Spectral Woods was not quite Eido's favorite place in the world. Though she was often called a "ghost wolf" by her mother, Eido did not like the actual idea of ghosts. In fact, they rather scared her. She had made her den in the Red Fern Forest, where she could blend in better and not have to worry about any spooky ghouls sneaking up on her in the middle of the night. However, on her trip down southwest, she needed to cross through the Spectral Woods. Twice, in fact - once there and once back, as she was not completely sure she was prepared for a trip up north of Relic Lore just yet. No, she was content to stick around the south for now, as she was slowly acquainting herself with the territories and mapping out where the wolf pack territories in the area were - specifically so she could avoid them. She would join a pack at some point in the future, she was sure of it.

Just... not now. She was rather enjoying this newfound freedom as a lone wolf. Of course, she missed her family desperately. She'd never stop missing them, she imagined. Every time she pictured one of them in her mind, or even thought of their names, she would experience a deep pain in her chest that nearly brought her to a whimpering mess in the snow.

Eido often tried hard to remember her deceased family in a good way, but it was not always easy, after she watched that disease reduce them to insanity and slaughter. The one that she could remember in the best light was Neel, her beloved littermate. That was not only because she had never seen him rip out the throat of his packmate, but because the two had shared a profound bond and so many wonderful memories.

Which was the reason why, when Eido looked through some of the bush and spotted a murmuration huddled together on the ground, an image of her brother howling in joy and running through the middle of a flock of resting birds to make them fly up into the air popped into Eido's mind and brought a smile to her muzzle and a wag to her tail. She had not really played since she had left a dying Neel in the snow nearly six months ago, but for some strange reason, the sight of the starlings and the memories of Neel's romping and urging him to join her tugged at Eido's spirit, and she gave in to the childish need to play.

The young, pale female yipped and bolted through the underbrush and snow toward the small birds. They all let out a series of loud alarm calls, and the entire murmuration took to the skies as the young wolf chased them off. Eido had no intention of harming the little birds, but they weren't aware of it, and they were panicking as they took off, leaving Eido panting in the snow and wagging her tail in excitement.

Oh, but it felt good to do that. The little wolf let out a tiny, short howl, and for a moment, she almost felt like Neel was standing there with her, laughing as the two of them terrorized the poor birds. For a moment, instead of frothing jowls and crazy eyes and Neel's mouth wide open as he attempted to bite her, Eido could clearly picture Neel, with his pale fur and orange eyes and wagging tail. She could almost hear his voice as he laughed, "See, Dodo? It's nice to have a little fun every now and then, isn't it?"

After all, Eido imagined that Neel would want that for her. And, for a moment, she forgot that she was in the spooky woods with the supposed "ghosts," and the very real possibility of danger. No, for the moment, she was an excited puppy again, taking a trip down memory lane.

Eido was far from a troublemaker - in fact, the show of immaturity in chasing the birds had been very unusual for her; since Neel had passed, or, in fact, since her pack had come down with disease, she had not felt like playing at all. She had let depression weigh her down, like some unseen, draconian wolf who was constantly brushing against her side and reminding her of all she had lost. She liked the brief moments of reprise she had, like scaring the birds and actually enjoying it. It was something an Eido of the far past would do, and she enjoyed being able to regain some of her former self from time to time. It reminded her of the good, rather than dwelling on the bad.

Her chest was heaving from the exertion, but she still jumped and spun when she heard a sharp bark behind her. Her orange eyes widened when she spotted the black-and-white owner of the sound, and though she probably should have been - or really should have been, - she was not too terribly scared. She was fairly certain that she had not crossed any borders in her time in these haunted woods, so she didn't have to worry about a pack wolf. And the male before her was, indeed, a pack wolf, judging from the fact that Eido could smell multiple other wolves on him from her standpoint.

Instead of cowering, as she normally would, the pale girl simply lowered her body a bit and wagged her tail. It was both a submissive and sheepish gesture - she was a bit embarrassed about being caught in the act of behaving like a puppy would. "Hi," she greeted, raising her fiery eyes to meet his own - they were not far from the same color. "I'm sorry; that was loud. I hope I didn't disturb you too badly." The thought crossed her mind that he might have been hunting, but she didn't think that was the case. She didn't smell any real prey around, currently. "My name is Eidolon Seren, but I prefer to be called Eido. What is your name?"