Ravensblood Forest Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

Setting: Ravensblood Forest.

Edit: I'm gonna bring this up to date (01/03).

Here beneath the dark green canopy, only a sparse layer of snow covered the forest floor. It crunched lightly beneath her feet as Pied trotted through the woodland, admiring the sights and smells. For a while, she simply explored her surroundings, then a rumbling in her gut made her ear twitch and she decided to hunt. Accordingly, she slowed her pace, careful to lessen the sound of her footfalls.

Pied paused in a weak shaft of sunlight and lifted her muzzle into the air, sifting through the myriad scents that tickled her nose. At the same time, she pricked her charcoal ears and listened. She looked like a frozen statue, up until a sudden movement overhead made her flinch out of her deep concentration.

"Oh, it's you," she murmured as Mag perched on the bough of an evergreen. She gave the bird a lopsided smile. "Seen any prey?" she asked in a playful tone, aware that the bird wouldn't answer.

Yet the magpie surprised her by spreading her wings, sashaying forward on the branch and then thrusting her beak in a slightly northern direction. Pied's lips parted in astonishment, though a grin quickly arced her lips. "Thanks, Mag," she said before woofing at the ghostly bird and trotting in the pointed direction.