06-21-2009, 01:02 PM
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Sun sparkled through the pine foliage after having snaked through the first layer of deciduous leaves, hitting the ground in vibrant slashes of gold and red and painting the woods with flames. They licked and climbed up the bark of several trees and brought out the wildlife, including a small hybrid child who wound with relative grace and ease through the dense trees, her footsteps completely muffled by the carpet of pine needles below her. A small giggle escaped her youthful lips at the silence with which she could travel, and her fluffy tail bobbed back and forth as she walked ponderously along. Haste was not something she believed was a necessity in most any case.
This place had a sharp contrast to the beach she much favoured, but in its own ways, the tutelary Dampwoods had redeeming qualities. She could not yet walk across sand so quietly as she did here, for her feet would make gentle whoosh sounds with every slippery step. The beach was often hot, and while it was almost nothing to her, sometimes cooling down was nice as well.
And, of course, the woods were dark. They were perfect for games like hide-and-seek. And that was what de le Poer imagined she was doing: seeking something that was hiding. Some secret getaway, or hidden treasure, or maybe an evil spirit to vanquish. Or maybe she was searching for the answers to questions that bothered her sometimes, like why her father didn't ever come to see her, why he didn't care about her. Why she was not supposed to exist, even though she didn't yet know she was a mistake made in haste.
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