Blackfoot Forest A canopy of shivers

The sight of the magpie teasing the puppy—who seemed to be enjoying the playtime—heartened her a little, yet all the same, the whole encounter made Pied feel sick to her stomach. She adored puppies and the sight of one so badly battered really tore at her heart. She wanted to reach out and comfort the youngster, even though it seemed oblivious to its injuries. It didn't seem to be paying much mind to her, either, and instead stayed busy trying to tackle the crafty magpie.

She's not in pain any longer, she told herself, applying the appropriate pronoun upon realizing the pup was in fact female. She kept repeating this line in her head, over and over, while watching the two small creatures play—up until a voice in her ear made her start and jerk her head sideways.

"Oh—you scared me," Pied said, her breath catching in her throat. When Vires demanded to know what she'd seen, it took all her self-control not to glance at the dead puppy again. "Nothing. I just... sometimes, I zone out. It's this quirk I have. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she said, sounding genuinely contrite. Although her eyes still looked a little haunted, she managed to play off the entire thing rather casually and convincingly, due to lots of practice.

Stepping away from the tree so that the frolicking ghosts were out of sight, Pied focused on Vires. One day, she wanted to tell someone of her visions... yet today was not that day and Vires would not be that wolf. They'd only just met, after all. And while Pied had once believed Bon Dye to be the perfect backdrop for her gifts, her faith in the pack was on very shaky ground. She was suddenly glad she'd held off on telling anyone, opening herself to that kind of vulnerability only to watch the pack break apart.

Realizing she was probably making Vires feel awkward, Pied dropped to her haunches and inquired, "So... what brought you to Bon Dye in the first place?" and tilted her splotched head curiously.