stare at the sun on your face, be blinded by grace

He was making his usual rounds.

Rising with the sun, he went to check on the pack's cache before walking away. The food was still good, but he'd go out later to hunt anyway. Until that time, he'd check how his pack mates were doing and focus on patrolling a bit. Greenwood was safe and content - for now. He could not shake the idea that something would come to their door.

Eventually.

Bran angled his body to the border, walking along it. Adding his scent where needed. He sniffed locations that seemed a bit faint with Greenwood's scent before brushing against them. There. He happened to glance up, seeing a woman standing nearby. She had a brightly colored coat. It reminded him of the sun. He blinked slowly before returning to his task.

She didn't seem to notice him. Not right away.

@Leo

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Leo was pretty... useless around the pack lately, but in recent days she was growing restless. Caring for @Anai (assuming he is still around, i can change this!) had kept her occupied for a while, but he was now a young adult and ready to be his own man. Even if Leonna couldn't help but fuss over his appearances, grooming those dual colours of his whenever he got himself dirty - she had to start holding back before she embarrassed him too much in front of potential partners of his own one day.

Trying not to obsess over her son, she wandered the outskirts of the pack lands. Plucking away at the autumn berries as a self-indulgent treat, she'd satisfy her sweet tooth before winter would come and frost biting away at the little bundles of fructose. She'd meander from one bush to the next, and perhaps didn't notice the earthen man at first, but the hairs on the back of her neck made the sunny woman aware that someone was nearby and glanced her way, even briefly.

Like one of those moments where strangers watch each other at a restaurant, swearing that their counterpart is watching them. Pale yes scanned the horizon and barely caught sight of him as he began to wander away. “Uninterested in greeting a fellow packmate?” She was both teasing and lightly insulted.

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"I did not wish to disturb you, madam. My apologies." He lightly frowned but resisted saying more. Right away, anyway. Bran could tell she was insulted, even if that had not been his intention. She had looked at peace and he did not want to force his company upon her. An ear flicked backward, recalling she had been eating fruit. Berries. He half expected her to keel over, choking or gagging.

He placed the image from his mind. Not like he could do anything for her if they were toxic. "How do you know which ones are not poisonous?" He was curious about that. Was she some sort of healer? Only a select few in his mother's culture knew about herbs and berries and other vegetation. They either used them to divine or peddled them as a trade. But what Bran really wanted to know - and kept to himself - was are they good? Like, taste.

He imagined berries to be... full of water. A strong taste too, if his nose didn't betray what he could guess. Sometimes, they smelled rather sour. He didn't like sour things. They made him cringe. He angled his body back to her if she really wanted to chat - or was just making a passing comment. The question stood.

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