Phoenix Maplewood Sometimes it's the sweet, simple things...

Inasyah was unsure of how long he'd been walking, but everything was beginning to look so familiar, that he almost wondered if he somehow walked in a circle right back to his home territory. That's ridiculous, of course not. He berated himself mentally and paused to take a moment to survey his surroundings. He was in a thick forest. Numerous small plants grew at his feet, and the air was sharp and cold, but not unpleasantly so. It's smelled vaguely sweet, like berries and... something else. The area looked just like the wood Inasyah used to play in with his siblings as a pup, but he didn't recognize any of the other wolves he smelled, and there was still that unidentifiable sugary smell. For whatever reason, these peculiarities that marred his comparisons pertubed him deeply, and he began to investigate both for the sweet smell, and to see what other wolves were around. It wasn't as though he had anything better to do, anyways. Inasyah continued his trot through the undergrowth, hoping he wouldn't somehow stumble into another pack's territory.  He didn't really want to deal with anybody today, unless they were interested in feeding him.

After running for a little while, he found the scent led him straight to a tree, and he once again began to seriously question his sanity. Why would a tree smell like this? It doesn't bear fruit or anything. This land was becoming less and less familiar to him, and he was not sure if that made him feel relieved or even more anxious. Inasyah whined and circled the tree a few times, before noticing something glistening on the bark. He prodded the area with his nose and was overwhelmed to the sugary scent as it stuck against his muzzle. What's this? Does it taste as it smells? Only one way to find out...He licked his chops and was rewarded with a pleasant taste that caused his tail to unknowingly wag. It does! Is this what they call Maple Sap? Inasyah had heard about the tree's delicious secretions, but his old pack's territory didn't have any of the trees in it, as they were high in demand and regularly fought for. It certainly wasn't as sustaining as a rabbit or quail, but just about anything was welcome to his empty belly right now. He continued to lick at the tree eagerly, hoping nobody would come along and witness the sight he was making.