04-16-2017, 10:43 PM
”Sylva is well,” she said, her eyes lifting to the canopies above them where the species of their different forests met with grasping branches in a timeless embrace. He stepped closer as he followed her gaze up, tracing the jagged lines and edges of a mingling blend of nature as he shifted to stand at her side -far enough to keep the chill of his winter's touch safely away.
It was a companionable quiet that settled over him as he waited for her to continue, sensing there was more to her visit than a neighborly hello. He didn’t have long to wait.
”I came for both of our woods. To see if you would want to join me in making sure they stay safe.”
A hard knot formed in the barrel of his chest, tangled with wariness and an unease he couldn’t put a name to. Being from a pack, and now leading his own in a way, he well knew the advantages of numbers. Safety was easier, yes. But it mattered who those numbers were, or safety could become war in little more than a flash of heated tempers.
He knew, too, the disadvantages. The more mouths to feed, the frenzy to fight for scraps. The vicious scuffles to earn their way up the ranks that he purposefully didn’t keep in the Taiga. And worse, the manipulations to do so among people rather than honest beasts. Numbers and safety were well and good, if it were a stable unit, a trusted core and balanced minds.
”What do you propose?” he asked, turning cool, glacial eyes to her in a curious state of caution.
