Speed lessons

Stark was by now aware that Reiko had healing knowledge, and honestly Stark was interested in knowing. It was not a bad thing to broaden your skills and knowledge in different subjects. He knew hunting and tracking, why not add healing to it? Maybe some fighting too but Stark didn’t exactly see himself kicking ass… maybe he would look into that later. He was more of a guy that approached things calmly.

Well, except for one thing.

Healing lessons weren’t the only thing on his mind. Stark had a lot on his mind actually. Especially when it came to relationships within the pack. And Reiko was the one wolf he’d opened up to the most so far, so why not ask her? She would know what to do regarding Cirilla, right? Maybe she had some pointers on how he could NOT fuck up.

But of course, Stark would have to force himself to ask, and getting himself to that point was tough. Perhaps he should focus on healing lessons first, keep himself busy and distracted from the other issue.

‘’Reiko-sama?’’ he called out, ever so politely. He was getting better at that, kind of. Sometimes he didn’t really care to bother, other times he did.

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Reiko was certainly not feeling like the type to give out any romantic advice, or even any advice in regards to keeping friends during tough situations. Already she was trying desperately to fix what had already been broken, even if Quicksilver's words of advice were that it wasn't always possible to do so. She would try, and try and keep trying until things were better than they are now. Maybe they would never be the same as before all this mess but at least she could strive to make things better.

Advice was not something she thought Stark would call her for. Turning with a smile, leaves filling her mouth as she was preening through them to find what was still good and what had to be thrown out - she would roll her tongue gently to let the leaves fall from her mouth to clear it.

“Stark-san!” Naturally she would return the favour of using the appropriate calling for their Noble man. “How may I assist?” While shuffling at the ground to gather the fallen leaves, she would try to leave them in the medicine den where it was dry-er and without snow to ruin them. She would deal with them later after Stark.

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Thank god, Reiko was around. Stark smiled awkwardly as she approached him, and thought in that moment to just throw everything on the table then and there, but the moment he opened his mouth he found the words stayed stuck in his throat. Only a little gust of air from his breath dared to leave. Shutting it, he looked pensively at her. Who was he kidding? It didn’t matter how he felt. His personal issues weren’t important enough, never had been. He shouldn’t have to bother Reiko with them.

So instead, he decided to simply talk about the… kiiiind of main thing he came to talk to her about? ‘’I uh- I heard you know healing? I- I can hunt and track but I kind of wanted to work on some other skills. Would you uh- would you wanna teach me some?’’

This was fine. Maybe he should just focus on the healing thing, if Reiko wanted to teach him, instead of thinking about things that he should figure out himself, anyway. No way in hell Reiko would be able to tell him what he should do with the whole Cirilla situation.

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Looking up at the man with large patient eyes, she'd blink a few times and kept that same sweet smile on her face as he mustered up the courage to speak about what was on his mind. She'd nod along as he guessed she was a healer of sorts and the plush tail behind her would sway as he continued along, almost anticipating what he was getting to.

“I would love to.” She'd say without hesitation following his long-winded question. For a moment with how serious he was being, she was certain it was about something else... well until Stark began to talk. “Do you know anything about herbs? That is where we will begin our lessons I suppose.” With the basics and work their way up from there.

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She wanted to teach him. Stark smiled, albeit probably a little painfully. It was one of the reasons he’d come to seek her out, just not the one and only reason. But perhaps it was better to not dwell on the other thing, for now. What was he thinking? He could not throw all his insecurities and issues on Reiko. That was unfair.

‘’I know zilch.’’ the words left his mouth resolute, more resolute than he had planned to. But, it made him snort a little, and a small grin appeared on his face. Yeah, what was he thinking? Why could he not have a fun day for once in his life? Why was he always such a worrywart? ‘’Whatever plants that grow here that you might know… and what they can be used for?’’ That was a good place to start as any, no? ‘’Please.’’

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A gentle smile curved her pale lips as he admitted, honestly, to knowing nothing at all of herbs and their medicinal ways. Well, that was easy enough, a blank canvas was often more of a blessing than others may realize. Nothing to unlearn.

“Do not fret sir Stark, we will start slow.” Reassuringly she would press her nose against his shoulder before walking on to their first lesson. Which wasn't very far at all. She would stop at a nearby pine tree, glancing up at the needle-like branches. “Despite how desolate the wintery north may seem, we are surrounded by beautiful remedies all year round. One of which is pine. Every part of it can be used in healing the wounded, preventatives for illnesses and help in other various things.”

She would stop there so Stark may take a moment to digest what was already being told. Looking over her slender shoulder, she'd offer him a friendly wag of her tail for him to approach and observe the branches, maybe get a little bit of "paws-on" learning.

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Starting slow sounded good. Stark nodded his head, and followed Reiko quietly. He listened as she explained about pine. His eyes wandered around in search of any pine trees already. While the thought of Cirilla was still in the back of his head- being forced to focus on something else drowned out the buzzing sound that plagued him. Focusing on something else had been the key to feeling a little better, all along. Soon enough, they did find pine trees.

‘’So not only the needles but the bark, too? Specific uses for them…?’’ he asked, getting straight to the point, and his eyes wandered from the pine trees to Reiko. If the whole pine could be used, he assumed the needles and bark were used in different ways for different remedies. Or was he wrong?

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Completely oblivious to any other things that might be on Stark's mind, she was completely focused on her lesson for now. “Mhm!” With a hum on her lips she'd rise up to place her paws on the bark of the tree, digging her nails into its bark and act as if she was trying to dig through the tree. Oozing out from a few scratches was thick sap, bleeding from the bark in small drops.

“The sap is sticky and good for stopping excessive bleeding. It also fights infection as well as protects the wound itself.” Pawing at the substance, she'd sit back down and look at her paw for the glittering substance as it caught the light. Turning her paw toward Stark for him to see it a little closer if he didn't approach the tree himself. “The needles can be chewed on to relieve upper and lower respiratory tract swelling, stuffy nose, hoarseness, colds, coughs, fevers, infections, and blood pressure problems.”

A pause to let him soak in the information. She would talk slowly, not because she would find him stupid - far from it really - but to make sure he didn't feel overwhelmed by the new information coming his way. Anyone would feel overwhelmed. “They can also be mashed into a paste and put directly to the skin for mild muscle pain and nerve pain.”

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Seemed like all he had to do was ask, and Reiko would bombard him with information. That was good, it gave him something to listen to, something to do. She didn’t even seem confused or bothered as to why he asked questions. Was Stark really that uncertain that he felt like a bother even when he was learning from someone who had agreed to teach him?

He found himself staring at the drop on Reiko’s paw as he inched a little closer, and continued to listen to the explanations she gave him. In the end, he assumed he should respond. ‘’So multiple uses, then.’’ was all he could say, like the awkward oaf he was. It was a lot of information to process. He looked at the needles, then the bark, then studied the sap, and let it all be processed in his mind. Hmm, he wondered how many plants and remedies Reiko knew. How many did even exist?

‘’Is there a lot to learn? With healing, I mean- Like cures and stuff?’’

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"So multiple uses, then." He said, and she'd nod in return. Once Stark had a good view of the sap on her paws, she would rub it in the snow to try and rid herself of the sticky substance. At first she remembered how sap would bother her. How her paws would stick to the ground and make her feel uncomfortable with every step - now it bothered her a lot less. There were worse things to have on her feet than sap... One of which was blood, the one that soaked her paws when Gyrfalcon had her injury.

How it stained every step she took. Coloured her beautiful pale coat in such a foul-smelling and horrendous sight. It almost reminded her of something... of a tragic time she had forgotten in the sands of time, one of which she wouldn't spend long at all lingering on as she focussed on Stark once more and his lesson. A good distraction from something she probably wished to never remember.

“There is.” She'd admit. “It may seem overbearing at first... but in time you will see familiarities with injuries and their cures. There are so many illnesses but herbs target the source. Colds, coughs, pneumonia all deal with the respiratory system despite being different illnesses for example. Any of the following herbs or a combination of them if available can help; Fernleaf Biscuitroot, daisies, elderberries, lady ferns, and sitka spruce are all good for respiratory problems. Once you get more comfortable with the remedies and what they are good for, you can eventually move on to combination illnesses...”

She was rambling. Slowly just talking away as it was clear that cures and herbs were a passion of hers and she was simply sharing them with Stark. Not expecting him to remember them all now, but at least get a general idea. “For example if someone had a cough AND parasites, you can offer them lady ferns to deal with them both... but remember it is also toxic so only in low doses.” She lit up, wide eyes seeking Stark's with a wiggle of her tail. “But — we will start with one thing at a time.” No need to dive in head first, Stark would be better off dipping just one toe in at a time.

“The next time I go searching for herbs I will take you with me, how do you feel about that? We can slowly talk of what they are good for and you can see them.”

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