She was slowly beginning to wonder if he was closer to her own age than she'd originally suspected. She was not good at discerning such things. Or many things at all. He was a beautiful, rough gold though and stood out in the dark green forest so brilliantly. He would cause them to be seen, she was sure. Especially if he was much louder than his current quiet.
Her face pulled softly into a delicate frown. Did he seem confused? Was he so very lost and alone? She was too, the second part, but she was not lost. She knew where home was.
"Are you dangerous?" he said, taking a step back from her. She startled at his voice just slightly, mirroring his step back as she took one as well. Her wings lifted from her sides in cautious ready, prepared to take flight if he frightened her. They seemed to be at a nervous standoff, though, and she very slowly lowered her wings back down again in a silent promise that she wasn't one to cause anyone harm.
She shook her head, "No," and watched him for a moment longer before sending her gaze to the forest around them. When they returned to him once more, she spoke again, each word pronounced carefully as if they took conscious thought to form. "This forest is dangerous. The sickness spreads here. You should travel to a safe land." It was the obvious next step, and so she assumed he would be leaving now.
Her wings lifted an inch off her ribs again and she took a step back, watching to make certain he was redirecting to one of the havens instead before he caught the plague too.
tell me what your heart wants, such a simple thing
my heart is like paper; yours is like a flame