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Crows Blood sauntered through the marshes, keeping an eye out for a thin-leafed plant for a salve she wanted to prepare. The doe was running low on that particular herb and it was a key ingredient. As usual, her crow Omen was of little help, perched upon her hornless head. She treaded lightly on the muddy ground, three eyes peeled for what she sought.

It wasn't long before she heard a small voice. It was muffled and distressed, almost a beacon for Crows Blood. The black-coated doe followed the small voice until she found a light-blue tuft of fur caught in the brambles of a bush. Peering closer, she saw the small body of a young filly, trapped between the bush and a hole in the ground.

Blinking, she pulled her head back and chuckled. "What have we here? A filly too curious for her own good? Let's only hope that hole is not home to some unhappy snake, hmm?" she teased, then bent down to take the filly's tail in her teeth and pull it free from the thorns. It wasn't a habit for the doe to help others, but she was always one to never let another thing stay trapped. That was just how she was. As a filly herself, she was never allowed to venture far from her home. Never allowed to go to the festivals where all kimeti socialized. She always felt trapped. Frowning at the memories, Crows Blood then paced around the bush to see if the filly could pull herself out of the hole.

"Indeed I am, young one. Tell me...what is your name?" she answered and asked in return. Omen cawed obnoxiously to the canopies above. Shushing her crow, the doe peered over at the filly who had jumped to look at the hole. Something glinted in the dappled light. All eyes widened, Crows Blood stepped forward to get a better view of what now lay hidden in the leaves. Sighing with relief, she saw that it was a harmless species of snake. If it bit it would only cause a wound and not poison its victim.

Regardless, she turned to the filly, one eye on the snake and said, "It's best that we leave now, for your tumble must have disturbed this snake. And at your age, even a venomless snake's bite could be fatal if left untreated. Best not to take any sort of chance for either wound or infection, hm?" And with that, she motioned for the filly to follow her away from the snake and its home.

Crows Blood's lips curled into a half-hearted smile. At least the filly had manners. Such things were a necessity in this world! And it already put the filly, Clouded Heart, on her good side.

"You may call me Crows Blood, if you wish." she replied, giving the filly a small nod as a bow. "And this creature is my crow. His name is Omen." she added as the crow made a ruckus having heard his own name.

"Tell me, what brings a young one such as you to this part of the swamp? Our kimeti brethren do not normally venture to these marshes of mine." she said, gesturing with a nod to the surroundings. After all, this was her territory, whether others realized it or not. It housed some of the best ingredients for her tinctures and salves.

The filly's manners were beginning to grow on Crow's Blood. It was refreshing to see the next generation growing up properly. Smiling wasn't a familiar thing to the doe, but a curve appeared on her lips as she continued to walk on. When Clouded Heart mentioned that she might have interrupted her, she remembered what she was doing here in the first place.

"Do not worry about that, little one. I'm only looking for a certain herb. It is a dark green, with long, thin leaves that all fan out from the dirt it grows from. If you've seen one on your way to this tree you seek, tell me now." she said, then wondered what tree the filly spoke of.

"And describe this tree to me, perhaps I know of it."

"Kimeti-shaped brush?..." muttered Crows Blood, as her brow raised in question. The term seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite remember seeing such a plant nearby. Then again, she was only paying attention to the plant she came here to find, and not much else...

"Perhaps I'll remember as we walk, little one. And.." she trailed off, turning a side-long glance at the filly, appraising her. "Maybe you could be of some help." she said, finally.

"Come along then." she said, and began to move off, Omen beating his wings to go off ahead. They continued on some time, looking here and there. The usual spots where this plant could grow. The muddy pockets between the spreading roots of a swamp tree. And yet no luck. Sighing, the doe craned her neck to see the patches of sky amongst the canopies. Yellow fading to pink. The sun was just beginning to set and Crows Blood swore to herself she'd get samples of the plant that day.

Remembering her companion, she turned to the filly to ask, "Tell me, wouldn't your sire be a little worried about his precious filly being separated from his side as the sun begins to set?" and added under her breath 'some kimeti i've seen are very touchy like that. Have they no trust in the strength of their children? I know MY mother let me wander the swamps on my own at this one's age. And nothing ever happened to ME that I could not handle..'