Adeltra had always been a morning girl. She liked waking up to the birds and to the sun rising in the sky, painting it in so many pretty colors. The air was colder in the morning and everything was covered in dew, making it seem to sparkle and giving the world an ethereal feeling. She’d woken up before the sun had risen, removing herself from the communal den to go relieve herself and catch some breakfast for their visitor. Laurel had mostly slept since being rescued by the Willow wolves, something she couldn’t blame him for. When she’d first come back all she’d done was sleep as well. It had been like she couldn’t get enough of it, after being sleep deprived for the months she’d been on her own. He just needed some rest, and she was happy to give it to him.

The Archer yearling padded over to the den they had moved her new friend to in order for him to not feel as awkward and to keep some space available in the communal den. In her jaws hung a rabbit, still warm from the recent kill. She poked her head in, honeyed-amber gaze squinting in the darkness to see his still sleeping form. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. Gingerly, she placed the prey just inside the mouth of the den for him to find when he awoke before beginning to back out in order to leave.

She was just about ready to turn around and head out when she heard a faint mumbling from within the den. Pausing, she heard it again but louder. He was asking her to wait. The girl poked her head back in, crawling forward until she was half in and half out. Really, that was all the room that the den would allow. Then, he asked her to hang out with him. She hadn’t expected that, but she wasn’t opposed to it either. She actually kinda liked the boy. He was...different. Different from what she was used to, perhaps because of the way he seemed so wild. So untamed. But, it also could have been the fixer in her. Anyone could tell he had problems that needed resolved, and being the bleeding heart she was she wanted to help with those problems. Yet, far be it for her to push her nose where it didn’t belong.

She watching him quietly as he spoke, revealing that he was going to be leaving that night or the next. A small frown marred her maw, but she bit her tongue. She still didn’t think he was in any place to be running off. With the way he concluded, she knew what he meant. “Don’t mention it,” she replied with a shrug. She was nursing some wounds of her own, the worst of which being a nasty bite to her neck, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t known what she was potentially getting into. Adeltra’s choices would always be hers. She was too stubborn for them to be anyone else’s.

The girl was quiet for a moment, pondering as she watched him chew idly at the foot. “You wanna take that meal for the road? I gotta place I wanna show you. I think you’ll like it,” she said with a grin, backing out of the den and heading toward their destination before he could say no.

Just as she’d expected, or rather hoped, he followed her. She hadn’t been sure what she would do if he’d decided to stay in the den. Probably feel a little stupid. But, she really had wanted him to come. She got the sense from his appearance and from his demeanor that Laurel had seen a lot of bad in his life. The girl wanted him to see something good.

He stuck close to her side, likely uncomfortable in unfamiliar lands. No matter, she had enough confidence for the both of them. After all, she knew the Willows like the back of her paw. She led them in the direction of the portion of the Willows that met the Meadow, being sure to remain within their borders. Her auds swiveled to the side to catch his question and she looked over her shoulder with a smirk and a flick of her tail. “I’m not in the business of ruining surprises,” was the only reply he would get from her until he saw it for himself.

She led him toward a hill with two old willows perched on top, their tendrils waving in the gentle wind making them almost eerie in the darkness of the early morning. They seemed to wave toward them, beckoning them closer and Adeltra was happy to oblige. They brushed at their backs, welcoming an old friend and a new friend beneath their branches. The girl settled down at the peak of the hill, which overlooked part of the meadow. Below a few more willow trees dotted the landscape before tapering off, leaving hush meadow with its occasional rises and falls. She looked to Laurel, “Well, make yourself comfortable. It won’t be too long now.”

Laurel did as she asked, and a part of her felt bad. Like she was bossing him around. The girl had no problem with taking the lead in most scenarios, but most of those scenarios involved scouting or dire situations. When it was just her and a friend, she was far more inclined to sit back and relax. Perhaps it was because he seemed to meek compared to the boy who had been so willing to fight two to three against coyotes. She saw it inside of him, saw that confident boy, but she just had to figure out how to get it back out.

They sat together in the silence for several minutes. She could see him looking at her out of the corner of her gaze, probably thinking she was crazy. That she was seeing things. But, neither of them were seeing anything just set. She gave him a reassuring smile. All good things to those who waited. A few more minutes went by, and then it began. A gentle light illuminating the farthest reaches of the meadow. Its rays reached out into the sky as it inched further up, saturating the darkness it touched with bits of color. It melted, slowly, from gold at the center, to red, then pink, then purple, and finally black. The whole sky began to slowly soak in the color as it was touched by the light, the darkness being overcome. The light began to crawl across the meadow, heating the surface and quickly creating a fog that chilled the air even further until it nipped at their nose.

She turned to her friend, a giant grin on her face and a happy wave to her tail. “Well, worth the wait?” she asked with a raised brow. In her opinion, it was the best place to watch the sunrise in all of the Lore.

Adelra waited for a reply, taking his silent staring as awe and she felt pride swell in her chest. She was happy to be sharing this with him, her little patch of sunshine in a world that could be so cruel. Neither of the pair were any strangers to the harshness of it. He seemed to come out of his reverie, gifting her with the first grin she’d seen out of him. It was nice. He even went so far as to joke with her and her smile widened.

“Ah, ya got me. You’ve foiled my master plan to keep you here for all eternity!” She replied, mimicking a pout. “Nah, just kidding. I know you’ve probably got places to be and wolves to see,” the girl followed up. And she meant it, she’d promised him treatment with no strings attached and that was exactly what he was getting. Well, no pack strings attached. She’d certainly tried to latch one of her own strings to him.

The Archer rolled onto her back, paws tucked against her chest as she breathed in a big breath of air. Her bright gaze looked idly up at the sky before traveling over to her friend. “How’s your stomach? I remember the hunger pains being some of the worst of it when I was out on my own. Made ya wanna throw up what ya didn’t have in ya,” she asked with a little wriggle of her body in an effort to get rid of the feeling she’d known well for months.