Firefly Glen Shadows on the sun

The namesake bugs were long since gone, for it was a cold winter morning.  There was little snow on the ground under her paws, but that was due to the canopy above carrying the majority of it.  Sure, there were some piles of snow where branches had given way, but the otherwise rather desolate forest floor made for easy wandering about.  And wander Zenith did.

Perhaps had it been spring and the world been in full growth she would have been more impressed, but as the sun rose and the light levels really didn't, Zenith wasn't particularly impressed.  It just looked dull and empty.  Sure, there had been some wolves through as well, some deer, but it just didn't seem exciting.  She kind of wanted to prove otherwise, sniffing along the bases of trees for signs of rodent dens hidden among the roots.  There were some signs, but she hadn't stumbled across anything recent yet.  She snorted, moving along to the next promising snowdrift.

The monster stretches from the roots of a tree, shedding snow from his pale body. Despite his normal nocturnal habits, he switches it response to the draining cold of winter's night. Cold as mornings were, it was much warmer than the empty hell of nighttime. He was more likely to find prey at day in winter anyway.

But this morning he was not hungry. The creature was able to stretch and clean himself without the gnawing feeling in his stomach, pulsating out through his whole body.

She'd finally found the sort of trail she was looking for, a faint scent path that lead her deeper into the glade.  She wasn't entirely sure, but it was likely a squirrel that had gone after its cache, hidden somewhere nearby.  Zenith didn't find the squirrel, instead motion caught her eye.  She paused, watching a wolf form itself out of the snow and shadows like a far-too-solid ghost.  If he hadn't moved, Zenith might have gone right by him -- at least until she picked up his scent, but the faint breeze wasn't in a promising direction from her current position.

Given that her footsteps were one of the only distinct sounds in the snow-muffled world, Zen figured she might have even disturbed him by accident.  She took a few strides towards him, close enough to be able to call out, Pardon.  I hope my tromping about didn't wake you?  Zenith had frozen mid-step, hopefully showing she wasn't gonna stick around if this dude wasn't up for conversation.  It was too late to be polite otherwise.

Athan looked up at the woman who began speaking. He frowned, though it was more in disappointment at himself for not noticing her sooner. His face quickly smoothed itself out and he shook his head. Not at all, He said, rising to his feet. I probably wouldn't have noticed you hadn't you said something,

She finally put her paw down so she wasn't frozen like a bizarre statue.  Well, he wasn't totally pissed at her showing up at least.  However, he wasn't a particularly wordy sort from the sound of things, and as such she made sure to be polite in case this was his grumpy side, Would you happen to know much about the packs around here? Seems like a pretty popular area -- perhaps a bit too much.  If you don't, I can always continue on my way if you'd prefer.  Zenith was kind of intruding on his morning routine, if he had one.

She asks about the packs around here. It is a question Athan cannot answer very well. He did not care what pack his prey came from. All he knew was to avoid trespassing directly into borders for the most part. I am afraid I do not know much, He admitted, shrugging.

Zenith was disappointed at this, but still remained chipper for the sake of being friendly,Oh.  Unfortunate for me!  This whole thing also felt a bit awkward.  She'd stumbled upon him right after he woke up, and he hadn't expressed one way or another if he minded her being around.  Oh well. She figured she'd try one more time and then just excuse herself.  She was thinking the best and assuming he was just not a great conversationalist in the morning. Are you new to the region, then?  The more she tried, the more she felt she was just being a pest.