The Heartwood invasion of the bodysnatchers

but maybe @atuasiq heheheh

 

Leta darted ahead of her companion, who was somewhere in these woods but not right next to her now. She had woken up a little earlier than they had, and elected to explore just a little. Leta was no scout and actually, had no desire to be one. But she got out so infrequently that sightseeing seemed like the thing to do... not that there were very many sights here. 

The place had been reduced to the carcasses of trees rather than the proud forest it might have once been. Sniffing around, Leta could still detect the scent of ash that would likely cling to some of these trees forever. The air itself was fresh, though, and on the wind she caught the scent of a buck. Leta used her mothers own taught skillset to prowl and find it, and she caught sight of the young creature nosing something... 

Her interest got the better of her. A twig snapped underfoot and now she was the object of its attention. It looked to her directly, the mocha shade of her not hard to miss within a backdrop of white, stood alert for a moment—then it fled. Leta did not give chase but instead darted toward the place the animal had previously been looking to. Snow had been nudged aside and away and beneath it was a little bud that had sprung out, a seedling that had opened up and a sign that the trees would return... though it would take time. 

Leta herself did not know all that, but felt a quaint little warmth to see this vibrant splash of green amongst all the decay.