Phoenix Maplewood oblivion

erm.. So this got long. No need to match length.

He need not hide his expression. Her eyes were elsewhere. Her mind too drifted, more content to explore this forest once more as he spoke somewhere in the distance. At his words, her attention shifted, listening as he tried to dig himself out of a metaphorical hole. She found fault in his logic and, true to her own nature, was quick to correct him. "You must be half-blind if you're worried about running into trees. They're far enough apart that dodging them shouldn't be an issue." However... "But if you insist, be a better warrior and include dodging trees into your agility training." She'd seen his physique. There was strength within him that was quickly shifting to fat out of laziness. A shame.

"Have you explored this entire forest already?" she asked, curious. "If not, how would you know there's not a clearing somewhere where you'll be able to see the sky?" And that was only if he felt confined to living the rest of his life inside of this forest. "Just because you rest your head beneath these canopies does not mean anyone is holding you to them. Become an outrider. Explore a little. Get out from the trees then come back later. Or warden. Run your circles around the outside of this forest."

She shook her head. "Do you have any more excuses?" Her silver gaze looked to him. She was the queen of them. She was also divine royalty when it came to unweaving his own complaints. "If so, let me hear them. I'd be more than happy to dismantle them for you." She offered him a thin smile. Forced, but quaint none-the-less. If something else was bothering him and this half-hearted excuses were just distractions to cover up his true frustrations, better for him to come with those straight out the gate than all of these other red-herrings.

She snorted. His quip. About her sleeping? Citali looked to him and stared long and hard for a moment before ignoring him and setting off in another direction. Now that she thought about it, the last time she'd been in this forest she'd run into him then too. They'd found a stream somewhere in these woods and, if he'd been paying any attention last time, he'd likely remember where that was. Perhaps it fed a pond of sorts. Something where she could fulfill his promise of cooling off his hot-head.

Ignoring him came easy. Until he asked something somewhat smart. "It's not Frostfire," she replied instantly, rewarding him with a few words which were answer enough. Not ruled by a toddler pretending to be king. Not an area where the ground couldn't decide if it wished to be hot or cold. Not a place with too thin of air where no wolf seemed to be in their right mind. As for the area itself?

"The trees offer different protection than your once mountain. It's flatter, so seeing anywolf coming is harder, but there are shadows here. There is more natural life to alert strangeness. More tracks to be found within the dirt. Easier to tell what's fresh and old simply because the ground is damper..." Her voice drifted off as she glanced to him. He'd fallen into step with her and she pushed forward a couple paces before continuing. "Have you... lived... within a forest before?" she asked, curious.

No matter. If the wolves formerly of redtail rise wished to claim this forest there were preparations to attend to. She brushed herself against the trunk of a tree, pressing her own scent and oils into the bark as she prompted him to do his part in the claiming. She watched the struggle to comply fly within his eyes before he committed himself to the task and left a little bit of himself behind only to draw forward and wait for another command. He bumped her, she snapped at him with her teeth, but if he was going to listen to her, best to make a habit of it.

"Yes. Stop finding reason to touch me." Seriously. She wanted his scent on this forest to help claim it. Not on her person. "Then I'd like to see if you remember where that stream was." She put a few paces of distance between them before lifting her nose to scent the air. It had to be around here somewhere...