Alright, life in Boreas was just weird, but if it was there to stay, she might as well explore it and get used to it. She was never one to resist change for long; how else could one grow and have fun? Emphasis, of course, on have fun. Today, though, she wasn't here to have fun; she was here to enjoy herself and relax in a beautiful area of Boreas that she had always loved. Early spring was upon them, and the world was beginning to truly wake up. Or... rather, it was supposed to. Normally, this time of year, the sun would be sparkling above. Herbs and flowers would start poking out of the ground, and lush grass would begin to flourish. It was, after all, spring, and the Fern Gulley was one of the best places to see that. A flitter of worry passed through Lyra: would there be enough herbs this coming season to treat the various wounds, and diseases that liked to crop up? She wasn't skilled in herblore, so she could look at the plants all she wanted and all they were to her were pretty greenery. For the experienced healers in packs, though... would there be enough?

Shaking her head, she banished the thought. Her purpose today was to relax as much as possible, as difficult as the fog with the constant whispers and the other strange happenings made it. Even the Fern Gulley was not untouched: near melting pools of water, fungi grew; where animal bones had been decaying, clusters of shining minerals - crystals - grew. In the fog, blue fireflies flickered in and out of view. There was no escaping it, and it had only gotten worse as time went on.

Ugh. The damn fog, the lack of daylight, the lack of sight, all of it was beginning to press on her. Even prey animals and other predators had started to become affected, some acting strange. The oozing seemed to be the worst of them all, making wolves and other animals act... erratic. She didn't even want to risk killing one as prey. It was just... creepy.

"Speech" "You"

art by gunhorse

He couldn't take it anymore. This land was beyond fucked up.

Now, of all things, he was leaking a fluid out of not one, but both ears. Guess what? Both eyes, too! It had to be this place. He was perfectly fine before he came to Boreas, so it had to be this weird nightmare. Why others lived here was beyond him, but there were too many around to be coincidence.

Thankfully he wasn't completely blinded by the strange blue goo that oozed from his head. If he blinked really fast and hard, sometimes it would spread just thin enough so that he could see where he was going. Unfortunately, it didn't work every time. He wasn't even sure if he was going in the right direction to get out of this place, if he was being honest. The reality of it was that he was walking around in large circles, listening to his strange and crazy thoughts that told him to turn here and go there weren't helping at all, but he didn't know that. To others, he probably just looked like an idiot lumbering around.

"Speech."

If Lyra could hear Doom's thoughts, she would have been inclined to agree with him, in spite of being born and raised here. This land was truly becoming fucked up. But that was something she refused to think about right now. Despite the fog and the almost constant nighttime, the temperature currently was absolutely wonderful and comfortable. A nice warmth that wasn't too hot, with the occasional breeze. The pink-tinged sky made her long for actual sunlight to bask her fur, but she'd takewhat she could get. The fog, at least, wasn't really wet at all.

She scouted quietly for a good spot to lay: one not soiled by mushrooms, crystals, and a decent distance away. With a few puddles here and there that made it easy to dodge the mushrooms, but the crystals were a bit more difficult as it wasn't uncommon for pebbles, and bones, to be in the Fern Gulley. It was a lush land, after all, during normal times, and many animals hunted and feasted here. Finally, though, she found a spot - almost perfect. With a scrunch of her nose, she pawed the bone shard with the crystal growing out of it away a decent distance. She didn't even want to touch it, unknowing if it was infectious, but if she wanted to lay down she didn't have much of a choice.

Sighing heavily, she sprawled on the ground, resting her head on her inner upper front leg. Now, she can rest. Right? Take a break in a place she had always enjoyed. With a yawn, her eyes closed and she breathed out deeply. Just a moment, right? She wasn't sure how long she had dozed when the pawsteps of another animal brought her back to alertness. A quick glance at the sky - and the amber light illuminated on the horizon, obscured by fog - told her that it had been a few minutes. That few minutes had been certainly helpful, though, leaving her with much more relaxed muscles. That is, until the sound came again, and her ears swiveled to pinpoint the sound. And then the sound... faded away. Weird.

Huffing to herself, she laid her head back down. The wolf - she could smell him, now - seemed to be leaving and going away without bothering her. Good; she didn't mind that. Except.... a few minutes later, she could smell, and hear him again. And then he left, following the same path as before. Huh. Weird. Quietly, she stood, walking towards where he turned. Was he lost? Was he infected? She should probably stay away if that was the case, but she was curious and wanted to satiate that curiosity. So, she waited. And behold, in the direction he had come from both other times, she saw a form become shaped in the fog. "So, are you walking in circles on purpose, or are you lost?" she questioned, sidestepping out of the wolf's direct path so she wouldn't be in the way of it.

"Speech" "You"

art by gunhorse