Haunted Wood don't fall asleep at the helm

Takes place in the birch tree section of Haunted Wood. No need to match length, this is just Zsu's introductory post on WOLF.

It was warmer than normal this time of year. Migrating northbound in her travels, the Mackenzie stuck close to the snaking body of water slithering up through the land. It had been nothing but flat land and no overhead cover for miles until encountering a patch of forest territory that proved to be a shady refuge from the balmy heat of the day. It was highly unusual for Zsuzsa to be voyaging midday, considering how acclimated she was to mold into a mere phantom of the shadows herself during the still of the night. Desperate times call for desperate measures as they say, and in the southern unexplored outskirts beyond the Teekon Wilds there was a dry spell not only with the weather but with a selection of prey.
 
Pronghorn dominated the southern moorland of the Teekon outskirts and Zsuzsa managed to languidly tread after a pronghorn female and what looked like a matured fawn on the cusp of its adulthood that broke away from their herd. The female looked older, slightly emaciated most likely due to the drought drying up their grazing sources. Her fawn displayed similar scraggly anatomy but didn’t appear as malnourished. For the slim pickings of what could be caught from martens and weasels that were typical on the menu for a lone female wolf, the pronghorn would be a rare delight to behold. If the Mackenzie could snag this, it would give her some much needed time off from her exhaustive travels.
 
With the pair vanishing into the trees, there was a millisecond of a pause from Zsuzsa before entering the thicket of the forest. Something about this forest seemed… off. Zsuzsa couldn’t put her paw on what evoked such a feeling, but it felt even in the midst of the day, an invisible presence watched from beyond. That was partially true, given a raven had been surveilling her this whole time from above and kept itself tucked up in the canopy. Lightly snorting, she trudged on. The pronghorns hastened their pace, causing Zsuzsa to break into a lope. There was a particular congested patch of birch and shrubs Zsuzsa had to weave through (temporarily losing sight of the pair) but once out of that midst, she was led to the muddy banks of the river.
 
And the pronghorn pair all of a sudden weren’t anywhere to be found.
 
Save for the melodious rush of the river, an unanticipated dead blanket of stillness blanketed the area with heavy energy. Zsuzsa’s hackles raised. Coming to a dead stop, ears perked, and silver eyes roamed the area. Her nostrils flared, only smelling the heated dampness of the forest, losing the trail of the pronghorn. The raven perched on a branch above, its cold eyes staring intently at Zsuzsa. Glancing up and sniffing at the bird, this off-putting feeling wasn’t the omen of the raven itself. There was something else bizarre here. Approaching the bank of the river, Zsuzsa saw her turbid reflection and took the opportunity to satiate her thirst. As if the heat of the day wasn’t weighty enough, this unexpected stillness was battling in competition with it. She drank with cautious laps.

He had gone further then he had ever planned to. Moving south from plain to meadow to prairie until he found himself here. It was an odd forest, not at thick as the Neverwinter pines standing sentinel, though no less beautiful. From gnarling oaks in a misted vale, haunting and shadowed even in the daylight hours. To melancholy willows, their branches drooped, falling to the earth instead of high to the skies. Then the white birch trees came and he silently traversed the area known as Haunted Wood. Formally claimed by a aggressive and powerful lot, now the lands were silent and still, back to its namesake. 

Aiolos followed the river now, his movements a lazy lope. He had grown tired in the few days of searching endlessly for his missing brethren, only to come up short. Now, he merely strode, his purpose nearly lost to him. 

Then he heard a scurrying through the forest. Panting heaves of panic, rushed movements. He pauses, head darting around, body circling. The sounds of the fleeing pronghorn echo through the trees, dizzying him. He cannot pinpoint the sound, the forest making him feel as though it were playing tricks on him, watching him, and he shakes his head back and forth hard, trying to get his bearings. 

And the sound is gone. And when he opens his eyes out in the distance by the river's edge is a wolf, stark black with piercing pale eyes. And for a moment, be it her sudden sight, his tired and weariness, or the forest itself, Aiolos is struck. He stares.

In the instantaneous manner the pronghorn disappeared, her roving eyes while drinking caught sight of what seemed like a materialized, unexpected presence in the distance that came into view. Zsuzsa’s head shot up, ears thrust forward. Water droplets fell from her chin as her steel gaze observed a tall figure enshrouded in a mesmerizing mix of auburn and russet hues. She couldn’t recall seeing a wolf like him with such rich color woven in his fur before. The male was a stark contrast to the silent sentry of birch surrounding him. The birch was pale in comparison with their dark horizontal lenticels cutting through their bark. Some lenticels looked eye-like, a thousand lens-like grooves onlooking the encounter with mute anticipation of the two wolves and what the first word (or move) would be from either.
 
Stress hormones rising in tandem with the temperature, this sent Zsuzsa’s senses in a flurry of unspoken calculations of him from her distance. The first thing to note was he did not look nor smell in any way associated with the Weald search party of herself, which quelled that notion. The next was his lean and powerful figure, the promise that wherever he descended, the land was favorable of survival suitability. Compared to him, her figure was more slim than usual, with the outer layer of her coat shedding profusely these last several days in an effort to lighten the load of her natural pelt of the elements due to the heat. Zsuzsa cared not about that impression she may make, for many things to perceive in the wild is likely to be wrongly interpreted. Big things even came in average packages.
 
Speaking of illusion, Zsuzsa blinked several times to assure herself he wasn’t a phantom this strange forest was portraying. It was then she would break the ice to further confirm if this forest was playing a deception on her. “Did the two pass through that way?” Her question was straightforward, slightly above pitch to be overheard amongst the rush of the river to be carried to the distance he was at.

Aiolos was both dizzied and memorized as he looked down the riverbed towards the dark figure. Completely black as night, a shadow in the towering ghostly pale trees. Even a crow, perched above her in the trees, cawed and stared back at him as she did. The fiery wolf, blinked hard and he thought for a moment the Haunted Woods were just as they were named. A beautiful woodland of different types to draw in all manner of prey and predator depending on the view they longed for. And within, there stood Death- silent, beautiful, and waiting... 

But she spoke, and Aiolos body did a quiver. It was the voice of a real, live wolf and he found his once tense muscles already beginning to ease. Tricks, it all had been but tricks and Aiolos couldnt help but smile at this, shaking his skull, both to himself and the woman's question. 

He takes a few strides closer, answering, I um... I thought I had heard them, all around me, really... Another small chuckle and be shakes his skull once more. Ridiculous. But I couldnt find where. Guess the forest is named 'Haunted' for a reason. But she wouldnt have known, her being completely knew to the Wilds and all.

Zsuzsa was relieved the heat wasn’t playing games with her reasoning of reality. When he acknowledged her question with a considerate response of his own, she eased her suspicion of his physical presence but still kept her indications of caution about her. Fur prickled, ears attentive, and shoulders squared, she kept her ground as he moved closer. The tone which he answered sounded like no significant threat, but even the most neighborly conversation wouldn’t allow Zsuzsa to give the benefit of the doubt.
 
Suggesting he heard all around him made her head tilt to the side in a curious motion. Was there more pronghorn to be found here and the lone pair she tracked was joining up with another band? She could feel the pit of her stomach gargle in famishment at the idea. He mentioned more insight to the eerie atmosphere of the area, which suddenly became more riveting to her than the pronghorn. ”Haunted,” She replied, her curiosity mildly engaged. ”…there wouldn’t happen to be a burial ground here, would there?” Zsuzsa had a fascination with the occult and if there was anything to be mannerly to, it was the dead and their unspoken mandates.
 
The Mackenzie was certain the black arts attached itself to her. It was the closest reason she could muster why the Raven followed her for miles and since following her, bizarre encounters happened. Zsuzsa glanced at the birch trees surrounding them, noting their unblinking eye-like lenticels. Whether the “look” of the trees made her discomfited or was suddenly interested in what the male could share, she slowly started to gravitate toward him. He was an unexpected beacon from her many moons and miles of travel. So much for not giving the benefit of the doubt. She was breaking her own rule but couldn't explain why she decided to change her mind so abruptly about keeping her distance from him.

She was cautious just as he and held every right to it. Being in a strange new place, with a strange new wolf, and hungry and tired, likely, as so was he. 

When he drew nearer, at a more pleasant speaking distance, he stops and his eyes linger over the swift moving river next to them. And back to her again, when she mentions a grave site and decides it was okay to bring herself nearer. Their curiosity is what moved them this day.

I honestly dont know, I've never come this far south before. It did belong to a pack previously, the Nightwalkers, so perhaps? And then, he answers, should the thought cross her mind as to why he was here then. I was looking for someone. Or 'someones' really, granted their was a number of their packmates having gone from them when all the storms had been raging. Finally it seemed, it had stopped.

 Have you seen anyone else here? Might as well ask first as to not waste his time in this strange forest.

Let me know if describing the faint sea in his fur is okay (Zsu has never encountered the ocean or has been near a coast in her life so far) If not, I can edit that part out. :]

As the two drew close in better suitability, she noticed his eyes were ablaze like his coat with brilliant amber and gold. His radiant colors drew her to him like a moth to a flame. From where she originated wolves were drab in black, gray, and white; essentially monotonous in their color. There was also an indiscernible waft of some sort of peculiar scent tied to his fur. Did it smell briny and salty? It was too faint and unknown for her nose to discern, but it was intriguing. His entire presence about him held a magnetism that was unlike the wolves Zsuzsa encountered before these lands. The wolves in the outskirts seemed like they were in always great need and it came with anxiousness. He seemed collected and void of desperation of any resources at least physically in health. This was indeed a good sign to the lone female.
 
Learning he wasn’t necessarily from these parts, her ear flicked at the name, Nightwalkers. ”Mm. Seems to suit a place like this…” Zsuzsa remarked, mimicking his glance at the river. She refocused her steel gaze on him. ”Any idea what happened to them?” He did state he didn’t come this far south, so maybe he didn’t know much more as it was her last-ditch effort to try and extract some useful lore about this area before proceeding in travel.
 
Giving his reasoning of being this far south, Zsuzsa shook her head. ”No.” She said simply without a smile or frown. ”Is there someone I should be on the lookout for?” She said with a neighborly tone. Zsuzsa wouldn’t mind cooperating for the sake of being of assistance to the wolves who made the greater parts of the north their home. It could provide good karma to her in the future. It could also be a question if there was anyone, in particular, she had to be cautious of during her exploration.

Fine with me. I dont know whether or not Olo would still have traces of salt on him or not, but since idk a idc either I dont see the problem.

No. He answered honestly. I had met their former General on my search just days ago, but didnt want to ask. After all, he did not know the wolves which lived here well. Didnt knowbthem really at all other then their group's name and what they were more or less known for. He didnt want to pry, as certainly their disbandment was a sore subject. 

And then she shakes her head, answering a 'no' back to him all the same. If she hadn't seen anyone else here in this wood, then he could move on. There has been alot of heavy storms the past month. A few of my members have been...misplaced. He wouldn't have liked to think something bad happened to them due by natural disaster or worse in this case, the wrath and possible torture of The Saints. 

A grim expression touching his features, he would be left to look around the forest as though to give one last glance should one of his pack magically appear to them. When he turns back to the black wolf, he realizes more so her height, as tall and as lean she were. Taller then he, bigger. He imagined she would be quite a force to reckon with and thus, didnt mention The Saints. For all he knew, she could have been just as murderous and cruel as they. I've been on the hunt but, it seems no luck here. And you...? The question is open, lingering. Had she only just arrived to these lands or had she come from somewhere in the west or east, simply venturing, stretching her paws? 

He wouldnt pry but was curious and it left the floor open for her should she need any direction.

Zsuzsa nodded her head in understanding. Former ghosts, not of the paranormal kind, lingered from the Nightwalkers after all. Judging by the way the fiery male didn’t want to press further into the matter, it must have been compelling disbandment. The lone female would keep the former General of them in mind, should she encounter that individual on her travels in the near future. Breaking the traditions and lore of any pack was always an engaging subject to know what went wrong and not to mention, who was responsible for such a thing. From that, she let the topic drop.
 
The male noted the weather was unusual in other parts of these Wilds and led to the mislay of his pack members. Warring and death were different than wolves getting misplaced by substandard weather that was out of the realm of what their species were typically accustomed to. Zsuzsa showed a flash of sympathy toward him. ”When Mother Nature has the final word, it is difficult to understand why she would do such a thing to her children. If your members are like you, looks like they would be sturdy enough to endure.” She praised, giving a casual sway of her tail. ”If I happen to come across anyone, what pack should I keep in mind?” The Mackenzie was willing to keep an ear and eye out, not to mention this could allude further to a little more personal information about this male, as she mirrored his respect of not overly prying for information.
 
Hunting wasn’t as prime as this woodland promised. Her focus was fading regarding the pronghorn, more interested in this encounter for the time being. He was the first engaging and pleasant wolf she came across since leaving the warring packs, so she wanted to make the most of it. Questioning her motives, Zsuzsa decided for him, it wouldn’t hurt to be honest. ”I am traveling to seek protection within a pack.” Her eyes became troubled. ”It has been many moons on my own. It is about time to repurpose my roots.” It simply wasn’t sustainable living off the small mammals of the land but more so to protect herself from those who were after her. She may have been strong on her own accord but strength in numbers was what wolves thrived and survived off of.

Aiolos couldnt help the smile from her words, ears falling back and his head lowering down in a small dip of silent thanks.  He was well off, this much was certain, as he has adapted himself quite well throughout his life in the art of both scouting and fighting. When he thought about what this woman had said, he knew that Minori, their leading warrior, and Orochi and Hide, both fighters in their own right, would surely overcome. However the details were left unspoken. Orochi had three legs. Hide was blind. Two odd wolves to be guardians amongst their ranks but equally be in skill or luck, they had made it thus far in life. It was less the weather of Aiolos worries, but what being lost on the mainland may intel granted the blood hungry wolves which lived here. 

He wouldn't worry the traveler, however. Not now, at least. Yuelong is the name. A well known pack, though not so to the newcomer. We live just off the coast north of here, on an island. He didnt know if the woman had ever seen the ocean before and to some the concept of living on the beach seemed strange much less so then living on an island. She was a large woman, yet more so in height yhen weight as she was slender and yet, her physique seemed heavier, more sturdy then your average small, thin and wiry coastal wolf. He thought, perhaps, she didnt seem like she harbored from the coast, but forests perhaps even in the mountains. Quite frankly, though he didnt know it, they were of the same Mackenzie blood. 

Though capable, perhaps, our kins was never meant to be alone. Life as a loner was hard and Aiolos had been lucky enough to have not endured it for long, nor had he the itch for adventure all to his lonesome. Being a man who bad more or less been raised with an eye constantly on him, captive and in chains, it was odd that he had never tried to strike out on his own. He was a man of habit, he supposed. There are many packs here, many wolves. Some, less so friendly then others, of course. As with any place but he warned anyhow. I really dont know what your look for in a pack, but I could perhaps make some suggestions? He shrugged, he supposed that the structure of a pack was more or less the same. Though it all came down to who ruled it, how they did so, how one might fit in and of course, the location of what was to be ones new home. You wouldnt happen to be interested in the beach, would you? He smiles, almost sheepishly.

Yuelong. The pack moniker sounded something exotic and unfamiliar. What sounded even more peculiar is how Yuelong was based on an island of all territories. Zsuzsa only experienced the concept of “island” if there was an isle of land in the middle of a lake. Those islets didn’t have a large enough radius for a full pack of wolves to thrive upon. Her black ears flicked forward, with her head tilting to the side some. ”If you don’t mind me asking… how many are ranked with Yuelong?” The connection wasn’t linking in her mind. Then again, the Mackenzie never experienced a true island, not to mention the sea itself.
 
In truth, Zsuzsa enjoyed the solitude. Even when she was bound to serve amongst ranks, she always slinked away in the shadows to her own isolation. If she were to be blessed with better genetics in size and strength, perhaps the loner way of life would be better maintained. To her delight, she had been headed in the right direction toward many packs according to the fiery male before her. Offering proposition to share the knowledge he knew, Zsuzsa’s tail swayed behind her in appreciation and her head lifted higher on her slender neck. ”Well… I can fight. I can provide high-priority protection for others in exchange for food and shelter.” Zsuzsa shared her combative skill as that was what she did best. It didn’t really answer his question though because Zsuzsa didn’t know what she truly wanted in a pack yet. The bare minimum of survival was food and shelter for now. She would just be happy with larger prey options and a warm, dry den she wouldn’t have to leave so hastily from.
 
The brilliant hued male then said a word that was completely foreign to her ears. Beach. The sable colored female remained silent for a moment, contemplating what it could mean. It was an odd word and couldn’t really place it with anything she experienced in her life up until this point. After a lengthy pause, she shook her head. ”I… am actually not sure what a ‘beach’ is?” His sheepish smile made her also smile shyly. Her soft sable ears lowered some in an apologetic manner for not knowing better.

Eight or nine... if we find those we have lost, at least. A bit of a grim expression, though it is changed with a hopeful smirk and bit of chuckle. Along with a herd of pups. Though only one was of his own, along with Hua's, and of their other two subordinates. Well, it was easy to say the amount of children within the ranks was around the same as that of the adults. 

She just wanted a home, it sounded like, be whatever it was or wherever it was. Getting along with the other members or not, he figured as long as she agreed with the Leader's way of rule and she was happy, little else mattered. Having somewhere that the caches were filled and one could sleep soundly without having one eye open was all anyone could hope for. 

Another smile then, as she doesnt know what a beach is. It seemed logical enough to him and it reminded him of when @Lunaria had seen the beach for the fight time. It was unlike anything one had ever seen before, both breathtaking by its beauty and terrifying of its wild and untenable nature. Its... He began to gather an explanation, The sand around an ocean. Different then dirt, like rock and clay is different. The land around the ocean is called a beach. The ocean... A pleasant smile then at the thought of home. It had already been far too long to him. Its like the largest lake you could ever imagine, but endless. As far as the eye can see and the water is salty, and wild like a river. And as he finished, he could understand how frightening it may have sounded to her.

What seemed to be more concerning to Zsuzsa than the eight or nine was the pups. Despite the fact she wasn’t all so keen with handling puppies and adolescence through their growth spurts and temperaments (due to the fact she didn’t necessarily have a healthy upbringing of her own), deep down in her heart was a primal fondness to protect the future of their species whether they were direct kin or not. He may have been a stranger, but it was the least Zsuzsa could do in her position as a lone wolf to offer some sort of assistance as an outsider to his pack. She was no stranger to being a no strings attached mercenary of sorts. ”Do you have a temporary gathering place for the time being if in the event I come across anyone, so I can direct them to you and your pack?” It further solidified Zsuzsa’s due diligence to offer a helping paw to him in a time of natural disaster that was not easy for any pack. Funny enough they had not known each other’s names yet, but Zsuzsa felt a sudden obligation to keep her eyes and ears open specifically for his pack.
 
As the Mackenzie listened to the description of the beach and ocean, Zsuzsa’s imagination ran wild with possibilities of what it looked like. The sand around an ocean, different than dirt. The only sand she experienced was in remotely dried areas that were nearly dunes of sand. All of that dried sand, around an endless body of water that was violent like a river? She couldn’t imagine how that could be even the least bit appealing to call home. It was a difficult concept to accurately imagine. By the way his facial features lightened and beamed at the mention of such an oasis environment, Zsuzsa could tell it was a fond place.
 
She thought on this for a moment and nodded her head in understanding of his explanation (but not in understanding of what it was, it was one of those things where she would have to see it to believe it) ”I will have to see this beach and ocean to experience myself when it is safe to do so. Seems like it is near to your heart, even if it is all water.” It was officially a place on Zsuzsa’s wanderlust list to visit once things settled down for both him and her with their situations.

The fiery colored man had to admit, he was happy for her company in this dark and foggy forest. Though here she had stood, she had looked like a shadow of the dead, a wraith fitting to the Haunted Wood, to sink her tooth and claw into him and drag him into the darknesses of the forest one may never find him again. Still, she had an air of prowess, mystery, and power about her. A simple wanderer or not. 

She was helpful, too. One may think, with wolves of obviously questionable desires around here, she may have been too helpful. Her questions leading one after another... where his pack was, how many in his ranks, his allies... But if she were truly looking for a home and/or wanted to help, everything she had asked was completely sound. Besides, should she have ill intent, her knowing how close Yuelong was to its allies and how good of a group they had, couldnt have hurt. If she dark maiden wanted him gone, she could have done so already. 

North of here after you go through a large open glen, there is a thick forest of pine. It's called Neverwinter. Hense the fact that evergreens stay true to their color all year round and how thick the forest was, 'never winter' seemed fitting enough. An allied pack of ours live there. It is safe until the storms subside. If anything, even if the idea of an island was not fitting to the woman, maybe after a time he would find that she had found sanctuary in the grand forest. He'd like to see her again as well as know she had found happiness in a secure home. 

She mentions then seeing the ocean sometime, her curiosity tugging at her and he laughs a bit as she said 'even if it's all water'. It is hard to explain for those who have not seen it and a difficult terrain for those not well practiced. The sands constantly shifting and the water moving over your feet, taking the ground from under you... He had seen a number of wolves twist an ankle or two before. Then, knowing not to drink the salt water, how not to get caught in rip tides, and of course avoiding jelly fish and sharks... impressively dangerous to go along with its impressive beauty. One may be able to say the same for those who call themselves at home atop high mountains with ragged rock, steep cliffs, land slides and consistent snowfall.

A shrug then, and fiery eyes moved over her pale gaze and out over the forest around them. The forest. A place which was all too common and natural place for the wolf. Of course it had its dangers too, though there was far less so he felt to the elements of living high on the mountains or in the open land of a beach. Then again.. there were the crazy type who lived in deserts and cannons.

Aw shucks, thank you for the kudos! <3 I think this should be a good place to wrap up, yes?

It seemed the Yuelong were largely scattered in this natural disaster but there was one hub of shelter that proved temporary: Neverwinter. The black female nodded silently, storing away the name of Yuelong’s alliance. The Mackenzie really had nothing else of importance to do besides catering to the typical yearning of hunting, so she figured she would make herself somewhat of worthwhile service to him while she was here. ”I’ll have to pay a visit after scouting the rest of this realm. Or hearing anything about the others.” Zsuzsa spoke briefly of paying the fiery male a visit once all was said and done on her end with inspecting these lands more. You would think a lone female who has been low on suitable nourishment would want to immediately seek shelter (given she did state she was looking for a new placement for herself), but Zsuzsa was careful in her selection of such. Maybe a little too calculated, but it never did her wrong.
 
On further elaboration of what beach and ocean consisted of, it was as if he was telling a grand fairytale sort of story. It sounded like a desert, with the mention of “shifting sands”, but then water rushing at your paws like the great rapids of a river. The entire environment sounded like a consistently moving thing and it further puzzled Zsuzsa why anyone would want to live in what sounded like a turbulent land. The additions of “rip tide”, “jellyfish” (which caused Zsuzsa to furrow her brows slightly, what was jelly exactly?), and “sharks” were all foreign words and things that her imagination had little to improvise on. She could only listen with fascination in silence. ”Still having a hard time following this. I will have to see for myself. If Nature decides to leave it intact still.” Based on that statement, there was much to learn about this constantly changing environment. ”I don’t believe we exchanged names. I’m Zsuzsa.” She remembered they didn’t go through the typical formalities. It would be good to save the name of this interesting male from his interesting pack lands. Something told her they would cross paths again in the future.
 
To which, her eyes were also drawn back to the sudden eerie surrounding of the Wood. The trees and the Raven had been listening to the two intently however, there seemed to be what was low creeping mist or fog beginning to settle.

Aiolos listens on as she explains that she would have to pay him a visit sometime at this Neverwinter forest, if not for visiting him at the ocean. Either way, Aiolos wonders if he would run into the woman again or if her travels would take her far and to where she would find settlement in a home where visiting was not an option. Either way, he could only wish the woman best who otherwise had been pleasant in their little meeting. 

I'm Aiolos, He spoke with a dip of his muzzle respectfully to the dark woman before him. Thinking that it was perhaps due time as well for him to move on, he would begin to turn round, jutting his snort forth as he side glanced back to the woman he now knew as 'Zsuzsa'. Best stick together until we get out of this forest, He spoke with a bit of a chuckle at how turned around one seemed to get in here. Then Ill have to get on my way. It was good meeting you and I wish you luck on your travels. And after some time of trying to get out of the forestry, Aiolos would begin his search up once again for his missing packmates.

Aiolos was the first wolf Zsuzsa encountered in these Wilds. His first impression would leave a permanent impression on her, seeing as how he was the first wolf since departing her troubled birth pack that hadn’t been out for her blood. She knew he had many miles to go before him, and hopefully within those miles would recover some of his lost packmates. She wondered how long the task would take him. In the meantime, she would attempt to keep her eyes and ears open for anyone who spoke of the Yuelong or his name.
 
”Until the next time, Aiolos. Take care.” Zsuzsa called out, swaying her tail and watching as Aiolos disappeared amongst the trees. The area fell dead silent again, the mist transpiring into a heavier gray cloak amid the thin trees. Zsuzsa gave a quick shake of her coat before setting off into a stealthy lope northwest. The Raven in the trees above took to the skies to follow in tow as soon as she left, for the Raven seemed to not want to linger any longer by itself.
 
This was once the Nightwalkers territory and she would let any lingering souls sleep without disturbance. Surely there were secrets and prophecies to be sough through the paranormal, but she would rather let fate unravel her future for herself.