Gray Matter Wolf
Hydrangea
Hydrangea and Fir met each other on a hike that she was leading the village people on. Given that she was the only expert on survival thanks to her father it was her responsibility to keep the village safe from dangers altogether. Though there were virtually none.
"So the orange mushrooms are edible?" Fir asked blissfully ignorant of Hydrangea's responsiblities.
"No Idiot" Maple stammered. "The purple ones are edible, the orange ones are poisonious, you dolt."
Hydrangea kept the campaign moving forward as they traveled through the dense forest.
"Yes Maple, as I was explaining earlier, lizardstripe mushroom is edible but the orange Jain's Mushroom is indeed poisonous."
As the party sat down for a break in a clearing Fir took the opportunity to spark up a friendly conversation with their hike leader. Clearly to everyone else's disapproval. Hydrangea though couldn't be bothered anyway after finding a new species of flytrap plant that seemed to have the ability to heal small wounds almost immediately.
The hike ended on a light note. After Hydrangea had taught the team how to keep themselves safe on this length of the forest they adjourned.
"What is it that you want Fir? You come knocking on my door in the middle of the night while I'm writing notes down from earlier this morning. I need this time to think!" Hydrangea spoke angry at this asinine tiger greeting her in pitch darkness.
"I know how to get under all of that tough exterior." Fir raised his eyebrow but whether or not it could be seen in the night was inconclusive.
"I don't have a tough exterior. I'm a survivalist. I survive. I forage. I don't expect others to supply me. I can live on nature's giving."
"You're a daddy's girl."
"No. I'm not"
"I feel like I'm failing"
"Failing what?" Hydrangea rolled her eyes and slowly let the tiger into her brightly lit home, complete with glowing bug species captured in jars.
"You knew I had a thing for you." Fir snickered and grinned at the jaguar.
"I knew that you have this knack for distracting me when I'm trying to keep everyone from going to close to a Titan Bee's Hive.
"What's a titan bee?"
"Oh, what's a titan bee? Uh duh" Hydrangea pushed a scrapbook page into Fir's face.
"Oh my God! They're the size of a boulder"
"That's why you should stop trying to distract me when I'm thinking!"
"Oh..." Fir winced embarrassed by his own feelings. "Are you just pretending to be unaware or are you just playing dumb?"
"Of what?"
"The fact that this was a move, I am definitely making a move on you and that is what this is."
"I'm going to choose to ignore you while I finish working myself through my notes today."
Hydrangea sat at her desk in the quiet night as Fir continued to watch her until sleep finally overcame him and when he woke he was on the floor with a blanket over him. And Hydrangea was gone.
"She totally digs me" Fir grinned to himself as he sat alone in the hovel waiting for her to come back.