Phoenix Maplewood Anyone Home?

Brynn huffed a small laugh at his mind-reading comment and responded to his beckon to follow him deeper into the forest.

While walking next to him, she watched him sniff around. She considered his mind-reading comment again and tilted her head a little before asking, "What you said before...Does that mean you feel the same way?" She didn't want to let herself hope too much. His affections had lead her to believe the feeling was mutual, but if she wanted to protect herself, she couldn't just assume he felt that way about her. She wasn't even sure what all this meant. She continued to follow him through the forest, occasionally picking up both familiar and unfamiliar scents of different plants and animals.

Brynn soon found her thoughts drifting to her anxieties. She had been ignoring the anxious voice in the back of her mind warning her not to form attachments. Attachments meant she was vulnerable to getting hurt. Entertaining these warning thoughts had kept her safe as a loner. Safe, but lonely. The loneliness was what urged her to speak her feelings rather than hide them. This thought brought her to her constant inner conflict of whether to push others away or give them the power to hurt her. 

Suddenly, she was pulled from her thoughts by Howl's sudden change in course. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but followed him anyway, trusting him not to lead her into danger. He then mentioned 'beavers' to her, seeming confused. Is that what the peculiar scent now drifting into her nostrils belonged to? Her musings were suddenly interrupted by a loud crashing noise. Startled, Brynn jumped and momentarily froze. She met Howl's eye's with a wary look and then followed him nervously. She then found herself looking at beautiful pond. Excited, she almost started toward the water but his comment regarding the beavers stopped her. She looked at him curiously and asked, "What don't you like about these...beavers? Brynn asked repeating the strange word.