Unbeknownst to him, another was encroaching on his newly found forest of pink blooms. Her presence was masked by the falling of petals and various new scent trails Baldur had taken interest in. The wind was not in his favor today, for all he could pick up was the crisp sweetness of the canopies above. The entire scene was ethereal, causing the boy to take his time as he began to roam through the designated pathway.

Baldur’s ears cupped forward, the clamoring songs of birds filled the branches above. Their liveliness was unexpected but not underappreciated. Amber and blue colored eyes flickered upward in search of the small flock, immediately wincing as a result of a soft beam of light that snuck through the dense sea of flowers. A paw lifted, rubbing across his face to ease the stun he’d felt from the ray of sun. With squinted lids, he looked up once more, watching the various birds flutter bough to bough as they merrily chirped. Pockets of blue sky and golden light would break through occasionally, but for the most part this place appeared to be fully covered.

The boy pushed on, following the gradually narrowing path, his head still tipped upwards as his feet moved carefully in an attempt to avoid tripping. Baldur’s intense interest in the mystery of it all drew his eyes to scan everywhere but straight in front of him. A glance tossed over his shoulder, his chin lifting to look up, his neck turning to examine the trunks lined up to the left and right, but never aimed ahead. Perhaps that was how he stumbled into the other, that and the fact he couldn’t detect another at any point. Where did they come from?

A deep belled oof, instinctively left him as he bumped into whatever—well, whoever—it was. Instantaneously, Baldur’s brows furrowed and an agitated frown fell to his lips. He was having a good time and they ruined it. HEY! Watch where you’re— the anger in his voice settled as he looked down to see a girl, younger and smaller than himself. Ah fuck… Look out, next time, he mumbled beneath his breath, avoiding eye contact as he opted to stare at a blade of grass beside her foot instead.

Tension riddled him, and it took some means of control to prevent his fur from bristling like a hissing cat’s. Baldur swallowed his silence, eyes darting from the grass towards the sky, and then finally settling on the girl for a moment. He couldn’t explain what it was, but she appeared… fragile, in a sense; like a pane of ice that would shatter if mishandled even minutely. Breakable, delicate, soft—challenges that were the polar opposite of his own.

Putting on an irritated front, Baldur jerked his head away once again, staring off into the distance of fluttering petals instead of at the other. What’re you doin’ here, anyway? It wasn’t like he was curious or anything, he just felt like asking.