Torin moved towards the budding forest, for probably the first time since leaving the pack lands that he felt some amount of happiness. This was a place he'd never been before and he slowed slightly, swiveling his head to look at Derecho. "Have you been here before?" He asked as they moved under the pink foliage, the sounds of the river they'd been following seemed more muted her than before, but maybe that was just him. He stopped for a moment, allowing himself time to drink in the site and scents of the strange forest around him. The trees were a mixture of promising new buds and small young flowers; a soft pink, the canopy shielding them from the semi-harsh rays of the early spring sun. It was truly beautiful. "Talk" Think

Lineart by Trash-Klng

He hadn't admitted it yet, but this she had be dreading. She had become so comfortable within Lirim and had enjoyed the time she got to spend with Torin, that she honestly didn't want to make this trip. She knew if she she was reunited with her mother it would be hard to tear herself away because of all the time she had lost with her mother. Though she knew she wouldn't want to leave Torin either so she had been fighting with herself mentally. She hadn't talked to anyone about this because she still wasn't sure what all these feelings and this pull towards Torin was. Something about him and how easy it was to talk to him. She just clicked with him and she felt she had some understanding of him. Even now as they traveled she struggled mentally with everything. She fallowed beside him into lands she hadn't traveled before. She had sensed his more upbeat vibe upon entering the territory, which gave her a much needed distraction from her own mind. Silver-blue eyes began to look around, pay more attention to their surroundings. It was spring and everything was in bloom and when her eyes fell upon the pink trees her eyes brightened. Then his he spoke and her bright eyes glanced to him before she smiled. "No I'm afraid I havn't been here before, but it sure is beautiful," she replied as he stopped. She stopped as well soaking in the sights, sounds, and the smells as he did. She felt her mood lighten incredibly. "Talk" Think

Torin found his gaze sliding from the canopy above to his companion beside him. The whole trip he'd been hardening himself, doing his best to ignore the pained feeling in his chest. It was dumb and he couldn't really justify the feeling; he knew going in that Derecho's stay in Lirim was temporary but as he found himself watch her he couldn't help the deep sadness that overtook him. "Beautiful." He muttered to himself, parroting her though his gaze had not returned to the canopy. He wanted nothing more than to stop time here, he knew it wouldn't be long now. Torin sighed and closed his eyes, he dropped his head and when he opened his eyes again he was staring at his paws. "Do you want to rest here for a bit, maybe see if we can't catch a rabbit or two?" He asked, his tone was even and his face was a mask of impassivity but deep down he was praying she'd let him keep her by his side for even just a bit longer. "Talk" Think

Lineart by Trash-Klng

Silver-blue eyes found his gaze and for a moment she let herself get lost in it. She too was feeling a constant ache in her chest, she had been for the past month as this time grew closer. Her original plan was to go back home and stay, but Lirim felt Like home as well as being around Torin. It was strange that she had felt that way. Before she had met Torin she had plans to be a roaming wolf even if she ever made it back to Abaven, now here she was with the leader of Lirim for a guide. She felt rotten every time she thought of the upcoming departure from her new friends and family. She just didn’t get why, or why she loved spending time with Torin so much. She looked forward to seeing him even if it may just be a passing glance as he headed out to patrol.

She looked back up to the canopy to keep herself from staring, not wanting to sour this time with him. She hadn’t realized he was still looking at her, even when he parroted her. When he spoke again her eyes fell back to his form again seeing his gaze focused on his paws. She was getting a sense that he too was upset by something. Surely it wasn’t over her leaving? Though she may find out a bit later when she shared her final desicion. She smiled at his offer and moved towards him lightly bumping his shoulder with her nose. She hated seeing him down in the dumps.

“Of course we can, I love that idea,” she said with a smile looking to his face.

He couldn't help it, something about her gently nudging him made him feel almost dizzy, she was trying to cheer him up and he couldn't help but summon a small smile, even if he was still plagued with his feelings on her inevitable departure. She accepted his proposal and the smile grew a bit wider. He met her gaze and before he could stop himself, gently nosed at her cheek fur. Torin pulled back suddenly, trying to cover his embarrassment as he spoke, suddenly gazing away from her as if looking for something else. "Let's see what we can find for food then, eh?" He cast her a quick sidelong glance before taking a few deliberate steps in towards the trees. He noted one of the trees with a particularly well-worn patch of grass between its roots, clearly well-loved by someone. "Why don't you rest there and I'll see what I can find?" In truth he would have gladly accepted her company on a hunt but he was doing his best to pretend he hadn't just embarrassed himself in front of her and some part of him felt it might be helpful to have a moment or two to think to himself. "Talk" Think

Lineart by Trash-Klng

The small smile from him made the butterflies flutter within her. To be able to cheer him up so easily was such a wonderful feeling that she always wanted to feel it. His smile grew wider at her accepting the offer making her tail gently wag some more. He looked to her and their eyes locked. Briefly she let herself get lost in those handsome blue and yellow eyes. The duel color of his eyes were truly amazing in her mind. Then he gently nosed her cheek, the soft touch making her skin tingle and grow hot with the emotions swirling within her. Then he suddenly pulled away just as her smile grew wider from the touch, her eyes quickly looking to him as he looked away. She fallowed him as he moved forward, letting him take the lead, the butterflies returning briefly. Her gaze looked to him when he voiced his suggestion, mentally she was disappointed even though she still felt happy. She wanted to be with him, but she didn't want to speak out against his suggestion. She was fearful it may ruin the moment of happiness. She then nodded quietly agreeing to his suggestion even though her desire was to go with him, to stay by his side. "Alright, but don't leave me alone here all day," she said. Where did those words come from? She was unsure, but she was slowly starting to voice her feelings, without really knowing what those feelings were. Moving past him he moved over to sit at the base of the tree to wait for his return. "Talk" Think

((Decided to make his hunt a bit more dynamic by rolling a d10 for both tracking and catching of a rabbit, lower than 6 was a fail; 6 and up was varying degrees of success with 6 being a very narrow success. Tracking: 6, 1st catch attempt: 5, Second catch attempt: 6))

Torin's own stomach was fluttering, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her words. He followed her back towards the tree before speaking."I promise I'll be back before you know it." His tone was light, almost teasing and he; despite how embarrassed he was about what had just happened, gently nosed at the top of her head before giving her a playful wink and trotting off. So... that was new, at least for him. Torin had always been a reserved silent type but something about being around Derecho made him almost giddy, feeling like he was a playful pup, something he had never been to begin with. Shaking his head to try and clear it he focused on trying to track down something for him and Derecho. The scents here told him there was prey nearby, probably a rabbit warren from the thickness of the smells, in fact he wasted more time than he cared to admit having to backtrack and refind the trail, eventually though he managed to find something promising. He crouched in the shade of one of the trees, tongue lashing at his lips as he watched a rabbit grooming itself in the sun. He shuffled lightly, pointing his nose upwards to make sure he was downwind. He shifted his weight, eyeing up his target. The rabbit didn't seem all that far away. Torin rushed forwards suddenly, his paws kicking up turf and dust as he bolted forwards. The rabbit suddenly shot up, turning mid jump to bolt away to his right. Torin grunted, struggling to change his course, he skidded to the right dashing after the rodent. He was almost on top of it when- it was gone. Torin stumbled over his own paws trying to halt his forwards momentum before coming to a less than graceful stop. Panting he lumbered back towards where his prey vanished. A warren... He snorted, annoyed at his own lack of ability. Still panting he scanned quickly for something, anything he could still bring back to Derecho, determined not to disappoint her. A few meters away there was another hole in the ground, a cautious rabbit poking it's head out to scan the area... with it's back to him. Acting quickly he leaped for it, his parted jaws grabbing hold of it's neck. His forwards momentum however carried him literally head over heels and he and his prey tumbled into a nearby tree. He had dropped the rabbit as he gasped, air pulling from his lungs on the impact. The rodent seemed more prepared for the impact than he had and jumped back to it's paws, trying to hobble away. Torin shook his head, groaning and growling. He lunged after the rabbit, this time managing to pin it to the ground. He broke it's neck, no longer really feeling all that up to the chase. Finally he set his course back towards where he had left Derecho, his head was pounding and he moved slower than he'd like to both from dizziness but also his back aching from where he had collided with the tree, he was probably gonna be bruised tomorrow. "Talk" Think

Lineart by Trash-Klng

He was quick to go along with her words and her eyes looked to him as he spoke. He seemed relaxed more then he had moments ago. Again his touch sent hot sparks soaring across her skin and a smile to spread on her lips. She liked how she was feeling so comfortable and playful around him, like he was radiating a toxic energy. Her silver blue eyes caught his wink before she watched him disappear. She let out a breath before shaking out her fur and waiting for him to return. Now what to do to occupy her time, to pass the time until his return. She wanted to calm herself down, refocus so that she wouldn't let herself get carried away. She also wanted to know what the heck was with all these emotions. She had never felt like this, never wanting to spend as much time with one wolf like she wished to with Torin. She settled to laying down and gently grooming herself, keeping her mind occupied while he was away. The butterflies were still within her stomach and she couldn't help but just feel happy. It made her even happier to think that there would be a chance he would be overjoyed that she would be coming back to Lirim with him. She could hear his footfalls from a distance away catching her attention before he came into view. Patiently she stayed put waiting for him and to see what he had managed to catch to share. "Speech" Think

Art by Sterling-Raven

Torin returned, definitely looking a bit worse for wear, but he returned with at least some amount of triumph even if little of his dignity remained intact. Torin plodded forwards, picking up his pace only minorly as he saw Derecho watching him approach. She'd been waiting for him and he wasn't about to let her wait any longer. He approached the tree, dropping his prize at Derecho's paws before settling beside her. "Have as much as you want." He rumbled, in truth right now all he wanted was a bit of time off his paws and to hopefully let the throbbing subside a bit. Still being next to Derecho seemed to both calm him and get his anxiety up. He felt content simply resting beside her but his stomach was fluttering... he wasn't sure if he could eat even if he wanted to. "Talk" Think

Lineart by Trash-Klng

He soon came into view and she couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto her face. She was relieved and happy that he had returned, but he defiantly looked a little worn out. The rabbit must have given him a run for his money, but she didn't see any physical signs of the damage that he had really received. Her tail would gently wag as he dropped the meal at her feet and settled down beside her, giving her the go ahead to eat her fill. Although her stomach was fluttering she forced herself to ignore it. She didn't want to be rude and not eat this fine kill he had gotten. She ate about half of the rabbit before gently nudging it to him. She wasn't sure if he was hungry, but she also wanted him to know that she had her fill and was finished. She then began to clean the blood from her silver tipped paws and tried to clean it from her dark muzzle as best as she could. She didn't want to talk about the reason they were taking this trip, she wanted to take her own mind and his mind off of it for now, but what should she say? She struggled a bit, thinking maybe it would be better to focus on him instead. "Any new ideas or plans for Lirim?" she asked. It may have been an awful question, but Torin had been stepping up and working with Frost to rule Lirim. She was curious if he felt there was things needed to change or added. Plus it was a way to get her mind off the rest of their journey. "Speech" Think

Art by Sterling-Raven