Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

A field of wildflowers danced softly around the maiden laying out in the open amongst them. The sound of birdsong was what roused her from her slumber, the melodic tune composed of loud tweets and chirps being the first thing that she became aware of. However, almost simultaneously, it was followed by an intense ringing targeting her hearing. Her still tightly closed eyes scrunched up deeper in frustration, a lowly growl escaping from her parched lips. 

She had a splitting headache. 

It felt as if her very brain had been cracked down the middle into two, both sides of it pounding against her skull like it was a damn cage. The next thing that she became acutely aware of was a bright light. Even with her eyes screwed shut it infiltrated her vision, worsening her mood that much more. The pain in her head was unimaginably sharp, the sun relentlessly beating down upon her dark chocolate back. 

Full clarity struck her only when some blades of grass tickled at her nose with a slight breeze that made its way across the vast terrain. That was the last straw for Sunder, her aureate eyes squinting open irritably. A sharp huff blew the annoying grass away from her nostrils just a moment later and she eventually lifted her heavy head up off of the ground with a wince.

She did try her best to shield her eyes from the intense rays of light filling the hollow by turning her face away from the sun's position in the sky, but that offered little relief for the pounding happening in her head. She then took a deep breath in, expanding her lungs to their fullest before slowly exhaling everything back out. With the continuous ringing taking up the entirety of her thoughts it took her a few minutes to get her bearings, but when she did she wasn’t any wiser than when she first woke. She did not recognize her surroundings but somehow she felt as if she belonged here anyway. 

Regardless, the question still stood... Where am I?

the staff team luvs u

Haleia skipped across the field, head high with her tail swaying back and forth. She was exuberant today, bombastic with the energies of life flowing from her lips. She had met so many people so soon— Haleia could almost giggle with a flutter in her stomach. 

The flowers had halted her vibrato, the glistening posies dolloping in her own path. It wasn't exactly her fault to be exact— they were just so lovely! The springtime was her favorite of all seasons; the gusting winds,  the blooming flowers, and the babies! Oh, the babies had always excited Haleia. Doe, goat, opossum, anything that can have babies she would fall in love with somehow.

Even the badgers. 

As Haleia skipped, the silent wisp of chocolate caught her nose and she followed it unknowingly.

A woman appeared! Almost out of thin air. That's...weird. She didn't think much of it, or rather didn't want to. "Hey! Hey you!" She'd call, approaching the laying maiden, "Are you alright?"

the staff team luvs u

---

Gwyndolyn returned to the valley of green, dotted of vibrant shades of purple. In the little time she had been in this world, the ginger huntress frequented this had grown accustomed to traversing these lands. She knew the flowers' smell; some delicate, some pungent, sweet or foul. Except... now there were more. One was sweet, but it was no flower. It was pungent and earthy.

The other was certainly flora and glazed with the rich scent of plumeria. It was strong on the nose and easily identifiable but beneath it was a subtle scent of germanium added a calming aspect.

Intoxicated by the new scents, the crimson maiden began her search for the two, hopeful. Padding swiftly through the open fields, Gwyndolyn stepped lightly, nearing the source of the smell.

As she suspected, there stood two wolves. One made of ivories and tinted browns, the other stood with a base of chocolates and a cream undercoat. A honey gaze flashed between the two of them, concern lingering on her expression. "Are you both quite alright?" She queried, unaware of the same thing being spoken only moments before.

the staff team luvs u

It couldn't be denied, that Vendrussel was someone who held a temper at times. She thought she prided herself upon going and never looking back ; set actions that she knew what was right and yet.. Time and time again proven herself that the guilt that ate at herself was there — and annoyed to the tips of her tongue that could not be avoided any longer. She thought to apologize to the man of the hollows for her previous snapping ; and yet didn't expect to find @Vincent around anymore. Especially, when the smell of Elysium was thick upon his fur.

She would do it the next time she saw him — the dragoness thought as she pulled herself to the neighboring hollows.

Smells mixed within the land ; enough for anyone to think perhaps a pack was forming! Though they were all different, an assortment of so that brought a curiosity with small bit of wariness, thus sought the trails.. Only to find a variety of woman, in somewhat what seemed to be a hurry and a commotion. Vendrussel stood in the back, a caution waved as her tail followed, and watching steadily.. Something seemed to have happened that brought a few with words of worry — and thus dragged them all together to the same area.

Though scents didn't mix, she couldn't help but throw a possibility of something happening ; so she waited, and watched lightly.

the staff team luvs u

All Sunder wished to do was squeeze her eyes back shut and let sleep take her under its cover again to escape this headache that she was experiencing. She had been quite alright up until the moment she was woken up.

Her vision was adjusting to the harsh light a little better now, but to be sitting out in the open in the sun like this still caused a throb to occur behind her eyes. She probably couldn’t get back to the dream realm even if she tried at this point. Besides, this hollow offered little protection for her anyway. What a strange place to have chosen to rest. It was peculiar, she couldn’t remember picking this place to take a nap amidst the blooming flowers. 

Her dry tongue swiped across her lips briefly as she glanced around her surroundings. Perhaps her thirst was attributed to this pain inside of her head. Her golden eyes lifted higher, sweeping her gaze across the mountaintops hugging the colorful hollow. Perhaps she had fallen from their heights? 

She shook her head side to side as she dropped her focus back down onto her paws. The mere act of thinking too much was fatiguing. One thing was for certain though and that was that she needed a drink of some water soon. Sunder moved her white dipped toes through the dirt in front of her, uprooting a few small flowers in their wake as she worked on gathering the strength to stand. 

. . . Then just as she rose up onto all fours she heard a rustling in the grass surrounding her, alerting her to the approach of a stranger. Of course she wouldn’t be all alone out here, but she wasn’t expecting to have company join her so soon. Sunder felt a little unprepared for this, bringing about a feeling of vulnerability that she despised. 

Immediately she felt her fur starting to bristle along her back but when a fair maiden adorning a coat of light cream and brown came skipping lightly through the beautiful flowers towards her she let herself relax. Sunder’s stare did lack the intensity it would normally hold because of the overwhelming fog gripping her brain, but that didn’t mean she was any less critical. She did stop herself from flinching at the sound of the woman’s voice speaking to her, and it wasn’t that the voice was unpleasant per se, but it did pierce her sensitive eardrums. Damn headache. 

Sunder was just starting to answer the question that was asked but another curious vox entering the fray asking of the same thing made her teeth snap sharply shut as her head whipped to the side for her eyes to find who it belonged to. She hadn’t heard the approach of this one, internally chastising herself for that. Was this a trap of some kind? Sunder sized up the delicate woman who had just joined them, taking a little half step back from the wolves now encompassing her. Nonetheless their concern did feel genuine enough. 

“I am…doing just fine, thank you.” She was short with them but it was obviously a fib. Why was everyone so worried? Her eyes darted between the two. Then when a third body joined in it was obvious that Sunder was not as relaxed anymore. She was not in a good headspace and she was in a location that she didn’t recognize. She felt as if she had no ground here, no upper hand. If something were to go wrong she would be in trouble. Were these three travelling together?

She decided that she just needed to be honest with them. “Actually… I am very thirsty. I don’t think I’ve had a drink in days.” She quietly mumbled, her shoulders slumping down some in defeat.

the staff team luvs u