The plains of Mireh spread out in front of the group, undulating into the distance with grasses that towered over the colonists. They waved in the wind, rustling against each other with a sound not unlike the steady roar of the surf, with distant islands of trees popping out at various intervals. Flowers and vines wove around some of the grasses, reaching for the sun.

Glow, Ray and Bloodstone stood and looked out over the scene, waiting for some foraging companions to arrive. A few other colonists from Ember's colony were accompanying them, as one of them had a nukap they could use to forage for useful mushrooms. Their arrival was announced by Ember bounding over happily, before wrapping themself around one of Glow's legs to stare suspiciously at Ray. Ray stared right back, but both Glow and Bloodstone turned to regard Bunsen instead, leaving the whelps to figure things out for now.

Bunsen waved at them, carrying a basket, blue nukap walking beside her on a leash. "Hey there!"

Glow waved back. "Nice to meet you! I'm Glow, this is Bloodstone and Ray," she motioned at them in turn, only then realizing that Ray and Ember were nose-to-nose, short fur fluffed out.

"Don't be like that," Bloodstone said blandly and poked Ray, who jumped about a foot in the air. Ember cackled, and then the tension between the two dissolved as Ray started play-chasing Ember around the adults.

Glow shook her head at the whelps and snorted, then turned to Bunsen. "Is there anywhere specific you - or your nukap - think we should start?"

Bunsen considered her nukap, then looked at the towering grasses up ahead. "Not now. I'll see as we get deeper in. What are you looking for today?" she said conversationally, readying her basket and calling Ember over as she began to walk towards the edge of the shorter grass.

"Flowers!" Announced Ray excitedly, then made a jump for one such flower. E failed and fell on eir tail with an oof, and Glow followed Bunsen as Bloodstone nudged em back to eir feet.

"Specific flowers," Bloodstone clarified.

"And some plants we can use to make spices -" Glow listed some of them off, rustling through the grasses, looking for the specific ones. Some of them were roots, which made identifying the aboveground plant critical.

"Hmm," Bunsen said, examining a flower, then frowned as Ray tried to snatch it. "You don't want to eat that. It's for making people throw up."

Ray blinked up at her, and didn't seem to be dissuaded until Bloodstone handed em some woven grass stalks she had made.

Ray took them, delighted, and then Bloodstone had to contend with Ember begging for one, too. Glow snorted in amusement, then, spotting a desired plant, began to dig and pulled up the tuber, putting it in her basket. One could never have enough ginger.

While Bloodstone wove some more grass crowns, looking resigned, Bunsen glanced at Glow's ginger critically. "You could do better," she commented. "That root's a little small."

Glow was a little startled, but shrugged good naturedly. "I can always get more."

Bunsen considered. "That's true." She bent down to examine Ember's offering as the whelp ran up, wearing a woven grass crown and proffering a blue flower excitedly.

"Ah! Good work Ember," she said, then poked the nukap with one finger. "See? Someone's being useful."

The nukap ignored her, resting happily on the ground. They seemed to not as much be interested in foraging as munching on the grasses and plants near them.

"What's that?"

Everyone jumped. A pink head with a single long horn protruding from their forehead.

"Rose thorn?" Glow asked, remembering Rocky's story of a pink aerobic.

The aerobic brightened. "Yes!" They looked at the baskets. "Oh! Are you gathering?"

"Yes?"

Rose Thorn held out a bundle of garlic. "I found this but I only need one really -"

Ray snatched it and took a chomp out of it.

"Oh no, you're not supposed to do that!" Rose Thorn exclaimed in distress, clasping their hands together.

Bloodstone, Bunsen and Glow watched in horror, too late, as e let out a screech and spat it out, then started rolling around and flailing at the overwhelming taste. Well, there was one garlic bundle down. Bunsen's nukap happily began devouring the discarded pieces of the cloves, immune to the garlic's strong flavor.

Ember pointed and laughed in delight, while Bunsen shared a long-suffering look with the two other adults. Children. Rose Thorn made sympathetic noises then went on their way, giving the group tips about where to forage in the future for the best herbs and flowers.

Ray recovered from eir mortal wound, but spent the rest of the gathering time moping. All in all, though, the day was a success and the group went back happy.