He met a fellow traveler along the forest path not too long ago, and it was quite the fortunate event. He understood a bit of the plants in that short encounter. Of course, he was on guard all the time, for who knows if this man was a suspicious assassin waiting to cut at his throat. But luckily that wasn’t the case. And as he would complete on writing down in his journal, taking a bit from the bread that was given him, on this fine morning in the open fields of Leaf country, Kiri would try to remember what had transpired.
Kiri wasn’t exactly a lost goose. He knew well how to track directions and make sense of it. However, the problem was that this was an entirely new country and he didn’t have the map of the land memorised in his brain. Should have at least gotten a good look of any map, even the most childish one, he could at least make sense of his path. Fortunately, the few days he had been walking by the forest had gotten him a clue on where to and not to go. He also seemed to have gotten the spot down where hunting was best, though he would still argue that his hunting grounds in Kumogakure was far better. Probably because the forest back home was just different and the creatures were rather fond of him, trying to get back at the predator and all.
But sadly, he was trying to figure the remaining areas of the large forest and hopefully find that small outskirt town that was told to him by those shinobis he met a few days ago. This is him being too stubborn to just go with them to Konoha. Then again, without the proper papers and reason, he could not easily enter the gates anyway and it would just prove more troublesome for him and his Raikage should an incident occur at the gates.
It was at this moment when he met a traveler. From the looks of it, the man had a wooden storage for a backpack and was wearing clothes most notable for physicians. Kiri was very much on guard at the latter’s presence, and it took a good long while and quite a long exchange of words before he decided that the other wasn’t someone after his neck. And instead, his curiosity was piqued when the latter mentioned about harvesting some herbs around the area for his small clinic. And being the ever curious mednin, himself, Kiri was easily engaged.
He would follow the man as they looked over the shrubbery, and then found his first herb. It was a small bluish green leaf that seemed to grow closer along the roots than most. One might think of it as a type of weed, but it wasn’t. The man then cut the leaf apart and gave half to Kiri. He explained how this leaf was a good cure for coughs with its mentholated properties before he began chewing on it. Kiri did the same and was rather surprised by it. It would certainly help him during his travel. So he took a few more leaves and kept them in his canister.
The next one was a large shiny leaf that one would think resembles a lily pad, but the absence of a marshy area in the forest wouldn’t really make it one. Instead, the man would cut it from the base of its stem and then wipe the almost plastic-like surface of the leaf before folding them and then wrapping them with a cloth. He explains that this kind of leaf is a bit rare, especially when it was that big (approximately a feet in diameter), and they are anti-inflammatory pads. It was best to keep them dry and cool, and then when needed, douse them with a cool water before applying like a bandage. Not only does the cooling sensation permeates, there is a natural oil that would seep out from its surface and act as antibacterial for any open wounds. Again, Kiri would note it down.
In a different scenario, the man would show Kiri a plant that was to be avoided. It looked rather normal, like a berry, though almost diamond in shape and oddly coloured in green. The man explains that this berry was rich in alkaline, too rich that it could be potentially lethal to consume. When asked what the berry was for, the man would answer that it’s the result of an evolution of the plant that was often preyed upon, or so. Nowadays, the berry would be harvested for use in other productions, mostly for poisons.
Then came a plant that look like a stick. It was really much like a stem that Kiri was very skeptical at first when he held a part that was cut off by the man. But as he was instructed to peel off the outer skin and lick it, he was surprised at the strange sugary taste. The man said that kids often come to the forest to look for this sugar sticks, and that some merchants would use them for making candies. Being a natural sugary source, it was a lot healthier than those processed ones.
Finally, it was when they were about to part, with the man having harvested all that he needed for his small clinic, that he and Kiri stumbled upon a heart-shaped fruit, violet in color, and with swirling veins that decorated its surface. The man picked the fruit and examined it before giving it to Kiri, saying that this was one of the so called “heart of the trees”, a kind of fruit but not a fruit. The closest he could compare it to was a bamboo shoot, where Kiri can plant it somewhere and a tree would someday grow from it. The reason why it was called such was that from it, not just one tree, but a line of trees could grow, their roots spreading out in all directions. But this would take years and years, if not centuries. And for that, Kiri was rather interested.
After recalling it, Kiri would finish sketching the heart-shaped fruit he was holding and then wrapping it with cloth and putting it in his backpack. He then kept his journal and wondered if Osu would be happy to read about these interesting things when he returns with this new learnings.
WC: 1,078
Kiri wasn’t exactly a lost goose. He knew well how to track directions and make sense of it. However, the problem was that this was an entirely new country and he didn’t have the map of the land memorised in his brain. Should have at least gotten a good look of any map, even the most childish one, he could at least make sense of his path. Fortunately, the few days he had been walking by the forest had gotten him a clue on where to and not to go. He also seemed to have gotten the spot down where hunting was best, though he would still argue that his hunting grounds in Kumogakure was far better. Probably because the forest back home was just different and the creatures were rather fond of him, trying to get back at the predator and all.
But sadly, he was trying to figure the remaining areas of the large forest and hopefully find that small outskirt town that was told to him by those shinobis he met a few days ago. This is him being too stubborn to just go with them to Konoha. Then again, without the proper papers and reason, he could not easily enter the gates anyway and it would just prove more troublesome for him and his Raikage should an incident occur at the gates.
It was at this moment when he met a traveler. From the looks of it, the man had a wooden storage for a backpack and was wearing clothes most notable for physicians. Kiri was very much on guard at the latter’s presence, and it took a good long while and quite a long exchange of words before he decided that the other wasn’t someone after his neck. And instead, his curiosity was piqued when the latter mentioned about harvesting some herbs around the area for his small clinic. And being the ever curious mednin, himself, Kiri was easily engaged.
He would follow the man as they looked over the shrubbery, and then found his first herb. It was a small bluish green leaf that seemed to grow closer along the roots than most. One might think of it as a type of weed, but it wasn’t. The man then cut the leaf apart and gave half to Kiri. He explained how this leaf was a good cure for coughs with its mentholated properties before he began chewing on it. Kiri did the same and was rather surprised by it. It would certainly help him during his travel. So he took a few more leaves and kept them in his canister.
The next one was a large shiny leaf that one would think resembles a lily pad, but the absence of a marshy area in the forest wouldn’t really make it one. Instead, the man would cut it from the base of its stem and then wipe the almost plastic-like surface of the leaf before folding them and then wrapping them with a cloth. He explains that this kind of leaf is a bit rare, especially when it was that big (approximately a feet in diameter), and they are anti-inflammatory pads. It was best to keep them dry and cool, and then when needed, douse them with a cool water before applying like a bandage. Not only does the cooling sensation permeates, there is a natural oil that would seep out from its surface and act as antibacterial for any open wounds. Again, Kiri would note it down.
In a different scenario, the man would show Kiri a plant that was to be avoided. It looked rather normal, like a berry, though almost diamond in shape and oddly coloured in green. The man explains that this berry was rich in alkaline, too rich that it could be potentially lethal to consume. When asked what the berry was for, the man would answer that it’s the result of an evolution of the plant that was often preyed upon, or so. Nowadays, the berry would be harvested for use in other productions, mostly for poisons.
Then came a plant that look like a stick. It was really much like a stem that Kiri was very skeptical at first when he held a part that was cut off by the man. But as he was instructed to peel off the outer skin and lick it, he was surprised at the strange sugary taste. The man said that kids often come to the forest to look for this sugar sticks, and that some merchants would use them for making candies. Being a natural sugary source, it was a lot healthier than those processed ones.
Finally, it was when they were about to part, with the man having harvested all that he needed for his small clinic, that he and Kiri stumbled upon a heart-shaped fruit, violet in color, and with swirling veins that decorated its surface. The man picked the fruit and examined it before giving it to Kiri, saying that this was one of the so called “heart of the trees”, a kind of fruit but not a fruit. The closest he could compare it to was a bamboo shoot, where Kiri can plant it somewhere and a tree would someday grow from it. The reason why it was called such was that from it, not just one tree, but a line of trees could grow, their roots spreading out in all directions. But this would take years and years, if not centuries. And for that, Kiri was rather interested.
After recalling it, Kiri would finish sketching the heart-shaped fruit he was holding and then wrapping it with cloth and putting it in his backpack. He then kept his journal and wondered if Osu would be happy to read about these interesting things when he returns with this new learnings.
WC: 1,078