Blackfoot Forest Wishing I could go back

@Grezig 

It was around sunset, when Wraen finally neared the mountain range, and it was clear that tonight she was not going to sleep at home. Darkness was not her friend and, though she knew the passage to Sunspire very well during the daylight hours and the path was well-marked at some points, she had learned by now that landmarks and cliffs that she used for orienteers changed their looks, when the night came, and she did not want to risk ending up at a bottom of a deep pit, by making one wrong step. 

Therefore in the hopes of finding a shelter, she neared a forest that did not seem to be occupied from afar and the non-existant smell of other wolf presence confirmed it, when she came near. Being about to set her foot there, when a shrill and loud cry came from the depths of the forest, and made her freeze on the spot, while her mind tried to find out, what had it been.

Grezig had stuck around the forest full of foxes because there were so many of them that they were easy prey. She had not been so lucky as the first time, finding a mother and her kits, but she’d snagged a fox running by here and there for the last few days. Despite the easy access to food, however, she was beginning to grow bored with this forest. She decided she would leave it the next morning and see what else was around. Even straightforward wolves like her needed a change of scenery now and again. It was too late to trek out now, since the sun was going down, so she headed farther into the forest to find a place to sleep for the night.

That was one thing she wouldn’t miss. The sound of screaming foxes at night, keeping her awake. Sure, there were plenty for her to eat, but they had been slowly driving her crazy over the last few days. She kept walking, not realizing that she was making her way towards another wolf, for the scent of fox overwhelmed everything else.

The scream Wraen had heard did not repeat itself again and this made the whole situation even more uncomfortable. All of the unwelcome "what if"s scenarios entered her mind, together with images of possible horrors this forest could behold. At this very moment she even regretted pestering her mother for ghost stories of the scariest kind. One thing was listening to them with the safety net of people around you and knowing that they were not true. Completely the other thing was, when you were alone, on unknown grounds and did not know, what you were getting yourself into.

She was distracted by the sound of approaching footsteps and a strong smell of fox that covered the person like a cloud. Wraen looked over her shoulder and was relieved to see another wolf coming - she chuffed in greeting and asked: "Did you hear that scream?"

Grezig was not expecting to see another wolf here, for she had inadvertently begun to think of this gods-forsaken forest as her home, even if she hated all the foxes that inhabited it. Also, the smell of fox had hooded the woman’s scent. Her fur stood on end for a moment as she finally saw the woman, but she immediately settled down again. She was eating nothing and there was really nothing to fight over. There were more than enough foxes to go around if that’s what the other wolf was doing here. Then she was asked a question. 

Grezig looked at the other female like she was stupid. Her expression said: Of course I heard the scream. What am I, deaf? Aloud, she said, “It was a fox.” Then she simply stared at the woman, waiting for some kind of response. Out here in no man’s land, she was not so forthcoming with information about herself, did not introduce herself first, did not feel the need to tell anyone about herself. She was a loner passing through. Why would anyone want to know more than that?

The other one was neither polite, nor friendly, nor particularly concerned about the odd sound Wraen had heard. And if the first two things annoyed her (she did not like to feel belittled by others), then the third gave her some sort of a relief. A fox was not a danger that she should worry about and come to think of it - it was the most likely source of the scream. 

"Are you sure?" she decided to ask again, because there were some doubts as to the reasons. It did occur that judging by the first impressions this wolf had give her, she would not have more esteem in the other's eyes now. But still... "Are you from around here?"

Grezig scoffed this time. “Of course I’m sure,” she said. “I have wandered this forest for the past two days and that scream has been ringing in my ears the entire time. What did you think it was? A ghost?” There was clear derision in her voice as she asked this. Grezig was not the best at making friends or good first impressions. And she had no reason to show off or be nice to this wolf, not out here. Were she at the borders of a pack, or were these two packmates, she would have been a bit kinder, but that was not the case.

Still. That didn’t mean she would ignore questions as long as said questions weren’t offensive or anything. “I am from far away, from a forest to the east. I have traveled far from home to arrive here.” She blinked, her social graces—what little she had—finally kicking in. “Where are you from?” she asked, trying to be conversational, although her tone of voice suggested that she was bored already. She was not a woman of words so much as actions. Were the two of them hunting together, or even sparring, she would have felt a bit more energetic about their meeting. As it was, she supposed she would have to suffice with conversation.

"That is a relief," Wraen made a conclusion that this wolf was not deliberately trying to offend her, rather that this was her manner of dealing with social situations. So she should not take any remarks as personal insults. This was not easy to do, but as long as she stood behind the line of "words can't harm me" she found the other's demeanor oddly reassuring and even amusing. 

"Ghosts, furies, the midsummer screamers - the latter are the worst," she named all of them. "Blood-thirsty little things and good at imitating voices," she added, so that her arguments would not sound too silly and would have some ground. "From the mountains. So - you have not claimed this forest as your own and it is free lands for now? Just to make sure that my staying here won't cause any unwanted trouble."

Sorry lmao.

Grezig blinked as the woman explained to her why she had been afraid of the scream. She said nothing, only listened, and over time, came to believe that the woman was crazy. Or, at least, a little touched. Suddenly, conversation was the least thing from her mind. Anyone who believed stories of such impossible creatures was of no use to her. How could she believe the information passed on by this woman if she also told tales of… what was it again? Midsummer screamers? Grezig backed up a step, as if afraid the woman’s insanity would rub off on her.

“I have not claimed any land for my own,” she said. “As far as I know, I am the only wolf who has passed by this forest in many days.” On a sudden thought, she asked, “Are you part of a pack?” The question itself seemed innocuous enough, however, there was an ulterior motive. Grezig wanted nothing to do with any pack that accepted insane wolves.

Grezig was definitely not the first person, who thought that Wraen's clock had some screws and gears missing. People, who were straight-forward, did not beat around the bush and who had a simple, but direct take on life, had hard time understanding the ways of young hunter's mind. She enjoyed word plays, wove the imaginary and seemingly impossible in the fabric of her reality, making it more colorful and full in her eyes. And occasionally she met people, who understood this extraordinary take on life not as a sign of madness, but something of a peculiarity. And, if Wraen was lucky, they joined in as well.

"Excellent," Wraen replied, looking straight in the depths of the forest, "I think it is big enough to host two of us." Unless either of their personalities were so big and magnificent that there was no room spacious enough for both of them. "Why do you want to know?" she replied with a question of her own, now looking at her companion. "It's very likely that we will never see each other again - so, why bother?"

The other wolf’s tone of voice bothered her. Or maybe it was the word choice. ’Why do you want to know? … Why bother?’

Grezig lifted her head and looked down her muzzle at the female, with half a mind to turn and walk away right then. So she was crazy and rude. “I ask merely out of curiosity,” she replied, her voice taking on a hard tone. “But if you do not wish for conversation, I will be on my way.” She turned then and began trotting deeper into the forest to find somewhere to bed down for the night. Maybe the female had some reason for hiding her pack from others, but what harm could a loner like Grezig do to an entire pack? She shrugged off these thoughts as she walked away. In the end, it didn’t really matter.

[Exit unless stopped.]

"Oh, I am sorry - I am not here to satisfy curiosity," Wraen replied, unaffected by other's apparent annoyance with her. "Have a good night and good luck, wherever your path takes you," she called after the wolf, who disappeared in the woods. Then - after a little deliberation chose a different direction.