Phoenix Maplewood let's go dancing in the light

the maplewood has become fair game for adventures, with the strict instruction that she always return to the territory before the sun dip beneath the horizon, and "use her common sense". unknown to the girl, it's a freedom only given because her mother fears to restrict her within the borders entirely will lead to her sneaking out into more dangerous parts of the wild (likely remembering her own exploits as a pup). 

she enjoys dragging one of her littermates out here to explore when she can, but has come to value her time alone here as well. the lone adventurer against the unknown wilderness is a game she's fond of, and has come too to make it a point to return with something for aphrodite. she may not know all the names of the herbs within her den, or their uses, but the scents are distinctive enough to recognize when she comes across them. 

she hovers at a careful little bush now, scenting the leaves while her mind works to connect the scent to one of the piles, perhaps even if a name if the healer happened to mention it. brow is furrowed in concentration, soft nose trailing over one of the fragile stems. 

maybe @Polaris? :)

it had not been her intention to roam this far and yet whatever conniving part of her mind had spun the dials to guide her here still had the audacity to give a startled jolt upon recognizing the trees embracing her with each dainty step. a frown presses to charcoal lips, ears seeking refuge against her head; she was both too far and much too close, the distance stretching between her and the hollow too vast and what tainted land lingered between her and papa's resting place much too little. so why? what had urged the stirring of wanderlust paws to drag her back in time? why not propel her forward, away from the drag of muttering ghosts and into the caress of new light? 

eyes would linger idly upon the shifting floor of dappled light kissing its drops of sun upon the dirt, the familiar whisper of the tall trees dragging up the recent image of her pressed tightly against her sable sister as they both wept under the wood's watchful eye. she should leave, it would be so simple to angle her figure away from the rippling gloom and pretend she'd never strayed this way at all but...she simply doesn't. for when paws shift, they tempt her forward and the dove finds herself unable to challenge them to behave otherwise. without a mere breath of hesitation, she complies.

she realises in a manner of minutes that she is no longer alone, and the scent to tickle at the twitch of her leathery nose draws her to a hasty still. whitebark stream, of course. she had no right to feel as much as a flicker of irk for it was she who intruded upon their domain and yet her heart still writhed with discomfort as narrowed eyes sought whoever might be the host of the telltale smell dancing with the breeze. and it would have been all too easy for scintillating eyes to skip across the muted figure poised before verdant gleam, pallid cloak not too different to what would adorn a young fawn or velveteen rabbit, but polaris snagged on lupine ears and a feathery tail. it was a child? eyes widen a fraction, glancing about swiftly lest an adult rambled nearby and would make quick work of the dove but...it would appear that they were alone. this was all too familiar, she really should leave lest she gain the reputation of being a pup napper amongst these wolves but....curiosity trilled its coaxing coos. what if it was the sister of alsek she'd been told of several times? her sister?

not wishing to startle the girl, she'd lower her svelte figure closer to the earth so that they were of a more similar height and let a gentle chuff ride the stirring breeze loitering in the distance still stretched between them. hopefully whoever it was would not regard her with disdain, she believed their pack to be understanding but what outsider could really know. she could be detested there for influencing alsek's new home.

she mouths one of the leaves, considering simply swallowing it and seeing what effect it might have. despite her absolute lack of any hurts, she reasons, she'd notice. she is saved from stomaching a fairly large amount of unnamed herbs by a gentle sound more akin to a breeze, taking a step back from the plants and releasing the greenery before peering around behind her. 

a silver girl she could almost mistake for her mother, save their different builds and the carve of their features. she's lighter, like a cloud caught down here in the wood, more akin to her father, perhaps, absent of his gold. her tail wags, and she steps near. "hi!" she chirps, muzzle curving into an easy smile. "watcha doin'?" tongue swipes over her teeth, and she not-so-gracefully ejects a stray piece of greenery from betwixt needle-sharp fangs.

an amused smile presses to dark lips at the exuberant greeting, the radiance it wielded banishing any leering misgivings that had settled within her mind previously. so like alsek , adorned in the same bliss of unblemished youth and she is reminded of sour stirrings at how this world would seek to crush and destroy that. yet unlike when she'd first stumbled across the raven, a haggard mess, she did not cringe from the vivid joy propelling that smile forth and was glad to find herself instead able to return in with a genuine grin. at the query she cocks her head, brows furrowing in the appearance of pondering this quite seriously before declaring "i'm out exploring, what about you?"

slender brows arch at the display she gets to behold, resulting in a dejected scrap of vegetation finding the floor between them. caught someways between gaiety and concern she'd ask "are you eating the plants? i'm not too sure if that's good for wolves" sadly, to live a life in which food could be acquired without the need to rob another's life could not be more ideal, which was exactly why it could never be true for the wolves the world loved to toy with so fervently.

an explorer! her tail is a banner behind her as she chirps, "me too! I'm a really good explorer but I'm not really supposed to be," the last of her words trail off into a soft admission, though, she reasons, she ought to be fine as long as she stays within the maplewood. mother's taken her and her siblings here often, so surely it should be alright, especially now that she seems to be growing big!

attention is drawn the scrap of leafy greenery, and her auds flick atop her head. "it's an herb!" a moment, and then, "I think. I was testing it!" aphrodite's lessons have yet to include the fact that herbs and plants can deal as much harm as good. tongue slides over her fangs, ensuring that they are free from any more vegetation. "mint makes your tummy better and valerian root makes you sleep," she added, eager to echo back what the healer had told her to someone that was not a member of her family. "'ditey told me," 

a trilled laugh whilst her own head bobs enthusiastically, eyes of polished lustre softly aglow as she hums "don't worry, i wasn't supposed to be when i was your age either but if you just wait a little longer you'll be able to explore everything and the whole world will wait for you, i promise it goes fast" and there is certainly a bittersweetness to catch ahold of the smile poised gingerly upon a slender snout, fiercely hoping that the glinting dagger the world holds at her side remains hidden behind that alluring smile for this girl when she lets paws roam forth to discover the dangerously beautiful wonders laid out for them. but it is with regret that she must admit her own lack of confidence that this place would be oh so kind as to let anyone stroll a path of unblemished light, in the end it is only you that has the power to do such a thing and that in itself is cruel for there is nothing harder to muster when you are wearied and beaten. licking at her lips, she shifts her weight and releases a small huff at the fawn's response, certainly not at ease after hearing that.

svelte figure inches closer, neck stretching out to sniff at the violated shrubbery but coming back empty pawed. she was no healer and as far as she was aware, this plant in particular held no defining features that signaled it out in comparison to any of the other verdant life rustling about them. a proud nod at the parroted facts as she looks back to the child with a smile, happy to laud such pride tickled words "that is very smart i hadn't even known that! so thank you for telling me, i'm sure ditey is very proud of you" a slight wag of her tail before eyes shift from her company's scintillating look back to the plant of interest as she muses "but some plants are not for eating you know? some of them don't like wolves trying to eat them so they'd make you very sick to stop you eating them and that definitely wouldn't feel nice so i don't think you should eat any plants unless you know they are definitely the ones that are okay with it" that was true wasn't it? she'd never actually witnessed such a thing but then again, wolves didn't tend to dally about grazing either and she was pretty sure she'd heard it mentioned at some stage. well, better to be safe than sorry right and this fresh information would certainly lead the pup to question that ditey on it and they would likely know the answer better than she. 

it had, however, reminded her of the one memory she held in these woods that wasn't encased in melancholic aching, and based off of the fact she herself still stood unscathed- it must be safe. an ardent grin presses forth as she announces "i know something really cool in these woods that you can eat though! if you'd like to help me find some" there was a distant clamour in the depths of her mind, warning her away from the girl adorned in such a pack's scent but she, perhaps foolishly, chooses to ignore its moan. instead offering a curiously lilted "what's your name? i'm polaris" and she really wasn't quite sure if she was hoping the girl would say pele or something else entirely.