Phoenix Maplewood i marvel at the stars / and feel my heart overflow

she was quick to submit, something that shouldn't have surprised him but did. he had been thrown so many wild cards these last few moons that he didn't know what to really expect from the teekon wilds. this woman could have been a bloodthirsty intruder, for all he knew. hell, she could still be one, wrapped in the skin of innocence.

his soft heart, ever his downfall, thudded in his chest as he spoke again. "hey, hold on," he said softly, voice kind but firm. "don't go quite yet. what's your name? what brings you to these woods?"

this seemed to be a high-traffic area, possibly because of the refuge the maplewood offered in the midst of so much open, exposed ground. the thought of keeping its borders secure was something that kept him up many nights. luckily for them, they'd had only benign intruders. . .but what if something more sinister was to slip through the trees, one night?