Firefly Glen A new phase of life.

On his way back to Royal Fire Court, Nico decided to take a small detour which would inevitably lengthen his journey back home, but also gave him time to think. After weighing the factors in his mind, he had ultimately decided that he would rather wander some more and allow the ache in his paws and legs to intensify rather than to go home early and permit himself to slowly drown in the guilt that plagued him whenever he had nothing to do and allowed his thoughts to settle. Nico knew it was selfish to want to leave the Court to go to Aeronwyn's pack simply because he wanted to be with her, and because their pack sounded really good to the war-ridden veteran, but hadn't he been selfless all his life? Even if he hadn't, surely he should pursue this, because he doubted that he would fall for any girl in the Court if he knew that he had a chance with the silver fae who was also living somewhere really close.

And besides, Nico needed to court her before any other male did, and he couldn't do that if he was still part of the Court, right?

While an internal war battled in his mind, Nico entered yet another terrain where the thick, dense canopy of greenery above blocked almost all the rays of sunlight from the sky, leaving the glen in a state of near darkness. His heartbeat had picked up immediately when he entered, and his breathing became shallow, but with several minutes of silence and deep breaths, he regained control of himself and prowled forward, successfully preventing the horrifying memories of his past from breaching the mental barriers in his mind. 

Nico wasn't a big fan of these places, but it gave him better cover to hunt, so he couldn't really complain. Less than half an hour later, he'd caught two large, plump rabbits and was carrying it through the dusky glen, hoping to either find a place to sleep for the night, or make it out before the sun dipped beneath the horizon. However, he estimated he still had plenty of time, so he decided to explored, a gleam of curiousity evident in his gaze as he scanned his darkened surroundings with vague interest. When arriving at a clearing, he breathed in the fresh air and the brilliant sun before, almost reluctantly, traipsing on.

When Nico finally decided to begin his journey to leave, the breeze blew a fresh, unknown scent to him and he stiffened, his muscles taut beneath his feathery northerner's pelt.

There was a moment of hesitation before the soldier narrowed his eyes and prowled forward, knowing that it was where the stranger was. But however much he didn't want to encounter a strange female, it was, what he thought to be, the fastest way out, so he didn't really have a choice on that matter.

Not long afterwards, the soldier spotted the dark form behind the trees as he hid expertly in the shadows, making sure he was downwind so she couldn't spot him. The deWinter contemplated his options for a moment, before padding forwards, half of his body remaining in the shadows and snorted softly to alert the stranger of his presence. He'd refrained from speaking, because the two fat rabbits still hung deliciously from his jaws, and only until the female greeted him without aggression would he drop the rabbits, and perhaps offer her one.