The Heartwood I'm so Used to Being In The Wrong

Atka was genuinely confused as he approached, but stayed in her place.

Size doesn't matter, but.

His deep tone and breath grazed across her head, her yellow gaze fixed on him as she waited for him to finish his sentence. Though she knew she should be afraid, his demeanor had changed, he saw right through her. The brute's closeness felt almost intimate to her, however, Atka's head shifted back in the slightest.

I think you're lying.

Her expression changed to something short of a wince as he blew a breath at her, his large physique taking steps away. She stared at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

This is the heartwood. And looks can be deceiving. But I don't think you have the stomach for what we The Forsaken do.

Though she was capable of violence, he was correct, it would chisel away at her slowly. Her stomach turned at the thought of conflict to those innocent. The pricked hair along the top of her neck had laid back down, he wasn't going to hurt her.

Exits that way. If I were you I'd go. You're too good for here.

Atka couldn't even manage to be offended, he was either disinterested as a whole, or simply looking out for her well being. She watched him slump back into the ground with a steady gaze. She almost felt a pity for him, his distant nature had to have been the product of trauma she thought. Silence surrounded them as she stared at him. Atka hesitantly turned, he granted her an exit, which she prayed for at the start.

❝I hope you find peace, stranger.❞ She spoke softly, her bland expression easing into a tender one.

She knew her words were comical, it was clear this wolf would be seeking brutality with his pack, but she'd been referring to his inner struggles, one each encounters. Her assumption had been that he'd seen a lot, considering his scarred skin. Perhaps a kind heart was buried under his brutish appearance, she'd never know. Maybe it was in her arrogant nature to view everyone that way, but she preferred to see things like that. Before measuring his patience any longer, she took her leave, stealing one more glance and then staying to her straightforward exit.