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Teacup Rose ‘Tea’ gazed at the flower fields that made up the Rose family territory. It was late spring, a crucial time, filled with anticipation and hope, for planting cool-season crops. The Rose family and all affiliated associates were eager to extend the growing season. All herd members were working in the fields regardless of their primary profession. Teacup was not born into the Rose family, but like many of its members, he joined the group because of his horticultural interest and the warmth of the family, which accepted all. The group was organized into four main groups: those who spent their time tending to the plants, those who created medicine and objects derived from plant products, the night tenders referred to as “Night Roses,” and lastly, the travelers who spread the flower and medicinal products throughout the land. Teacup belonged to the group's growers, and today's planned activities were part of his routine. Teacup was one of the first group members to make their way to the fields, and he nodded to the Night Roses, the group's nighttime protectors who guarded the fields while the rest of the herd slept. The Night Roses had finished their shift and were excepted from today's growing activities. As Teacup walked into the fields, he spotted one of the nearest field protectors, a family of Garden Gnomes. The family of gnomes each spotted a bright yellow hat and a cheeky smile. The older female character also had a wink painted on her face. All fields had gnome protectors, but this field hosted one of the first gnome families rumored to be created by the founder of the Rose family. With a whistle, Teacup entered the field to do some weeding before the other garden tenders showed up. It was important to manage the weeds because they could strangle and take nutrients from the soil, depriving the Rose group’s cultivated flowers and plants. Weeds had made their way into the soil seed bank, but cover crops were planted to prevent the widespread growth of weeds. in a few places, the weeds managed to peak out. Since Teacup was not a related member of the Rose group, Teacup always tried to do the best in the fields. Since the family had given him a home, he felt a strong sense of responsibility for any task assigned to him. As Teacup pulled out weeds that peaked through the cover crop, he spotted a few weird-looking mushrooms that had sprung up and needed a section of a flower bed dedicated to medicinal herbs. Generally, mushroom growth in the fields was rare as most areas of fields received direct sunlight. It had been a wet winter, increasing the likelihood of mushroom growth. A few members of the herd did trend medicinal mushrooms, but those mushrooms were typically grown in a shady area of the forest, not flowerbeds. Many mushrooms are poisonous, so Teacup's first response was to remove the fungus. Yet Teacup noticed that this section of the flowerbed hosted a section of medical plants. As Teacup paid more attention to the mushroom groups, he noticed the furry-like look of the mushrooms. A vague memory emerged of Aurora Rose, a soq whose profession lay in the medicinal branch of the family, mentioning that fury hairy mushrooms were special. Teacup's mind brought forth a name from the memory, lion mane, a mushroom that paradoxically helped with memory, something that Teacup could always use help with. Even the mushroom mycelium was beneficial to the body. Since this section of the field was medicinal-based, Teacup decided to leave the mushrooms. Likely, one of the soq based on medicinal plants had been keeping the mushrooms. Teacup ignored the mushrooms and turned and focused on the few groups of weeds growing sporadically throughout the field, peeking occasionally from the clover cover crop. A few drops of moisture grew on Teacup coat as the brisk chill of dawn evolved into the harsh rays of the afternoon soon. So involved in his task, Teacup had largely overlooked the evolution of time, nor had he noted the presence of his compatriots.
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