The Shadowed Path (OPEN)

Having determined where his dorm was, Sheridan decided to return outside as quickly as possible. He had never been an indoor person. Before leaving the warmth of the building, however, he made sure to don his buckskin jacket. It didn't look like much, but it kept him well-insulated from the cold. He'd had to nudge Ash with his foot more than once to encourage the dog to get up from the comfortable spot where he'd settled. The exchange had gone something like this:

"C'mon. Get up, ya lazy ass."

Ash grumbled in response, edging away from Sheridan.

"Oh, don't give me that. You're from Maine; you're used to the cold. Get up. We're going for a walk," said the boy sternly, tugging on the harness. But Ash knew that his master's bark was worse than his bite. Still, anything to make Sheridan happy. With a huff, the wolfdog got to his feet.

Thus, at the command of his master, Ash found himself trudging through the snow yet again. It had been fun at first, but now that his nap had been interrupted, the wolfdog had a temper to rival Sheridan's. The two wandered down the forest path. Ash didn't know why, but something about this place made him uneasy. He stuck as close as possible to his human companion. Sheridan frowned, noticing his friend's strange behavior. His jumpiness was supposed to have been trained out of him years ago. But perhaps Ash was sensing something the boy couldn't.

    The wind was pleasant, a very nice kind of pleasant that doesn't normally blow around here, a pleasant that hasn't been felt by Kaeru when she usually walks down the trail from time to time. Her hair flowed in the wind, pointing at the long, looming trees that let their shadows blocks the light over the looming light of the sun. Despite being a creepy place sometimes at night, it was one of Kaeru's favorite places on the island; third favorite in fact. The trail doesn't beat the experience of being in a warm bed in her room or the refreshing sound of water at the Lake as she dives deep down towards the bottom and sleeps. The trail had two things that she likes, like spooky potential areas, and forests. Which led to her being here today, just feeling the wind and letting the stresses of work fade away, as sneaking around the campus at night could instill some overdue stress. Also, it's not the only reason Kaeru is casually walking, as she had to make sure if the rumor she heard about it true or not.

    From hearing the leaves rustle, she could tell that the wind is being generous today as wind doesn't give off this kind  of refreshing breeze inside the trail. As she continued to walk down the faded path, Kaeru noticed moving figures walking from the other side of the trail, which made her stop at first, trying to get a good view of the large shape and small shape, like an owner walking their dog. Her path continued as she went down the path.

Sheridan knew that something was off. It wasn't a big enough something so as to be immediately noticed, but still significant enough. A difference in the wind as it teased at his hair, whispering the silent secrets of the forest in his ear. But no, hold on. There was a sound, a definite sound. The sound of footsteps, lightly and softly on the forest path.

“Who’s there?” Sheridan called out, stopping in his tracks. He considered retreating into the shadows and teleporting away, but decided that that would be a coward’s move. Most people would probably be unperturbed by the sound of someone else walking along the trail--after all, this was a public place. But no such logic manifested itself in Sheridan's mind. For him, who grew up in a forest where his only neighbors were bears and other such wildlife, sounds in the forest meant danger. This was an instinct the blind boy could not ignore, for it had saved his life many times in the past.

    Whoever he was, he called out to Kaeru, or at least to her footsteps. She didn't stop however as she kept moving, closing the distance between the person. Now that she got a better look at the guy, Kaeru thought that he looked like he was on the wide side of things, or that's what the vibe Kaeru is getting from this guy, and she guessed this wild man was blind too since he didn't seem to notice that the girl was right in front of him unless he's making it hard to tell. She quickly turned her attention to the dog right next to him, and whispered an audible, "Uwa~!" as she started to stroke the dog's head in the loving manner.

    "Yo! Don't worry! I'm just a defenseless little girl walking alone in a big creepy forest!" she yelled up suddenly. It wasn't more of a greeting, as it was more of a joking context for her to be out here. Might as well have fun with the guy now that she's here.