Cautiously, she ventured toward the sound of that reciprocated voice—a gentle hello whispered in the wind. If there had been dread that curled in her gut for the world that now twisted and turned into a spectacle of hearts, it was misplaced and hampered by the delicious smell of warmth, flowers, and honey. Enough to soothe her lingering anxieties as she continued to step forward through the tunnel of trees.

This was not the cave, she reminded herself.

This was…something better.

It had not taken long, with her gentle gait and upturned ears, for the scent and sight of the other to grow stronger within her peripheries. And all at once, a man built with a taller physique and draped in the colorful tones of an autumnal forest came to be. His eyes glowed like the fine whisps of candle fire, and Alue could not help herself but smile.

She paused in her step as the sound of his voice rolled to her ears, and had she not been trained to keep her composure polite, Alue feared that the heat that reached her ears would cause her expression to contort to one of bashfulness and embarrassment. Alue would not say she was ugly; she knew she had to hold a modicum of attractiveness as a Princess—however, since her life as a wolf began, those words had not been uttered before.

Why did they cause the briefest of flutters in her stomach?

Her multi-colored gaze rolled to his as that delicate smile continued to weave across the shadows of her auburn fur. He was very nice to look at, too. Far nicer than she expected…

Hello, she offered through a quiet lilt to her voice, her accent rolling from her tongue as she took a tentative step forward. Though the sweetness he harbored in his word caused those butterflies to reignite again—almost instantaneously—as her nose fell to the crook of her neck.

He, no doubt, possessed a silver tongue.

Breathe, Alue, she reminded herself as she took another quick succession of breaths. For a woman who did not balk at the sight of war and blood, she was positively unraveling at the sound of just two little compliments sent her way.

She twisted that heterochromatic gaze back to him, her smile growing as her tail waved amicably behind her. You are kind, she uttered through a light-hearted chuckle, and correct. She returned with a nod, There was a peculiar rabbit with an odd-shaped footprint—did you see it too?

Her head fell to a small tilt as she gazed across the other man’s expression; that warmth (whether caused by his sweet words or the air that seemed to intertwine) caressed her sides until her paw steps took another tentative step forward.

—she felt like a schoolgirl again, all giddy and weak in the knees.

My name is Alue, She offered, Who might I have the finest pleasure of meeting?