Phantom Hollow miles outside of the eye of the storm

Whether he was pursued or not—and he suspected the ogre woman was preoccupied enough not to give chase to him—the wolf carried on until he was well beyond the wolf-scent of the plains. As he ran he became aware that there was warmth upon his lower back which the weather did not account for; it was too gray above, and while this spring had been warm it was not that warm or concentrated.

As the adrenaline worked its way through his system he huffed and puffed a few times, shaking the tension from his shoulders. The sensation traveled down to his hips and when he tried to continue the release of worry, there was only sharpness and pain, enough which made him suck air through gritted snaggleteeth. Fortunately enough the wolf had stopped his run by a waterway; so he took stock of his surroundings, remaining on high alert in case he had to bolt again.

galana had meant to make her way to morningsong, aware of the openness of it's borders to the moon villages. the smoky scent of the once forest was an interest quickly sated with exploration. though she'd decided to continue, growing bored fast.

she'd stopped for a drink at the river, but looking just across her body grew rigid at the sight of another. he appeared rather large to her at further glances. she watched, assuming she'd been seen as well with the anxious appearance. was he hurt?

"are you alright?" she called out to him, still stiff and unsure of the situation.

As he neared the waterway, a sound directed his attention. Already besieged by adrenaline, his hypervigilance was amped up more than usual, and he saw — well, first he thought it was a fox — a girl on the other side.

His speedy gait transitioned to heavy punches at the forest floor as he made himself stop, and then he paced on the spot, unsure of what to do; she did not look like a threat, and she had come from within the forest - not the direction of the plains which he had bolted from.

Still, even if she meant well, she was a stranger and he was hurt. Drusk flashed his front teeth as a quick warning to not come too close, and moved to sniff at the earth as if a scent might lead him to safety. The bite marks on his lower back were hours old if that.

galana took a hesitant step backwards from the water at the flash of his teeth. to her, his body language continued to display anxiety and- pain? 

“i mean no harm.” she responded flatly.

her fur bristled along her spine with nervousness. she chose to lower her head as well and continue to look at him as it seemed he was stuck between decision making. he was alone. the wolf appeared to be nothing more than a boy with age, as big as he was. why was he alone? scared? 

galana saw herself.

She shied back, her posture diminutive, and now that he really studied her he saw how young she was. Along with that she looked healthy; that ruddy fur was glossy and plush, her belly didn't have the sheer tuck the way a starving person's might. She was full-faced, from what he could tell with stolen glances there.

There must have been a pack nearby. That would have usually been an intriguing discovery for the wolf; now though, he thought only of the many bodies he had left upon the plains, and the teeth which had been aimed at him. A pack meant more danger.

He paced a few more seconds and loosed a small whine of indecision, turning to look over his shoulder - leaving the girl unwatched which might have been a bad call - and then he began to pull away, seeking freedom from the anxiety and panic which had set-in after the event.

the time galana had seen such panic in someone was from mida. the man behaved that way only when he’d done something horrible. the girl wondered what this boy had done, further reminding herself: he was just a boy. she felt pity, even thinking of the wolf alongside mida. 

”what are you running from?” she called out, afraid that he might exit the scene before she understood whether or not she might be in danger as well.

”should i be worried?” she did not know this area.

When she didn't advance upon him he took that as a context clue, or at the very least paused long enough to let some of the adrenaline subside and his breath to catch.

Although he did not understand what she was saying, the wolf threw a look over his shoulder in the direction of the plains, outside of the forest. He took a few frenzied breaths that got deeper with each attempt, and seemed undecided on what to do.

He knew he had to keep moving; so far this girl hadn't shown any aggression but he should keep away in case the forest belonged to someone—

The wolf couldn't find any sign of a mark to prove the hollow was owned, but he wasnt really looking; he couldn't stop alerting to every sound, or checking to see if he was being followed. Something opposite them both cracked among the trees, high up, and when a flock of songbirds erupted from the branches the wolf was off and moving again.

The mumuration filled the air with wingbeats and shrieks of warning, drawing the eye; and the wolf was gone.

galana flinched to the sudden noise just as he did, but when she’d looked to return her eyes to him, he was gone. her gut filled with nervousness. she decided she should leave, especially if such a large wolf was that frightened.