Before Alka's disappearance.
The plant mage led the rear of the group as they walked onwards.
Three hundred and nineteen, three hundred and twenty, three hundred and twenty-one... he counted his steps. Alka was playing a game with himself wherein he would count how many steps he took before encountering a plant he couldn't identify at first sight. The lush forest was teeming with vegetation and insects but Alka's knowledge of the plants he met along the way didn't allow room for much error. He had been stopped only twice since their walk had begun.
His eyes spotted a ramweed growing its thistles around a button milkweed plant. He was tempted to stop and gather the valuable ramweed but decided against it because they were in a hurry and his older brother wasn't in a very charitable mood.
