Come down, come down sweet reverence

They continued on through the forested area until they came to a lovely little creek. Cattails and golden tufted grasses lined either side of the lake as well as trees crowned richly in bright green leaves. A soft golden glow could be seen to the east where the sun was rising higher into the morning sky. The creek ran gently over and around a number of rocks, the water reflecting the trees above and providing a habitat for the smaller creatures that lived here. Jynn noticed a couple frogs sunning themselves on the rocks as well as a snake. A moment later a small family of ducks, two adults and three ducklings when swimming down the creek, seemingly oblivious to their presence. Jynn sighed contentedly. "Oooo now this is a place I could see myself spending a lot of time." She glanced back at Bowen. "So, Bowen, out of curiosity have you always lived as a loner?"

Bowen was content to let Jynn take the lead. The ladies made small talk as they walked from one area to the next. The smaller fae's viridian gaze lit up as the smooth flowing creek came into view. The little swimming ducks, the gentle babbling of the stream, the smell of water... it was much nicer here than at the grape grove, though she had appreciated the beauty of the place.

Jynn questioned her and Bowens russet ears shifted backwards for a moment. "No," she began, her tones soft. "My family is in The Hallows. My mother, Resin, she started the pack." Bowen didn't want to think about her deceased mother, so she moved towards the edge of the creek, bending down to take a drink of the clean, crisp water before continuing. "I wandered away as a pup and was 'collected' by a band of pirate slavers. I only recently returned to the mainland." Casting her gaze at Jynn, Bowen directed the question at the other woman as well. "And you?"

"Bowen"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn noted the reservations in the girl's voice as she explained that her family was in a place called the Hallows. It soon became clear why as she explained that she'd been abducted by slavers as a pup. Jynn flinched. "Shit, that's awful. I'm glad you got away though." Jynn moved to the edge of the water, settling on her stomach for a moment as she dipped one of her paws into the cool water.

"I used to be part of a small pack but… well, shit happened. A larger, warring pack moved in and chased us out. Then it was one disaster after another. I was separated from my family in a storm and left for dead. Been on my own ever since." Jynn stood and shook the water off her paw, forcing a smile on her face. "There are many things I wish I would've done differently, but I can't go back in time, only forward." She took a few steps back from the edge of the creak and then kicked off suddenly, leaping across it to land on the other shore.

Jynn shared her own backstory and the caramel cream girl frowned lightly. "Life is hard sometimes. At least we're both stronger because of our hardships, right?" At least Bowen liked to think that she was stronger. She didn't have a choice and it seemed like Jynn hadn't had a choice either. They had to adapt and grow to survive. That survival and the path that it put them on brought them both to this very place at this very time. Bowen couldn't complain about that. No one was listening anyway.

A few little quacks pulled Bowen's attention towards the little family of birds. The pair of adults were giving themselves a cleaning while the ducklings splashed and played in the shallows. From someplace hidden, a snake struck and pulled one of the ducklings underwater and out of sight. Bowen gasped, eyes going wide. The rest of the ducks fled in a cacophony of squeaks and squeals. Bowen looked to Jynn to see if she'd noticed as well.

"Bowen"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

"Life is hard sometimes. At least we're both stronger because of our hardships, right?"

Jynn nodded in response to Bowen. "Yea, I like to think so. And if not stronger then maybe a little bit wiser." If she could rewrite her history she'd still choose to be living in her homeland with her family but that was not a choice she had. If she'd learned anything it was that there was very little in one's life that could be controlled. The universe would move as it would. An individual couldn't calm a storm through wishing it wouldn't happen. The only choice was to hold on and fight or surrender.

A sudden despairing quack caught her attention as a duckling was pulled under the water. Jynn stared at the water where the duckling had been a moment before, a deep frown on her face. "You know what, I think I'm ready to get out of here. What about you?"

Jynn's words brought a soft laugh from the young woman. "Definitely wiser." She was nothing close to the timid baby that she had been before her capture. Though she didn't show it outwardly, Bowen was cutthroat. She was quick and agile and could lie, cheat and steal with the best of them. Life had given her those skills and she was glad to have them. If her family knew about the things that she'd done to stay alive... The caramel cream fae gave a shake of her head to rid it of thought.

After seeing the duckling being killed, Bowen was also ready to leave. Suddenly, this place was a little tainted. Jynn suggested that they leave and Bowen nodded, moving a bit downstream to leap across a series of stones that would take her to the other side of the creek. Once on the same side as Jynn, she moved up beside the woman and they continued on their way.

"Bowen"