Neverwinter Forest geeeet dunked on!

Sorry about the length. I got a wee bit carried away… x-x”

The time spent in the woods had been the longest she’d spent anywhere since entering Teekon. It was strange, in some ways, the notion of staying anywhere for a long period of time, yet she did not despise it. In fact, she’d grown quite fond of the location, if only because it was where Leo resided. She’d grown attached to the boy while caring for him, not that she hadn’t expected to do so. It was an inevitable fate, a fact she’d recognized early on, and had known from the start that it’d do no good to try and fight what was destined to happen. She felt that she had been meant to meet the child on that fateful day, that she was the one meant to look after him and assist him as he grew. It was a calling, her calling, and something she would not deny. The yearling was fully capable of looking after another even with winter approaching, especially since she was not alone in the caring for him. In the back of her mind, there lied the connection she had to Draco, and she knew his vast knowledge would serve them both well when the time called for it—if the time ever called for it, that is. Thus far, Asterr felt she’d been doing a decent job at caring for another life, and was content with what she had to offer.

Earlier that day, the dragon had set off in search of a meal and to collect some more herbs. Both were becoming more difficult to find as the days grew colder, but she did not worry too much. In the end, she was confident that they would both make it through the months without any major problems, and so she would continue on with those types of thoughts in mind. While out, she’d been able to find some weeds to use for the binding of the boy’s paw, but that was about it. She’d stored them away for the time being, then began the task of tracking down something for the hatchling to eat. The scent of deer could be picked up here and there, but the girl knew she could not bring one down on her own. Even one that was injured would be complicated, and the risks were far too high for her to tempt them. Eventually, she picked up on the scent of a raccoon, though it led her to nothing. Hunting was, at times, rather frustrating, but she did not give up. Before long, her persistence proved to be commendable, as she happened across a bird. It wasn’t overly large, but not a little sparrow, either. It was of moderate size, and appeared to be the least suspecting of her presence—which, in all honesty, wasn’t that surprising with all things considered. From a young age, Asterr had learned how weak the sense of smell for a bird was, and how that could be of great advantage to her.

Lowering herself down among some shrubbery, she kept her ears back and eyes trained on the willow ptarmigan. It appeared to be pecking away at some sort of root, completely unaware of the nearby danger. Seeing an opening, the girl’s lean form lurched forward, jaws parting as she aimed for the neck of the bird. Somehow, it realized what was happening and moved, leaving her with nothing but a mouthful of feathers. Though she’d missed the neck, she had managed to sink her teeth into a wing, and was satisfied by the sound of cracking that rung in her ears. With its ability to fly taken away, the thing tried to take off on foot, but was too slow. Within seconds, Asterr had her jaws clamped around its neck and bit down, ending its life with ease. She let it slip from her mouth and sent out a silent ‘thanks’ to the sky above her, then collected her kill and headed back the way she’d come. On her way, she retrieved the weeds from earlier, then made haste in returning to the site she’d settled in with Leo. Upon her arrival, she could hear a voice from the small den, but didn’t pay it any mind. She’d heard him speak to the air before, and saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, a part of her believed that, perhaps, he was gifted with the connection to a god just as she had been. Though, with no concrete knowledge of his family background, she could not be entirely sure of her reasoning.

Asterr stopped outside the opening and dropped the items she’d returned with before peeking her head into the small space. “Leo, I’ve brought you a meal,” she announced, stepping back from the entrance just as the last word fell from her lips. She was still curious of the boy, and mildly interested to learn about who he spoke to. While a part of her wished to ask him, another part of her felt it might not be her place to do so. Even still, she couldn’t deny her interest, and so she sat down outside the mouth of the den and waited for him to come out. There was a slight urge to assist him in moving, but she refrained from doing so. With each passing day, he grew better, so she knew she would have to start giving him some independence. Not to say she wouldn’t help if asked, of course, because she would without question. “I want to ask you something, but know that you do not need to answer if you do not wish to do so.” With that, she waited, wondering if the boy was even up for hearing what she had on her mind.