Out of all the stupid stuff Sigurd had done in his life, this was certainly next to the worst. Like countless before him, he had ventured into Virens Forest and managed to get himself lost. He had no map, no guide, and no sense of direction. However, despite his constant misfortune he somehow managed to keep a positive view on the situation. He would make himself think that this was a good experience, one that would teach him a valuable lesson. And, it didn’t hurt to explore somewhere new. He was the type to find enjoyment in the journey, instead of focusing on where he was going; a go with the flow kind of guy. But even the most positive thinkers couldn’t help but become even a little frustrated with this place. Even slightly frightened, for who knew what lurked amongst the trees?

He stopped for a moment to assess his current situation, deciding to think more carefully this time instead of winging it like he had been. He’d never get out if he just wandered. “Just how do I get out of this bloody place?” He murmured to himself, placing a hand on his hip whilst using the other to rub through his messy hair. Looking to see which way the sun set or rose would be a useless thing to attempt, for the forest canopy hid the sun from sight. Even attempting to follow the stars was futile. Perhaps he could use his bear form to find a way out? After all, he was alone, so it was safe to transform. Right?

A string of frustrated curse words could be clearly heard within a large radius of the young werecat. She had made the entirely stupid decision of believing that she was smart and cunning enough to get through these forests without a guide. She was certainly a prideful woman, and that was coming back to bite her now. Her light brown hair was messy and splayed out every which way due to her…unorthodox attempts to escape. She had tried every path she possibly could, no matter how small, and yet she was still completely lost. Just her luck. Grunting again in frustration, she looked around again. She could attempt to climb the trees again, but that hadn't led her to much success prior. The trees were simply too thick to gain much of a bearing once you were lost.

She shivered a bit, her clothes not entirely suited to an extended stay out in the wilderness. She had been sure that she would be out of there in the shortest time possible. Now, she was unsure if she would ever get out of this accursed madhouse. She could turn into her cat form, but that would only provide a slight boost in warmth, at the possible cost of her safety. Growing more angry in order to avoid the anxiety, she pulled out her wooden staff and slammed it against a nearby tree, screaming her frustrations out. Maybe in her rage she would attract a nearby traveler who actually knew what they were doing.

She sighed as her anger faded, leaving her feeling almost weak. She sat down, crossing her legs as she tried to calm herself down. As her breaths deepened, she began nervously running one of her hands through her hair, trying to tame it a bit. It wasn't for a need to be presentable, more so to calm herself. Surely she'd think of something. Maybe, if she was lucky, she was actually on the right track. Maybe it would all turn out okay. She shivered again though, as a breeze shook the trees. She wished she had bought a coat before she had departed. She wasn't too sure, but with the scent in the air, it was almost as if a storm was coming. She certainly did not want to wait through a storm, but perhaps that would be what she had to do. Wait. If no one came along after a while, she could try again, but for now, she had to wait.

And so Petal waited, ruffled and anxious, but still proud and still somewhat hopeful. 

    He debated over and over on what to do, until finally, Sigurd decided against transforming. His reasons were because what dwelled in the forest was unknown to him. The beasts, magic, or even people if there were any. If he decided to transform, another person whom had become lost could see him while trying to find their way out. The chances of that happening were very low, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk. With a light sigh, he continued his seemingly hopeless attempt at leaving this horrid place, tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he forced himself to stay relaxed. Freaking out would keep him from thinking clearly, from thinking wisely. That was something he greatly needed when in dangerous situations, otherwise he could make matters worse.

Suddenly, he heard an odd sound. There was a banging sound, like wood knocking on wood, as well as…was that a scream? He was alarmed by the sound, but on instinct he felt concern for whom ever screamed. Someone was certainly there; he wasn’t alone. Were they in trouble? Perhaps they were being attacked by some beast! Fearing for the stranger’s well being, he dashed in the direction of the sounds. Soon enough he saw a figure sitting on the ground; that was when he came to a halt. Looking her over, he couldn’t see any bodily harm. In fact, she looked completely fine.

“Are you alright, miss?” He asked, stepping a little closer. “I heard a scream.”

Petal's hopes began to rise she heard a sound of rustling in the woods. It didn't seem like a forest animal. Perhaps there was a traveler coming to save her! She remained wary though, her senses tuned to the sounds as the came closer. Even with the preparation, she still startled when a man suddenly broke through the tree line. Her hopes immediately began to fade and her wariness rose as she looked the man over. He seemed equally as unprepared as she, as she couldn't spot anything that would show him to be a guide of some kind. His eyes also rang some sort of alarm within her. They were beautiful, but in a way that made her wonder if he was some sort of creature that fed upon travelers like her. This could be some sort of shapeshifter. Perhaps some sort of siren-like creature that turned into…an attractive person in the eyes of their prey in order to catch their attention long enough to guarantee the kill.

The werecat rose up to her feet, sweeping some of the hair out from in front of her face. "And just what are you doing in here, hm?" Petal replied, her tone accusatory, "Don't you know it's not safe to be out here all by yourself without a guide? Unless you're…accustomed to these woods, that is…" She made sure her staff was within grasp as she glared at the newcomer, leaning against the tree she had so violently smacked just prior. If she wanted to be entirely honest with herself, she was more afraid of the man being genuine than him being evil. She could fight off some simple creature of the woods. If this was just another lost traveler, she was truly and utterly forsaken. 

She pondered whether or not it would makes sense to simply transform and run if this man was in fact after her for nefarious reasons. She did not know enough of shapeshifters to know if this would be any more useful than simply running in her current form, but she was sure it would take at least a few seconds for the man to change forms, giving her a head start. Petal could handle this situation for sure, as long as it went south. She almost laughed aloud at the irony of wishing for things to go awry for once. Instead, she absent-mindedly picked at the nail of one of her fingers as she kept her eyes on the man.

    “I got lost,” Sigurd replied, raising a brow at her accusing tone. She seemed to be on edge. But that was understandable, for who knew what creatures were in the forest with them. It was only natural to become paranoid. “If anyone is accustomed to this place it certainly isn’t me. But what about you? You’re words should apply to you as well.” He crossed his arms over his firm chest and tilted his head questioningly, shifting his weight to one leg.

This was when he began to look her over more intently. Now that she was standing, he could see just how small she was. She had a nice figure, but boy was she tiny. He could swear she must be at least a foot shorter than him. But this was no surprise. He was a naturally tall man, so he was used to people being smaller than him. Admittedly, he also found her rather attractive. With her short brownish blonde hair and innocent looking face, as well as her blue eyes. However he would much prefer to see how she looked when she wasn’t looking at him suspiciously, and a little hostile from the looks of her stance.

But, if she was suspicious of him, shouldn’t he feel the same about her? Despite how attractive he found her, she might have less than attractive reasons for being in Virens Forest. Just as quickly as the thought came to mind he suddenly felt uneasy around her, and his eyes began to watch her every move very closely. He started imagining the worst this girl could do, and what she might possibly be after. The first that came to mind was a succubus, and he shivered with unsettled nerves. But he doubted that. Perhaps a serial killer in search for the poor souls that were unfortunate enough to get lost in this place. Many other things came to mind, but he decided to pay more attention on her reaction instead.

So he stood there rather awkwardly, waiting. Watching.

Petal rolled her eyes as she visibly saw the newcomer check her out. Could guys like this just be a bit less obvious when they were doing this? She hated being so short in times like these. What she wouldn't give to look down on guys like these for once. She knew she definitely didn't look the most intimidating at her height, and with how seemingly barren of muscle she was. She was certainly very strong for her size, but that didn't show too well with her body. Adjusting the sleeve of her top, Petal mused as to whether this guy was genuine or not. He certainly seemed about as at ease as her, which was to say that he seemed suspicious of her. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to let her guard down the slightest. 

"Let's just say that I overestimated my sense of direction," Petal commented dryly, "and just what is your sorry self doing out here?" He was probably one of those all muscle and no brain type guys. Definitely hot, but nothing worth sticking around for. It would be just her luck for her to run into a guy like that out in the middle of nowhere. Absent-mindedly blowing at a strand of hair that had yet again fallen in front of her face - she really needed a comb - Petal wondered how he would react if she just transformed and disappeared. She could almost see his look of surprise and a secretive smile sneaked its way onto her lips. Glancing up at the man, she gave him a look of irritation, "And before we go on some whole formality-ridden conversation, let's just get that over with. My name's Petal. Yes, Petal. Tell me yours and we can get down to business." She would have given the stranger a sarcastic bow, but with the way he had been looking at her, she didn't want to give him any sort of different view by accident. She sincerely hoped this interaction would be useful to her, but so far she was unsure that it would be worth it.

Sigurd chuckled a little as she said she overestimated her sense of direction, and he smirked a little from amusement. Usually it was the male that was too proud to admit being lost, but it seemed it was her this time. Actually, he wasn’t a very proud man. At least, he didn’t let his pride get in the way very often. And in response, he placed a hand on his chest, seeing nothing wrong with speaking in a more friendly manner this time around. “A pleasure to meet you, Petal. I’m Sigurd. As for why I’m here, I’m a very curious person. So, finding a new place made me want to explore it,” his smirk turned sheepish as he rubbed his fingers through his hair with an equally sheepish chuckle. “Though you can see how well that turned out for me.” He admitted he wasn’t the brightest person, not only to her but to himself. Actually, he was usually smarter than that, and thought things over before acting. But, there were some exceptions.

“And what about you, if I might ask? Why are you here?” Judging by her reactions so far, he found it hard to believe she was the type to enter such a dangerous place just out of curiosity. So, why would a girl like her be there? Perhaps she was looking for something?

A flash of anger coursed through Petal as the man was clearly amused with her explanation, and she almost let out a cat-like hiss, but she managed to restrain herself. Her mind wandering a bit, she wondered if he knew that his smile was really nice, although its intentions weren't her favorite right now, as she was the one being teased by that smirk. However, the anger faded entirely when he introduced himself. Sigurd? It was a very…normal name. Human, noble, normal. Nothing unique like hers, but it seemed to fit him well. She liked it. She had to suppress a giggle as Sigurd's expression quickly turned sheepish as he told his reasons, but a genuine half-smile still managed to appear. Maybe this interaction wouldn't be a waste after all. The man didn't seem arrogant, which was a pleasant surprise to her.

Irritation quickly began to creep back in though as he asked more questions. Why did he have to know why she was here? They didn't even know each other! She had a strong urge to just blow him off again, but she managed to push those feelings away. Sigurd seemed to be a genuine type of guy, so she decided that it would be good of her to be the same to him. "Well, ummm…." Petal faltered, unsure of exactly how to explain her presence, "I love…being around nature…I wander a lot, and forests like these are more of a home to me than anywhere else. I've heard of this place's reputation, but I still wanted to visit." She blushed a bit as she explained, and looked away. She didn't often speak of how intimate of a relationship she had with nature, but that was mostly because she normally ran into people when she ventured into the populated areas of the land for temporary visits, not out in the forest. 

The moment he heard her reasons for being there, he felt some kind of connection, and he smiled brightly. “Ah, I see,” he said. “Well that’s understandable. Anywhere there’s a lot of people it’s easy to get overwhelmed. From my experience you don’t get much privacy and people always try to make you just like them. Nature is far more welcoming. The air is clear, the scents and sounds fill you with a such of sweet serenity. I know this because I was born and raised-” Sigurd cut himself short once he realized he was not only beginning to ramble, but he was about to reveal information about himself to a complete stranger. That was never a good idea. Reminding himself that he didn’t know her well enough to trust her, and that he shouldn’t be so comfortable as he was. But for some reason, he didn’t really get a bad vibe from her. He just didn’t think she was really a bad person attempting to trick him for personal gain. He had very good instincts and judge of character, and always had, so he figured it was fine to relax a little around her. He’d trust his own judgment, for now.

His smile turned sheepish again, and he turned a little to the side and rubbed his nape. “Uh…well, never mind. Sorry for rambling on like that. The point is I understand,” he chuckled a little to try brushing off his sudden nervousness, but it only managed to make it seem worse.

Petal didn't particularly know if the reasons he was stating for preferring nature applied to her, but he seemed so suddenly happy about it all that she tried and failed in stopping a giggle from coming out. "I guess you really do, huh," She teased, raising an eyebrow, "Although I doubt you get it as much as you think you do." He was almost certainly another normal human. He probably couldn't go around the trees as a cat. She smirked at him, trying to appear calm, even as they stood lost in a stupid forest. A gust of wind came through the trees again, and she had to try hard not to shiver in front of him. He could still be some monster waiting for her to show weakness. "So…" Petal mused, "How are we going to escape this gods-forsaken forest, hm?" She was hoping that he'd have better ideas than her. Maybe he was smart too, not just another typical hot guy. She frowned. She was going to have to trust this stranger, wasn't she? She couldn't wait for her to be stabbed in the back when she wasn't paying attention…