving them truly drowsy."


He offered, his hands working almost unconsciously as he began to carve around the outside of the America's. He'd seen many atlas's from the univeristy in Halifax and the books he'd found in Ichika. He moved on to his home, thinking about what he could say about Ichika. "Ichika no Ho-en is a peaceful pack- we aim to spread this peace and love throughout Nova Scotia. We encourage mateships and children from these partnerships, although any children are a blessing. We are spiritualists for the most part, although there is no set religion that we all follow. Ichika is a place to grow and learn." He finished with a sense of satisfaction that he'd done at least a little justice to his home. He sensed that perhaps this female did not appreciate the finer aspects of life.


He was quiet for a while after then as he concentrated on shaping the continents, taking away more and more flakes of wood as he worked. He enjoyed what he did and he was glad that both of them would benefit from this trade. Blowing softly to remove any of the sawdust that was getting in his way, he allowed cinnamon backed ears to perk forward, listening for anything the female might say in response.

The near unconscious movement of his hand, knife gripped only loosely between his fingers, moving across the wooden sheet was something as calming and relaxing as his morning ritual. Since he'd returned to Ichika, emaciated and exhausted at just six months old, the youth had gotten into a repetitive routine that started with his rising early and heading to whatever water source was close by and bathing until he felt he were clean enough. This would be followed by roughly an hour long run, often encompassing large sections of the borders as a patrol. While he wasn't an overly paranoid male, he'd always felt the need to check the borders regularly, repairing anything that was broken and ensuring that there were no foreign scents lacing the lines of scent that had already been laid down. He hadn't ever encountered anyone in this manner and the male would return home with a clear head and some sort of plan for the day. The rhythmatic slap of his paws on the ground were a good soothing sound to empty his mind of all and any thoughts that might have plagued him in the night or the previous day. While the wood carving did not have the same effect, it was similar to this morning ritual that he enjoyed most about it.


His mind was in many places at once and as he spoke about the blood poisoning she asked about, he could see her ears swivelling back and forward as she absorbed everything he was saying. It was good for him to have such an attentive listener, even if the knowledge was more for her benefit that it was for his. The herbs that this knowledge bought would run out eventually, whereas the knowledge on treating blood poisoning would last the female a lifetime. He was also a little wary of the favour he owed her and wondered on what terms this 'favour' could be 'cashed in' so it would seem. He had no idea what she would want of him, nor was he really excited about being in debt to another. Still, the stallion that stood placidly close by was worth an unknown favour at the time of her choosing, especially since he really only paid a bear pelt for him. Deft fingers brushed away the wood shavings that gathered around him before her words caused him to look up, a questioning look on his face. He decided that she was just curious about his pack, nothing suspicious about it.



"No, and I'm fairly certain that none can speak to spirits. Spiritual does not necessarily mean talking to spirits- being spiritual means that you believe in some kind of path that your life is on, that there is a higher purpose and that the actions you commit whilst on earth will have consequences in whatever else it out there. Either way, Ichika does not have a set religion and we are free to believe whatever we wish."


He said firmly, knowing that she wasn't the first to assume that the pack were just a bunch of hippies who contacted the spirits. He was fairly certain that there wasn't one member of the pack who could contact anything other than the living, breathing world around them and therefore her assumption irritated him slightly. Still, he was here to trade with her and he wouldn't offend her. "What about you? Are you religious?" He asked, his knife moving towards the top of the wooden slate so that he could carve out the underbelly of the Arctic, almost connected to the top of Alaska. He had only another few minutes before he would complete the map. It seemed she'd gathered the rest of the supplies as he'd spoken and Saul silently inspected the three small piles that would be useful to him in the long run. He would have preferred the whole witchhazel plant, but he was pleased to see she'd left the roots in and he would be able to replant that flowers when he returned to Ichika.


"Where do you come from? You're not from a pack around here are you?" He asked, curious as to where this female had come from. She seemed a strange one, although Saul never liked to judge others from the first meeting. Of course, he doubted he would be seeing Amy again after this meeting, so perhaps he wouldnt have any other experiances to base his opinion on.

For a good few moments, Saul was lost in the carving that was very nearly complete. He'd carved out the shapes of all the continents, taking away the slices of wood from around the shapes so that the continents were raised and not imbedded into the wood. He preferred that style of carving and he would use it frequently with any other requests he got. He stowed his knife away, sliding it into a sheath in his satchel that he'd placed there. He removed a piece of sandpaper, rubbing at the piece to make sure there were no splinters or odd ends that might cause damage. It was then that Amy answered him and Saul allowed cinnamon backed ears to swivel forward to listen to what she had to say. She declared to have no religion, but offered that she often found others who had 'powers' beyond the normal. She continued to explain that she'd come from Europe and had no desire to settle down.



"That may be the case now, but there are many benefits of having a pack. Protecting your children when you are away is something that is invaluable."



He offered in return, although he knew there was no way he would be able to sway her. Ichika didn't seem the place for her anyway, although Saul would have gladly offered his home to her if he thought she would have accepted and been happy there. He couldn't read too much from this female, but there was a certain skittishness about her that said she never wanted to be tied down with puppies or anything of the sort. He smiled softly, before rubbing at one last piece of the carving before straightening. He stretched his legs softly as he inspected the map for anything that might be a weakness, flexing the wood between both of his hands to test its flexibility. It would do no good if the map were to break and Saul knew that he wouldn't be comfortable giving the female the carving if it were not sound. He was happy to find no resistance in the wood and he found a small bit of cloth to wrap it in before he handed it over.


"You should try to find some oil or varnish to wipe over it- It will keep the colour better than on its own."


He said simply, before walking over the stallion and removing the bear pelt from his back. It was warm from the animals body, but the male wrapped it up in a soft package before handing this over the Amy as well. It was then that Saul took the lead rope of the horse and leaned down to scoop up the three pouches that were sure to last him a good while. Green eyes turned back towards her with a smile before he dipped his head to her and the male behind her. "It was nice trading with you Amy. We will see each other soon, for that favour. Perhaps you could make it sooner rather than later, so that I do not forget our deal." He stated, hoping Amy would take heed to the advice. He didn't particularly fancy waiting months and months for her to turn up and demand something unrealistic of him. With a final wave of his hand, Saul turned and lead the docile stallion away from his previous home, a smile on his face.


-exit saul-