Neverwinter Forest spiritus arbore

AW! — @Solharr @Callyope for visibility

a snowshoe hare bounded off at a dashing speed through scattered pines and sparse shrubbery. hot on it's tail was the thudding sound of weaving paws colliding with a frosted earth. the sun was still abundant here, but as the chase continued snow slowly faded from beneath the pursuer's paws until the sun no longer warmed her pelt. 

shaded now and out of breath, the yearling stopped to drink in her surroundings. she sought somewhere to quench a now sizable thirst, but found only the sound of her paws shifting beneath her weight. the hare, now far from her vision, was trailed after with a labored pace right up until the crips scent of packland struck her nose. 

a shame, she could have used that pelt. 

the girl turned from the forest to backtrack, only to have a glimmer of some greenery catch the corner of her eye and whirl her in that direction. a soft "oh," slipped pass her lips as she bounded over to the seemingly useless patch of moss and began to prod at it cat-like.

sólhárr's form emerged from the shadows, tension radiating from his towering frame. his single amber eye locked onto the young woman prodding at the moss with a kind of reckless ease.

you tread close to forneskja, his voice rumbled, low and firm, the weight of his authority palpable in the crisp air.

he didn’t move closer, though his stance remained guarded, ready. the line between curiosity and caution sharpened in his gaze.

YAYYY METICCC

<333

she lowered to sniff at the damp bundle of greenery, a voice cutting through the trees and startling her upwards. fur prickled along her spine, ears smoothed flat as she turned to behold the forest giant. her tail, though unbound through nerves and uncertainty, settled to an appeasing sway. 

his lack of approach, and thereafter chase, stirred a bout of confidence in the nymph as she offered a few silent blinks in his direction. "vir fortis," she breathed, taking a daring step forward to inhale the man's scent that drenched the neighboring trees. 

she'd not brave to pull her gaze from the burning stare of his, but a quick glance downward saw her tap gently against the bundle of moss that had enticed her to their doorstep. "water moss," she revealed with a pleasing smile and quickened sway of her tail, as if that alone would explain why she lingered so near.

water moss, she said, her voice light, but sólhárr’s gaze remained steady, weighing her every movement.

husband, he asked, his tone low, carrying through the snow-laden air like a rumble of distant thunder. does he linger near?

his single golden eye flicked briefly to the bundle of greenery at her paws, then back to her face. je did not approach, though the tension in his frame suggested he could close the distance in an instant if her answer proved unsatisfactory.

the forest giant, or rather guardian, did not appear as enthused with her moss as she was herself. a pity, she would have enjoyed showing him the secret that laid beneath the damp greenery. his lack of interest set about a visible droop in the yearling, a smile now tugged downward to a disappointed frown. 

the gloom was quickly displaced with bewilderment at the man's next choice of words, a soft yet perplexed, "hmmm?" drawn out between breaths. it was not so much the question itself that brought about her confusion, but rather what had led him to ask such a thing. 

the last she'd seen a man was before the first frost had replaced the morning dew, surely she did not smell of any man now!

"no husband," she revealed, forepaw slipping free of the moss and coming to rest neatly aside the other. "alone," she assured, a gentle gesture beckoning the man closer should he wish to confirm her words with the scents woven among her fur.

the chieftain thought her too young to have been wed, but he could never be too cautious with his women. he had too many to protect during this upcoming year— and be damned if any outsider reared pups in forneskja's sacred grounds!

he bid her with a smell to her nape as she approached. it was confirmed, then! he was satisfied with this. with a huff, he blew out the air against her throat and turned his attention back to the moss.

show me. he ordered.

there was a certain uneasiness had with a man as large as this one so near to her neck. but she'd been the one to invite him closer, and so she stood static as he preened through the scents along her nape. she'd held her breath half expecting him to lunge — 

a giggle erupted unexpectedly then as he blew out the air against her throat, the fur and twigs tangled there dancing about in the exhale. she jolted back, a shiver sent down her spine as she tried to regain her composure. a flash of warmth beneath her skin, a hushed, "ah," escaping her as she tried to rummage for the right word to explain what had happened!

"tickle," she clarified, lifting a paw to where he had previous huffed out a puff of air to her neck. well, that was embarrassing! 

thankfully the humiliation lasted no more than a moment, his interest in the moss stealing away her self-consciousness and replacing it with confidence. she turned her attention back to the green bundle beneath their paws and began to dig aside it, ushering the man closer so that he might dig too should he wish.

the girl had flared a child like youthfulness that brought his mind to his elska. his nose twitched as she reared back, exclaiming in earnest. his eyes widened briefly, bulging at her innocence.

when she invited him to dig, he stepped forward, his massive frame lowering as he raked his claws through the cold earth. his movements were deliberate, each powerful stroke cutting deeper into the soil around the moss.

tickle, he repeated gruffly, the word foreign on his tongue but not unpleasant. he glanced at her briefly before focusing back on their task.

the earth yielded beneath his efforts, revealing more of the moss. he paused, leaning back slightly to observe the patch they’d unearthed, then flicked his tail, inviting her to inspect their progress.

this what you seek? he asked, his voice low but curious, his gaze steady on her.

her ears flickered at the repeated word, a soft hum drawing out as they continued to dig. his paws were near twice the size of her own, and what would have taken the nymph some tiresome minutes alone was cut down to only a few moments with the two waged together. 

more moss emerged beneath the earth as the forest guardian took a step back to question their goal. she turned to him, a smile threatening to stretch from ear to ear as she revealed, "little more."

carefully she lowered herself to sniff at the exposed moss, teeth gently clasping ahold of a clump before tugging backwards. it gave free after a few jerks, at which she spat it out and proceeded to hover near the small pit they had created, anxiously waiting. 

a moment passed and nothing, but then —

the earth pooled small beads of water from the earth, creating a puddle no bigger than the size of her paw. ever pleased and beaming with a ray of delight, she tapped against the same tuff of moss she had when they'd first met. 

"when thirsty, look to water moss," she explained, bending down after a moment to lap at the now small puddle beneath them.

her enthusiasm was infectious, and though his expression remained composed, there was a flicker of something softer in the way his golden eye followed her movements.

hmm, he rumbled, stepping back slightly to give her room as she revealed the secret of the moss. the water that pooled beneath it glinted in the filtered light, a small marvel of the forest's ingenuity.

he lowered his head, sniffing the moss and the water it produced with mild interest before lifting his gaze back to her.

you know the forest well for your age, he remarked, his voice low but not unkind. how else do you survive alone? the question was genuine, a curiosity born of respect for her resourcefulness. he waited, giving her the space to share more if she wished, his towering frame relaxed yet attentive.

she continued to lap at the water until it was no more, pulling away to watch as more beads seeped between root and earth to once again fill the puddle. content, she drew her gaze to the questioning man, surprised the forest guardian did not know of such a simple trick. 

she drew her muzzle upright in titled thought, trying to pluck the right words from her mind to explain. finally, she brought her thoughts to the moss, an appreciate twinkle found in her shamrock eyes. "moss grow in forest," she began, looking to the ground as she dug her claws beneath the earth. 

"so do i," she revealed, sprouting with the charm of a budding flower. she'd been taught to seek moss even before her first hunt! survival was not so difficult when one knew the vegetation to ward off hunger and where to quench a thirst when no other option was readily available.  

"the forest will help if you ask it," was as simple as it was true.

this, i know, he murmured, his voice low and thoughtful, as though speaking too loudly might disturb the pulse of the world around them. je crouched, pressing a paw to the mossy earth as if to feel that same rhythm she spoke of. forneskja is alive. it pulses through us, through the land, through the moss you dig from the ground.

he lifted his gaze, golden eye meeting hers with a searching intensity. do you feel it too? he asked, tilting his head slightly. the gods—they call to those who listen. they whisper through the trees, hum in the rivers, and echo in the heart of the hunt.

his tail flicked behind him, a slow, deliberate motion as he straightened. if the forest helps you, it is because you are part of it. and that is no small gift. it means the gods see you, girl. they know your name.

it is a riveting and worldly thing in which the man speaks, her focus attuned to his voice and motion. forneskja — he'd spoken this word before. she radiates a wordless know of understanding as he continues to share his words, surprised yet thrilled to have found someone who knew the forest's beat as she did. 

she settled beside the man, haunches falling to rest as she looked to him with a glowing smile. "i feel this," she admits, ears swiveling as he talked of gods and great whispers of the wind. gods — she did not know them. but the way in which he spoke; perhaps his gods and her spirits were dear friends. perhaps she and him could become this too.  

and as her heartstrings thrummed a gentle tune, velia knew his words to be a good thing. in this she was proud. "this make me glad," she cheered, tail contently drumming against the forest floor.

his gaze lingered on her for a moment, taking in the sincerity of her words, the way her smile lit up her face like sunlight breaking through the trees. her enthusiasm was infectious, and he found himself nodding.

what is your name? he asked, his tone warm but measured. he wanted to know the spirit behind the glowing smile, the one who seemed to understand the pulse of the forest so naturally.

after a beat, his gaze softened further, and his tail gave a faint sway. would you come with me? forneskja’s roots are deep. you would belong among them.

oh, a name! "am velia," she introduced, looking expectantly to the man for him to do the same. she noticed then his gaze was softer now, and what once was an unwavering guardian now swayed in the breeze. 

this word — forneskja — he'd said it yet again, and finally it clicked to the girl that this was forneskja. her mouth parted in a small gape of awareness as she looked past the forest sentinel and further to what lied beyond. 

velia belonged to the trees and soil, her heart beat for it. perhaps then his forneskja would be a forest worth getting to know. and so she returned her wanderlit stare back to his own, chirping an accepting, "i will come!" to his offer.