Perhaps it was merely the pheromones this odd tunnel gave off or something wonky that lingered from the smell she sniffed from the heart-shaped feet of what had undoubtedly been a rabbit before…or maybe it certainly was the sweet, alluring words that drifted from the man’s lips. Whatever the reason, Alue was feeling good.

There was an indescribable flutter to the beat of her heart, a warmth that spread from her chest and down to her curling toes as the man shot her another look, his presence alone enough to send her ears aflame and her smile to grow.

What an odd sensation.

Her chuckle bubbled from her lips in a softened tone as she blinked toward the man with a playful smile, You have yourself a deal, Monsieur, She cooed into the air, Although, I’d like to check the rabbit’s feet before we dine— those pawprints in the earth were certainly too fantastical to be real…right? Maybe it had been just a trick of the eye, she thought in a futile attempt to rationalize the irrational.

Alas, her thoughts would give her no newfound answers as her attention was quickly replaced by the sound of her name, rolling from his lips in a pleasant ring that had that warmth in her chest full-on blooming.

Tarot, he said, introducing himself with a pleasant dip of his head—charming and a gentleman too. Her smile only seemed to grow. Tarot, she rolled across her tongue after a pause, tasting and savoring its sound atop her lips as she returned the pleasant dip of her chin. Exquisite, she murmured in kind, Where do you come from, Tarot? She asked with quiet curiosity. Was he merely a figment of her own imagination?

If so, that would be far too cruel of a reality for Alue to swallow…alas…

Her eyes trailed toward the place of his words, toward the tunnel that beckoned them forward. Her steps matched his own, her body unintentionally finding a perfect fit beside his own—not too close, but enough where the warmth of his silhouette seemed to caress her side as she sauntered forward.

When had Alue ever been so bold?

I fear I do not, she murmured beside him, A few moon phases ago, we had these awful, terrible caves pop up… she explained with a weary breath, her eyes drifting toward her paws as she pointedly fled from his gaze. The memories of such awful caves still lived within the memories of her bones, enough so that on the most terrible of nights, nightmares still plagued her mind.

She sucked in a shuddering breath as she blinked past those darkened memories, But this… she countered with a glance toward Tarot, has felt more like a dream than a nightmare.

Her tail shifted into an easy, purposeful wag behind her, Care to lead the way?