Ravensblood Forest We appreciate power

She had been watching his expression closely, following her question, so she first saw the way his mouth morphed into a different smile than the smirk he usually offered her. She held his gaze as she spoke, telling her that he was going to show her some place beautiful. His smile shifted then, to something more normal for him; she was expecting some variation of his normal teasing, but what he offered was the opposite, despite the playful look on his face. She honestly wasn't sure how to respond at first. It was corny, sure, but she couldn't deny how much she liked hearing the compliment from him; it made her skin heat and her heart flutter strangely in her chest. Eventually, she regained her composure, and she responded with playful smirk of her own. She said nothing, though; she only followed him west into his forest. 

They walked for some time, and she scanned their surroundings periodically out of habit and because she wanted to see any hints of this beautiful place he wanted to show her. As the moved deeper into the forest towards the mountain that connected to the one that hugged her own forest, she heard an unfamiliar whooshing sound. She had never heard such a sound, and she was instantly curious. She missed the smile on his face as the sound grew louder, too busy looking around them to see where it was coming from. 

And when she was finally able to see the source of the sound, she took in the view with awed silence; she had never seen anything like it. Water cascaded slowly down the uneven side of the mountain, collecting in a pool turned pearly blue by the light of the moon. That same light illuminated the clearing they now stood in, making the white of both their coats almost appear to glow. His was especially striking with the striped brown that painted his back and shoulders. She loved the moon and the way its light changed how things looked, she always had. It was like the world shifted into a new reality at night. She instantly thought about swimming in the chilly water and how it would be a nice respite from the warm summer days. She would have to make sure she made that fantasy become a reality. 

She had been quiet as she fully took in the place he had shown her, but after a few minutes, she lifted her gaze to him. She nodded at his words, a shy smile slowly curving her lips. She was very rarely shy about anything, but there was a certain vulnerability and softness in the way she took in the scene around them, and she hadn't been prepared to show him that side of her yet. She swallowed and looked away, her gaze moving slowly over the waterfall again. Yes, very beautiful, she finally said. Thank you for taking me here, she added softly, unable to meet his gaze again.