I blossom in the moonlight

She'd taken to holding Sphinx Hollow as her own home, clinging to those lost little bits of Sphinx she could smell there. Still, it didn't make any sense given what was going on. She was young again, and alone, and she'd found her way back to Winterheart. Beneath the moonlight Salene slipped out of the Hollow and stretched herself out. Winter would break soon. Spring and it's bounty would rise again, and with it, her spirits. Idly she wasn't sure what would happen once the seasons shifted - and she wasn't sure if there would be anyone else she knew to find. Scents had lingered around the forest and she found tracks in the snow. She caught the scent of a small group it seemed, but finally, she lifted her head and let out a howl. If anyone was around, hopefully they'd find her.

She wove her way through the trees, nimble paws cutting between the evergreens. She knew that the river was south, but, she cut to the slightly higher ground further north. What she found there was a bit surprising. The ring of trees had grown together, close knit, and she found it reminded her so much of her own family. Sphinx, Auryn, Saeran, Levi, Renatus, herself, and Winterheart. "Endore's Rise," She mused - although three hadn't exactly bore the name, she gave it to them still.

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+2 Discovery points

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The call drew her in, intrigued her in a way that pulled the little honey wolf from the side of her companion — with a promise she’d be okay and that she’d return soon, of course. — and off into the forest that was slowly beginning to reveal its greenery. It was surprising, how quickly it seemed to warm up, though Persephone knew that a cold front could come in and sprinkle snow down upon them again at any time.

Through the woods she moved, crossing the river to venture further into the thick, noting how the trees seemed to stretch up forever onto the sky. The deeper she explored, the larger the trees became, too, silent giants that stood in the shadows of a mountain. Persephone had never seen such large trees, and found herself enthralled, almost forgetting why it was she’d set out here in the first place.

There, a wolf of blondes and creams and golds, not unlike herself! “Hello!” She greeted the woman brightly, tail waving behind her. “Are you alright? You called for someone.”

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It wasn't too long before she'd heard the approach of another. In her very nature Salene was poised and in control, eyes fixed on the other female as she made her way through Winterheart and left Salene with more questions than answers. It seemed the woman was kind enough - at least to ask if she was okay. Salene just gave a little laugh. "I smelled others in the forest and I wanted to know their intentions." She was straight to the point as ever, casting a curious look over the woman. 

Salene stepped closer and the wind shifted a bit making it obvious this females was one of the scents she'd caught among the trees. "Has it been good to you?" Salene asked, her two toned gaze cast from the small female to the towering trees around them. She had to question who this woman was - she hadn't been there when Salene was, but, she had no idea how much time had passed from when she'd died and when she had woken up again. 

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The woman wasted no time in stating why she had called, both surprising the little honey wolf and making her smile. Only yesterday had she and Hades decided to settle here together, to officially call the forest that had brother them together so quickly theirs. She hadn't quite formulated an answer when another question came, something Persephone took in stride easily, happy to answer once she was given the chance. “Oh, yes. It's been wonderful to us.” Her voice was warm, sincere as she thought back to the morning before, a moment she didn't think she'd ever forget.

“My friend and I were talking about making this our home.” Their throne of stones, their river, their snowdrops... Even the little cardinal that had so furiously bombarded her friend. “It's lovely, isn't it? The forest?” Her question this time, watching as the woman looked about, ears pitched forward to give her the attention she deserved. “Do you live here?” She hadn't smelled her before, not in the last however many days they'd been exploring but then again, they hadn't been this far north, not yet. “Oh! I'm Persephone! Nice to meet you.”
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Salene kept a leveled gaze on the little wolf, curious as she was, and it seemed that Winterheart had ensnared another one. How could it be so easy for them to settle in her family's territory? But Salene knew she'd lived a long life apart from the forest and she realized that she wasn't mad about it, either. It was settling in her that this forest had changed in a way that Salene felt down to her very bones. She and her friend? Salene's eyebrow rose, giving the woman a knowing look. Or at least, a suspicious one. She longed to ask what kind of friend? "It is lovely." Salene agreed with a little smile. "I was born here, actually. My mother lead a powerful pack here called Winterheart Forest."  As much as she had loved her mother she loved this forest too. It was like an entire entity all it's own in Salene's eyes.

"I'm Salene Endore," She offered in response. Persephone. It was a flowy, flowery name. "If you took this forest, you should know about it. The Endores claimed it, we cultivated a culture of family, a dynasty to be proud of. The forest will take care of you so long as you do the same." It was a worthy warning to anyone, given the strength of the trees and the mysteries in the depths of the forest. Salene would normally have been prickly and want to protect the Forest only for an Endore claim - but maybe this life had mellowed her some. She knew that she wasn't meant to raise it again. Maybe this little honey wolf was.

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I was born here, actually. My mother lead a powerful pack...

The statement surprised the girl in a way, expressive ears and eyes twitching almost imperceptible as she considered that. She had said that her mother had led a pack here, as in had previously, but... there was no scent of pack that laced the trees that stood like sentinels. The name she was given, Winterheart Forest, sent a chill down her spine, the power behind it curious and entrancing. Just yesterday, Persephone had expressed to Hades that the forest hadn't told them its name yet and now, here she was, learning that very name. And oh, it was so fitting. So regal, too.

Pink eyes flickered back to Salene, tail whisking gently behind her for a beat or two. “Oh, I would be delighted to learn anything you could teach me about it.” Earnest, but sincere, Persephone chanced a step closer to the ethereal wolf, attention rapt upon her. “I would never do anything to harm it,” She professed gently, that same earnest note still lacing her words. While she couldn't grow anything, Persephone would do everything possible to protect the place that she was so quickly falling in love with. “Was it just the pack that was named Winterheart Forest or the forest itself?”
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Salene was pleased by the look on her face and the attention that was given to her. Being able to host the attention of another had always delighted Salene after all. Persephone was focused on her entirely and that was enough that Salene was willing to give her a chance. She settled down and let her tail curl around her paws. "Both - the pack took the whole forest, we were one. Where the forest was, we were. It never held another name other than Winterheart." Salene explained. Her gaze shifted up to the treeline and to the sky above it. "My mother birthed my little brother here, in that hollow." Salene remembered it so clearly. Renatus was the only of her blood siblings she'd truly accepted. Sajni and Julis were nothing to her. 

"It is bountiful, grazing herds and plants aplenty," Salene said with a soft smile. "But the skies are my favorite, if I'm honest. I've always head my head in the clouds." Salene's grin grew then, two colored eyes flashing with a light. It was almost otherworldly - her eyes almost shown like stars themselves but she wasn't aware of it. "What have you found so far?" Salene asked curiously. She didn't want to tell her something she already knew, after all, and be redundant. "This forest stood for three generations - until a nearby mountain erupted and caught fire, the mountain itself swallowed us up. I wasn't there, at the end, I was North raising a family. But we kept the ways that Winterheart gave me, and how I was raised." If she picked one word she'd say 'elitist'. They were superior stock and they knew it. 

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The way Salene spoke of the forest was reverent, passionate, loving. It was something that Persephone latched onto, enthralled with what the woman spoke of, much the same as she was by the forest overall. Perhaps there was a reason for that, though whatever the reason was passed right over her head. Everything mentioned, Persephone found herself agreeing with, from the notion that the forest would take care of them to the opinion that the sky, especially at night, was gorgeous.

“Was the forest destroyed after that?” She asked, glancing around them. Lush and full, Persephone knew that either the forest had been untouched or it had been so long that time had healed the wounds left behind by the eruption. Really, it could be either, but Persephone found herself even more enchanted now. If the forest could come back from that, then it could survive through anything, couldn't it?

“We've found a few things! There was a small mountain of boulders, almost like a throne, and a beautiful cave with glow worms and jasmine... I can't wait to find more things to fall in love with, honestly.” Her tail was wagging, brushing the ground with its length, adoration evident in her gaze when she finally turned it back to the Woman of Winterheart.
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^^The little honey child seemed so sweet - so open. There was something in her that was innocent in a way that Salene missed. The Ostara had lived beneath the ice and snow, hard worn by battles wrought in the wilds where there was nothing but savagery. Salene had been raised a princess but she'd died the Ostara - this one, this one was so far from it. Salene's smile was gentle as she looked at her and there was a tug of a memory, almost somewhere when she'd had her children curled at her side listening intently. Maybe it was her grandchildren. She couldn't remember their faces.

“It was, unfortunately. Everything good is reclaimed after a time, isn't it?” Salene didn't like that idea though. That Winterheart had ever fallen. “This.....this is just how it was, though. The paths I cut long before I was Ostara to a clan.” Salene's gaze was torn from Persephone and gazed across the trees again. She cut her eyes back to Persephone - there'd never been a cave. “It seems you've found some treasures for your own.” Salene mused curiously. That was surprising - and she might need to go find that cave for herself.

“My mother was the first Bellatrix - the Queen of Winterheart. I never rose to grace that rank here, my path lead me elsewhere. WInterheart grew from a conflict from a few packs, a war, and a woman's determination. Winterheart became its own haven, an oasis where we didn't depend on anyone else. Those that stayed had to prove themselves and we were fierce and proud. We became family.” She had always embraced her sins - she was prideful, envious, she knew wrath and gluttony. “The forest will only accept the best. If she has given you her mysteries.....” A smile curled the corners of Salene's lips. “She might be yours still.”^^
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As she had the entire time, Persephone listened with attention that was practically spellbound. Everything Salene was said was another drop in the bucket that was her growing knowledge of Winterheart forest and she couldn't wait to share all of it with Hades.

As if on cue, a howl rose then for her, ears flicking back in dismay as she looked to the woman of Winterheart. “I must go,” She told Salene almost sadly. “I'll come back and find you though! I'd love to hear more.” With a final goodbye and a promise to return, Persephone took off through the forest, brimming with excitement at all that she had learned.

Fade
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