Into the Woods

Fate

Harley's the last one to join the trip, but the first one packed. When Shea idly reported what he'd found on his last expedition through the wilds, indicated that he was going to take another trip out there, she'd been at the Lodge. But now, only two days from the Lodge, in the Arechavaleta household, she's ready to go again.

It's about a three-day loop, longer if they want to explore more. Ash and Shea had tested the route again, together, a week ago. It seems stable... and failing that, the group will instead have a nice little head-clearing vacation.

Harley brings her spear along. Not that she expects danger or anything, just that she can't go too far from home without it anymore. Little Jesse spends part of the first day of the trip staring at it. But he only asks questions maybe once every hour of Harley, and only at just above a whisper. It's Pyotr who ends up filling the musical spaces in between the conversations most of the time.

Day one brings them to a comfortable clearing both all woodsmen are familiar with. The night comes slower than sleep for most of the travelers, and disappears not long after waking. But on watch (for those who volunteer), the night is full: the scream-like howling of distant wolves, the deep, belly-shaking hoots of an owl, the rustle of leaves and creaking of branches. In between it all drifts the myriad songs, the gentle wafts from the star-rabbits in the sky and the steady beating of the earth and its children below; and the various, subtle scents of the plants, released in countless myriad patterns, especially the scents from the blackberry bush wolf that stalks alongside them.

Day two finds them in slightly new territory. A little drier and brisker, cold enough for Ash to call to stop to wrap a scarf lightly around Jesse.

Shea moves from the main group a little, drawing Jesse along with him. The haft of his ax shifts against his leg with each step. He unbuttons it, but doesn't draw the tool out just yet. Instead, he crouches and gently takes the stem between his middle and ring fingers to lightly bend the flower Jesse's way.

"See this? This is a star licorice flower." He gently rubs at its petals with the finger of his other hand, matching his words to the song of the flower. "You see how many petals it's got?"

Jesse draws closer and brushes his hair from his eyes and widens them as if to better count. His mouth moves with his soundless counting. "Five!"

"That's right! It's always got five petals. Any more and it's a different flower and you can't do this..." Then Shea releases the flower and digs at the soil. This is when the ax comes out: he cuts an inch of root, its thickness belying the delicacy of the flower, rubs the dirt off it, and sticks it in his mouth to chew. He repeats the process, then hands a smaller root piece to Jesse, who rubs it off similarly and tentatively chews one corner.

"Nnnnn." Jesse makes a face and pulls the root out of his mouth. "I don' like it, Unka Shea." He tries to wipe it off his tongue with the back of his free hand.

"Okay!" He takes the partially-chewed root. "I'll give it to someone else then. But if you're by yourself in the woods and you're hungry, this'll help."

Ash, meanwhile, has slowed the expedition to an easier pace, lingering to let Shea and Jesse catch up.

Aaren

Aaren is up ahead, walking with Harley and trying to practice being on vacation. It's kind of hard. Things she really needs to be doing at home keep popping into her head. Her voices twine with the song of the woods around them, with one spared to keep her calm, and one developing the (ever growing) to do-list.

Daina

Early on Daina chose to scale a tree and starting walking along the branches, moving along the same path as the group and listening in on coversation. Piping up now and again. She now and again checks in with the wolf moving with them. Most preditors probably knew to stear clear of the BBwolves now. She drops down from the tree she's in and gives Jessie a bit of some sort of granola bar thing to wash away the liquorish taste. "I don't like that much either, it is miles better than bein' hungry though I bet." not trying to undercut the guidance Shae is tryin' to impart. She glances to the group ahead of them and offers Jessie her hand to go catch up, glancing over to Shae to make sure it's cool to go on, or does he have more to say about the plant.

Fate

Harley turns around, walking backwards for a bit, and calls back, "What Uncle Shea's not saying is that you should also try not to be in the woods by yourself if you can help it."

Pyotr's beard has already filled in after two days of travel—he scratches at it absently. "At this point he'd have to try to end up by himself out in the woods." He nods to Ash. "You should teach him that next. Maybe if he knows how to do it on purpose he won't be able to do it on accident." His words are still less musical than the others—but it's miles apart than the uncertain, discordant flatness of four years ago, upon his arrival.

Ash offers a bit of a smile. "Once I learn how to do that myself."

"Yeah, 'cause that makes sense." Harley's tone is thick with sarcasm.

"Sure it does," assures Pyotr. "Once you start thinking about it, you start overthinking it. And then doing anything regarding what you're thinking about on accident is impossible. Even if you want to."

Meanwhile, Jesse accepts the snack with a bright, flourished, "T'ank 'ou!" And crunches on it as he takes her hand.

Shea pushes the soil back in place over the flower's roots, straightens, and re-holsters his ax, giving the nod and smile to move on. His long strides quickly catch them up to the other group. Once they catch up, Shea wordlessly offers the spare root to Aaren.

Aaren

Aaren takes the star licorice from her brother with a hum of gratitude-song and a smile.

Daina

Smiling to Jessie she nods "you're welcome" leading him to catch up, though their strides are shorter than Shaes she sort of half jogs with Jessie to make up the difference. She takes a little bit of a breath and her attention moves to all the trees and ferns and other plants around them, this was pretty refreshing, more plants than people by far. Humming a little she sniffs the air and makes her scenting for berries song.

Fate

Harley is about to retort to Pyotr, something about understanding that it works for him, which would drop an obvious hint, but bites her tongue and instead makes a hum of assent. She's gotten better at separating hunter humor from the rest of the world over the years.

The scent of berries aren't far, as Daina can sense—of course, blackberries are a prevalent aroma and have been for a while, but there are others around and even relatively nearby, sweet pinkberries and pleasantly tart crazberries. Jesse seems content to keep his hand in Auntie Daina's, even after they catch up. He uses his free hand to brush his hair out of his eyes again.

After Shea harmonizes Aaren's gratitude-song briefly as a "you're welcome" sort of response, he takes up the head of the charge again, still chewing on the root, turning their path eastward.

Aaren

Aaren turns one of her voices to cajoling the breeze, almost out of habit. It brings the scents closer, supporting Dina's berry finding effort. She shifts her gait, so that her various noises (the clinking of the snake fangs around her neck, the rattling of the jingles on her walking stick) make a more interesting beat for the breeze.

She also adds another item to her to-do list song. This was getting rediculious! She never should have let Vir order her out of town. "Daaad!" Aaren sings, her tune the over-exhagerated whining mixing with her song of self-teasing. "How do I get better at vacations?"

Daina

Diana grins a little at Aarens question to her dad, she calls out sing song that "we're going berry hunting" She scales a tree and offers the end of her sash down for Jessie. She'd ask the trees to make them an easy path to the berries and make sure to catch Jessie if he falls. She takes the lead if Jessie decides to join her and glances back now and again to make sure he's going steady. "C'mon Acorn, watch your step" she encourages in an upbeat tone.

Fate

"How do you get better at anything?" Pyotr pipes in. After giving just enough space for the obvious answer to formulate, he says, "Try it drunk!"

Ash smiles. "It usually takes me a day or two before the vacation sinks in. Just give your thoughts space to roam and then eventually they'll settle down."

"For Aaren? I don't think three days'll be enough, Dad," Shea says.

Throughout this conversation, Jesse grabs onto the sash Daina offers, passing up through the scents of compliance delivered by the trees like a bird passing through clouds. Then he makes a concerted effort to stay with Daina, navigating the trees slowly and with the uncertain balance of a 4-year-old. Where he topples and sets a foot out to catch him, he's met by the groan of a shifting tree branch. A couple of times, Harley tightens, twitching into place below him, but soon enough it fades to just a sharp eyeing and a swallowing of decades-honed instincts as they move off on their own.

Aaren

Aaren narrows her eyes in thought, using one of her voices to sing an amused song for Pyotr, since he was making a joke and all. She listens for a moment, absorbing the pattern of dad's music.
Then she begins singing a 'roaming thoughts' song in an attempt to speed up the process. The only obvious result (besides a tendency to loose track of which bush she's singing a song for) is a marked speeding up of the growing of the to-do list.
Aaren glances at Shae and asks, "Is that because I have too many thoughts, or because they aren't roam-y enough?" She's half teasing, half serious.

Daina

Daina glances back now and again and offers a hand back up to the higher branches when there's a tumble off. "We're almost there" she assures Jessie as she lifts her head and scents the air again, double checking with the network of trees that something is 'eating' about the same stuff as the berries and continues on till finally she can drop down from the trees and into a small thicket of bushes that have edible berries. "aha! we have found our quarry!" she grins and holds up her hands to catch Jessie, and likely is bowled over for her efforts. Either way once both are on ground she gives a howl that should travel right back to the group, reasuring them of the safety of the smaller members.

Fate

Shea thinks about this for a moment as he slows the group pace for Daina this time, hearing the equal parts teasing and serious in Aaren's singing. "Both, I think. Like rabbits: they breed quick, and a lot, and spend most of their time hopping around their hutch." He, too, is teasing and serious, but their ratios are less clear, even to him.

Ash chuckles a little at the image. Pyotr, on the other hand, lets out a little musical noise of deep empathy. Clearly that metaphor is appropriate for him.

Shea thinks some more. "So I guess what you really need is a Tris for your brain."

Harley barks a laugh. "Or a lotta ganj."

Pyotr nods and hums his own tune of assent to Harley.

Jesse does drop on Daina when invited, giggling as they both topple and roll into the bushes, which pull away slightly at their collapse. Upon hearing the howl, Harley cups a hand around her mouth and howls back to signal the message being received.

"Where are we?" Jesse asks, after mastering his giggles.

Daina

Diana giggles a little as they're righted "We're in a magic forrest of candy!" she reaches over and grabs a sour berry and a sweet one smooshing them together and handing them over to Jessie before eating some herself.

Aaren

Aaren lifts her songs at the brilliance of the idea. A thought wrangler! "That would be perfect." She settles into thought about that for a moment. Maybe some kind of interplay between her harmonies? Could it self regulate? Like one of those songs that ate warmth and made bunnies less addicted.

At Harley's suggestion Aaren wrinkles her nose. "But it's so hard to focus when I'm high!" A moment later she realizes what she's just said, and lets her mirth bubble out into her songs.

Fate

Jesse eats the proffered berry combo, and his face brightens. He lets out a little song of delighted deliciousness, then starts picking berries left and right. Still not expert at this practice, however, he begins to pick some underripe ones, sure to give someone his age a moderate case of the runs.

With Aaren, the rest of the group laughs too.

"A good question for the Tsarbog, maybe," Ash suggests gently, after his humor settles. "I'm sure he's got plenty of his own thoughts to wrangle, and hopefully plenty of time to learn how to wrangle them."

"Does the Tsarbog even take vacations?" Shea asks, incredulity shifting the tone of his singing. "He's the Vir of as many people as there are stars in the sky."

Daina

Daina grins at his expression and keeps careful watch over his picking as she does her own. "Hey hey fiesty fingers, look these here aren't ready to eat" she points out several examples. "try and get the ones that are this color and this color" more visual cues. She'd keep picking but also keep watching to make sure he didn't grab ones that would make him sick, even moderately. She uses her scarf for a basket to bring back berries to the rest of the pack. She was an adult after all, so she only ate 'a few' while picking.

Aaren

"Tsarbog doesn't take vacations." Aaren wrinkles her face up, her voice just a touch mornful. She'd tried to get her to come out and take one so she could meet the pack. "I'll ask. She'll probably tell me that Svantovit has not revealed that to her." Aaren makes the tune of her words lilt like the Tsarbog's song does. Then she smiles. That wasn't fair. Bozhena was great at adivce. "Good idea, dad."
Once Dina and Jessie get close enough, Aaren hears the berries and her eyes brighten, "Oooh, pinkberries!"

Fate

Although he obediently doesn't eat the underripe berries, Jesse asks, "How come they aren't ready to eat, Auntie Daina?" Then he stops, still holding them. "What do I do with them? Can I put them back?" He tries, and then after it doesn't work, he stops and thinks. "Do they want them back?"

Back at the main group, Ash nods to Shea as Aaren mentions about the Tsarbog's vacationing policy (or lack thereof). "Probably why we don't have any of our own stories about the Tsarbog yet."

Shea hums a bright semi-assent song, indicating that makes a lot of sense.

Pyotr whistles, low and long, then lets out a bit of a nervous chuckle. "They're probably better to hear about after the fact than experience, anyway."

"Fuck no—are you kidding?" Harley's tone is bright with humor. "I'd fight a damn boar by myself to get to say I saw the Tsarbog forget to put on pants one day. Especially if everyone else decides to follow the Tsarbog's example."

Daina

Diana explains that it takes a lot of work for bushes to make berries and then when he questions if they want them back she considers that and holds one out to the bush, offering the berry back and a bit of energy to reattach it, should the bush wish too. "let's find out" she murmurs, a bit curious herself about that one. Once it's decided one way or t'other if we leave the berries to become compost or they return to their bushes she'd lead the way back towards the group. Now and again loosing a howl to get her bearings. Once she can scent them though she grins a little and holds up her finger to her lips and sends Jessie on, not letting it be too far away from the group. She mean while goes ahead of them through the trees and up into one, waiting for prey to walk underneath. She knows she can't get a drop on Aaren and it'd be dangerous to pounce Harley. Maybe one of he boys though..

Aaren

Aaren widens her eyes and sings, teasing, "Wait, you haven't already fought a boar by yourself?"
She notices Dina hiding in the trees, but since Dina's song is being sneaky she pretends she can't hear it.

Fate

Sure enough, the berry reattaches to the plant.

Jesse watches, satisfied, then follows Auntie Daina back to the main group. As she puts a finger to her lips and sends him on, he takes in a breath to ask her what's going on but stops himself just in time.

"Well..." Pyotr concedes to Harley. "Okay, I can't argue with that. Well, except the whole fighting a boar part." A pause, then a bright noise. "I'd let you fight a boar to see the Tsarbog pantsless!"

At Aaren's tease, however, Harley rolls her head on her shoulders a little, making a little guilty hum as if she'd been caught. "I was hoping to have it easy." Then she spreads the fingers of her free hand. "Alright, I'd fight a boar blindfolded. Better?"

It's about this point Jesse catches up to the group, his shifting of mulch and branches obvious, and Pyotr reaches a hand out to him as a matter of course. Jesse takes Pyotr's proffered hand. "Welcome back, little rabbit! Did you lose Auntie Daina?"

Daina

Just as Jessie's hand grasps Pyotr's Diana sees Shae pass and then haha her quarry! Grinning and then making playful barking growling sound she drops down from the branch over the trail, intent on landing on Ash's back. shoulder area. "BEWARE THE WOLF!" giggling after her decleration and trying to play bite a shoulder or something like that. Further growling and wolfy sounds.

Aaren

Aaren laughs, clapping her hands in delight as Daina pounces.

Fate

Without thinking, Pyotr yanks Jesse to him, lifting him up and holding him tight, pack and all. Shea jumps to one side, whirling, hand sliding to his ax, relaxing as he hears Daina's declaration; Harley, on the other hand, doesn't seem to react, slowing to an easy stop to wait for the two to untangle.

Ash, on the other hand, collapses hard to the ground with a loud "OOOF!" Some berries fly from Daina's makeshift pouch prior to impact, rolling everywhere.

Aaren

Aaren, still laughing, begins to sing Pyotr and Shae calmer, and starts helping Ash get his breath back. "I will totally get a boar for you to fight," she sings to Harley. "This is going to be so awesome!"

Daina

Daina grins a little and hops off of Ash, instead of offering a hand up right away she offers him a non ground berry and a bigger grin. "Gotcha" sung with a playful teasing before she points to Shae and taunts jokingly. "To slow there I'dda got you too" probably not but beh who needs truth when you're teasing? She offers her hand to Ash to help him up then and dust off his front.

Fate

Ash looks at her, taking a dazed moment to wheeze his breath back in, his way eased considerably. Eventually he accepts the berry and crawls up to standing with Daina's help. "Nobody tell Maria that one, okay?" It's an overdramatic plea, only three-quarters teasing, punctuated by a cough.

Becalmed, Pyotr sets Jesse back down. Shea, thusly chide-taunted, rubs his upper arm. "Probably. But maybe I'd've gone berserk instead."

"What's 'berserk'?" Jesse asks.

Harley, on the other hand, tips her spear Aaren's way non-threateningly. "Only if you can first guarantee that I'll see the Tsarbog pantsless as a result. This is not something I'd do for shits and giggles, okay? I'm getting old."

Daina

Daina grins "I mean I have to have somethin' good for your next big birthday" She gives Ash a big hug around his middle and maybe his arms if he's not fast enough. She casts a look to Shae and gives a bright smile. "You know I'm kidding you were totally on it like "woosh" mimics his drawing of the ax. "and if you did go a bit off well ... " looks around them "I think there's enough trees that would get in the way if I ask them." She doesn't answer Jesse, allowing either Shae or one of the others that joyful explination.

Aaren

Aaren opens her mouth to answer Antie Harley, and then remembers that the Tsarbog isn't going to be getting time off to visit any time soon. "Well," She says, "I'll work on that part." Probably the Tsarbog wanted to see Harley fight a boar blindfolded too. Who wouldn't??

To Jesse, Aaren sings, "It's when the anger and the fear parts of your song get very loud and then you get really mad at the scary thing. Like this," Aaren sings a small part of what Jesse's song would sound like if he was beserk. Only a small part though.

Fate

"Yeah, keep me updated," says Harley, with just enough casual deadpan seriousness to indicate that she knows it isn't gonna happen.

Ash hugs Daina back, then kisses her hair. "Thanks." The gratefulness is genuine—probably for something other than being ambushed.

Shea, picking up on her assurances, amends himself. "Oh, no, no, I meant if you were a... a beast or something. You know, 'cause I assumed we were speaking hypothetically. I wouldn't go berserk at you." He seems pretty solid on this.

Jesse listens to the song, and then the feelings begin to seep in. Once it lets up, Jesse says, "Oh." Then he thinks. "And then what happens?"

Daina

Smiles to Ashdad and doesn't quite know what the other thing is but that's ok. She holds out the scarf of berries. "Anyone got a spare bag?"
When Shae says he'd not berserk at her she huffs "oh what I'm not beast enough?" Her ears shifting to her wolf ones and fangs at least growing in her mouth as she gives a grrrr. Super scary Daina yup all yee run in terror.

Aaren

Aaren pulls out her spare bag, brought for just this reason, and holds it out to Daina. To Jesse, "That depends on you. Different people handle feeling that way differently. Most of the time, you attack the thing that is scaring you, even if you'll regret it later."

Fate

Shea turns his head a little. "Nah." Instead of coming out with the casual confidence of true conviction, it just comes out awkward.

Jesse then asks Aaren, "Have you ever done that?"

Aaren

Aaren thinks about how frantic things got during the epidemic. "I don't think so. Normally we only call it bezerking when you black out and forget what happened." She thinks seriously for another moment, her calm song and her thought-wrangling songs changing to match. Then she adds, "I have gotten scared and angry to the point where I've done things I regreted though."

Daina

Diana smiles and feels a little awkward herself as she can kinda sense she'd fudged up a bit. After the berries are all poured into the bag Aaren offers she grabs a handful and brings em over to Shae, peace offering of food! "Hey how about we practice you not getting ambushed?! You keep walkin' and I'll try and get the drop on ya. pause no help from Aaren though that's cheatin' "

Fate

Ash manages to quickly snatch a couple berries from Daina's handful as she passes. He's not exactly sneaky about it, but he's pretty slick. Still got it, apparently. He wordlessly offers some of his gains with Pyotr.

"Maybe another time," Shea says, accepting a couple berries. "Right now I'm trying to guide us all to that burrow." He starts off to continue doing just that.

Harley bucks her chin to no particular person. "Hey, bring some of that over here!"

Jesse furrows his brow at Aaren. "What happened?"

Daina

Daina screws her lips to one side but the shrugs. "Ok" tossing a berry up and catching it before walking on, in a few minutes she's back to tree surfing and observing the natural world, and definately not a tiny bit pouty. nope

Aaren

Aaren sings her remembering song and her thinking song. Then she sings (with all of her voices coming in, to accompany with a symphony of appropriate emotions and images) "Before you were born—" And she tells the story of the epidemic, and the time she shouted at Vir about Nonno's death.

Fate

Later That Night...

Dark has finally fallen. With it has come a new melody and harmony, one just as active and varied as in the daytime. The lean-tos have grown silent, Auntie Harley's bedroll (exposed to the sky, because she didn't see a need for a shelter) has gone still, and the campfire has long gone cold. The satchels full of food and provisions are hanging away from the camp, somewhere high up in the trees.

A night breeze brushes across the camp, sending a pack or two a-sway and ruffling the hair on various sleeping heads. Overhead, where not concealed by the foliage, are the star rabbits, bright as distant lantern lights. She-Who-Hungers has very nearly finished off the moon, leaving a mere sliver of white light to travel the sky.

Daina

Daina is glad of the vision her wolfs eyes allow her. Picking her way through the trees and pausing where she'd seen Shae take up his watch. She picks a few leaves off the braches and lets them fall down. She hadn't been particularly stealthy but she still attempted to give that bit of notice before dropping down and landing about a foot away. "Hey" said sung quietly as she straightens and smiles. Then is quiet a minute and tries to judge her welcome.

Fate

Around Shea whips and dances a great deal more little breezes, sending branches a-rustle and slipping through unseen spots narrow enough to evoke a whistle. The collected whistles form a pattern which is clearly a song—briefly it's Shea's mellow song, but as Daina approaches the song changes to something a little more chaotic and... excited, maybe? The leaves Daina drops are quickly carried away.

He lets out a breath of a helpless chuckle and then turns and hums a friendly, quiet greeting Daina's way.

Daina

Daina smiles a bit at the wind and pulls her cabagge lace shawl up over her hair to keep it out of her face. "want some company?" she questions as she gives the tree she'd plucked some leaves from a spot of warmth to regrow them. "I solemly swear I'm not up to no good" Sounded sort of like something from a long ago story... her eyes narrow as she spares a moment trying to recall.. wizards? Shaking off the idea she returns her focus to Shae and tries to fathom the best way reassure him.

Fate

"Well, so long as you're up to no good." Though light with humor, Shea's voice is still low, out of respect to the sleepers perhaps, or perhaps out of respect to the night itself. He's seated for now, leaning against a fallen log, idly humming his thoughts-wandering-but-senses-alert song.

Daina

Daina swoops down to sit next to him, it's as close to plunking down as she does these days. She wiggles a bit as if getting settled and lets the silence rest a few minutes. She finally blurts out. "I'm sorry I upset you earlier.. but really I'm.. just not going to be scared of you.. mostly because you're you, but also you still burn.. I mean if you did go all crazy on me.. " she lifts a hand and flame licks up from her palm to her fingertips for just a moment and then snuffs out. "I wouldn't wanna burn you of course but if worse comes to worse you know?"

Fate

Shea stops humming his prior song and takes a moment to corral his scattered thoughts. Then he takes another moment to parse what she's saying, absently humming his concentration song. It's a slightly uncomfortable length of non-talking, all told. But then he asks, "You're talking about this morning, when you got the drop on Dad?"

Daina

She nods her head "yeah that'd be the time" she agrees. Glad for the end of silence as it had made her start to pick at the bark of the felled tree they rested against. "I didn't mean to upset you, just was teasing.. because well it's not that serious you know? Not between you and me, even if you think other people have to be worried.. I'm made of sterner stuff you know or rather hmm I can deal with your sterner stuff.. heck even if it's just flying away."

Fate

His expression turns to something just short of a cringe and he rubs his shoulder as if rubbing out his embarrassment. Then he takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Daina, that was just a series of moments of dumb. I misunderstood what you were teasing me about and then got defensive 'cause I felt incompetent and said something that didn't really help my case at all." His expression twists a little and he looks to the stars. "I mean, basically what I said is, 'If monsters attack someone and come after me next, I don't have to be quick on my feet because I'll probably just lose my head and fight them anyway,' which is a terrible way to do things." He shifts his jaw a little, then turns to look at her. "I don't think you or anyone should be afraid of me, and I'm glad you aren't." His gaze slides to the side. "Although it sounds like you might be, 'cause it sounds like you're fully prepared to inflict horrible, painful, possibly deadly wounds on me." He's quiet again, taut with hesitation. "Is... is this something you've thought about a lot?"

Daina

Daina hmms what is her quiet attentive song and then startles "What whoa.. nono.. I mean well today I did but that was because I wanted to make sure you knew I wasn't afraid and didn't need to be because ya know I'm all sorts of scary and what have you." she frowns "a bit I mean I -could- totally burn you up but .. " she grimaces a bit herself and one eye squints shut. "I probably couldn't like.. wouldn't" she huffs and shakes her head. "I'm willing to bet I'd find another way out of it even if it's just getting out of the way." She relaxes her features from the uncomfortable expression and grabs him in a hug "besides I could never go back to hometown if I hurt Jerris favorite" with a drawn out sing song of teasing, the hug keeping him from giving her a good shove for her annoyance. Also because hugs are good and help you feel better sometimes.

Fate

Shea lets out a soft exhale, some of the tension draining from him, and wraps his arms around her, scootching right up against her. "Yeah, that'd be pretty tragic. I'd miss you a lot." He's gone back to a lighter melody. After a moment, he says, still hugging, "I'm sorry you felt bad about that all day." He lets another breath of a helpless chuckle. "I totally forgot."

Daina

Smiling big she gives him a squeeze "It's not so bad, it kept me out of trouble today" she gives a little snicker. "maybe I should be worried every day, way less fires and random plants" she pauses "So hey, this mean you're back on the prey list?" Peeeeeek upwards. Grin.

Fate

"Hey, you're pretty careful with the fires. And the random plants are really cool. And feeling bad about something all day sucks anyway, so I'm still sorry." After that conclusive statement, Shea looks down at her, catches her grin, and hums a considering song to tease her. "Hmmmm... I feel like I might regret it if I say yes."

Daina

She has to allow that she wasn't very happy today and nods "well ok appology accepted.. annnd yes.. you could indeed regret it! I am after all a feirce and vicious preditor who can sneak up on the most wary of woodsmen" cue cute wolf ears, so freaking scary this one. "roar." she says deadpan before snickering a little at herself.

Fate

He flinches back slightly as suddenly one of the wolf ears lightly flick his nose and then he tightens around her and makes overtures of gnawing on the offending ear, complete with over-the-top growling.

Daina

She yelps then laughs "gah nooo the Shae monster" she proclaims in a quiet tune. She bites at his shirt front with a playful growling sound that's likely a common sound to the rest of the camp, or at least they know it's Daina and not a 'real' wolf coming to get them.

It seems a safe bet that play wrestling is not far off and either they get in trouble for the racket or end up making out, or both some how?

Fate

Both works. I can picture, like, Harley waking up to the noise, waiting a bit for things to quiet down, then getting up to tell them to be quiet after they don't. Then by that time they're making out and it's quiet enough so she just goes back to bed.

Daina

XD Haaaaa
XD "damn kids" XD

Fate

Maybe give a passing, "You're supposed to be on watch." But it's not actually that big a deal because they have a friggin' blackberry wolf patrolling their camp anyway.

Daina

XD yeah exactly