Porcupine Ridge porcu the pine

@Titmouse !

Eljay had strayed a bit further that day, though he wasn't too sure. He'd stayed close to Drageda territory since he'd run into Wildfire, but today he had gone cross the mountains because... Well, maybe he just needed a change of pace for just a little bit. Hopefully he'd be accepted into Drageda soon but truthfully, his hopes sank further into his toes with each passing day. Eljay wandered down the ridge and towards a valley in the lower slopes between the mountains. It looked like a nice place, he noted, though Eljay also began to catch the scent of a pack and he hesitated then.

Waiting, Eljay looked ahead towards Northstar Vale and then he sighed, deciding it would be best to just turn around and retrace his steps back to Drageda territory, lest he get lost again and wouldn't be able to find his way back there.

Eljay wasn't the only one who needed a change of pace. The mountains were a formidable obstacle that Titmouse had been avoiding - racing along the paths within the Vale but otherwise keeping clear of the ridges and inclinations. Today, being bored out of his skull and frustrated by.. Well.. literally everything, the boy took a detour that occupied his mind and body for a few hours. By the time he stopped hiking along, he was far from the communal area of the pack's claim; he could look down from his new vantage point at the expanse of green below. Had he been in a better mood, he might've found it beautiful.

He wondered if anyone would notice his absence? But it wasn't like he was doing anything productive here; Titmouse had been working on becoming an esteemed warrior, but there was nothing for him to do! Nobody to chase, nothing to really defend, and the mountain range kept the group well protected from outsiders.

The boy was just considering his next move when he heard something - a shifting sound, as if someone was behind him. Was it a bear? His mind flashed the thought; but rather than run from it, Titmouse turned and vaulted towards the sound, propelled by his frustration and the sudden influx of adrenaline. Whatever he heard - whether it was prey or predator - he was aiming straight for it among the shadows. 

Completely unaware of what was headed for him Eljay turned around and started moving back to retrace his steps. He supposed it was better not to go too far from the Drageda territory again; he should stay closer. But as he was considering all of these things, Eljay suddenly heard the sound of thrumming paws and just as he turned around he could see the last bits of a wolf headed towards him, causing him to immediately crouch and tuck his tail out of instinct.