Noctisardor Bypass dressed as fae, we chase the bad away

Constantly now, leaves drifted through the air. The forest floor grew thick with a carpet that crunched beneath Druid’s paws. The colors were rich, the smells even richer. She reveled in it all, though every day she missed Bracelet’s company.

After breakfasting with @Sequoia, the girl gathered some of the leftover bones and carried them to the rocky outcropping where the snake slept. She took pains to arrange them nicely among the others she’d left on previous days. When Bracelet woke, Druid wanted her to know she had been thinking of her always.

Stepping back, she admired her handiwork for a moment before turning and strolling leisurely through Rivenwood. For some reason, she wasn’t in the mood to go exploring. She felt rather rooted in the wood today. Perhaps she would simply mosey around until she found some suitable company.

In the meantime, some small white crystals joined the shower of leaves, though Druid had yet to notice.

@Ellora

Ellora took a deep breath when she awoke that morning, and a small satisfied feeling set her tail swishing--just once. She was not one for over-feeling. Snow. She could smell it coming. It wasn't as good as rain in her opinion, but it was cold, and she liked the cold.

Just as it began, a small dusting through what orange-brown leaves were still left on the trees, a pup wandered near to her.

Ellora sat very still, her head turned away, watching the pup out of the corner of her eye, and halfway hoping that, if she did not move, she would not be noticed. Children were very... child-like, and Ellora had no patience for their constant questions and high-pitched voices and screams.

More and more flakes began to swirl through the air, though something else drew her attention. Druid slowed and paused in her step when her mismatched eyes fell upon an unfamiliar she-wolf. She went very still, ears drawing back, gaze assessing. Her nose twitched, taking in the stranger’s scent. She smelled of rain showers, pine needles and, beneath that, the heart of Rivenwood.

Deciding she must be a recent recruit, Druid turned her body slightly to face the woman, bowing her head as she offered a quiet, Hello. I’m Druid. She always felt a little unsure around unfamiliar people, particularly her elders, though recently meeting Mireille and Sobo had built up a little bit of confidence. Who are you?

No sooner had the words left her lips than a snowflake struck her in the eye. Druid blinked rapidly at its cool sting, eyes flicking upward to check if it was raining, only to finally notice the slight flurries with a small gasp.

Ellora was simultaneously happy about the snow and vexed by the pup and her needs to speak. She hated introductions--they seemed so useless. Would it not simpler to know, already, everyone's name in the entire world, so that, if speech were truly necessary, one could get to more important things right away.

She sighed quietly and said, "Hello Druid. I am Ellora." She kept her face turned away from the pup, watching the snow fall. Intentionally or unintentionally, she sat like a wall, cold and uninviting. She said no more, only waited to see if this Druid, like all pups, would begin a game of incessant, inane questioning.

She barely registered Ellora’s introduction, much less her small sigh. Enchanted by the swirling snowflakes, Druid kept gazing upward for long moments. Her belly swooped with excitement, knowing this must be snow. She could hear Wylla’s voice echoing her head. “…white fluffy crap that gets in your toes and eyes and nose and makes you wanna stay inside…” Druid snorted as, indeed, a stray flake tickled her nostril.

She sneezed vehemently, several times in a row, her head shaking back and forth with the sheer force of it. When she looked up again, she saw Ellora standing there in stony silence. How could she look so completely unaffected by this beautiful, wonderful phenomenon?

It wasn’t really like her, yet Druid couldn’t help herself. Inspired by the snowfall and her new pack mate’s stoic face, she suddenly dipped forward into a playful bow. She feinted hither and thither, petite paws drumming on the cold ground, trying to get Ellora to take notice and delight in winter’s arrival.