Warm weather had finally begun to show its beautiful, vitamin-D rich face in the form of a bright, sunny day. The gray clouds that become a regular fixture of the world for the last half a year had finally receded, still dotting the blue skies every so often, but now sunshine—actual, real sunshine!—was streaming down over Auster, beginning to rapidly melt the snow and ice. Through the dense cedar forest, the vulpine-furred fae trudged along through the muddy, slushy undergrowth, giving no mind to the absolute mess it was making of her cream-colored socks. She was just happy that spring was finally here! Or was it summer now? She couldn't really tell, given that the world was still all sorts of fucked up.

Pausing for a brief moment to inspect some ivy climbing up the side of a tree trunk, Syanna ultimately determined it had no medicinal value and proceeded on her wayward rambling. As she navigated through the woods, the mellifluous sounds of the falls drew her closer and closer to the river's edge. Okay, she had to admit that that was a pretty sight! The way the water rippled down the rocks into the river, the gentle, calming whoosh of the cascading liquid, it was lovely. Smiling to herself while she stared at the falls for a moment longer, Syanna's eyes eventually caught something far more interesting: a small bunch of fly agaric mushrooms growing just inside a hollowed out log, their bright red caps standing out against the wood shielding them!

Syanna squeaked in delight, hurrying over to the old cedar log and peering inside at the elusive mushrooms with longing. Those would be incredibly handy to have in her arsenal! Slipping off her leather satchel, Syanna hung it off a nearby tree branch and lowered herself to her belly, trying to gauge if she could squeeze into the log and claim her prize. Crawling into the opening proved to be no challenge, but once Syanna got to her shoulders, the widening of her body protested any further advance. Frowning to herself, the stubborn fae refused to be defeated by something as silly as physics, and continued to squeeze her way in, reaching with a dainty paw to try and grab the mushrooms that were still just out of reach.

Growling in irritation, Syanna pushed a little further, reaching with all her might. From outside the log, her hind end wiggled with each squirm she used to try and slide further in, her bushy tail flagging and wagging excitedly and small paws kicked and scraped at the damp, soggy earth. So close, just a little bit more...!

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Trotting away from the castle grounds wearing the cuirass his father gifted to him, holding his head a bit higher than he probably ever had as he went out into one of the first warmer days they had gotten since the season shifted over to summer. Aquila soared overhead, drifting on the warm currents of air, occasionally swooping away from him only to come back into view a few moments later. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel different now that he was officially a year old or not, but he didn't really notice anything different except for the fact that his father had given them permission to wander and roam more freely. He planned on taking advantage of that freedom right away and set out on his own - with Aquila of course.

He wound his way through the cedar trees that surrounded the near by falls, fully intending on finding some kind of prey to hunt and take back with him to the castle so at least he could say that his trip was productive and helpful. He didn't really understand his father's obsession with duty and responsibility, but he'd found that as long as he had something that he could point to at the end of the day and tell his father what he had accomplished then he was allowed to go about his day however he wished. It was only when he started avoiding his lessons or training or didn't contribute something that his father started getting on to him. The least he could do for himself was spare himself the headache of getting lectures from his father.

As he was walking and beginning to track the scent of a deer that had crossed through here recently, he spotted a bright flare of color that stood out like a beacon against the backdrop of mostly brown trees and dirt with the occasional patch of melting snow and the few budding leaves. He blinked with surprise and started moving toward the vibrant, fox-like orange color. At first he thought it might actually be a fox, but as he got closer and passed through a ridge of trees he saw that it was actually a wolf - one that seemed to have their front half stuck in a log.

A quizzical look crossed his face, lifting a brow as he tried to figure out what in the world she was doing. It was hard to tell if she was trying to reach further in or was stuck and trying to get out. Either way, it didn't exactly look comfortable. He opened his mouth to say something as he moved a bit closer, but for a moment he got distracted, her butt wiggling and squirming while her tail swished back and forth in the air. For another beat or two he stood there without really understanding what was making his brain lock up and his body freeze, but eventually he pulled himself out of it with a hard shake of his head and he came up beside her and the log she was halfway into. "Um... Miss? Are you stuck? Can I help?"

Ezra Adravendi

Somehow, Syanna had managed to wriggle her way to be just about within reach of her desired mushrooms, her dainty paw slapping at the moist, mossy earth just an inch out of reach. She grit her teeth, coming so tantalizingly close to the object of her desire, already imagining all the value the rare fungi would have if bartering for other supplies or herbs. She knew of a number of wolves that would pay handsomely for a fresh fly agaric. If only she could just get her damn paws on it! So focused had Syanna been on her task at hand that she didn't hear anyone else walking up to her, the only sounds her grunts of effort and strain echoing around her in the hollowed out log. She slid a little bit closer, closer... almost got it...!

Syanna's paw tapped the squishy top of the mushroom and the vulpine-coated fae practically squealed with her triumph. "Aha! Gotcha!" she cheered, a wide grin on her face. A strange voice sounded from just above her, making her jump in shock, her paw reflexively squeezing and crushing the mushroom she had worked so hard for. A cloud of barely visible spores exploded from the fungi, flooding the confined space of the log. Syanna's eyes went wide and she quickly held her breath, trying urgently to remember what the spores of a fly agaric did. The mushroom was a hallucinogen... were the spores hallucinogenic too, or were they poisonous? Not wanting to take the 50-50 chance, Syanna's legs began to kick and scrabble at the moist earth, kicking up trenches in the slushy ground while she scrambled to get out of the log. It took a good bit of struggling, but after a few panicked moments, Syanna popped out of the log and swallowed a deep breath of the fresh air, letting it fill her lungs.

Turning her head to look around for the nearby waterfall, Syanna jumped to her feet and sprinted over to the river's edge, throwing her head into the cool water and thrashing it about to wash any of the spores from her face and fur. Once she was sure she was clean and hadn't breathed in any of the spores, the foxy fae lifted her head from the water with a splash and more deep gasps of air. Okay, crisis averted. Syanna's fur around her head was drenched and dripping, but her emerald eyes were burning with irritation at her lost prize. She turned to fix the stranger with an angry glare. He was a wolf, significantly bigger than her and distinctly male, wearing a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, what the hell's your deal?!" she snapped, approaching him again while keeping her eyes locked on his sky blue ones. "What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that? Do you have any idea what you just caused?!" Syanna huffed, scowling up at the wolf as if they he didn't easily have a foot on her and a good bit more weight too. She didn't care how much bigger he was, and she was letting him know by standing toe to toe with him, on the verge of growling, but restraining herself for now to permit him to defend himself.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Seconds after he questioned if she needed help, he saw her scrambling back out of the log and he blinked with confusion, muttering, "Um... Uh... Do you..." to himself, trying to debate if he should help her get out or not, but she hadn't told him she wanted help and what if she got mad at him for grabbing her hips to pull her out? Would that be weird? That would probably be weird. But if he grabbed her leg with his teeth he might hurt her and he didn't want to do that either! Before he could finish debating with himself, she wriggled and kicked her way free, popping out of the log with a big gasp for air before she darted over to the near by stream and dunked her head under, seemingly in a panic.

Ezra stood there with his mouth agape as he watched her, utterly confused and perhaps a bit concerned. At some point Aquila had landed on a branch above him, the eagle tilting his head with confusion as well. He tried to peek into the log to see what had caused such a fuss, but before he could she popped back out of the water, gasping and dripping and very, very angry. She stormed up to him and he stared down at her, wide eyed and confused, blinking at the accusations she was throwing his way. "Um... No... No, I don't know..." he responded honestly while trying to ignore how pretty her green eyes were.

"Are... you okay?" he asked after a beat of silence, some more concern beginning to over take some of the confusion he felt - though he was still very confused too. He clearly had done something wrong, at least in her eyes, but what he had done was the question.

Ezra Adravendi

The absolutely humongous dire wolf looked bewildered and stunned by her snappy retorts, a fact that brought a great sense of pride to little Syanna. She knew she was small compared to most wolves, and especially to this absolute unit of a brute, but she wasn't one to be intimidated by size alone or back down from anything. She was scrappy and feisty; being scrappy and feisty is what had kept her alive. That wasn't going to stop now, no matter how soft and docile this young brute appeared to be. He answered honestly that he had no idea what he had done, and thanks to the shocked look in those blue eyes, she actually believed him. Still, Syanna continued to leer directly into his sky blue gaze with scrutiny and a pursed mouth, having to lean up almost on tiptoes to hold that gaze.

When she determined he was being truthful and wasn't an immediate threat, she released a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes, dropping back down to her paw pads and shaking her head. "I'm fine," she answered, though the irritation in her voice was still palpable. "If you must know, I was trying to get an incredibly rare mushroom that just so happened to be growing in that log. I almost had it too, until you came out of nowhere and startled me." Syanna walked back over to the gently flowing river, dipping her muzzle to the cool water to take a long drink.

When she lifted her head from the water and turned back around, she found the adolescent wolf still standing where she had left him. "Anyway, I'm fine, so thanks for that," Syanna muttered while she stepped past the speckled boy to grab her satchel from the low branch just behind him, slipping the leather strap over her head and then heading off without so much as a goodbye. She started following the current of the river downstream, hoping she might be able to find some more valuable herbs she could barter with, or maybe a new place to set up shelter for the night once dusk came.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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He could practically feel the irritation radiating off of her as she insisted that she was fine with a roll of her eyes. Well, if she was fine, why did she freak out and go running to dunk her head in the river? That didn't really seem like the kind of response someone would have to everything being fine. He let her explain what exactly he had caused to bother her and learned that he had somehow messed up her mushroom hunting. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he replied genuinely, still completely dumbfounded by the snappy, feisty lady. He'd never met someone with as much spirit as she had and she didn't hesitate at all to get in his face to retaliate despite him being so obviously larger than her. It was... refreshing, in a way. After growing up around mostly soft healers for much of his life, to find a woman her size that was this confident was a new endeavor for him. And she was really pretty.

He continued to watch her with wide, stunned eyes as she turned around and walked back to the water, getting a long drink. He made a very conscious effort to not look at her butt again as he waited for her to turn around again, still sitting in the same spot she had left him in with his thoughts still reeling. "Oh... um, sure," he commented to her muttering, his head turning to follow her as she walked past him and scooped up a leather bag that had been hanging unnoticed behind him before beginning to walk away. His mouth fell open for a moment, his jaw moving as if he was trying to say something, but nothing came out. She had completely short circuited him and confused him in a way he didn't know was possible so it took a long pause for him to come to and realize she was actually leaving.

"Wa... W-Wait up!" he called after her as he scrambled to his feet, loping after her with long strides that easily helped him catch up to her. "Hey, um... Maybe I can make it up to you?" he offered, trying to give her a friendly grin with a flash of spiked teeth. "Come on, I have long legs. Maybe if you find another mushroom I can help you get it!" Yeah, surely that would help win her over, right?

Ezra Adravendi

Just as she was starting to put the whole irritating incident behind her, Syanna heard the big, dumb wolf shout out for her to wait and heard each of his hurried footfalls getting closer and closer. She rolled her eyes again just before he came up beside her, yet despite his presence looming over her, she just kept walking, paying no heed to the chatty dire wolf next to her. He offered to help her find more mushrooms. She shot him a skeptical look, brows narrowed while she tried to consider whether he was just really dumb or overly nice or really bored. Didn't he have anything better to do than start following random wolves? Was he mentally challenged? He wasn't a loner, that much was obvious by the smell of at least a dozen other wolves clinging to his fur. Why wasn't he bothering one of them instead?

"So you're, what, just gonna follow me around for gods knows how long until I happen to find another rare mushroom in a place just out of reach? Why? To prove you're useful in this extremely limited and specific situation?" she questioned, hoping to spell out the absurdity of how slim the chances were that she'd find the exact same scenario in which he'd be handy. "Yeah, no thanks. Hard pass on that one, Speckles." Syanna was mildly annoyed that he happened to be walking on the side of her opposite the river, meaning she couldn't just turn and walk off in another direction without going for a swim. She settled on continuing in the direction they were going, following the river downstream through the woods. "Don't you have anything better to do than go mushroom hunting with a stranger?" she asked after a moment, wondering if he could even tell a toadstool apart from a button mushroom. He definitely didn't seem like a healer, and he was far too dopey to be a scholar of botany. So what was this guy's game here?

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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His grin faltered a bit when she started poking holes in what he thought would be a foolproof plan to win her over and make up for the fact that he had ruined her chance to get the rare mushroom she desired. Okay, fine, maybe it was a slim chance, but... he could still help with... something, surely. He couldn't just let her walk away when he knew he had messed up her day so badly. He had to make it up to her! But she shut him down hard and called him... Speckles. Speckles?! His ears flicked back against his head with mild irritation and embracement. Sure, she didn't know his name, but Speckles? Jeeze.

"Not really, no," he replied to the question of if he didn't have something better he could be doing. "Well... I guess technically I should be hunting so I'll have something to bring back to the pack, but... it's not like we need the meat right now. We just took down a mammoth not that long ago and there's still plenty of meat from that!" Yes, he knew he was rambling, but he kind of felt like as long as he kept talking and kept her attention it would be easier to keep her around. "So, you know, since I don't have anything else to do I could still come along just in case you need some help, right? It doesn't have to be just reaching things! I'm a pretty good hunter and fighter so if you want some food or need protecting or something... I can do any of that." Maybe he was just trying to prove that he was useful at this point, but she had started it by poking holes in his plans to begin with.

Ezra Adravendi

Much to her chagrin, the boy just. Kept. Talking. It actually made Syanna cast an incredulous sideways look at him, trying to genuinely figure out now if he had some sort of brain damage or if he was actually just this socially inept and clueless to her attempts to shut him down. She did note how his ears flicked back when she called him Speckles and made a mental note to keep referring to him by that exclusively until he got the message and buzzed off. He was rambling on about needing to hunt for his pack, but then said they had hunted a mammoth so he didn't need to be hunting, so why the hell was he out here and still talking to her?!

Finally, Syanna had to just come to a stop, throwing her head back with an exasperated sigh before fixing her unwanted companion with an annoyed glower. "Oh my gods, what do you want from me?" she asked, the irritation rising in her voice as her patience ran thin. Trying to be as nice about this as possible, Syanna placed a dainty paw on his shoulder, looking him dead in those blue eyes with a smile that screamed "I'm forcing myself to be nice to you right now when I really just want to slap you". "Look, Speckles, I'm sure you're a swell guy, but I don't need a dopey dire wolf I don't know following me trying to help me pick flowers or start fights or whatever it is you're offering now."

Syanna literally did not know how to make it any clearer to him without shouting at him to fuck off right in his face, and she was too godsdamned nice to stoop to that. Her only hope was to maybe reason with him and try to get through that thick skull of his that she didn't need nor did she want him trailing her like a lost puppy. Was he trying to prove something to himself or to her with this game?

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Ezra stopped as well when she halted beside him, making him blink with confusion when she gave an exasperated sigh. What had he done now?! He leaned back from her when she fixed him with an irritated glare, questioning what he wanted from her. Once again he found himself at a loss, stunned by the aggressive response she gave him... and by the rich, emerald eyes that were currently giving him a look that said she did not want him around. His haunches fell back onto the ground as she faced him and put a paw on his shoulder, his head tipped down to look at the much smaller woman. Her calling him Speckles again made his ear flick with a slight annoyance, but at this point he was a little more worried that she might actually hit him for... what exactly? Offering to help?

There was just one last little tiny thing in that statement that he could pick apart and a grin crept across his lips as he carefully pointed it out. "Okay... but what about a dopey dire wolf that you do know?" he offered with a flash of teeth and a crooked grin, looking hopeful as he continued to try and win over the pretty, green-eyed fae. "We could get to know each other first, you know? Ask whatever you want, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know!" He didn't know if that would work or just make her more mad at him, but she was so unlike any other woman he had been around that he was just absolutely determined to figure out a way to make her not hate him. After all, if she hated him, how was he going to make it up to her for making her mess up her mushrooms?

Ezra Adravendi

By the gods, was she somehow cursed and this boy was the demon haunting her for all time now?! No matter what roadblocks she put up, the dopey dire wolf carefully picked apart every little loophole he could find in her words. Being nice hadn't worked, being cold and snippy hadn't worked. What more could she possibly do to get this guy to leave her the fuck alone?! He was just... just staring at her with this stupid shocked expression on his face like he really didn't understand what he had done wrong. How could he be so socially braindead to not get that she didn't want to be talking to him? He grinned at her like he'd just figured out a puzzle and offered to tell her about himself so they wouldn't be strangers anymore. Internally, Syanna began screaming in hysterics.

Externally, the fiery-furred fae just gave a deep sigh and hung her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a paw while she tried to subdue the headache he was causing. There really was no getting out of this, was there? She was doomed, cursed to have this giant idiot following her for the rest of her days. She briefly considered how long it would take to drown herself in the river, then ultimately decided it wouldn't be worth it, because he'd probably just pull her back out anyway. She looked up at the dire wolf with an annoyed, yet defeated expression, wondering if maybe entertaining him for a few minutes would get her out of being his hostage.

"You're really not gonna give up, are you?" she asked, more rhetorically than genuinely. She could tell by the way he was smiling so proudly at his own solution to a non-existent problem that he was adamant on his stance. "Fine. Two questions: one, are you brain damaged, or do you treat every wolf this way? Two, what is with your teeth?" She pointed with a paw to his grinning paw, to the rows of razor-sharp serrated teeth glistening at her. She had never seen a wolf with fangs like his before, and although he was annoying as all hell, that part of him did make her more than a little curious and nervous at the same time.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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He sat back on his haunches as she stopped and rubbed a spot between her eyes, an amused smirk pulling at his lips. He didn't really know why he seemed to get on her nerves so much, but he had to admit that it was actually kind of funny - at least when she wasn't about to snap his nose off. At least he seemed to be wearing her down a bit since she looked up at him with a slightly defeated and annoyed expression. He didn't want to annoy her, he just wanted to get to know her and help her! He never wanted to get to know other wolves, but she was so unique and pretty he just couldn't pass up the chance, much to her chagrin it seemed. He gave her another grin and shook his head "no" when she questioned the fact that he wasn't going to give up. Not until she let him fix his mistakes at least!

He chuckled and smirked at her questions, ignoring what could have been insulting with the jab at him being possibly being brain damaged. "I've never really had a reason to want to know someone else that I didn't already know," he said honestly, giving her a shrug. "I'm just around my family and pack most of the time and there's not really anyone as interesting as you there." Or as feisty. Or as pretty. He kept those thoughts to himself though, not wanting to push his luck any more than he already was. "As for the teeth... He flashed her another grin and chuckled. "That's just how they came in when I got my adult teeth. I don't really know why. They're pretty handy in fights and hunts though! Though I don't know if that's really worth it with how much they hurt when they were growing in," he mentioned, wincing a little at the vague memories of painful teething.

Ezra Adravendi

Absolutely nothing fazed this boy, it seemed. He didn't even react in the slightest when she's insinuated that he'd suffered some form of brain damage! What was a girl whose best method of keeping others at bay was sarcasm to do when no matter what she hurled at him he just brushed off? His resilience was pretty shocking, actually, and Syanna briefly wondered if he actually understood what she was saying to him when she was trying to get him to leave her alone. Would it have been better to talk to him like a puppy? Would he understand her then? He answered her questions as normally as if she'd asked him what his favorite color was or if he had any plans for the day. So he was just interested in her, that's why he was being such a pest? He clearly didn't get out of his pack much then, the poor sap.

While he began to explain how his teeth were just something that happened when he grew them in, Syanna couldn't help but study his serrated teeth more closely. She leaned up and closer to his maw, giving a soft "huh" as she inspected them. She had never met another wolf with teeth like this, and it made her genuinely curious how something like that even happened to a wolf. An airy chuckle left her when he mentioned how useful they were in fights and hunts, replying with, "Yeah, I bet. They look wicked. Here, lemme just..." Without asking for permission, Syanna shuffled closer and reached up to grab his muzzle with both paws, angling his face down to get a better look at the tiny barbs and serrations on his fangs. She coaxed his head to turn this way, then that as she looked over his teeth. She cringed a little while she tried to not picture what those things could do to another wolf, and made a silent vow to stop trying to piss him off now, lest she get bitten. He didn't seem like the type to do that, but why roll the dice on that when a loss would mean ending up on the business end of those.

"Okay, Speckles, I started this game. You didn't ask me anything back, so I'm guessing that's a forfeit for you on this round," Syanna stated, smirking as she turned this into a game she could win. Maybe she could dig up more information about him than he could get from her, and if something useful to her came up, then that was just a bonus as well. "You said you're part of a pack? So why does a dopey dire wolf find himself all the wya out here on his own? Did they not give you enough jobs to keep you out of trouble?" She grinned a little more easily now, her teasing less mean-spirited and more just part of her snarky, sarcastic personality.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Ezra blinked as she leaned closer, but kept grinning and letting her get a closer look at his teeth since she seemed so curious in them. He had never really seen them as anything super special, but she seemed fascinated and he certainly wasn't going to discourage anything that made her not run away from him. But then she muttered something about letting her do something and then her paws were on his face. Her paws were on his face. His eyes went wide with surprise as she held his muzzle and started turning him this way and that so she could examine the oddly sharp, serrated teeth that filled his mouth. He didn't mind her getting a closer look, but it caught him off guard and it put her so incredibly close to him all the sudden, blinking down at her stunning emerald eyes while her spicy, sweet scent filled his nose, making his face hot with a blush.

Then suddenly she was back to the questions he had opened the floor for her to ask, completely throwing him for a loop. His brain felt completely scrambled and all he could manage to do for a moment was just give her a goofy grin. It didn't quite register that she had actually asked him something along with pointing out how he hadn't asked her anything in return, but he blinked and realized that she was expecting an answer so he cleared his throat a bit and chuckled before he finally said, "Oh, um... Well, I mean, there was stuff I could be doing I guess... But guarding alpacas isn't exactly my idea of a fun time."

Still struggling a little bit to get his brain together after she short circuited him, Ezra scrambled to think of a question for her, until he suddenly realized that he hadn't even asked her for her name. Yes, that was a good start. Surely that was a safe enough question to keep her from getting mad at him again. "So... What's your name?"

Ezra Adravendi

The dopey dire’s bizarre reactions to her the moment she touched his face made Syanna raise a curious brow. Did he not like being touched or something? She supposed that was fair, since she wouldn’t be fond of a stranger coming up and laying paws on her either. But then what was up with that goofy grin on his face like he’d just taken a hit of some kind of really good drug? She tilted her head in confusion, wondering again if he was okay when he blinked himself back into reality like he’d spaced out momentarily. Gods, this dude was weird… His response to her question only raised further questions. He did have other things to do, but he was blowing them off? And what was that about alpacas?!

Before she could even begin to try to figure out what on earth he was rambling about, he finally decided to catch up in their little game and asked her a question. It was the most basic and simplest question he could have asked, but she supposed she should have seen it coming since there hadn’t been any proper introductions yet. Syanna gave him a small smirk as if silently judging how much he’d wasted a good question on something as mundane as her name, but answered all the same. “Syanna,” she spoke, her voice like a velvet purr when she spoke. “My name is Syanna Alluráin.”

Well, dammit, now she had to follow up his question with the same one. He had forced her to give up her turn! Well played, Speckles, well played… “So what’s yours?” A roguish smile played on her lips while emerald eyes gleamed mischievously. “I suppose I could just keep calling you Speckles.” And she happily would too, seeing as how he frowned every time she did. It was the one time she could get a rise out of the lad.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Syanna. Syanna Alluráin. Even her name was pretty! And the way her voice was such a smooth purr when she spoke made a silly grin pull at his lips without him even realizing it. Sure, maybe it was because there wasn't that many girls his age in The Hallows that weren't his sisters or that he hadn't basically grown up with so maybe that was why he had never felt this way about any of them before, but he still couldn't figure out why she was just so unbelievably cute to him. Plus she was just so... confident. That was the only word he could think of, but that seemed to fit pretty well. She was so unlike any of the girls and women he knew that he couldn't help but want to get to know her.

When she asked for his name and threatened to keep calling him Speckles, he gave her a playful glare in return and replied, "I'm Ezra. Ezra Adravendi. Not Speckles." He chuckled and grinned, still obviously amused by it even though he hated the silly nickname she had picked for him. At least it was a nickname he supposed and only friends gave each other nicknames, right? "What was that mushroom used for?" he asked curiously. Surely if she got that mad at him about it then it had to be something really special and useful.

Ezra Adravendi

Syanna wasn't sure what about her responses had the big wolf so god damn smiley all the time, but no matter what she said, he just kept on grinning like a goofy idiot. Was he playing some sort of prank on her? Was she getting punked here?! She had never met another wolf so unorthodox before. What was up with him? It was actually her comment about calling him Speckles that got a normal response from him in the form of a playful glare. Yep, that could still provoke a response from him! He introduced himself with a name that sounded like his parents had come from some long family line that felt way too uptight and self-righteous about themselves. She kept that thought to herself though. "Hmm, what a shame, I quite liked Speckles. It suited you," she teased with a wink, then shrugged. "Oh well. I guess you'll just have to be Ezra from now on then." That wouldn't stop her, of course. Speckles would still be in her repertoire of names for him.

He asked her about the mushroom she had destroyed thanks to his interference, and for a moment Syanna regarded him with a confused look. What did he care about what the plants and herbs she was gathering did? There was no way this young wolf who could barely hold a conversation with her without looking like he was going into some sort of blissful coma was a healer. But his question had been innocent enough and it was part of their game, so she answered regardless. "It's called fly agaric. It's a very rare mushroom that produces psychedelic effects and trips. A lot of wolves enjoy it for recreational and relaxation purposes." She tossed her head with a nonchalant air about herself. "I wasn't going to use it for anything. It's very valuable to the right wolves though, and I was hoping I'd be able to use it to barter with another wolf or pack for things I might need." Like food, basic supplies, a place to sleep with a roof over it, all the rudimentary elements for survival. But she wasn't going to say all that out loud. Ezra already appeared to fancy himself the "knight in shining armor" type, and she didn't need him tripping over himself to try and save her.

"Okay, big boy, it's my turn," she said. Syanna paused, tapping her chin with a cream-colored paw while she searched for a good question to ask. "Why are you fixed on trying to help me? Up until now, you didn't know who I was or anything about me, yet you kept chasing me down, trying to go out of your way to do something for me. Why?" Was this a game to him? Did he have an angle or some sort of ulterior motive? He had to. No brute did anything for anyone without wanting something back in return. So what did Ezra want with her? Better to get it out in the air now so she could know whether to cut and run or humor him a little longer.

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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He scoffed and smirked when she insisted that Speckles suited him, rolling his eyes. Even when she said that he'd be Ezra now, he had a feeling that the nickname would continue. She seemed to like poking fun at him even though he had no idea why. It made him wonder if he should be teasing her back, but he couldn't find anything to tease her for. She was pretty, obviously smart if she knew all this stuff about plants, and was way more independent and spirited than his mother or sisters had ever been. It briefly made him wonder what was so different about her or maybe how she grew up to make her this confident compared to the women in his life. Obviously he had examples of stronger women around him like Resin had been and Tamsyn to an extent, but for the most part they needed protecting and somehow Syanna didn't seem that way.

He lifted a curious brow when she told him that this mushroom she had been collecting before he accidentally made her crush it could make wolves have psychedelic episodes. He didn't know there were plants that did anything other than what the healers used to treat wounds or maybe some that were poisonous. But there were some that wolves wanted just to... eat for fun? He didn't know what a psychedelic trip was like, but if some wolves would give a lot of stuff for it then it must be pretty great. Of course the main thing he picked out of all of that was that she was going to trade for things she needed, but she moved on to her next question too quick before he could ask what she needed - not really occurring to him that she might have done that on purpose to keep him from asking.

He blinked with surprise at her question, clearly not really understanding why he wouldn't be trying to help her. All his father had ever taught him was help others, be the protector, take care of your sisters, help those in need... "Well, I mean... You're out here on your own and I made you mess up your mushrooms and stuff so... I figured I should help you, ya know? I gotta at least fix what I've messed up, right?" A shy grin pulled at his lips, his ears flicking nervously. "Plus... you're really pretty and stuff so I just wanted to get to know you too." He didn't know if he should be telling her that he thought she was pretty, but he did promise to be honest so now he was being honest.

Ezra Adravendi

Despite her doubting that this boy knew next to nothing about botany, she had to give him credit, he was at least paying attention to her while she explained why the fly agaric had been such a treasure to find. He seemed a touch perplexed by the idea of a recreational drug, but if he had been sheltered in a cushy pack his whole life, she couldn't exactly blame him. His parents must have been the stuffy, prudish types to try and shield their precious baby boy from bad influences, like herself. The thought made her smirk a little to herself. For some reason, she liked considering herself a bad influence.

Now it was her turn to be genuinely surprised when Ezra answered her question with a response so blunt that it had to be the truth. It wasn't just about the mushrooms, it was also because he found her attractive. She stared at him, bewildered, blinking a couple times while she processed his straightforward honesty. He really was unworldly, wasn't he? A sheltered pack boy just getting big enough to venture out into the world on his own. And boy, was he big enough! One of the biggest wolves little Syanna had ever seen! "Oh! Um... thanks?" She stumbled over her words, not really sure how to respond to that confession. Compliments were not something she was used to. She gave him an awkward smile, her ears folding back abashedly. "You're not so bad on the eyes either, Ez. Real unique coat you're wearing." And his eyes, that blue as clear and vivid as a cloudless sunny sky. She would never say that out loud though.

Syanna cleared her throat after a moment, and once realizing Ezra had missed another turn of not asking her a question, decided he was probably getting too distracted by her to remember they were even playing a game. "Well, you don't need to feel bad. I've already forgiven you for the mushroom incident, so you don't have to put yourself in indentured servitude for me or anything," she said, shooting him a roguish grin. "Y'know, if you wanted to get to know me, you're not doing a very good job of keeping up with the asking me questions thing. So... are we still playing, or is there something more specific you'd like to talk about?" Because if they weren't playing anymore, she would need to head off to find where she would be sleeping the night before it got too late in the afternoon. Ah, the joys of being a vagabond...

"Syanna Alluráin"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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He felt his face get hot with embarrassment at the stunned reaction she had to his confession, realizing that was probably just a little bit too far. He wanted to be honest, but maybe he should have kept that bit of information to himself for a little longer. He hadn't exactly interacted with strangers all that often so he had to figure out where exactly the line was between being honest and making things awkward. He gave a shy grin to her compliment, catching the shortened nickname she gave him. Well, it was certainly better than Speckles so he could definitely settle for Ez if she liked that. He couldn't really tell if having a unique coat was a good thing or not, but he took it as a compliment anyway. "Oh, thanks," he replied, equally as awkward even though he was the one that had caused the awkward in the first place.

He still didn't really want to just accept her forgiveness for the mushrooms he had messed up for her, but it didn't seem like she was going to let him do anything to make it up to her so he didn't really have a choice. He nodded to the statement, begrudgingly accepting it. He winced a little and gave her an apologetic grin when she pointed out how bad he was doing at getting to know her since he hadn't asked another question for their game that he had admittedly forgotten about. He had been too focused on her green eyes and pretty, fluffy coat and how the light glistened lightly off parts of the fur that looked like it would be incredibly silky. "Um... I... I don't know what to ask," he admitted, his ears flicking back. Jeeze, he was really just making a mess of this, huh?

Feeling as if their meeting was being forced to draw to a close he quickly added, "Well... If you ever need anything or want a pack to trade with or anything, I live in a pack in that direction called The Hallows," he said, lifting his paw to point back behind him toward the castle in the distance. "They're all about helping anyone in need and stuff so... Just let us know if you need help or a place to stay or whatever." He gave her another apologetic glance as he got up, silently kicking himself for being so painfully awkward. "It was really nice meeting you, Syanna. Um... I hope I see you again sometime." With that he turned to leave and get himself out of there before be made a bigger fool of himself.

Ezra Adravendi