and she was a lost child, she was running wild

 As they entered the calming shroud of the trees, Dairinn let out a large and deep seeded breath, large enough to fit in her small fox body, that is. It was as if the forest was a loving parent that grabbed her up and help her closely, and she felt so safe here. Like all the dangers of the world outside of it didn't bother her. Any tenseness in her bones faded, and all was left was a spritely and rather playful little vixen.
 Her nose brushed up against the flowers that dotted the ground and her yellow eyes rolled half lidded in their sockets, as if she were falling in love with the forest all over again. She did this almost every time she was away, and she ran excitedly into the trees.
 One would think she left the gray fox behind but, her dark visage popped out of the undergrowth with a smile.
 "Do you like it?" The vulpine questioned, as if all of it were truly hers. Like it was a painting she worked on, eager to know how the other felt of it all.
the staff team luvs u

Milenko’s feelings about the forest were a little less parental than Dairinn’s, as they joined together in an exploration of the place. Though he bounded into it bravely, following her exuberant lead, this place was new to him. And fragrant! Boy was it fragrant. The growing warmth of the day seemed to enhance the musty floral smells and the pollen-laden winds, and Milenko sneezed with an energy that sent his own head spinning. That sneeze served as an answer to Dairinn’s innocent question; Milenko followed up the sneeze with a happy nod. He did like it, even though it was new to him. The mountains had their own fair share of pollen, from the flowering trees and the valley winds blowing such things up into the crags, but here… Here it was all so raw and new and present!
 
Milenko observed the insect life, eagerly crawling and chewing and wiggling around, and the various fluttering butterflies… The delicate winged things reminded him of that fateful moth he saw during his awakening in these strange lands. The sight and the memory didn’t frighten him. It was a thing that had happened, and hadn’t happened again. He had no reason to think that anything more would be stolen by some moth or butterfly. Still, Milenko fixated on the butterflies a little longer before noting the other creatures nearby. There was a web, here, a spider’s web of links of living things. Bugs nibbling on plants, rodents nibbling on bugs, foxes pouncing on rodents, the musky little fungi and other squirming things breaking down the remains of it all, sending it back up into the plants…
 
There was a beauty here. And a quiet violence, of a sort. Plants of different species sometimes worked to push each other out, to steal sunlight or grab at water. Bugs wrestled with each other for food, or for the right to each other. Nature wasn’t always a peaceful thing; the vole and the shrew rarely offered themselves up in quiet solemnity to the hungry fox, did they?
 
Milenko shook these thoughts away, as well as the subtle tickle of another oncoming sneeze. He nodded at Dairinn again. This place was something special. He nodded his nose at her, directing his attentions toward her, and then to the world around her. He knew she liked this place already… Perhaps he was asking her Why?
the staff team luvs u

 Dairinn's yellow eyes sparkled when she took the time to stop and observe the other. Watching someone else enjoy the nature was just as good as enjoying it herself, and so she found herself staring a bit too long. Watching with her eyes as theirs bounced around the forest, witnessing it all in it's early morning glory. She too bathed in it all, looking like a fairy in the way she bounded and leapt through the brush.
 A giggle left her when the other sneezed, and she was reminded that not everyone was used to the forest's thick smell of flowers. It was a pungent smell though; she wouldn't know that. She's only been told the personal accounts from others what it feels like to be quite frankly smacked in the face by the Lapis Nestle, for Dairinn grew up here and rarely wanders far from it. The safety she felt in the forest far too strong to leave it behind.
 "The Goddess of the Moon, her beauty thrice as radiant, she shines so especially fondly onto this forest." Dairinn said, that story-teller voice rising in her throat. She ducked behind a tree and popped out again, then ducked under the undergrowth and came rising out like a spirit, tail wagging as she did. Worming about the forest was perhaps her forte, and she appeared to enjoy every second of it. Even more so as she spoke of the goddess she thought so kindly of.
 "Thus why such beautiful flowers grow here, and why the spirits of the forest and the land seem so active here. This forest is a portal to step through, and it is so very lovely." Dairinn could not help but indulge herself in her musing, dancing about the forest as she spoke like a wisp herself. Perhaps she was. Perhaps she died long ago and have been haunting the forest with her love ever since, and thus why she felt it hard to leave.
 Though her effect on the land did not utter any sense of her being a ghost, for when she stepped through the forest the birds chirped fondly as if to say hello, and the butterflies and bugs avoided her as she made her way on through, avoiding the fate of being stepped on or eaten.
the staff team luvs u

Milenko waggled his head left and right as Dairinn giggled. Giving another living creature the opportunity to feel joy… It felt right. Being a source of positivity for another, no matter how brief, helped Milenko feel that his life had purpose. It was also a delightful little giggle, the male had to admit that.
 
Milenko watched, or attempted to watch, as Dairinn nimbly moved behind a tree, sharing what sounded like a poem. The assembly of the words, in a different cadence from how creatures normally spoke… A speaking art form Milenko would never have access to, but that he appreciated nonetheless. He opened his mouth in a silent play-gasp as she rose out of the plantlife, as though he was saying ‘Tadaa!’. Dairinn appeared like a very unique flower, blooming into a fox-girl and shining in the little rays of sunlight.
 
The male chose a nearby cluster of undergrowth, not that there wasn’t an abundance to choose from, and gently wormed his way in. He, too, imagined a portal, a hollow under a tree with an entrance and an exit. He’d walk in one side, silent and alone, chased by every fox he’d ever met. He’d exit, and come out into a lavender-and-violet strewn land, finally encountering a creature of peace and poetry and playfulness. Milenko, like Dairinn moments ago, rose up out of the undergrowth, and with a great deal of poise and eloquence…
 
He sneezed again.
 
He drew his lips back in a disappointed look. Had he ruined the moment? Coming out of the ‘portal’, only to sneeze like a fox-dork!?
the staff team luvs u

 Heart warmed by seeing the once wary and nervous fox become playful and childlike. Dairinn watched as the other followed in her playful suite, dodging a weaving as she did, even meeting her face to face as she popped out from the undergrowth like a ferret. She observed as he did as she did, creating portals and gateways in ones mind. His serious and determined face made her watch closer, and a soft a gentle laugh escaped her when the other popped back out and sneezed. The joy rising about her in a pleasant and playful way.
 "If you stay awhile, you might become used to it!" She laughed in her between words before carrying on forward.
 She ran up, far ahead in her excitement and stood where the trees gave part. Their arms beginning to stretch down towards the forest floor but, never quite touching. Her warm blackness appeared nearly a gentle brown in the peeking sunlight as she stood there. The breeze was able to get through when one placed themselves higher up from the thickness of the forest floor, and so it played with the vixen's fur as it did.
 Dairinn gave a quiet bark so the other did not lose her in her hopping and skipping, the forest can be disorienting for someone newly arriving. Especially upon the undergrowth, where the untamed plant life teemed and fought for every inch of the ground.
 "My home is nearby! Would you like to see it?" The fox offered, tail wagging behind her. She had lived there since she was but a child. Born there, had her own pups there, never having left. Her mother first dug it out years ago, and Dairinn kept it as nice as a fox could, the memories of the beautiful dark vulpine reminding her of moments that felt so far away. So distant in time that even she struggled to remember all of their details.
the staff team luvs u

At the prospect that he’d get used to the pollen, Milenko looked a little doubtful. He dropped his lower jaw down, trying to stretch his nostrils out. He half-wondered if he’d end up with a brain full of yellow and purple plant particles, if he breathed too much of this stuff at once!
 
He gladly joined her as she ran head, definitely having to work through the path and the unfamiliar territory. Her kindly guidance helped immensely. Though it didn’t have the boulders and crags and canyons of the mountains, this forest had clusters of greenery and thick tree trunks, and if one took just a simple turn around a tree, they could become completely lost when their perspective changed. It was an enjoyable struggle, working through the Lapis Nestle to follow Dairinn’s lead. At her proposal to show Milenko her home, he nodded. The idea of exploring this place further, and seeing the spot she called home, was exciting!

Staying here, joining Dairinn and potentially others who were kind and open to the occasional visits... That sounded like a fine idea. Were there others? Maybe there was something building here, a network, a web of foxes or other beings who willingly crossed paths from time to time. If there were... Milenko was all in.
 
Milenko had a fascination with the dens and homes of other creatures. He felt that the resting space of another being could give interesting clues about their nature and character. Was their den messy, or tidy? Wide open to the world, or tucked away in roots and darkness? Did they permit bugs and wigglers to roam about, or was it devoid of even the tiniest of bugs who dared sneak about? He decided to guess at what Dairinn’s den might look like, based on what he knew about her so far.
 
In his eyes, she was sincere, and genuine, and kind. She had energy, to be sure, but she didn’t seem to be easily distracted. She was focused on things she cared about. Milenko figured her den would be tidy, but not overly so. He wouldn’t see any left-out carcasses, or anything that would put up a stink and attract dangerous predators. He suspected a den that was hidden, not out of paranoia, but out of a desire to make a place that was safe. What he didn’t know was whether the den would have an open view of the sky above, or whether it would be underground. Dairinn had spoken of spiritual things before… Did she have a connection to the sky? To the moon and to the sun and the clouds? He’d have to see!
the staff team luvs u

 Her tail excitedly wagged as the other agreed and without further words, skipped in the direction of her home. Nostril's flaring as she went, knowing that if she ever got turned around the smell of wild mint would guide her. For some reason the mint liked the partially hidden, partially lit spot she called home. A home that was held so close to her heart, that she couldn't imagine ever losing or ever going away.
 The undergrowth became less and less overgrown as they made their way to the more elevated parts of the forest. The rain water tended to take the path of least resistance, and the smell of other plant life became more prominent up here. There was still ivy that climbed up the occasional tree, shrubs and ferns plenty, but the smell of wild rosemary, mint, and sage rose above the smell of the flowers.

 Dairinn stopped in her tracks, as if she had hit a wall and stared. A doe, in all her gentle glory, was munching on the herbs and grass of the forest. The treeline becoming less dense, the sun bathed her in a backdrop of gold and yellow.
And she was silent.
 The doe made no sound as she munched along, moving only slightly with each step. It took a moment for the joyful foxes to be noticed by the creature but, when her ears perked to look at them, the rest of her herd did too. They stepped over the hill just to see her and look with her, and all their ears faced them. She didn't run but, eagerly trot back to the company of her family, all going off into the forest, together.

 The fox stood dumbfounded. That had never felt that way before, though she had seen many deer around these parts. It was the way the doe stood and watched, staring at the two of them. Just staring. Right into their souls and their hearts.
 What a beautifully silent creature.

 Dairinn turned to look at Milenko with a childish glee among her expression.
 "Did you see that?" She barked, clearly excited and surprised.
the staff team luvs u

Milenko was a little startled when Dairinn spoke, he was so captivated by the remarkable sight. Her words had reached him from a place of peaceful observation, seeing the doe look back at them, and then return to her own family. Trying to express a sense of wonderment at the natural world, or of the almost-magical way that these beings lived in a flux of harmony-disharmony, was impossible. Should he curl his lips and squint his eyes to suggest that it was almost overwhelming, trying to think about how this world worked?
 
All he could do was nod.
 
As they continued on, Milenko was drawn to a little distraction, just off the beaten path. Another cluster of new smells among the world of new smells… His nose led them to an old fallen tree which old age and a strong wind had seen fit to finally lay to rest. It had been laying for a year or more, the wood gradually decaying into the soil, and there was a tiny little world growing within it and around it. Fungi flourished in the slightly damp woodstuff and moss. Centipedes twisted in and out of the bark, and beetles and worms did their work just beneath the surface. Mice were here, and the scent of a mustelid of some kind, like a mink.
 
Even this fallen, dead thing, all rotting bark and decomposing wood, was part of the web, feeding the forest which had served as its home for so many years. He felt like he could spend hours laying near it, watching it all happen in a slow dance of nature.
 
Milenko looked to Dairinn and cocked his head at her, figuring she had seen it before. He was beginning to understand why she cherished this place. He didn’t want to interrupt their travels too much, and he still wanted to see her home; he’d gladly follow her lead after this little sidetrack.
the staff team luvs u

 She took a step or two before realizing that the gray fox had stopped, staring at the fallen log. Insects crawling over it, ants in particular, probably having a nest under it. She stared at him as he stared, longing to know what was going on inside his head. What was he thinking, what exactly caused him to stop and stare? Though she could merely smile, only able to think that he was appreciating it. There was beauty in all aspects of natural life, death and decay was one of them. For that death brought about more life, and the eternal cycle went on.
 "There was a family of minks that used to live here. I'm not sure if they still do." The fox said gently, not wanting to interrupt the other's trance. She understood perfectly what it felt to get lost, appreciating it and taking it all in. For that was what the goddess and god wanted, for them to live life and enjoy it. To love and be grateful for its beauty and grace. 
 The way the gray fox pondered the fallen log made her ponder asking a question but, she held her tongue. Sure he might think it's nice but, she wasn't sure if he was just passing through and enjoying the company or if he had any intention on staying. She didn't think it was right to ask, at least not yet. Though he would fit so nicely, only those who could appreciate life and death in such a way were best fit for her religion, for her goddess, and her coven. Though she wondered just how he would pray, and thought he could only be done through the heart.
 Such a powerful prayer it would be.
the staff team luvs u

Milenko eyeballed the fallen tree, and tiled his ears toward Dairinn as she revealed that minks used to live there. Maybe… there was potential, in this fallen tree. A former mink den meant some existing tunnels, meant that it was a good home for someone at some point. Milenko looked up and about, spotting other nearby landmarks so he could find this place again in the future. He looked to Dairinn, observing her yellow eyes, bright against her silver and gray fur. He wanted to ask her, about how many other foxes were here, about whether she had a pack of her own, and about her beliefs. The Goddess of the Moon, she had mentioned. Had anyone claimed this tree since the minks moved out? Were there enough prey animals to support a group of foxes and a family of minks? There certainly seemed to be; the place was lush, and vibrant, and crawling with all forms of life! It looked to Milenko like a very rich food web was in place here.
 
The questions were all too complex for him to try to convey. He didn’t worry though, and instead happily trotted along with the female to their intended destination. What he could do was listen as she shared, and if she mentioned a topic that he wanted to know more about, he could hop and nod to try to get her to share more!

Note: Archiving after mutual agreement with Dairinn's writer.
the staff team luvs u