Phoebe stared upward into the thick canopy overhead and muttered a quiet "Wow... to herself. She'd only ever seen the Viride Forest from afar, on the other side of the creek that separated Terrastella from Delumine, and from there it had seemed spooky and foreboding. There had never been any intention to visit the place personally--perhaps just weasel out a few tales from anyone else who'd been brave enough to go inside--but after her tiring trek over the mountains in the center of Novus--not once, but twice--the little sunset mare was looking for any easier way to make the trip across the region toward Solterra. ...for no particular reason. She'd seen how the mountain range didn't entirely touch the northern side of the island, so it made sense that if she just slipped around them, made a wide circle...She knew it was going to take longer, but she planned for that. It was still morning--or would be if she could see the sunlight directly--and left her with plenty of time to reach the Day Court, find that little room over the tea house there, and spend some time catching up with the handsome Day Soldier who'd invited her back. Just the thought of being able to spend more time with him, learning about him and admiring his beautiful looks, was enough to make her get over those initial, irrational fears of the dark interior of the forest and traipse along through it. Hopefully the members of Delumine wouldn't mind too much; she would be quick and gone before anyone knew she was there.
...or so she hoped. While she'd started off in the right direction, Phoebe realized it was actually much harder to gauge direction once inside. There was so little light to go off of, and it was hard to make out where exactly the sun would be in the sky. There didn't appear to be any markers in the vicinity either, only a series of worn paths in the dirt and scrub from other travelers who had obviously known exactly where they were going. "I think I'm going the right way..." Maybe if she just kept going in this direction, she'd end up where she wanted to be? Or...maybe somewhere along the way she'd be able to get her bearings? Unable to ignore the warning bells ringing in her mind, Phoebe tried to stay optimistic and kept picturing Jarek as motivation. She had to get through this place. Or else missing a surprise date would be the least of her worries.
