Haunted Wood Finding beauty in the dissonance

astara’s cold stare did not relent; she did not trust this man, nor the miasma of misdeeds that seemed to radiate out from him. 

with merrick as her mouth-piece, astara too stepped forward in unison, unbowed and unafraid. the brute was big, but their bond was unassailable; she nudged merrick again and kept her ears bent forward, firmly watching the man out of feral wariness.