S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Scully had to admit it; his home had not been anywhere near as breathtaking as this grove of willows. Absolutely everything about this continent seemed to be more in all ways; more beautiful, more dangerous, more abundant, and the young man appreciated every facet. He walked amongst the roots and leapt from bank to bank, taking it all in. The Archer didn't normally take time to admire beauty, but something about this place proved particularly captivating. Made him want to slow down for a few hours for once. Winter was definitely on it's way, which made the two months at sea seem even weirder than before, like they'd somehow existed out of the time stream for those eight weeks while teleporting to this land. Back home, Winter would already have the entire land gripped relentlessly in ice and snow. Of course, from the nip in the air to the withering of the plants and business of the lesser creatures in the wood, he could tell that something just as harsh, if not moreso, was coming. It just would weirdly be the longest Autumn of his life. Hopefully. Scully supposed he and Avella should start planning for the coming season. His sister probably already had taken the initiative, and Clouse worried about everything, but right now the Archer wanted to push responsibility and survival out of his mind and just exist here, in a place both so similar to and so different from the place he was born. Word Count: 247, for Muzet only.

Location: Weeping Woods Muzet was getting around more comfortably without her splint, but still there was some pain and an obvious awkwardness as she traveled. She was scared to put even the littlest amount of pressure onto her leg, worried that she would cause permanent damage or break it again. But she knew the movement was healthy despite the discomfort. And besides, she was completely done with staying in her den or inside the pack day after day with very little to do. She came to the Willows mostly because of the comfort of the Ashen packs surrounding her. If she had run into trouble or injured herself she knew they would be able to get her back home safely. She wasn't familiar with Kleins at all, but knowing that she lived with them and was surrounded by them everyday she felt she could trust their relatives at least with getting her back in one piece. She was on the prowl for herbs to take back, but it was more her goal just to get out and wander instead of staying cooped up. She would get excited when she saw the movement of a stranger ahead moving along the roots and even more to find it the company of a man. Still with lots of eagerness under her skin, she calmly approached him with her best attempted cat walk, until she twisted her broken front leg just slightly. She cringed before spreading her front legs to gain the balance and comfort again with a muffled, "Shit." Close enough for the stranger to at least hear her disturbance if not witness the whole scene. She'd look back up with a squinted gaze before trying to stand up a little straighter as if she hadn't nearly collapsed onto the ground just seconds before. She was good at her friendly warming coo towards the man, but there was still that hint of pain subsiding through her teeth. "Stop to smell the flowers, did you?" Not literally but she could tell the man was at least taking a moment to admire his surroundings. Walk "Talk" Think

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r It was lucky for Scully that the woman approaching used her predatory instincts for a benign endeavor, as he did not notice her presence until the soft and sharp cuss passed her lips. Ears and eyes turned round to take in the green-eyed wolf just in time to witness her recovery from what he assumed had been a trip up on one of this forest's many obvious hazards. It wasn't until she continued that he realized she was more likely injured, but it was clear the other wanted to hide whatever afflicted her. Far be it from Scully to express compassion if not invited to. His ever-present smirk deepend as he recognized the tone in her voice. It was refreshing, outside of the Dell where the same words would have put him on edge and had him spitting venom in seconds. Here on this new continent, it felt like ties and binds were virtually nonexistent, leaving all the control squarely in his paws once again. He began to navigate the roots and brush between them. "Sure did, and it's gotten awfully boring," Scully replied with a sigh, as he descended from gnarled wood to cool earth. Silver eyes turned up to meet her's, and he raised a brow. "What have you stopped for, darlin'?" Word Count: 214

The male would take care to ignore her mess up, which she would be silently grateful for. Though he was pretty keen on not showing any sign of noticing at all that she had tripped or twisted or whatever happened. It was easier to just move on and forget from the embarrassment without him prodding her. She'd go to move a little more forward to his voice, but clearly still uncomfortable from the twist in her leg. "Guess the same as you," she'd trail from his question, her eyes looked around the grounds and up at the weeping trees before coming back down to his form with a quick flick up and down of his body "Just admiring the view." Still through her injury, she would only coo and raise a brow as if not affected by the pain. He did seem rather comfortable with her flirty attitude and she couldn't help to feel warmed by the thought. "Though, I don't think I've found it boring yet." Even if her gaze lingered a moment it was easy to move her eyes off the dark and light male to look back at the grounds of the woods. "Though I do think it would be best to find something to bring back to my pack, duties and all that." Of course Muzet had come out to scout the surrounding lands that weren't claimed by other packs, regardless if they were Klein claimed lands or not. Though she was definitely out more so to get a breath of fresh air from her den and the wolves of her pack. Walk "Talk" Think

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Whatever was plaguing her did not fade away, regardless of her perseverance. Scully remained aware of her state just in case it quickly deteriorated, he didn't need to be held responsible for a very unfortunate series of events should her legs give out or something of the ilk. Still, the majority of the young man's attention was focused squarely on her feeding of his ego. She mentioned her pack, the wolves whose scents lingered with her presence Scully assumed, and had she not adequately flattered him he might've dipped out of the woman's presence at that point. If she was as injured as the hints of pain betrayed, he might be getting roped into going far closer to claimed territory than he wanted to. As it was, he'd at least hear her out. "Always a price for a gem's time," he sighed, teasing the green-eyed girl with feigned resignation. His crooked smile returned swiftly. "What're we gonna be lookin' for?" he hoped it was something simple, but the upcoming winter could mean several things. Caches needed bolstered, both meat and herbal; small prey or flower pickin' would be right up his alley. The former would be ideal, actually, his stomach reminded him, but unless he wanted to flake out he was at the nameless stranger's whim. Word Count: 216

Muzet drank the attention the male gave her, whether it was serious or not. But she would honestly hope it was less serious anyway. His worries about her pack affiliation were obviously unknown to her but they should have been little to no worry. Sure Muzet was still valued by her pack, even with her current ailment. But she would certainly get Scully a pass as long as he helped her if needed. The pack would be more grateful for her safe return than anything. Or even as long as he didn't hurt her further and chose to leave instead. Her overly flattered appearance wouldn't falter as she turned to proceed her adventure into the woods. "Well, there isn't much left to gather but I usually come out looking for herbs." She would go to walk off, hoping the male would accept her silent offer for the stroll. Lifting her stiff leg slightly to mention, "I can't do much else for a bit longer." Though her leg was something binding her down from her more enjoyable duties, she wouldn't let the weakness affect her more happy-go-lucky attitude. Even at her small worries of being seen as dead weight around her pack. Walking on, her head turned to the male with a raised brow, not minding if he chose to walk beside or even a little in front of her. His company meant more to her than he knew. "You got a name, stranger?" Her coo moved off of him and forward onto her path, "You can call me Muzet." Walk "Talk" Think

S c u l l y ➶ A r c h e r Ah, it wasn't his first choice, but it was still something easy. Scully found himself convinced, and followed at the woman's side. Maybe they'd cross paths with something small and easily caught in the process. After all, this task would involve sweeping a swath of land, especially given how thinned the plants were becoming. Thankfully, Scully had plenty practice spotting what was useful from amongst the noise of impotent flora due to his time in the Dell. The pack was often tending to the forests and plains and reaping the rewards for their stores. His silver eyes jumped to work as they walked, but would occasionally stray from their surroundings to pass over her figure appreciatively. If he'd guessed the name of the game right, then he understood that the true currency in their little exchange here was attention. Scully had no problems with a little mutual indulgence. He would've bumped shoulders with the girl here and there as well, a common and playful interaction with the young man, but refrained so as not to jolt whatever was paining her. Speaking of, she finally acknowledged the handicap, but only briefly. Scully did wonder what she'd done to become as injured as she appeared. Fell down a hill, kicked by a buck, death match with a random passerby? His imagination fed him a multitude of possibilities, most of which were rather unlikely. "A true pleasure, Muzet," he winked, "I'm Scully." In nearly the same moment his eyes caught a glimpse of red amongst the dark shades of earth and forest green. He picked up into a trot, gaining a few yards on his companion as he investigated. As suspected, tucked amongst the tree roots was a patch of valerian. Most of the tiny, clustered flowers were thoroughly withered, but a few remained soft to the touch and vivid in color. Scully gathered them betwixt his teeth, ensuring the roots came along with each to maximize what the flirtatious herbalist could utilize the plants for. It was a start. He returned to her, bowing playfully and presenting the gathered herbs like a bouquet; voila! Word Count: 352

The man's lean was enough to send a hidden shiver through her skin and she tried not to let the brute see her enjoyment of the subtle touch and wouldn't even ask for more, for now. They went for a short and gentle walk around the woods, the man seemed eager to help her on her silly mission and would prove to be good help in the end. The vines of the weeping trees she wouldn't avoid as they strung across her body when she walked under them. She too let her eyes search the trunks and brush for anything worth taking back to the pack, but her attempt was lazy as she was more interested in the attention of the male. He trotted off to his target, Muzet slowly chasing after him at a walk where she soon discovered his findings, "A charmer, aren't you?" She gently joked, though with reason of his bestowing of the flowers. "Suppose you'd like to have me for dinner sometime too, no?" Her more playful attitude took away the seriousness of the date, though with how serious it would have really not been. Muzet chose to live life with no strings attached, because relationships were too difficult to maintain or something. But her craving of the company of a man, or even a woman, was a weird combination for her lack of commitment. She'd lean forward to grab the bouquet straight from the male's mouth, uncaring if their muzzles touched or if he chose to make his own move. Though she would have to say, if he decided to meet with her again, she wouldn't mind waiting. Walk "Talk" Think