The Heartwood Feel It All Without You

It's all good on both accords!

Andalusia was unaware of her company until the air shifted to reveal the other woman's scent. It mingled with the sweet grass of spring and the budding leaves, and carried the presence of many. The golden Ostrega blinked open her eyes, having closed them for a moment's rest, and caught the stranger's silhouette against the setting sun. For a second the Ostrega thought she was seeing a vision, for the rays wrapped the darker woman in an ethereal glow. Andalusia blinked to clear her sight. She was not one to believe in ghost stories, but she felt her spine prickle as the other drew near. Still the Ostrega did not stir. She merely watched through half-narrowed  eyes as the other woman approached without a word.

It wasn't until they stood mere strides away that the stranger finally spoke, and Andalusia felt a hollow mix of gratitude and resentment for the words that lighted the other woman's lips. The Ostrega had never been blind to the comeliness she had inherited from her ancestors. She'd turned more than one head on her travels, but she had never let herself stay in one place long enough to see what could become of the looks she so easily received. The temptation to offer a sharp retort came to the tip of her tongue, but she thought wiser when she took a moment to gather herself. The words were a compliment from the mouth of a woman, safe, as they lacked the need to wonder about ulterior motives. Blinking again, Andalusia gave a pleasant smile and concealed herself with a short nod. "The same to you," she said, for the woman draped in shadows had a strange presence about her, and she carried herself with striking grace. But the Ostrega did not fancy to dwell on the subject of the fairness of either, and turned her thoughts to other matters. She had not caught a trace of scent lines that would mark another's territory, but the woman undeniably carried the smell of a pack, though one she'd not encountered before. "I trust I'm not trespassing?" she asked with a slight twitch of her ear.