Jade Fern Grove Sell your soul to make it, that's the modern way

for @Reiko
set for early morning 11/21

He wished he hadn't come here as soon as he passed through the line of trees that marked where the forest began. The last time he had been here had been with his dad, and the memories of that day came rushing into his mind as soon as his nostrils were filled with the scent of the moist earth beneath his paws. Tears welled in his eyes and threatened to spill over before he stopped walking and drew in a couple deep breaths through his mouth. He swallowed hard and took a seat, breathing in deeply a few more times. He couldn't keep falling apart anytime he was confronted with memories of his dad. But it was so hard not to be overcome with despair anytime he was reminded of when his dad was here, facing everything with him. Now, he had to learn to face things on his own, and it was a more difficult task than he was probably ready for. 

Tears staunched for now, he got to his feet and began to walk again. There wasn't much in the way of plant life; the cold air and strange happenings had made sure of that. Some of the trees still clung to their brown leaves, though. A flash of red caught his eyes, and he turned and watched the vibrant leaf flutter to the ground from the canopy. It landed in front of his paws, and he lowered his head to sniff it, wondering if it smelled any different than the green ones. The leaf held the same earthy plant smell as all the other ones, and he quickly lost interest, moving on from that spot in search of anything else that seemed interesting. He was desperate for something to take his mind off of things.