"Alright, let's see... we've got food, clothes, a tent, and blankets and other supplies... that should last us a couple of days... alright, let's get going! We've gotta be on the train soon or we won't be able to get to Tirithill for another month." Arizona spoke, rummaging through the bag her and Hunter had packed. The two were planning to head out to Tirithill just to get away from Krita's cold environment and decided to make it a camping trip, just for fun.

Doing a quick double check to make sure they were packed, the two headed off for the train station in order to catch the train that would take them to Tirithill. The trip would only take a couple hours, but it was actually getting into Tirithill that was the hard part. After the recent events that resulted in the betrothal between the princess of Tirithill and the crown prince of Krita being called off, relations between the two nations were obviously tense. So, for the time being, opportunities to get to Tirithill from Krita were understandably scarce.

Back to the moment at hand, Hunter and Arizona had just managed to make it onto the train which was nearly packed to the brim. Sticking close together, the two found a pair of free seats and were quick to take them right as the train began to move. Though, Arizona did get quite a few leers from the men on the train, causing her to shift a bit uncomfortably in her seat as she muttered "I hate public transport here... why do guys always feel the need to stare at me?"

"Well, I mean, you're young and pretty, pretty much what every guy here is into." Hunter responded, giving his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder.

Arizona let out a soft sigh. "I know, but still... you would think people would have the common decency not to continue staring when they notice they're making the person uncomfortable." she spoke, just a little louder for other people to hear her.

In response, most of the men looked away from her, though mutterings about her which weren't exactly kind could be heard as a result. Rolling her eyes in response to the mutterings, turning her attention towards the window and attempting to ignore it the best that she could. Hunter did the same. While he did want to protect his friend, he didn't want to get into any physical confrontations and have her get mad at him for it. So, he figured he would just follow her lead.

Both were all too relieved when the train had come to a halt at the station for Tirithill a couple of hours later. They quickly grabbed their things and headed off, just eager to be getting to the camping area and setting up there. They'd been planning this little getaway for months with their friend Melody, though she had canceled last minute, leaving Arizona and Hunter to go on the trip just by themselves.

Back to the moment at hand, once they were off the train, Arizona chattered excitedly about the camping area she was wanting to set up in.

"--and it's nearby this absolutely beautiful forest! We should be able to do some exploring in it and see what there is to see before the trip is over!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly at Hunter.

A slightly suspicious look overtook Hunter's face in response to the mentions of a forest. "And what exactly is this forest called?"

"Um... the Forest of Dreams..." Arizona responded, a bit of a guilty look overtaking her face.

Hunter sighed. "I knew it. You know that forest is rumored to be so winding and confusing that even the most experienced people get lost, right? I don't think it'd be the smartest idea to just go exploring in there..."

"I know, I know. That's why I brought this!" Arizona chimed, rummaging around in her bag for a bit before pulling out a large spool of yarn. "All we have to do is unwind the yarn as we go and when we're done exploring or we run out, we can just follow it back! Easy peasy!"

"I don't know, Ari... that just seems too easy... this all sounds like a bad idea..."

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Hunter! I just really want to see if we can find that cottage that's rumored to be there! We'll be fine!"

"Okay, fine, we'll explore tomorrow for an hour or until that yarn runs out, but that's it! I don't want to risk us getting lost and not being able to make the train back home. I'm just glad this country is much more accepting of shifters... and much warmer than Krita." Hunter responded, slipping off the cloak he had been wearing to hide the plush like wolf ears and tail that he had.

Arizona grinned excitedly when Hunter said they could explore the forest tomorrow. "Yesssss, you're the best, Hunter!" she exclaimed, wrapping him in an excited hug.

Hunter blushed slightly at the hug. "L-let's just set up camp for the night so we can be prepared for tomorrow..." he responded as Arizona pulled away from the hug and they arrived at their campsite. Arizona excitedly nodded in response, beginning to get their supplies set up with Hunter pitching in where he could.

Within a few minutes, they were set up and had gathered some wood, getting a campfire started to cook their food. Once the food was cooked and eaten, the two parted ways to change before heading back to their tent and settling down in their sleeping bags before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Arizona was the first to rise and was quick to get ready for the day. It was when she had begun cooking breakfast and making sure she had her bag packed for the trip into the forest that Hunter had awoken.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head. Better hurry and get ready. Breakfast is gonna be ready in a few and I plan to go out to the forest afterwards." she greeted in a bright, cheerful, yet teasing tone.

Hunter playfully rolled his eyes before going to do as Arizona had said, returning a few moments later, just as Arizona was serving up the food. As the two ate, they talked about the plan to get through the forest without getting lost.

"Are you really sure you want to do this, Ari? Why do you even want to go find a cottage that may not even exist within that forest?" Hunter questioned, an unsure look upon his face.

"Well, no one else has ever done it! We can say we were the first ones!" Arizona responded, a bright smile on her face. "Now, c'mon! Time's a wastin'!" she added, heading off towards the forest once Hunter had finished eating. Sighing, Hunter followed her.

Once they had reached the entrance to the forest, Arizona took out the large ball of yarn and began unraveling it, tying it to a tree before moving on. Hunter followed closely behind her, not wanting to get lost and separated.

The two followed twisting and winding paths, with Arizona chattering excitedly all the while, wondering if there may be someone living in this forest. "I heard that it's rumored people have heard someone whispering or walking in the forest. Maybe that person put a spell on the forest to make it so winding and confusing that they couldn't be found?" she mused aloud.

"And yet you still want to try and find this rumored cottage that this rumored person may be living in?"

"Yep! Maybe that person's just really shy and isn't a fan of being around people! Or maybe they were cursed or something! Besides, nothing beats the thrill of adventure!"

Hunter let out another soft sigh. "Honestly, Ari, sometimes I really wonder if you have no regard for your safety."

Arizona rolled her eyes in response. "Hunter, I've been off exploring on my own years before I met you and I've done plenty of stuff like this. I'm pretty sure I know how to keep myself safe."

"Alright, if you say so, but don't blame me if you get yourself hurt exploring by yourself one day."

With that, the two walked in a tense silence for a few moments before Hunter sighed. "Sorry, I just... I don't want to see you hurt..."

"I know... and to be honest, it's nice having you around. You're kinda like my second conscience... that also goes along with the dumb ideas I get." Arizona responded with a soft laugh.

"Well, what do you say we head back? I think it's been well over an hour and the yarn's about to run out, anyways." Hunter suggested with a slight smile, receiving a nod from Arizona. With that, the two began to head back to their campsite.

Once they were back, Arizona let out a soft sigh. "It sucks that we couldn't find that cottage, though..."

"Yeah... but hey! We can say that we were the first ones not to get lost in that forest, at least. From what I've read about it, no one who's gone into that forest has ever been seen again. Your yarn plan seems to have worked."

Arizona grinned triumphantly. "See? I told you! And you said that it wasn't a good idea! Now, how about we get some food made to celebrate our success of getting out of the forest?"

"That sounds perfect." Hunter responded. With that the two made up their food for the day and ate, chatting and joking around all the while. Afterward, they returned to their tent.

As they settled into their sleeping bags, Arizona sighed a bit. "Y'know, I wish we could just stay in Tirithill... it's such a nice country and I bet it has a ton more for us to explore... not to mention, it feels like we can actually be ourselves here..."

Hunter sighed a bit as well. "Agreed. Still, at least we have this camping trip to remember it with."

"Yeah."