The Bracken Woods who is your humble, maybe i'll run across him?

AW <3 this will be the first of indra's 'visions'!

ahead the clearing parsed as wiry timber boughs gave way to soft pinestraw and small, bright chartreuse ferns. small pocks of mushrooms sat littering the dark wood's soil and among the rubble of fallen moss-riddled trees and stones the small child sat. her eyes were wide as she huddled under the shivering arm of maidenhair fern. nearly fifty meters before her, browsing through the substrate with a long raking paw, was the massive form of an adult bear. besides from the immensity of its frame, it was pearly and lumbersome -- a wraithlike, extraordinary spectacle stuck in the mundane.

indra had never seen such a large animal before, but she instinctively was afraid. she knew it was not a wolf, or a friend -- and fearful, the child cowered out of sight as the bear rifled through the pinestraw.

she thought of moving, of bolting -- until the animal turned its sightless, blue gaze upon her. instantly she felt her insides liquify, her heart chill and stop -- the bear's gaze tore through her as if looking beyond her plane of existence. indra felt fear overtake her and she burst from the ferns and ran as quickly as her little legs could carry her.

OOC: I'm so sorry if I wasn't supposed to reply to this, please delete if so! :(

Paws ached as they tread carefully along the thorn scattered floors, the mixed brown male had been venturing for what seemed like hours through the eerie terrain, his amber eyes shimmering in the dense light that shown down through the mess of entangled branches above. This place, was without a doubt probably one of the least friendly places Strei had visited so far. The atmosphere of this place sending an uncomfortable chill down his spine.

Tail dragged along the ground behind him, leaves and dirt clinging to his fur as he stared around at his surroundings, eyes peering up at the tall towering trees and random spots of light that managed to escape the thick canopy, adding to the creepy layout before him. Leathery nose twitched as nostrils flared, inhaling the aromas of the dank forest. Scents; new and old hit his senses as he breathed in deeply, the young male abruptly pausing in movement. Something or someone was approaching and rather quickly.

Golden eyes stared cautiously around the terrain as brown fur bristled on end, the young male feeling his muscles tense throughout his entire body. Ears pivoted atop his head as he listened out to the faint paw falls coming from somewhere in the distance, his heart slowly pounding within his chest.

indra's feet thundered like little hooves, whilst her heart pounded like a herd of them. she threw herself through fern and gully blindly, her strides uninterrupted by rock or fallen timber.

as she jumped over a small moss-worn log she saw a wolf ahead and instinctively veered towards him. it didn't matter he was a stranger. it didn't matter he was an unknown quantity. he was an adult. he was safe.

"HELP!" she cried, voice raspy with fear -- she did not slow her gait and once she was upon him she would attempt to throw herself under him in a cowering, quivering mess. he was an adult -- and adults, in all their infinite wisdoms, were an aegis from the terrors of the world.

Head snapped in the direction of a fearful cry, ears erect atop his lean head as his eyes fell upon a small wolf pup. Amber eyes widened almost as he watched the poor thing bolt in his direction like lightning, scrambling underneath him in a petrified state. What on earth had her so spooked? Though in a place such as this and alone, she couldn't be blamed. Though the main question that came to the brute, Why was she alone?

Lowering his head slowly after observing the terrain for anything following the pup, Streiter peered down at her with friendly, curious eyes. His stare soft as he allowed a reassuring smile to creep across his muzzle, ”You're safe now, little one.” his voice calm. Eyes stared away from the girl momentarily, glancing back toward their gloomy surroundings, ”Is everything okay?” he peered back to her, tail swaying in the fallen leaves behind him as he tilted his head curiously. Ears constantly pivoting atop his head as he listened to the sounds around them. 'Well this was certainly unexpected.' he thought as he kept a firm stance over the pup, a strange sense of guardianship taking over the lone wolf.

indra glued herself to the stranger's leg, finding strange comfort in the warmth that exuded from the male's underbody. she quivered, still wild-eyed with fear -- had she the ability to hug sylvas, she would be so close and tight she might have aphyxiated him.

she found the male's voice reassuring, and his closeness a comfort -- timidly she looked up to him not at all abashed by their close proximity. "i.. i don't know." she admitted tearfully, slow gasps of anxiety wracking her frame. "can you see anything? are we being chased?" her heart still hammered mightily against her little ribcage, and she hunched her shoulders and retreated further under the male.

It was an odd feeling for the male, having a pup cling in fear to his leg. Mostly because it never happened, maybe it was because he found it hard to socialize with others and wasn't used to this kind of contact. The possibilities were endless. But she was in need and Streiter couldn't leave her in such a frenzy, especially alone in such a vast place. Feeling her body quiver against his leg, Strei offered her another friendly smile as she looked up at him; ears perked forwards at the sound of her fearful voice, her reply causing a slight frown to cross his features. Being chased? The male tilted his head to the side some as he peered at their surroundings, hazel eyes gleaming as he stared ahead. 'So that's why she was running? If she was being chased, what was it by?' Many questions swirled within his mind as ears listened to the soft howl of the wind, leaves rustling gently as it swept through the canopy.

He remained still, guarding over the pup as his shimmering eyes darted around the terrain. Strei scented the air for any sign of danger, his voice sounding as he questioned the little one, ”Is that why you were running? he looked down to her briefly, ”What were you running from?” Strei looked back up, eyes searching the land for any sign of approaching danger.

as the seconds passed she grew less terrified, though her heart still beat something fierce against her chest. she looked up at the male as he looked around them; his presence (and lack of fear) calmed her.

she nodded as he asked if that was why she was running, her chin still somewhat clenched in a fearful expression. she cast her amber gaze about from under his two pillar-like legs -- from her vantage, she saw no bear lumbering after them.

"i saw something." she replied sullenly, her comically long ears folded to her head in dejection. how could she explain to a stranger what she saw -- a bear as white as the clouds in the sky? "it was really big and white and it looked at me!" she choked, instantly recoiling as she recalled how their eyes had met. "is it safe?"

The young wolf watched the pup as she nodded her head in response to his question, his hazel eyes observing the frightened expression upon her face still. Streiter stared softly as the little one peered around from the protection of his legs, a small smile appearing across his muzzle as he looked around once more with her. There was no danger and nothing was approaching.

Brown ears arched forwards as he listened to the sound of her voice from beneath him, eyes gleaming with interest as she began to explain her story. With a tilt of his head, Streiter remained stood as the pup continued with her story, the brute looking around once more when asked if it was safe. The young male scented the wind, ears pivoting atop his head as he listened to the sounds within the forest around them. All was well.

”It's safe.” he said as he offered the pup a reassuring smile. Streiter would not let any harm come to her whilst she was now in his care. For that he was certain. ”Where are your parents in this forest?” he questioned, head tilting to the side as he looked to the little girl, ”Shall we go find them?” he gave a small encouraging wag of his tail, attempting to ease her nerves some.

it was safe -- or so the stranger said. indra trusted him implicitly, but it did not stop her from pausing to scan the area before detatching herself from his legs. she had been glued to him like a barnacle, and as she parted from his limb she felt instantly vulnerable. with a shudder she swung back towards him, her eyes tracing the lines of his cheek as he mentioned her parents. she smiled weakly, though her tail waved limply in response to his own. "okay." she answered without demur, for she had always been biddable. she took a few steps forward as if to show the way, but hesitated once the distance between them grew too great. "thank you for saving me - and i'm sorry for running into you." indra mumbled sheepishly, her eyes scanning the ground in shyness.

It was a first for the male to have such an encounter with a pup, though it was a first for him to have such a sense of guardianship wash over him. It was a strange sensation, something Streiter wasn't even aware he was capable of, until now. Maybe it was her innocence that drove these unusual characteristics? Even so, Streiter found himself smiling down at the pup as she surveyed the land around them before gradually letting go of his leg. The brute couldn't help but allow a small chuckle to escape him as the pup instantly clung back to him after shortly releasing her grip, the lone male lowering his head again as he watched her tail sway in a limp manner. He could understand her fear, from the story she had told him and having thought they'd seen such a thing at a young age, Streiter could understand why she was so fearful.

Brown ears arched forwards at her soft, near quiet response to finding her parents. Allowing another smile to sprawl its way across his muzzle, Sylvas watched as she took a couple steps away from him, though stopping when there became a distance between them. Watching carefully, Sylvas slowly began to follow the pup, large paws stepping toward her; filling the space between them once more.

A gentle smile was offered to the pup as she spoke, thanking and apologising to him all at once. The brute shook his head some, ”It's not a problem little one, I'm just grateful it's was me who you found.” He smiled once again, ”At least I know you'll be safe, especially once you're reunited with your family.”

oooh maybe this thread can count towards mercenary - isn't there a guardianship-type sub-class? o: i hope a slight PP of them walking together is okay but please lmk if you want me to edit it!!

indra's fears, still slow to abate, eemed to lessen their hold on her heart -- especially as the an procurred a gentle and genuine smile reserved for her and her alone. she took a few steps again, emboldened by his encouragement. "it's this way." she said quietly, taking one step -- and then two -- and then before she knew it she was walking along the familiar footpaths and the fear that had been towering over her moments prior was but a distant shadow left behind.

and then, the familiar and sprawling heights of her home greeted her -- the slow rise of the mountains, and the sweep of frost-chilled pines. indra looked up, her eyes drawn to the den that was tucked along the slope in the distance. "this is larksong! my papa's pack." she grew solemn as she considered it was her papa's alone -- and not her mother's. "do you have a pack too? maybe you and my papa can be friends! he'd like you i think."

That's perfectly fine with me. And I may have to look into that, thank you! :)

A smile was still displayed across his muzzle as he watched the pup, ears twitching some as he listened to the young girl's voice carefully. Streiter's paws automatically moving the male along with the pup as she guided them in the direction of her home, ”I'm Streiter, since I never introduced myself earlier.” He allowed a soft chuckle to escape his leathery lips, tail dragging across the leaf covered ground as they continued walking.

Then, maybe after a couple of minutes of them walking; mountains came into eyes-view, the male paused slightly as he peered at the mountains, eyes surveying the unknown terrain before him. Brown ears arched forward as he listened to the pups words, amber eyes peering down to her as she continued to speak, a smile still present across his features.

Streiter paused at her questions, tail giving a wag some as he listened to her talk about her 'papa'. The wolf giving a chuckle before he replied, ”Not at this moment, no.” He offered the pup a smile of sorts, ”Maybe little one. But first things first, we get you to your father, eh?” Amber eyes peered away from her small form as he looked over at what she called, Larksong.

indra turned a long ear towards her traveling companion as he revealed his name; she liked the way he said it, and how it sounded. silently she mouthed it - it sounded foreign on her tongue, but carried with it weight. streiter.

[]b"i'm indra."[/b] she offered shyly, suddenly abashed by her lack of manners. plus, he gave her his name -- in a way, it seemed strange. she knew something about him now that could not be fled or hid from; her protector had a name.

as they neared the border she slowed and grew apprehensive, unsure if her father or pack members would receive this stranger kindly. she stopped and turned to sylvas openly, her expression somewhat imploring. "we're here.. i can call for my papa if you want.. but i am not sure if they like strangers trespassing without a reason. hey! maybe you can stay with us?"

Last one from me. Thank you so much for the thread! Maybe Streiter will meet Indra again some day :3

A gentle smile made its way across his muzzle as he peered down to the pup, whom he could now call; Indra. Streiter gave her a friendly wag of his tail, brown muzzle parting as he replied in a cheery manner, ”Well, Indra..” He lowered his head to her level some and continued, ”..does it feel better to be safe at home?” Amber eyes peering back toward the terrain, mind recalling the name Indra gave to this place, that was unknown to the brute. Larksong grotto. The loner allowed a sigh to escape him as he remained in slight awe of the place, his soft stare trailing down to his new little friend.

As they came closer to the border, the scent of the pack's markings hit his nose. Brown ears flicked back against his head some as he walked on for only a moment, thankful when Indra also came to a halt. Head jerked as her voice sounded, eyes peering away from Larksong Grotto and back to Indra's little form. A smile grew across his features as she so cleverly brought up his arising concern; a lone wolf crossing into pack territories would only end badly.

Pondering on his little friend's words for a brief moment, Strei gave a small sigh and turned slowly to look at Indra, ”Maybe one day, Indra.” He smiled warmly, turning his head to look at her home before smiling, ”I'll just watch you cross the border safely. Maybe we can keep this event a secret, aye? I don't want you getting into any more trouble.” Gradually he peered down to Indra with a smile, Streiter standing quiet as he waited for the young girl's reply. The male thankful that he had managed to get her to the safety of her home and she was no longer roaming the forest unattended.

thank you for the thread <3

a secret. indra turned back to streiter, her expression bright. she loved secrets! a smile cracked across her small skull and she wagged her tail in agreement. "okay!" she didn't connect the dots on the reason why, but all the same was happy to comply to his wishes.

she took one step, and then another -- but as she turned back to look at sylvas streiter one last time her heart sunk a little. suddenly she spun back towards him and bounded towards his chest in a clumsy but fierce attempt to hug him -- no sooner had she (if she did at all) made contact she would spin shyly on her little feet make way for the heart of the grotto. "bye mister streiter!" she yelled behind her, her cheeks flushed red as she ran.

No, thank you! :) <3

A light chuckle escaped his muzzle as he observed her excited expression, brown ears perking forward as she replied to his mentioning of keeping their encounter a secret. Streiter had to admit he'd miss his new little friend, amber eyes watching as she began to make her way toward her packs borders. He had to admit, he would miss his new little friend. Though a large smile formed its way across his muzzle as he watched how she suddenly span back around to only bound her way to hug him in a final goodbye; her little form bumping into him as he placed a paw gently around her, heading lowering some to her level as he returned the hug.

”Goodbye Indra.” He called out. A smile made its way across his lips once more, amber eyes shimmering in the dense light that caught his stare as he watched her. Streiter quietly stood and observed as she made her way into the safety of her home. His tail gave a small wag as she disappeared from his sight, the young male then turning on his paws to slowly make his way back into the wilds, unfortunately leaving behind his new little friend.