Quaking Vale willow

@Leander | Early Evening, Scattered Clouds, 51.8 ° F, 11 ° C

She had figured she would be lost to darkness forever. This whole place had seemed swallowed by it. Every inch covered in moss or fungi that seemed to thrive on the spooky atmosphere.

Then it opened up.

Everything bloomed into quaking aspens that were spaced enough to let the scattered sunshine cascade down to the forest floor. It was the closest she had felt to safe in a while. Not reminiscent of the safety of home, but still a promising place. One that felt it would hold good unlike the dark corners she had slipped through before.

She was enamored with it all as she found a spot of sun to sit in. Wholly unaware of her surroundings.

(This post was last modified: Apr 20, 2021, 10:31 PM by Nightingale.)

Though he didn't know the forest well, Leander was much more confident that he would be able to find his way out this time. He had a feeling that there were secrets here, and he had every intention of uncovering some of them. Well, the not-terrifying ones at least.

Like before, the scent of another pulled him off course, but this time he was led towards an incredibly light grove of aspen trees. It was spectacular that such a place could exist within the dimly lit copse. Taking a mental note to have a look around later, he pushed onward in search of the other wolf.

She was sunning herself when he stumbled across her colorless form, seemingly unaware of his presence. Not wanting to startle the stranger, Leander offered a soft, "Hullo," and waited for her to respond.

"Hullo,"

Her head craned to look behind her, fluffy cheek pressed against her shoulder so she might peer beyond it to see...him. The opposite of her. Full of colors. The earth for his fur and the water for his eyes. He was perhaps the most colorful wolf she had personally encountered. Her family full of dull colors. Silvers, soot, and pale snowy shades.

"'Lo." She offered timidly in return. Her tail betrayed such shyness as it tapped delicately against the ground. He seemed around her own age and she wondered plenty about him. Was he adventurous like the boys who had told her stories of the world?

"Lovely, isn't it?" Trusting him enough from such a delicate arrival that she turned her head to look back towards the sun.

She was around the same age as him, but smaller, and more timid than he had been expecting. Offering a low, reassuring wag, Leander chanced a couple steps forward, making sure to leave enough room between them to keep her comfortable.

It seemed to work, as she entered into some polite conversation before turning to bath her face in the sun once more. "It's a lot better than what's going on out there." At least there probably weren't ghosts here. "Mind if I join you?" If she accepted, he would plant his rear onto the soil beside her in hopes that he might feel the sun too.

"So do you come here often?" Wait.. that.. sounded like a pick-up line. He felt his skin prickle with heat as embarrassment washed over him. Afraid that she was going to think he was weird, he quickly added, "Not.. uh.. not like that. I just.. uh.. yeah." he finished lamely.

She nodded in agreement. Far better than the things going on out there. Perhaps she would stay here. Enjoy the little slice of sunshine the copse had opened into.

"I don't mind," She mumbled softly in an almost sing-song hum as her silver eyes squinted close. Then she looked down and attempted the blink the orb of light out of her vision. She wished to look at him if he planned to sit so near.

Then he asked something that she had been prepared to answer. Until he quickly corrected himself through stuttered words. "Like what?" She questioned in an entirely clueless way. No one had ever used that line on her and as such she remained lost on why he seemed to scramble after it. Perhaps it was out of worry that she might have claimed this land?

Her response only succeeded in making his cheeks flush with a deeper heat, and his ears flatten to his skull. Leander wasn't sure if she was pretending not to know what he meant, or if she really had no idea, but he made an attempt at explaining without explaining, but also not lying because he wasn't very good at that either. "Oh.. uh.. I just don't want you to think I'm like.." Leith would have known what to say. He was confident, and not at all awkward, and good in situations like this, but Leander was the complete opposite.

Not really knowing where to go with that, Leander stopped fumbling for words, and sighed in defeat. "I just didn't mean it as like.. a guy. I mean, I am a guy, but like.. that's not how I meant it." He shuffled his paws in the dirt, hoping that she wouldn't be any more insistent than that. "I meant it as like a, do you live here?" At least he could clear that part up.

(This post was last modified: Apr 21, 2021, 12:02 AM by Leander.)

When the light had been blinked free out of her sight, she turned her head to look upon him. Still sun-spotted some but not so badly that she couldn't see...all of it. The shuffled paws and the sighs. The way his lips moved in a clunky fashion to construct his words.

"Oh, okay." Unsure how she could have asked further even if she wanted to. His true intention had been made clear regardless of whatever that had been about earlier. "No. I lived very far from here until I left to see more."

A slight pause before she thoughtless tacked on. "Do you?" A slow blink at him as silver eyes filled with curiosity.

He seemed unusual and she was intrigued.

Thankful that she was driving the conversation forward, and his awkwardness could be forgotten for now, Leander nodded. "I followed my brothers here, but I guess I wanted to see more too." It had been a tough, anxiety inducing decision, but so far, the Stark was happier for it.

He gave an easy smile at her curiosity, but unfortunately he would have to disappoint her. "No. I just came here to explore while it was the sun was out." Not that the sun really touched the forest outside of this little haven, but knowing it was still up made him feel safer. "'cause it's creepy here after dark." Well, maybe not here here, because this part of the forest wasn't scary, but everything around it was.

"I'm Leander, by the way."

Oh, a family decision! She had heard of bands of brothers leaving home to roam before. In fact her own had done so and such was tradition while she had remained home. Until, y'know, she upset her mother and took off. That wasn't the point, he hadn't asked about that.

"It's creepy even before dark. No wonder I haven't met anyone yet." Her features crinkled before soft laughter escaped her. Glad and softened by the fact that she was not the only one startled by how eerie it was out there.

Leander was a good name. The kind of name she imagined a knight or prince might have. She wondered if he was either of those. But - "Nightingale Forest." She informed him with a shy smile and another soft thump of her tail.

At least he wasn't alone in thinking that the place was creepy! Landen and Leith probably would've though him silly if they'd heard him say that out loud. His mottled brown tail picked up speed, and he decided that he liked this girl very much. "You get lost really easy too, even using your nose. Somehow the scent trails get all muddied around, and you end up going over the same path more than once." It was definitely, probably the ghosts doing though... "I can only imagine what slinks around here at night." A shiver worked its way down his spine at the thought.

Her name was soft and regal, very much like she appeared to him, so he found it fitting. "There's also a pretty creepy hill made of bones somewhere north of here. I do not recommend you visit." Even though Landen had tried to his best to sooth Leander of his concern, the yearling couldn't help but think that there was more to the massive pile of remains than coyote pickings.