Neverwinter Forest With wild horses running through your hollow bones

@Marcus <3 just for a lil context she is not in the best of moods at the moment, but that is subject to change!

Empty. Wren felt empty.

Cold was the night as it encased her in frigidity. The trees offered nothing, save for the glowing eyes of little birds not unlike herself, watching her as if she were a freak show for their eyes only, heckling her from the stands. The stars did not even dare to show themselves this evening. Ashamed was she.

She'd found shelter beneath the coverage of an old evergreen, leaning the crest of her forehead up against the trunk. Her acquaintances had now granted her the luxury - or perhaps it was more misery - of solitude, for the time being. Lacking in meaningful relations and left only with the sharp question of what had driven her here in the first place, Wren began to wonder if all of this was a mistake. Moving to Teekon had been a bad idea. Perhaps the mistake was having left her birthplace at all, having forced the poison of her birthright upon the rest of the world, suffocating those who dared to cross her path. Perhaps the mistake was that she had gotten up this morning.

Her head began to pound, a dull, but pulsing ache at the back of her skull where occipital meets atlas. Lack of water, lack of sleep, lack of food; she didn't know the source, and now was not the time for her to care. She could not care about anything, in this moment, allowing the anhedonia to eat away at her, wash her in its salted waters, bitter and burning.

Unless the universe would provide her with a reason not to, here she would remain.

Again sooooooo sorry I spaced on this but your writing style is lovely <3

The trees here had each other, embraced one another with what seemed like affection. He felt jealous almost, longing to have someone to intertwine with once more. Yet, at the same time the idea frightened him into isolation. It was why he was here alone. Only accompanied by his self-pity and self-loathing. Mistakes of the past brought him here, and so he trudged on in a 'woe is me' sort of way. 

Life was not turning up roses like Marcus thought it would. It was turning up more like a weed. You pick it because it looks like shit and the five more pop up in the same place. But apparently, it could be worse. If it were not for their size, the russet male may have passed the wolf under an evergreen. But what were they doing? 

"Are you okay?" He dare not call from behind them, so instead he made it after having came up to their peripheral. Hopefully this way, they wouldn't feel threatened.

do not worry about it, you're totally fine!! <3 and thank youuuu so is yours!!!

A voice.

A pair of chocolate eyes turn to the side, a wolf of fire coming into view. She could not remember the last time she'd heard that phrase. It made her visibly shrink, for a moment, almost melting to the ground before picking herself up again, responding to his inquiry with an awkward little laugh. Yes, yeah, sorry, She peels herself from off of her tree of respite, only to lean against it once more, this time with her shoulder. She was sure her appearance was an embarrassing level of disheveled, and yet she did nothing to straighten herself out. She was, frankly, tired of trying to appear pretty.

Am I, uh, intruding on territory, or anything? I mean no harm. Promise.

She was lying, but Marcus was too much of a gentleman to call her out. He knew the look she held in her eyes all too well. A fellow soul in turmoil. He had happened upon another victim of the universe's cold nature. Her likeness to his ex mate was chilling, but he would not hold that against her. It was mostly her dressings of grays and whites, and those doe-like eyes. As if by design, they brought down any defenses he had left.

"No, I'm just wandering myself. Don't worry." Marcus softened his words, a way of saying I am sorry you are going through it without actually saying it. "You want some help moving that tree?" The man gestured with his snout to her emotional support pine. "If you are trying to knock it over, I have a pretty thick skull with not much in it." He was the newcomer in their situation, the intruder, so Marcus dare not move from where he stood in wait. Instead, he sat with a weary grunt, although his expression was chipper and playful. Seeing others in trouble helped him forget his own issues, and the reflex to make a stupid joke was always strongest during these times.

'tis i with the late reply now LOL i'm so sorry, idk if you saw my dm as zaahira but i've been out of town!!

Oh, thank God, she breathes out, allowing her expression to relax and her eyes to hood. was a l'il scared you were coming down here to kill me.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that pitiful gaze, that sudden lowering of the volume of his voice. She looked sad. Not that she didn't know that she looked sad, but it made her vulnerable, vulnerable to him, which she very much hated. He hid it behind his corny little jokes, but she knew, and oh, how it made her wish she could shrink in size, shrivel down to a microscopic size and be one with the isopods and worms and arachnids that crawled the surface of the earth. Unnoticeable to the naked eye, nothing more than a cog within the ecosystem.

Except she was not. She was a wolf, a big wolf, a big sad wolf, who was impossible for this unfortunately kind stranger to not notice. She avoids his eyes nonetheless.

I think I can move it myself. I've got pretty damn big shoulders. She mirrors his tone the best she can, allowing a small laugh to escape her lungs once more. Did you come out here 'cause you wanted to assist me in the destruction of trees?

The corner of his mouth threaten to pull into a smirk as she released some tension. Marcus never thought of himself as intimidating. This was unfortunately because he had encountered far worse than himself while on the road. Wolves who really did stalk young females for the sport of it, their intentions always something sinister. 

The woman then commented on her shoulders, her big shoulders. The short king could no longer hide a playful smirk. This was indeed a handsome woman, her build was impressive and Marcus knew she could give him a run for his money if it came to physical dominance. He liked that.

"I have no doubt that you can handle the destruction yourself." He quipped, sunny eyes burning extra bright behind an easy smile. "I suppose it was just an excuse to say hello. What's your name?" 

If Wren didn't know any better, she would have presumed his charm was some type of flirtation. Except she didn't, because such a thing did not happen to her. Not often, at least, and never with pure intentions. A woman like her was no good for that.
She hesitates briefly before opening her mouth to speak again, as if her own name was a bad omen. Wren, her eyebrows lift, and she takes a small, but loud step forward, crunching a fallen leaf beneath her paw. just moved here. I don't suppose the surname Aquilanera rings a bell, eh? Her lips remain parted, tasting the air. Tasting his scent, where he'd been. Him. Who was this curious vagabond, and why had he approached her?
Not that she was complaining. His humor bounced well off of her own, as it seemed, and he held a kind, yet tired gaze. Slightly older than her, perhaps by a year or two, given the little white hairs that dotted his complexion and the crease of his eyes. The way his muscles had filled out a little more than her own. Not out of shape, but no more did he have juvenile lankiness. It spoke of safety, but perhaps also of danger. 
She tilts her head, a playful chortle rising within her throat. Who the hell are yah, then, tree-hugger? 

Pressing his luck was the name of the game usually, but in hindsight it never ended well for the wanderer, so he relented. But how surprised he was to see her saunter closer to him, taking initiative in what he wished to do as well. Still, he stayed put as she continued forward. As Wren drew closer to him. 

His fire pelt bristled in excitement, but not so much so that she would be able to tell. No, she would have to get closer for that. Her scent had a lovely musk to it, mixing with the pine perfectly. If he knew what a candle was, he likely would have compared her smell to that of a very expensive one. You know, the one you never actually light. And what was a "sir name"? 

"No I haven't." It was a safe answer and Wren would be none the wiser that he had no idea what she was talking about. His name had always just been Marcus. That's it. 

For a moment his eyes lost themselves as he brushed over her body, innocently. She still had a hint of youth about her. But to be so sad so young? It explained her quick sense of humor. Classic coping mechanism that he knew all too well. 

The title tree-hugger would need to be applied to his greetings from now on. "I'm Marcus." A matter of fact answer with a matter of fact head nod, garnished nicely with a matter of fact grin. "I wonder, Wren... could I steal you away from the trees for the day? Are you hungry?"

unsure if you wanna end it here, but i'd love to make another thread in a different location to continue!! <33 thank you so much this has been so fun and these two are so sweet!!!

You got no idea how nice it is to meet somebody who doesn't know my fatha's name, Wren's light giggle booms into a hearty laugh. There's a glint of something behind those chocolate eyes, something unspoken that she would decline to indulge upon even if he asked. Maybe it was sorrowful, that same desolate feeling from before. She wouldn't linger on it. She had something else to focus on now, and now he had a name. Marcus.
His eyes lingered on her. This time, she took notice. Well-intentioned glances, curious and innocent, exploring her without sound or touch. And for now, she would let him, the lean muscles of her shoulders flexing as she takes another step toward him. Should he permit it, her nose ghosts along the nape of his neck. Something about him told her that she would want to remember what he smelled like. 
His offer makes her step back and blink. The idea that someone would want to stick around with her - especially since she looked so sad and gross at the moment - was baffling, but she put it aside when she could feel the rumble of her stomach. She was hungry. In fact, she'd been living off of peasants' meals that mostly consisted of hares and berries, guessing which ones could sustain and which could poison her. She'd be stupid to deny him. The way he was looking at her only swayed her answer further in his favor. 
Wren shakes the dust from her fur, then, blowing a puff of air from between pursed lips, a stray leaf that had been lodged between the fibers of her pelt falling to the ground. She meets his eyes, and a small smile follows. Y'know what? Yeah, I am. That sounds... real nice. I'd like that. 

Yes let's end here and then continue somewhere else! Last post for me sorry it's short and sorry it took a bit ;-;

It took a lot, but Marcus manage to laugh along with her at the comment of her father's name without sounding extremely uncomfortable. What would he think if he did know his name? Was he flirting with some warlord's daughter or something? No, probably not. What are the odds?

Internal anxiety collided with excitement as the brute was whiplashed back into the moment. She trailed along his side, eliciting a raspy rumble from his chest and a tight smile upon black lips. Like her, he too stepped forward in interest. It was just in time for her to recoil in shock. Had she never been asked on date before? Rolling his shoulder to release any leftover tension, the red head rumbled once more in delight. "Then let's get you food."