King Elk Forest Every heart has its own skeletons

@Harrison

Her exploration of the forest was merely to pass the time. She padded softly on dainty feet across the forest floor, trying her hardest to avoid any spots where thin layers of snow had accumulated. The sound of running water caused her dark ears to twitch a bit, and she stopped, lifting her velvet muzzle up to sniff the air. Once she had locked in on what she thought to be the direction of the sound, she began to head that way.

Before too long, the trees parted to reveal a small, somewhat quickly moving creek. She moved until her graceful paws were flush with the water and stopped, lowering her head to drink. Once satisfied, she began to carefully dip her front feet beneath the surface of the frigid liquid to clean them off, occasionally swiping her face with moistened paws to make sure it was clean as well. It was most important that she always looked clean and well put-together; she never knew when she would be in the company of others, and how awful would it be to look like some dirty trollop instead of the lady she was.

the creek was fine, but the pale snake found that he preferred the forest over the babbling little brook. the towering trees provided him with a sense of security that he did not feel when he was near to the water. it was nice to know that they had that source so close by, but he thought that the trees would make it easier in winter months and would deter more strangers from walking through their land to move onto the other side. he had started to devise ways to talk grayson into claiming the forest instead of the creek. one of his selling points was that the water ran right through the wood.

he followed the edge of the creek with a lazy pace, glancing back over his shoulder once or twice to see if he had collected any followers. he wasn't surprised to see that he was entirely alone, and he had continued on his way very much the same for a considerable amount of time. when he finally caught sight of a shape ahead of him, harrison quickened his pace and then released a bark to collect their attention. it wasn't until he was closer that he noticed the familiarity of the girl.

“effie!”

The voice drew her attention from her reflection, and she turned to see her half-brother approaching. Effie stood and moved towards him on graceful paws, offering him a polite bow of her head in greeting before speaking. Harrison, it's good to see you, she said with a small smile. Would you care to go for a walk? she asked next. She had great interest in getting to know her half-siblings better. She hadn't been here long, but she was grateful that Grayson had accepted her into the family and given her a safe place to stay. She honestly hadn't been sure what to expect in coming here. She had refused to let herself believe that she would be cursed to be on her own without a husband for too long. She had embraced her role as a woman a long time ago, and she was ready to fulfill it.

she moved to meet him on graceful limbs, and it was only in that moment that he realized just how delicate women were. his eyes roamed the shape of her figure before latching tightly to her eyes. she knew well enough to dip her skull to him before she closed the full distance that had spread between them. harrison looked down at her with a crooked smile and a flagging tail.

effie had done well in their fold; she had learned her place quickly. for some it was easy, and for others it seemed as though the task was the hardest they would ever face in their lives. there had once been a time when the pale snake had worried for addison and her willpower. even she had done well to even herself out. if his sisters harbored any feelings of ill will toward their role in their world, harrison would have never known it.

“it's good to see you too,” he returned in a tone that was laced with standard harrison charm. with his crooked grin and proud features, he cut an impressive shape. “sure, a walk through the woods sounds like a good time.” with that, he motioned with his muzzle for her to fall in line beside him as he set out into the heart of the forest.

She wasted no time taking her place at her family member's side, glad for the company as always. She studied the trees as they walked, thinking that she may like this place better than the creek. She would never voice that opinion, though. Effie would be content to settle wherever the men saw fit, and if that was the creek, she wouldn't complain. This forest was close enough anyway, so she could visit and continue to learn the plants that grew here throughout the different seasons. 

But still, she thought it at least a good conversation starter to bring up her attraction to the area. I like it here, she started, smiling as she spoke. I've been trying to learn the plants, so I know if anything helpful or harmful grows here, Effie explained. She was happy to busy herself with things that would benefit their forming pack. She had little else to do right now anyway.

in their love of the forest, the two had some common ground. harrison felt far more at home among the wild trees and the thick roots than he did in the open. the running water from the creek was good to have near to their claim, but he felt certain that the winter months would make it too cold to endure. the trees had created a natural home that seemed to shade the woodland floor and kept it warmer than he had felt elsewhere. while effie may have enjoyed the woods for different reasons, it was still something they shared with each other.

the pale snake meandered alongside her as she talked about learning the local herbs. he looked down the length of his muzzle at her and nodded his head, though he really didn't find the subject of plants to be all that interesting. it was a woman's task to learn the foliage and not the man's, but he had learned a few things from addison and lilah about the things that grew in the ground and what use they could be. “i like this forest a little more than the creek. do you think there are more herbs here or by the water?” harrison remarked and then asked to the girl. he canted his head some and cocked a single brow as he waited for her answer. really, he was hoping that he could get some leverage to feed to his brother.

Wow, sorry for this wait!

Effie thought about his question for a minute, weighing the pros and cons of each area in regards to what plants grew there. There are some plants by the water that are useful, but I have found more in the forest, she answered with a polite smile. She stopped to sniff a smaller, shrub-like tree before looking to Harrison. The bark and leaves from this tree are helpful in many ways, she explained. So far, I have only seen them here. There haven't been any by the creek that I have noticed. Again, she could always make trips here regardless of where they settled, but it would be easier for her and any of the medics if they already resided here. 

She began walking again, searching for more things to point out to her brother. She wondered, Do you have an interest in plants? Effie would be surprised if he did, but he seemed interested now, so she wondered why. Maybe he was just trying to humor her, she didn't know, but she was glad to answer any of his questions.

it's okay! there's never any rush with me <3

the pale snake followed after her with a few sniffs and listened to what she had to say about the difference in plants that would grow by the creek and those that would grow in the woods. she seemed to have an affinity for the forest, too. he thought that was good. it meant he wasn't alone in liking the wild wood in comparison to the quaint little creek. he mostly just wanted to get his way, so it came off as being important that the ladies not need to travel far for the essential herbs.

she asked if he was interested in plants, and he didn't want to seem like a douche by telling her that plants were sissy stuff. so, he formed a thoughtful expression and glanced toward her with a bit of a frown. “i just like to know what others know. if something should happen, i'd want to go to the most appropriate person, as well as the person who could handle it the best,” he stated with a shrug to make the thought seem nonchalant. “i'm not much into plants though,” harrison added with a wild smirk.

She wasn't surprised to hear that Harrison wasn't into plants; it was women's work after all. He probably had more important things to do, like keeping them safe and helping Grayson make sure they were prepared for winter. She assumed she wasn't the only woman concerned with plant knowledge, so it was likely to be more than covered anyway. What do you like to fill your time with? she asked with a smile, flicking her gaze to his face before averting it once more. She resumed her searching and cataloging of the plant life here, walking with slow purpose as she waited for his answer. She wanted to know everything she could about all of her half-siblings, especially now that they would all be sharing a home here.

she asked what it was that he filled his time with and harrison scrunched his features up into a contemplative expression. more often than not, he had been set to creating caches and filling them with whatever strange meats that he could find close to the creek. there were rabbits and raccoon that he'd been able to catch pretty easily. he found some fish that had wandered up their end of the stream, and they'd only taken like ten tries before he'd snagged them with a quick snap of his teeth. of course, all of these things did not bed well together and had left some of their storage smelling.... off.

“mostly hunting lately, but when we have pups... well, i'd like to teach them how to fight. the boys, of course,” he answered her with a charming smile and bob of his head. he thought he'd make a great mentor to the young of their group. he imagined they'd take a great liking to him; he was the easiest to get along with, after all. “what about you? other than plants...”

She listened quietly as he spoke of hunting, thinking it wasn't much of surprise that her brother concerned himself with keeping the caches stocked. She was thankful they had men like him here to provide food for them. Some did not have such luck. She smiled fondly when he brought up pups. She couldn't help but think about having children of her own, although she knew it may not be something she would get for a while. She would happy just to have a husband to tend to. Oh, I think you would be very good at that, she replied, still smiling. He was strong and she had no doubts he would be a good teacher to the boys. It would be important for them to learn how to fight and hunt. 

She shrugged a graceful shoulder at his question. She couldn't say she really filled her time with much else, except grooming maybe. Well, plants mostly, she said laughing a little. But I have also been familiarizing myself with the territory, and well, wondering who Grayson might choose for me to marry. the admission was said a little quieter than the normal softness of her voice. She was a little embarrassed to bring it up, but she did often wonder about it, and she thought who better to discuss it with than her family.