The Heartwood decorate this silence

Thankfully for her, the wolf she was babbling to didn't seem to have any ill intent. He replied easily, and she was glad he picked up on her skipping of the boring old greetings and exchanges of names. Cyclone had always found that part unnatural and awkward. Striking up a conversation shouldn't be so... rigid. She nodded. Maybe, in a few years time, this forest would bloom once more. She had spotted a few saplings here and there, perhaps from last year or the one before, but it was unlikely she see the forest back in its full glory during her lifetime.

His question was such a good set-up, she couldn't resist. I see at least one thing, she grinned, tossing a wink in his direction. Oh yes, she was talking about him. Cyclone, the everlasting flirt, had not completely forgotten her game.