Yesterday, 9:04 PM
Evergreen’s ears perked at the sound of the stranger’s voice, although she couldn’t help tilting her head a little. Now, that was interesting. She’d met plenty of unusual wolves over the years, but she couldn’t recall ever hearing someone speak quite like that. Two voices, seemingly coming from the same fellow. Well, wasn’t that something? She smiled warmly in his direction, shifting herself a little to make room beside her. “Oh, nonsense, dear. I’d be delighted to have you. Flowers make lovely company, but I’m afraid they’re poor talkers.” She chuckled, settling herself comfortably once more. “Though I suppose that’s not always a bad thing. I’ve known a few wolves who could learn a thing or two from them.”
The soft clattering of something caught her attention as he approached, and she turned an ear toward the sound. His scent was vaguely familiar, too, though she couldn’t immediately place it. That wasn’t particularly surprising. She’d encountered quite a few strangers during her travels lately, and remembering where she’d come across each of them was becoming something of a challenge. Still, it was rather nice to know she’d made enough of an impression for someone to remember her. “Have you, now? Well, I hope I wasn’t causing too much trouble wherever you happened upon it.” There was a playful note to her voice. “I do try to behave myself, but sometimes these old paws have a mind of their own.”
His introduction earned a thoughtful hum from the elderly woman. Valdís. What a lovely name. She was just preparing to offer her own when the rest of his statement registered, and she paused. The spirits know you. That was certainly an interesting thing to hear from someone she’d only just met. She’d encountered wolves with all manner of spiritual beliefs throughout her life, and while she couldn’t claim to understand every one of them, she’d learned that there was often something worth listening to. Still, the thought of spirits knowing her when she didn’t know their names was amusing.
“Well, that’s very kind of them,” she answered pleasantly. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten rather terrible with names in my old age, though. Have we met?” A quiet chuckle escaped her before she shook her head. “Oh, forgive me, dear. I’m only teasing. Evergreen’s the name, though most folks just call me Ev.” She shifted her muzzle toward him, curiosity warming her expression. “Now, you’ve got me wondering. What sort of spirits are we talking about? I’ve been around a good long while, you know. Wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve made a few acquaintances on the other side by now.”
There was no sense of sadness in the observation, but she supposed there might have been once. At her age, death had become something of a familiar companion. She’d buried far too many loved ones to pretend otherwise, and there were days when she found herself wondering what had become of them. Whether they were somewhere peaceful, whether she’d ever have the opportunity to see them again. She’d never been one to dwell too long on questions she couldn’t answer, but that didn’t mean she never thought about them.
“You’ll have to forgive an old woman’s curiosity,” she added, with a gentle twist of her lips. “It’s not every afternoon a young fellow comes along and tells me the spirits know who I am. Usually folks just ask whether I need help finding my way home.”
The soft clattering of something caught her attention as he approached, and she turned an ear toward the sound. His scent was vaguely familiar, too, though she couldn’t immediately place it. That wasn’t particularly surprising. She’d encountered quite a few strangers during her travels lately, and remembering where she’d come across each of them was becoming something of a challenge. Still, it was rather nice to know she’d made enough of an impression for someone to remember her. “Have you, now? Well, I hope I wasn’t causing too much trouble wherever you happened upon it.” There was a playful note to her voice. “I do try to behave myself, but sometimes these old paws have a mind of their own.”
His introduction earned a thoughtful hum from the elderly woman. Valdís. What a lovely name. She was just preparing to offer her own when the rest of his statement registered, and she paused. The spirits know you. That was certainly an interesting thing to hear from someone she’d only just met. She’d encountered wolves with all manner of spiritual beliefs throughout her life, and while she couldn’t claim to understand every one of them, she’d learned that there was often something worth listening to. Still, the thought of spirits knowing her when she didn’t know their names was amusing.
“Well, that’s very kind of them,” she answered pleasantly. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten rather terrible with names in my old age, though. Have we met?” A quiet chuckle escaped her before she shook her head. “Oh, forgive me, dear. I’m only teasing. Evergreen’s the name, though most folks just call me Ev.” She shifted her muzzle toward him, curiosity warming her expression. “Now, you’ve got me wondering. What sort of spirits are we talking about? I’ve been around a good long while, you know. Wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve made a few acquaintances on the other side by now.”
There was no sense of sadness in the observation, but she supposed there might have been once. At her age, death had become something of a familiar companion. She’d buried far too many loved ones to pretend otherwise, and there were days when she found herself wondering what had become of them. Whether they were somewhere peaceful, whether she’d ever have the opportunity to see them again. She’d never been one to dwell too long on questions she couldn’t answer, but that didn’t mean she never thought about them.
“You’ll have to forgive an old woman’s curiosity,” she added, with a gentle twist of her lips. “It’s not every afternoon a young fellow comes along and tells me the spirits know who I am. Usually folks just ask whether I need help finding my way home.”