Shadewood outside the norm

Hearing this man call these woods abysmal amused Ulrich, whose mouth quirked in a half-smile. Abysmal, he repeated. Yes. That is a good word for it.

"I have been stuck in this forest for too long - if you know of some way out, I would be in your debt."

Ulrich heard the demanding tone, and one ear flicked backwards in--what?--surprise? annoyance? He looked the man over, a soldier eyeing a surly new recruit. And then he let the tone of voice go. It did not matter, and, despite his tone, he had asked politely in words, at least.

The man spoke of his home, and Ulrich smiled wistfully to think of his birth pack--and then the smile soured into a frown at the memory of that traumatic night when he had fled with Adylaide. Your home sounds... better than mine, he murmured, and then cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders awkwardly. This stranger didn't know him and didn't need to know his troubled past. I do know the way out, yes. Actually, you're closer to the edge of this place than you realize. My home is--my new home is not far from here, and I was exploring a little outside of it. He turned, gesturing over his shoulder for the man to follow him out of the trees. It would take several minutes, but not so very long.