ARC 1: Arrival

Chapter 1.02: Yarrow

My eyes rove over the various flora and sights that surround me hungrily, eager for more information. In my walking I’ve come across several new plants that look completely unfamiliar to me, it takes a great amount of restraint to not collect a little bit of everything I run across. I’m starting to suspect that wherever I am is not of this world, because most of these plants don’t look like anything I recall seeing before.

Several times I had to forcibly reign in my enthusiasm. The last thing I want is to be poisoned by some alien plant that kills you, so I settled on taking brief notes of many of the plants that seemed more interesting. I mused over potential uses and properties, comparing the unfamiliar plants to anything that seemed familiar enough. Some of the flora in the area were absolutely amazing though, there was a small plant blooming a couple of minutes back that almost seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. I had taken a quick sketch of it in my journal so I would remember to look into it later.

The forest creatures for the most part looked familiar. I had seen several rabbits and squirrels around while I was looking at things. Some had even scampered up to get a better look at me, but seemed to run away when I turned to them. Some of the birds had strange colorations, but there were plenty that probably looked normal. I wasn’t big on avian sciences, so I couldn’t say which were which in any case. I had even seen a deer, but there’s a good chance that it’s antlers had been wood, so no confirmation on normal deer yet I’m afraid.

The sun had travelled a fair distance in the sky, but it was still a long ways off from setting. I’d gather that maybe two hours had passed while I was wandering and sightseeing. I was still desperately looking for a stream or something so I could fill up on water.

I stopped to look at another mystery plant closely, inspecting the surrounding area for anything noteworthy to write down about the plant when I spot a familiar plant. I jot a few quick notes down about the first mystery plant, coated in odd yellow bulbs, before finally moving to the other plant.

Achillea millefolium, really a name that probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone in this world. Otherwise known as Yarrow. It’s a useful little herb that I like to collect when I run across it. It’s got many uses, including diarrhea, colds, and I’ve even heard of it being used for toothaches.

I reach for the plant, plucking a flower off tentatively. As much as it looks like the plant I know, there’s still a chance it’s some otherworldly variation. Biting the bullet, I toss the flower into my mouth. The familiar taste of the plant greets my senses like an old friend. The one familiar thing, seemingly, in a strange and unfamiliar world. More than that though, another thought fills my mind and then another.

Suddenly I feel as if I understand Yarrow more intimately than I ever did, strange tidbits of information about the plant that I don’t recall knowing before etching themselves into my recent memory. I flip through my journal to a page in the middle, my page detailing Yarrow. I begin to copy down the couple tidbits into the margin so I can save them. My knowledge on Yarrow was extensive before, but there were some odd pieces of information I couldn’t quite parse yet. For some reason, just by tasting it, I understood that Yarrow acts as a common low energy Apothephyllic soluble conduit base. The only problem is that I didn’t really understand what that meant. I knew that soluble meant that it would dissolve, but it didn’t really explain what it was soluble to. The word Apothephyllic was throwing me for a loop too, it sounded like a mix between the words apothecary and philia; that didn’t really mean anything though. The other two entries I wrote down were similarly interesting, but just as confusing.

I finish marking the thoughts into my notes, looking at the plant in front of me. That wasn’t something that I’d ever heard before in my vast research of plants and various natural remedies. I look back at the plant I had been inspecting before this for a second. I turn back to the Yarrow and shrug the shoulder strap of my foraging bag off.

I pluck several stalks from the plant, grabbing one of the empty glass jars and filling it as full as I can without crushing the plants too much. I pour some of my precious water into the glass jar before sealing it tight. That should hopefully be enough to keep it fresh for some time.

I repeat the process with one more jar, just in case. Considering I don’t know most of the other plants present in this forest, it should be a useful herb considering I actually know how to use it. I carefully stow the jars into my foraging bag; the two jars were not much of an increased weight. Picking up my bag, I don’t bother putting it on yet, instead carrying it over to the plant I had been looking at before.

I reach up and pluck a yellow bulb from the plant, giving it a once over. I needed something to test my hypothesis on and at this point I think I just had to hope that it wasn’t poisonous. I pop the bulb into my mouth and bite down. There’s a pop like a grape before a slimy fluid starts to flow into the rest of my mouth. The slime is cold and mouth-puckeringly sour. My face scrunches up as I taste the bulb.

Through great strength of will, I manage to chew gently on the pulpy part of the bulb. As I chew, the slimy sourness is overwhelmed by an overwhelming bitter taste. At the taste, several bits of information hit my brain at once and I start recording them in the journal as I try not to spit out the bulb. I swallow the bulb as I start to write down the rush of information. The information starts with a name and just starts to flow.

Worm petal bulb
The pre-bloom bulb of a worm petal flower. When the flower blooms, it releases an incredibly sour slime that’s completely edible. It’s highly caloric for its mass and would be well used in cooking. The slime has properties that assist with general pain relief and especially headache relief when eaten. The slime should be harvested carefully though because the Worm petal flower itself is poisonous when ingested. While the worm pet-

I stop writing as the information I’m writing down finally hits me. Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Thankfully though, the flow of information settles itself into my mind as it grinds to a stop. I realize with relief that the effects of the poison aren’t that bad, if annoying. I finish the entry with the last of the information.

While the worm petal flower is poisonous, the poison consists of a weakening of strength and upset stomach. Higher dosages can be devastating to muscle tissue and can cause death if untreated.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I snap the entry closed. Putting the journal away, I go over the info in my head. The information I got from that plant was more basic information about the plant, whereas with the Yarrow, it tended to be much more deep knowledge. Is that because I had prior knowledge of the plant?

Musing over the things I’ve learned, I pull out a jar and begin to fill it with the bulbs. Once the jar is full, I fill the gaps with water, just like the last two jars. My journal entry mentioned the slime being highly caloric. As long as I extract the slime, they should work fine as food until I can find something more sustainable. Finished with my Worm petal bulb collecting, I stash them into my bag.

I’ll have to cool it on going around to find out what everything is, especially when my very first try poisoned me. With this in mind, I continue to gaze at and inspect the nearby plants while searching for a water source of some kind. Hopefully the side effects of that poison aren’t too debilitating.