Qeya River I know you could set fire

Outriding thread. Open to anyone!

For all the majesty of the Maplewood, Tavi needed to get out of there. She wasn't going to leave the place for good -- though the idea to leave and find Ukko herself was there in the back of her mind -- she wanted a breath of fresh air. Something new to look at, or someone to talk to. Maybe nobody to talk to? Whatever. Running from the borders and heading north, she advanced upon the faraway mountains over the course of a few hours, and then kept to the edge of the Qeya River when she reached it. The smell of fresh water and snow was refreshing. She dipped her head for a drink, but as soon as she caught sight of her own reflection, deigned to slap it away and keep moving. She felt the chill of the water seep in to the fur of her toes, and trudged along, her pace slow and direction aimless.

Ooh a random scouting thread like here I am :)

Anwyl walked up and down the river for a long time. He had continued up and up from where he'd met Goliath and now was at an area where the water was less frozen. His expedition had been a success so far. He'd met Ukko from the Maplewood, and Goliath from Sleeping Dragon. Who knew what else he'd find on his way through the wilds?

Suddenly he saw someone up ahead. A female, slapping water. Huh. He thought, very confused at what she was doing. Had she never seen a reflection before? He barked out to her, alerting her he was was there in a friendly way. Maybe she'd like to scout around with him, like Wildfire did?

She did not get far before a sharp sound caught in her ears, surprising her. Adrenaline zipped through her spine, making her lift her tail and the fur to spike. Her head whipped around, and bright eyes landed on the approaching vagrant. She sized him up as swiftly as she could while turning to meet him head-on. Tavi wasn't usually so easily intercepted; her mind must have been wandering more than usual. 

You want something? She sharply called out to him, Didn't think this was anyone's river. Meaning she wasn't going to be chased off from the water's edge so easily. And if it was a fight he wanted, she could take him -- or lead him towards the Maplewood and certain doom.

The girl's head whipped around fast, her eyes glowing ferociously and she snarled at poor little Anwyl. This was the kind of reaction he would have expected from that Goliath guy, so it coming from a non-giant wolf surprised him. His eyes widened and he dropped down immediately into a submissive stance. She asked him what he wanted. Honestly he had just wanted to meet her, and wondered if she might want to explore some with him. Now he wasn't sure, she was pretty damn scary.

I'm not wanting to cause trouble, I just thought it'd be nice to meet some more wolves who live around here and thought you might want to scout around with me. He called back to her. He lingered back where he was, afraid to move. She was older and a bit larger than him, so if they got into a fight, well he didn't want to take his chances.

It was her own damn fault, really. Had Tavi not been so distracted, she might have noticed the approaching boy before he made his announcement. He seemed to be taken aback by her reaction - and in truth, she was surprised by it as well to some degree - and when he shrank down, Tavi felt a swell of guilt. This wasn't claimed land, and he seemed apologetic to the extreme, so she extended a bit of trust his way. Okay, okay, sorry - She shook herself all over, trying to remove the nervous energy that had gone shooting down her spine, and tried to appear relaxed. You just scared me. Not from around here then? That made some sense. Now that she had her wits about her, Tavi couldn't smell anything familiar in proximity to the stranger. He had a dusty scent; there was pine and oak, not maple like she was used to.

I scared you? Anwyl laughed a little, giving her a still sort of timid smile. Now that she had settled down some, she didn't seem so scary. That was a good thing, he might've had to blast off. She assumed he wasn't from around here, and she was correct. He nodded, glancing towards the river for a moment before looking back at her. She smelled familiar, sort of like that black wolf Ukko he'd met a while back. Maybe they were in the same pack? Yeah I'm from Porcupine Ridge. We're a pack south of here. I'm training for my scouting trade, and so I'm taking an expedition to the north. This river seemed pretty neat.

His explanation was long, but he also felt like if he didn't give enough information, that she would bite his face off or something. He was usually pretty friendly, but when something spooked him, he was spooked.

God sorry Anwyl is such a baby xD

The boy seemed to be quite amused, and Tavi quirked her head to one side; then when he explained, she knew not to fear him. He was just some kid on an adventure away from home - if anything, he seemed to be the scared one. That's cool, she responded swiftly upon his verbal completion. Oh, but, didn't the wolves of the Maplewood have some kind of agreement with the pack north of here? The don't go too far kind? I'd suggest avoiding a route beyond the river though. If you're scared of me, I imagine you'd piss yourself if you came face-to-face with the pack just beyond. It was a fair warning. She didn't want her new friend to get hurt. I'm from the Maplewood, it's... uh, south of here. That way - she motioned with a flick of her nose towards the distant southlands, - and we've been told not to go farther ourselves.

Was she talking about Sleeping Dragon? He'd met a wolf from there, named Goliath. The guy was really big and kind of scary, but he seemed harmless enough. Maybe the two had some sort of pack feud or something. He would remember that though. The rest of the pack might not be as nice as Goliath was. Anwyl nodded at her advice, snickering a little at her funny words.

The maple woods, yup he'd heard that one before. He kind of didn't listen to anything else Tavi said, instead jumped right in with a question as soon as she finished talking. So your from the same pack as that Ukko guy? I met him down in the cache a bit ago.

The mention of Ukko threw Tavi for a loop; she was left staring blankly for a moment while the rest of her caught up. Yeah, yeah I know Ukko. No, she didn't. If she knew Ukko to any great degree, if he had valued her at all as a friend, she wouldn't be here in the Maplewood with him off on some adventure. But clearly their relationship -- however spontaneous -- had meant nothing. He's not one of us anymore, she added dully, trying to hide the sourness she felt towards the boy that had abandoned her, but likely failing. 

If you see him again, give him a kick in the 'nads for me, would you? It was a silly request, but one she hoped would lighten the mood a little. Tavi would've done it herself but she didn't really want to hunt him down. The idiot boy was probably on the other side of the world by now.

So Ukko had left his pack? That was interesting and unexpected. The guy had seemed pretty keen on protecting the borders when Anwyl had met him. But who knew. He laughed at her little joke and replied, Sure, can doooo. He stood up and stretched his legs. Looking up and down the river, he suddenly felt a bit restless. He turned back to the green eyed female and asked, You want to go explore some? At least walk up and down the river. I've got to get some energy out today. He kneaded his paws anxiously on the ground, ready to move whenever she did.

As much as she'd love to explore the wilderness up this way, the north did not appeal to her in the manner of the other territories. Maybe it was the fact that the Maplewood wolves couldn't go as far; she did not wish to risk her life over something such as a pretty vista. And this guy, as passive as he seemed, still wasn't someone she trusted to wander around alone with. He was nice though, so Tavi let him off easy. 

Maybe another time. I was scoping out the river here to see if there were fish in it, but now I think I'll head home. Got lots of shit to take care of. She lied flawlessly, finding it easy to tell the stranger something vague like that. And without much further communication, she turned from his company and headed towards the woods.