The silver, fox-coated woman wasn't sure why she'd come here. The rainfall was heavy, and the forest was quite dark, wreathed in an eerie fog. It was her least favored kind of places, yet she was still hopeful that she might find something of interest here. Perhaps an herb she could dig up before heading home, or an unsuspecting small animal to prey upon. Carefully she stepped over the twisted roots of the ghoulish trees, trying to ignore the creeping suspicion that she wasn't alone here. It looked like she was alone, so what reason was there to fret?

Occupying her mind, she kept her nose to the ground as she sought out anything worthwhile. At last she found something of interest, although she would never have remembered its use if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Alfalfa. It was beginning to wilt under the rain, but if she could pluck it now, it would probably survive the journey home, where it could be hung to dry. Busying herself, she began plucking some of the healthiest looking plants, forming just a small pile that she would be able to carry. Now, how did she get out of here? Silver eyes glanced around, realizing she was certainly lost, as the fog-shrouded forest looked the same in all directions. Sighing, she started walking, knowing she wouldn't find her way out just standing in one place.

He had no idea why he was here. Maybe he needed to clear his mind, or maybe he just needed a break from his whole pack. With a heavy sigh he walked into the foggy forest with every intention to get himself good and lost. It would help him clear his mind, and use up all this bundling energy he had suddenly. All these pent up emotions were making him feel all tense and bundled up. So he set off at an ease jog, dodging around the roots the best he could. Bass wasn't really paying full attention to what was around him though, nearly tripping over a root that was hidden in the underbrush. Gasping he stumbled forward, tail flying out as he balanced himself. Just in time too, because he was inches away from a fox-coloured woman. Blinking his golden eyes, he fell back a few steps and cleared his throat, only slightly embarrassed at his entrance. "I am so sorry miss," he muttered, pale ears pulling back towards his head slightly. He probably made quite the scene, tumbling in and crashing through the bushes. He probably looked like a wild pig on a rampage or something... His cheeks warmed as the older gentleman shuffled on his paws, feeling awkward for the first time in a long time. Walk "Talk" Think

Just when she thought all was quiet and peaceful, and she was alone, she heard something moving through the undergrowth. It was loud; what could it be? A bear? An angry boar? Something worse? Whatever it was, it sounded big and like it didn't care who heard it coming. That alone made her nervous. She didn't know which way to run if she needed to escape. Her jaws parted as she began to panic slightly, letting the Alfalfa fall from her grasp as she started to move away from the sound. This was exactly what she'd been telling herself not to worry about. Worry would do her no good now, it was too late.

She ducked down and closed her eyes tight, hoping it would be over quickly. But as she peeked to see what creature would bring her doom, she saw a man appear, nearly crashing into her but catching his balance just in time. Slowly, Bright straightened herself into a seated position, trying to appear with some sort of dignity, rather than her cowardice. As he apologized, his face told it all, how silly he felt. Relieved, Bright let out a breath, and a nervous chuckle. "Well, it could have been worse, I suppose," she said in all seriousness, "You could have been a bear on a rampage."

Black-tipped ears flicking, she wondered if this man knew where he was. Did he live around here? If he did, surely he'd know how to get out of this eerie forest. "By chance, do you know your way around here?" she queried hopefully, "I've lost my way completely."

He hardly noticed that the female and dropped into a prone position, he had been too focused on stopping his rampage. He chuckled at her words, a brow raising. "And how exactly do you know I'm not a bear? Maybe I was born with some sort of mutation to make me look like a wolf? How rude of you to mock my appearance!" he said in mock horror, raising a paw to his chest as if he was truly offended by her words. Dropping his limb back to the ground he chuckled, a goofy grin on his maw. It had been a long time since he had been able to act like this, and it was a nice break from all the sorrow and drama from in his pack. When she asked if he knew his way around, he nodded his head. "Somewhat. I have a pack nearby and I've been to these parts before. We're you looking for something in here or a way out? It's very easy to get lost in these parts..." he commented, looking around them. He wasn't totally sure he could lead the way back out, the swirling mist made it hard for him to gain a good perspective of where they were. However his scent was still fresh from where he had come, and if she wanted out they could always use that. If she needed something in this forest though... well then he was afraid he wouldn't be a help at all. Walk "Talk" Think

At first, Bright was confused by his words. How did she knew he wasn't a bear? Her jaw gaped slightly as she struggled to find an answer, perplexed, until she realized that he was goofing around. Relaxing, her ears stood up, perking toward him as she laughed along with him. Though he must have been around her age, his sense of humor reminded her of her son, Haru. She missed the boy dearly... how old would he be now? Three years! Oh, how time flew - she wondered how he was doing, though in her heart she knew he was well alongside Elysia. It was clear that her thoughts had strayed for a moment as she smiled to herself, her eyes becoming a little vacant.

However, as the man in front of her spoke again, she was returned to the present. She listened to him attentively, as he was answering her question about knowing his way around. So, he kind of knew his way. He had a pack nearby. Oh, did that mean he was an Alpha? Feeling sheepish, she dipped her head. "Forgive my ignorance," she said softly, "What pack do you lead?" She hoped that she hadn't offended him at all by not knowing who he was or where he resided. Then again, from his earlier act, he didn't seem the all-too-serious type.

As he asked if she was either looking for something, or looking for a way out, she was about to say she wanted a way out when it occurred to her that she wasn't carrying the Alfalfa she'd picked. "Oh!" she exclaimed somewhat excitedly, "Well, I am looking for a way out, but I had also gathered a plant. I must have dropped it just a ways back." The Alfalfa would be in an obvious bundle on the ground, or at least she hoped. Feeling suddenly frustrated with herself, she hoped she hadn't scattered the plants in her unfounded panic.

It seemed like his joke didn't come across as well as he hoped, and he couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He thought he was a lot more funny than he really was. He couldn't help his little awkward jokes, he had just been so shocked that he had scared the smaller woman. Bass really wasn't something to be scared of, he could be pretty soft and squishy. The pale male blinked at the woman when she seemed to become distracted by her thoughts, but he stayed silent. There was no need to interrupt her, so he gave her all the time she needed to get over her memory. He settled on his rump as he waited, picking a few leaves and twigs that clung to his legs from his race through the woods. When she came back to, he just offered her a smile. He was an understanding brute, having as many children as he did. It was an art form really, being a parent. It gave him a new outlook on life, even though it was rather forced on him. He noticed her ears pull forward as he mentioned that he was an alpha, and he tsked at her change in her posture. "I'm not royalty, you don't have to be sorry," he said, leaning forward to tip her head back up. "I don't need any special treatment," Bass said in lower voice. Pulling back from her, he curled his tail around his legs. "And I am the alpha of Abaven, my name is Bass Destruction." Soon enough the conversation took another turn, and he almost jumped at her sudden burst of energy. He recovered quickly, grinning at her enthusiasm. She mentioned a plant, and his lips twitched. Wherever he went he seemed to run into something that had to do with herbs and healing. He really didn't care for the art of plants, even though he knew how much it was needed. Raising to his paws, he shook himself out as he stretched. "Sure, we can look for some of your plant. What does it look like?" he asked with a yawn. Even though he didn't like it, he wouldn't abandon the lady in her search for herbs. Perhaps her pack needed it. Speaking of pack... His head tilted as he took in her scent better. "Oh, are you a healer from Fiori?" Bass asked, recognizing the smell from the Fiori alpha he had met. Leo, if he remembered correctly. Walk "Talk" Think

With her head still tilted downward, her ears folded back as he stated he was not royalty, didn't need any special treatment. She couldn't help her initial reaction to discovering that he was the leader of a pack - it was how she'd been raised, to respect those with authority. But as he leaned in to tip her head back up, she tried to meet his gaze, realizing that perhaps he was just as normal as she was. He didn't seem to want to be treated differently right now, and she should have known by the way he'd made his entrance. Feeling more at ease, she listened and nodded as he declared his position as Abaven's alpha, then offered his name. Oh, that pack! Weren't they neighbours to Fiori? Boy, she sure didn't get out much - not enough to even know the scent of the large pack that shared the eastern lands as Fiori did.

"It's very nice to meet you Bass," she responded in a soft tone to the self-assured man. He was kind as well, from what she'd seen. First impressions were everything, and he certainly seemed to have a good heart. It was relieving, for she'd met too much evil in this world - sometimes she could only dream to be reminded that there were still good souls out there. That darkness was always balanced with light. She had become too wrapped up in her impression of him to remember to introduce herself. Why had her proper etiquette escaped her for the moment?

A light smile touched her lips as he agreed to help her find some of her plants, even though he seemed to yawn in disinterest. Still, he had asked what it looked like, and seemed willing to help her for now. "Thank you, I would like that," she said sincerely with an unconscious dip of her head as she turned to find the path she'd come from. As he asked her what the plant looked like, she'd have to pause, tilting her head and pulling her brows together thoughtfully. How did she describe it? "Well, it's a leafy stalk, somewhat, with some withered flowers clinging to it," she murmured, "It's very green still, so it should be easy to spot in this forest." She wondered if he would know what she meant, or if he knew anything about plants. Judging by his expression, it wasn't the most interesting topic for him.

Then as he seemed to notice her scent, he would ask if she was a healer from Fiori. She blushed slightly - here she was, out picking herbs, acting like she knew what she was talking about and she wasn't even a proper healer! How could she admit to that? Well, she certainly wasn't going to lie to him, and she wasn't interested in stretching the truth. "Actually, I'm just a hunter," she finally admitted, as though the rank were any lesser than a healer - perhaps it was only because she bore it, and her opinion of herself was not so high, "Well, I suppose to be exact, I'm the lead hunter. I've always enjoyed hunting. But I'm also interested in healing, and I'm trying to learn even though I might be a little too old for that... Oh, my name, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Bright Moon, and yes, I am from Fiori." Feeling flustered, she wasn't sure why she was being so clumsy right now - normally she could hold herself together, speak appropriately, and not make so many mistakes.

As she described the plant he narrowed his eyes in thought, trying to think of all the plants that Starling had showed him. Leafy stalk, small wilting flowers. Bah, he couldn't place it right now. He nodded his head though, he would try his best to look for it. The fact that it was green would be helpful, everything was brown and dying in this forest it seemed. Bass took a few steps towards the way that she had said she came from, his golden eyes raking the ground to try and spot it. He paused only when she said that she was just a hunter. His head shot up and he looked at her, his head tilting to the side. She said it as if it were some terrible rank or something, or lower than the rest. She went on to explain that she was actually the lead hunter, and he smiled in an encouraging way. Bass was about to speak when she piped up, realizing that she had forgotten to state her own name and answer his question. A rumbling laugh left his lips, his gaze bright. "Well Bright Moon, you shouldn't make your rank to come out as any less than a healer or otherwise. The pack needs to be fed and cared for, and it is a dangerous job to fell larger prey. Every role in a pack carries it's own weight, but one is not above the other. Healers are not better than hunters, just as fighters are no better than healers," he said softly, trying to boost the ladies confidence in herself. He also grinned when he thought of her saying that she was too old. "You're never to old to learn anything. Trust me, my son is still trying to teach me about plants. I know nothing about healing and don't care too, I don't like the things too much," his nose wrinkled upwards at the thought of eating the bitter things. Generally herbs had to be forced down his throat, he was always stubborn like that. Bass turned back away from her, going back to looking for the plants she had described. After walking a few feet, he realized there was a little bundle of plants sitting off to the side. Was that what she was talking about? It wasn't all there though, a few stalks were scattered about in a haphazard manner. Leaving the big group for Bright Moon to grab, he started to trot from one sprig to the next, trying not to bite them too hard. He didn't want any of their probably nasty tasting juice in his mouth. But he couldn't say no to her, it wasn't like she was asking him to eat them. After he had grabbed what he could see, he turned around to go head back in her direction. But he had wandered off a little further than he thought, and he couldn't remember which way he had gone. His scent had already pretty much disapated into the fog, cancelling out him following his own trail. Oh boy. Dropping the herbs he had just gathered, he squinted into the thick fog. "Bright Moon?" he called, glancing from side to side. He didn't want to move, just in case she was looking around from him as well. Walk "Talk" Think

As they walked along the path she'd come from, her eyes scanned for her missing bundle. But she paused as he turned to speak to her, telling her that she shouldn't speak about her rank as if it was inferior to others. She knew she shouldn't put herself down, or act like her role in the pack was of any lesser importance. His encouraging words helped her smile to grow, and her black tipped tail swung back and forth. Bass was a kind wolf indeed, and she wouldn't forget it. He even went on to say that they were never too old to learn, and that in itself was reassuring to hear. Maybe she could turn out to be a useful healer after all; it was a skill she hoped to have when she was one day too old to hunt. "I think you're right, Bass," she said quietly, "Thank you for reminding me that my skill is needed just as much as anyone else's."

As they got back to searching, it was only a few feet ahead of them that the main bundle of Alfalfa was found. Her tail waving more enthusiastically, Bright trotted over to the bundle and began gathering it back together, while Bass went about picking up some of the scattered sprigs. The fog thickened in what seemed just a few moments, and as she lifted her head with her gathered bundle, she realized that Bass was completely out of sight. Glancing around in the gloomy mist, she couldn't tell where he'd gone, and she herself had lost her bearings. She perked as she thought she heard his voice calling out, but she couldn't determine where the sound had come from. "Bass?" she called out, taking a few steps in the direction she thought she'd heard him, "Just call out again if you can hear me!"

Oh no, she didn't want to be alone in this forest again. It was way too creepy. She'd been so relieved to meet a friendly stranger, she had forgotten how frightened she'd been on her own. Blinking slowly, she paused in her steps, unsure if she was getting closer or further from her new found friend. She hoped he would be able to hear her, and they'd be able to get out of this creepy forest together.