Zora spoke her reassurances. They were simple, soft. Grounding. They drew in and breathed out several long, quiet puffs of air, calming the buzzing beneath her skin. She felt murky without it, and a little tired, but that was fine. Because she was Zora's, and they loved her.

They hmm'd, low and rumbling, in the back of their throat as they brought the side of their muzzle to press against hers, confused as to why they weren't already touching. Then their body was moving, too, closing what little distance remained between them and snaking their neck around the back of Zora's to hug her even tighter against them. And their gaze roamed, down her back, past the tip of her tail, to the forest just behind her looking oddly... stripped.

Why is half the forest missing?