The Wildwood Tear Up the Ground

Reed seemed utterly pleased with the positive energy that radiated from the woman before him. Swiftly, she was on her paws, shaking out her coat and fixing her posture. Her composure spoke of pride; something he appreciated. With a coy grin playing at the corner of the right side of his maw, he dipped his head to her. Torla Tainn. Ah, Torla was quite the pretty name. It suited her. His golden gaze lifted, and he casually inspected her before introducing himself. "Torla, it's a sure please to meet you. I am Reed Acoy." His Western drawl formed her name into something different sounding than what she had pronounced, but it still sounded lovely in his ears.

With his tail swaying low, he peered toward the burned portion of the forest. "Had you come from that side?" He questioned lightly, muzzle pointing in the direction of the charred trees. Turning his head back toward her, he shrugged and shook his head "Haven't been over there. Looks... a bit depressin'." His words were true. He had not planned on placing paw over there for awhile. He preferred the thick forestry now, where he never had to opportunity to stride through where his old pack had thrived.

As he waited for her reply, his eyes fell upon her feminine figure once more. He was casual with his looking though; it appeared he was just gazing at her in general. Though lightly coated with dirt, her pelt was a beautiful mix of tawny and gray. Her eyes were almost the same shade as his, though his were much paler. Her long legs appealed to him quite a bit. With his face stoic, he snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality.

<blockquote>"<b>The pleasure is mine, Reed,</b>" she responded smoothly following his introduction, easily noting the charm he held. His accent was interesting and strange, far from anything she had ever heard, and yet she smiled brilliantly at his tongue anyhow. Home and family were two comforts she could not do without, but it didn't mean Torla had no appreciation for the wild world from which wolves wandered into Relic Lore. They were always such a treasure to meet, especially when they acted as pleasantly as her current company did.

It was difficult, however, to maintain her beaming smile as the red male's eyes drifted from her and toward the wreckage that remained of the fire. Idly he remarked that his travels had not taken him toward the ash-coated side, and included one minute detail Torla could certainly agree on. <i>Depressing</i>. "<b>Yes, it is,</b>" she responded solemnly, heaving a simple shrug with a gentle exhale. Their encounter had been so lovely and the Tainn female had no intention of becoming a giant downer, especially when he had been in such good spirits as well. The heaviness in her heart was a difficult force to fight, but she did so valiantly, and lifted her head slightly. Her fiery eyes had somehow fallen on the ground, but she redirected them through the skeletal trees. If she stared long enough she could swear she saw the way it used to be, when her family was together and happy and romping around.

Of course, that reality did not exist anymore. Still wearing her stale smile, she brightened her expression just a bit as she met Reed's pale yellow eyes. "<b>I used to live there, but the fire took my home when I was just a yearling. It looks bad, but the damage is minimal from what it could have been, I suppose.</b>" Of course it was difficult to see any good in it when the flames had licked her parents right off the earth, but it had given her most of her siblings at least.</blockquote>

Reed frowned at her words. Whoops. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything. How was he supposed to know, though? "Apologies for bringing it up, miss Torla." His tail stopped wagging for a moment as he lowered his head slightly. His eyes drifted from the ghostly trees back to the dusty woman before him. "I came from South of here..." his voice trailed off, an unsure look apparent within his eyes. The rustic man wondered if she would even care to hear of his past. Hell, they had a good time, so why not?

With a slight umph, the man dropped his rump to the earth. Bringing his head upward, his muzzle pointed toward the sky as he spoke. "I wanted something better. Where I lived... it's very dry. Water is difficult to find. Food was a challenge to find and catch." Shrugging his shoulders, Reed's mind flashed back to his home lands. "It was difficult when prey could see you from miles away." He allowed himself to laugh only to keep himself calm. Taking a deep breath in, Reed's chest expanded, making way for his lungs to hold the air. After a few moments, he released it, a loud huff coming from his mouth.