Rising Sun Valley need a little happy ever after

@Freyja
He felt the need to simply get away, to walk until the swirling thoughts within his head dispersed. Through the the mountains, and northward, thinking little of direction. He had led his family to Blackfeather, and now he doubted the sanity under which he had been operating. As he grew, no longer in the physical sense, mostly, but in the mental sense, the dark wood and its members went from an exciting source of knowledge and mystery to something quite simply not right. 

And he he had no idea what to do. He loved his mother fiercely, and the thought that he could have made a mistake advocating for the dark wood landed a blow. As summer faded, so did the light of intrigue he had been enthralled by, and he was at a loose at what to do. Simply stick it out until the winter was over? 

Dejected, he stopped at the brink of a small glade, settling against the frosted ground and settling his head on his paws, staring unseeing at the meadow before him as he simply thought, remembering oddly something he had heard a traveler say. What kind of man are you?

It seemed as if the hands of fate brought together Freyja and Seff once more. Traveling southward, perhaps for the last time before the thick of Winter struck the Teekon Wilds, Freyja had taken the opportunity to get out and see the world a little. Everything at Sleeping Dragon seemed to be under control, and as such, Freyja had let her family know of her intentions before departing.

She had only been gone for two days, taking very little time for resting, and soon enough had found herself in the Rising Sun Valley. Though she had never traveled this far alone, the child felt relatively at ease in her loneliness. Despite being a homebody, Freyja had more recently felt the need to get out in the world and take the initiative to learn about the world around her. Though she would always be loyal to Trigeda, she knew it’d be ignorant of her (especially as a Chronicler) to reject the other stories of the other cultures out there. She wanted to learn more about everybody.

The frost beneath her paws crunched gently as she made her way through the unknown territory. Soon enough, as she neared the glade, a familiar figure settled in the distance. Pausing, she tilted her head, as if she didn’t believe what she saw.

“Seff?” her heart fluttered as she spoke out and a gentle pout fell upon her lips. How did they always happen to find each other whenever she journeyed?

His ears flicked atop his skull as the approach ofanother became apperent, his head rising quickly from his paws as his gaze settles on another, his name slipping from her maw. a smile split his face, and he slipped quickly to his feet. "Freyja!" he called aloud, more than a little surprised,  shaking the snow from his pelt with a stiff shake, tail wagging gently behind him.

he approached her at a trot, slowing a short  distance away, head tilted curiously, his thoughts still a dead weight upon his shoulders yet a little lighter, now. "What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously, soft smile still on  his features, though his happiness was not as great as it might have been, so busy had he been trying to make sense of his situation.

She felt herself melt as he spoke her name, but, despite this, she somehow managed to keep her standing. After her talk with Wildfire, she knew what this strange feeling was. But even with that knowledge, this feeling still felt so strange to her. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to it.

Resisting the urge to break the distance that they held, Freyja’s eyes reached up to meet his and her tail soon found the rhythm that Seff’s had taken up. “I’ve come to realize that I really don’t know much about the areas around Sleeping Dragon so I decided to take a quick trip south before Winter got heavy so I can learn what’s out here.” she admitted honestly. Realizing he was quite aways from home, she looked to him curiously. “What are you doing out here?”

she explained that she was out to see what the surrounding territories had to offer, and as he watched her, his cheeks heated and he was entranced all over again. But he refused to become a blubbering idiot all over again, and thus he tried his best to ignore the feeling. "That's great! If you'd like, I can tell you what I know. About places, and traveling." He offered sheepishly, smiling to extinguish the warmth in his cheeks. Which, did not work in the slightest. 

Her ear next question had him sigh, and seat himself. "I-I had to get away, for a while." He admitted, looking a little solemn. He hardly doubted his mother would mind, unless he suddenly disappeared, his traveling was commonplace, now.

As he offered her help in her quest for knowledge, Freyja’s grin spread and she wagged her tail as she attempted to wrangle all of the emotions that flourished through her. “That’d be great,” she replied softly, a tone of appreciation shining in her gentle cords. “I’m sure you know way more than I do.” It was rare for Freyja to openly admit that somebody knew more than she did, but, things were different with Seff.

His mood seemed to shift easily and to this, Freyja grew concerned. Taking his lead, she say next to him, her ears flattening as she looked up to him. “Is everything okay?” She was close enough to him that she could feel the sandy hairs of his coat mingle with his. But, even with this distraction, she tried her best to keep her mind on the subject at hand.

he was suddenly hyper aware of the way her fur interned with his own, and a confused medley of feelings had him pause a moment before speaking; unlike Freyja, he knew not what this feeling was, only that is was odd and enticing and slightly disconcerting. 

"No," he said, looking to her. He didn't want to bother here with any of this, but the thought of telling his worries to someone else held a great appeal. "Blackfeather...isn't what I thought it was. And I'm worried...that I made a mistake, leading my family there." He told her with concern, skipping over a few details (such as the alarming number of highly questionable things he had found out, including but not limited to severed heads), and yet still it felt odd to express his fears to another.

She felt her heart drop at his words, unable to imagine what he was going through. How would she feel if she were in her pawsteps? Awful, she deducted easily. Not pressing on the pack itself-- though that question would come in due time-- her mind raced and she sought his face with concern as she attempted to find a way that she could help him out.

Suddenly, it struck.

“Come with me.” She was certain that they’d be safer at Sleeping Dragon than at Blackfeather Woods.”I’ll talk to Heda, but, I’m sure she won’t turn away those in need that are willing to help out.” They had plenty of food to spare. The words came too easily and felt so right. With her offer in the air, she waited to see Seff’s reaction, hoping that he would agree.

"Come with me"
he blnked, surprise in his face obvious. Come with her? Simply drop everything and follow his friend? It would be so easy, but...not right. So stunned was he that he had no time to utter a syllable before she spoke once more, he looking to her with awe.

"Freyja. I'd love to. But- my mother. I can't leave her without warning, especially after all she sacrificed so that I would be happy." He told her, dipping his head to look at his paws, mind racing. Could he ask his mother to move? Again? No. But he could not stand it if something were to happen to her, if she were to be unsafe. He could not allow it. "But...maybe, I could came with you? If only...just to see Sleepin Dragon." He told her, for he had always wished to, and perhaps it would offer a solution to his troubles.

One minute her heart soared and the next it crashed to the ground. Disappointment gripped her in that moment and her ears flattened to the news. “I understand,” she offered, her features softening at his compromise.

“But, I’d love to show you where I live. So, yes, we can do that.” She attempted to mask her dismay with a smile and wagged her tail. “Would you want to head there now?”  It was already midday, but the pair could certainly clear some ground before it truely grew dark.

Her disappointment did not do unnoticed, and he felt a little bad, though she seemed excited to show him her home all the same. Suddenly very aware of the closeness between them, he smiled softly, turning to her with a soft smile. "I'd love that, Freyja." He told her, sincerity coloring his voice as his tail wagged behind him, suddenly excited at to prospect of adventure.

he would of course like to head there now, for there was no point in delaying, nor was he if any mind to. He smiled again, looking to her and once more noticing the brilliant chestnut hue of her optics.

She melted at his words, her eyes shimmering as she looked up to him. Soon enough, as her wooziness got the better, the girl swayed in place and accidently bumped her shoulder to his. Her face flushed instantly at this, turning her face away hastily to hide her embarrassment.

Her ears twitched and a smile crept onto her lips. Though mortified, she managed some words as a whole mess of emotions overcame her. “Sorry, S-Seff-- I don’t know why I did that,” she stammed as her feelings got the best of her.

Her eyes shimmered in the oddest way, drawing attention to them even more, and Seff found himself watching her and a sheepishly smile lit his maw. She swayed, and bumped against him, and suddenly to moment was gone, shattered into a heated one of fumbled words and embarrassment. "Don't- don't worry about it." He told her quickly, rising and glancing to her again, cheeks still heated. "Lead the way?" He suggested quickly, embarrassed smile on his muzzle, and suddenly very eager to get going.

Thankful that Seff wasn’t totally weirded out by what had happened, Freyja rose quickly and did as he said. She was happy to have a distraction in place of her embarrassment and did her best for the first bit of their journey to focus on the road ahead, not of what had happened.