all who wander are not lost

heart
made of glass, mind of stone.

It was deep into the night and darkness had since fallen upon the land. A full moon claimed its throne high in the sky. A silvery, luminous orb on an inky canvas, captivating, with lustrous stars clustered about it. A soft cacophony of nature’s sounds erupted from the world within, shattering the silence. The eerie cadence carried through the trees, breaking the barrier, before being lost to the wind. But under the canopy, the sounds echoed through.

A golden vixen glided through the field of tall grass, stray strands tickling her underbelly. Bounding through, she found herself facing an eroded tree trunk that was blocking her pathway. She abruptly halted in her tracks, her icy gaze taking in the scene before her. A calculative expression upon her visage as she analyzed the most efficient way for her to pass. Her pause was mere moments, before she started forward again, determined to maneuver over it. Her movements - meticulous and smooth, and she slowly gained a sense of balance. Just as she was beginning to be impressed with herself, her paws flew out from underneath her, and she toppled down the rest of the way. She hit the dirt with a thud and an audible groan escaped her. ”What was that?”

If she weren’t so acrid today, then she very well would have been able to make humor of the situation. Alas, this day was not one of those days. Days prior, she’d had an unexpected run-in with an old friend, if he could even be called that. Because of his loyalty to her old lover, she’d been plagued by the paranoia that he would dutifully report his findings back to that monster. He only needed to point that brute in her direction, and she would be flanked, outnumbered, dragged back, and enslaved again to him and his cohorts. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, blaring out any rational thought. The panic crept in, and blood rushed to her face. No. She told herself resolutely. She would not go back.

To ease her wild mind, she shifted her body forward, only to find her hind paw stuck in the decayed limb. How did she not notice that before? A frenzied whine escaped her gaped maw, and she tugged that mitt forward in hopes to free it. With furrowed brows, she struggled against the gnarled limbs. Her heart dropped at the thought of him finding her. She didn’t dare to think of what he might do. She peered around hurriedly, ensuring that no one was there, before dipping her maw down to snap at the foliage. She begged the gods that no one would find her in such a vulnerable predicament. As soon as she was out of there then she could be on her way.

template by bean

The moon hung low and full in the sky tonight and it's light glittered down upon the forest like it had many nights before. Sinclair never tired of this view, but he did tire of a great many other things. He tried to push those things from his mind tonight as he stood and began moving through the trees soundlessly.

A voice echoed through the trees, a question on the wind, and Sinclair's curiosity got the better of him. He changed course and headed toward the noise, only hearing a faint rustling now replacing the words he'd heard earlier. He hadn't been able to make them out, only placing a voice among all else, and so when he spied the golden woman he had that to attribute to her. He blinked and realized she was stuck in what appeared to be an old, gnarled tree trunk and his brow rose curiously. He could leave her there to her fate or he could help...

He sighed inwardly and slipped from the brambles he'd been hiding in. The branches scraped at his pelt but he did not mind. The prickling of pain was a welcome distraction from his thoughts, and so might this woman be.

"Need some help?" he murmured quietly as he approached her. He didn't know if he would spook her and cause her to hurt herself but he hoped she could sense that he was not a danger... at least not right now.

art + code: clae