Arriving in these woods again made Hiraku feel guilty, with no idea where Kit was. He hoped that she was alright, and felt his guts twist at the thought of finding her body. He sighed to himself; if there was anything this place taught him, it's that he shouldn't get his hopes up. Shaking off the thought, he used the last of his optimism and continued forward. He left Kit far away from where he discovered Scratch, so no wolf should have torn her apart.
With a face that could be considered tired or depressed, he walked through the vale with a sense of uneasiness. He was chased up the path by that white wolf, and it seemed to just disappear as he made it into the forest. He surveyed the surrounding treeline before continuing.
I swear I replied to this... Sorry!
Jaspar walked with a skip in his stride, ultimately happy with the outcome of his journey. Yes, he was still on the run, but otherwise the sun was shining and the birds were singing. And he had Kit. The realisation made his lips curl up in a smile, despite the fact that he ad only met her. It wasn't love, but he felt something strong for her unlike he had felt before. And he knew she felt the same way.
He would see her again, he promised her. But for now, he had to make a home for the winter ad forage for himself if the wolves caught up to him. He had left her in a safe place and had eliminated his scent from that area for extra caution. Her wounds would heal faster now that he had helped, and all was well. Yet, he had a burning hate for that fox who had stupidly left her with the wolves who had dared hurt her.
Turning the bend, he noticed a hollowed log ahead, almost perfect for his size. With any luck, he would find a den closer to her and in the Vale. He was about to scope out the area for an other foxes, when the scent of another one passed under his nose, his ears standing on end.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called out, his brows furrowing in anticipation. Had the wolves caught up to him? He silently prayed to any gods that existed that it wasn't the case. If one smelt hard enough, Kit's scent was bound to be detected on him, to his dismay.
Don't worry, it's all fine!
Hiraku's eyes shifted as he thought he noticed something. He could smell fox and no wolf, feeling himself ease up a bit. He casually looked around before hearing someone call out something of a greeting. With a minor grin, he called back,
"Just another fox. What about you?" he couldn't fully see the fox yet, but found it reasonable to presume that he was a friendly. With another glance behind him, he felt that it would be fine talking to him.
Jaspar eyed the fox suspiciously. Could this be- no it couldn't. But what if it was? What if this was the fox that had left Kit to those wolves? If it was, he wanted nothing to do with this male. He had never killed, per say, so truthfully he couldn't harm the guy. That just wasn't him. But he could dislike. He could be a real sour ass, a mean sour ass. He was the meanest-baddest-sour-ass there was, and if this fox had led Kit to be harmed, there was no force on earth that could save him from Jaspar's attitude.
Clearly miffed he spoke up, "The name's Jaspar. You?" He asked, almost snootily. First he would make sure this really was the guy before harming him with his mean attitude powers. If it wasn't.. well, he'd hunt the guy a bird and sent him on his way. Hopefully his assumptions were correct, for lord knows he didn't need anymore embarrassment in his life.
The fox came out sure enough, with enough irritation to make Hiraku uneasy again. Making sure the slight fear didn't work its way into his mouth, he turned his attention to the fox.
A fox like him, he oddly had black streaks on his back. It was obvious that he was irritated with him, but for what reason? Hiraku thought it through as he looked at the fox's physique. He had a sly manner to his body, and appeared healthy enough for a fight, if he had to get into one. Prior experience was the only thing that could separate the two, as Hiraku had knowledge in fighting animals larger than himself (which usually was just enough to make them lose interest as he ran, though he somehow managed to kill a wolf before). Never the less, he suspected the fox to be as cunning, cautious, and agile as he was, if not, more so. Hiraku didn't want to fight, as he may need the stamina to run away from that wolf again, and reasoned he was just on his territory.
After the fox introduced himself as Jaspar, the fox returned in kind. "Hiraku. Can I pass through? There's someone I'm looking for." Whether Kit was alive or not, he at least wanted to know. As depressing it was finding Scratch, it helped to give him some kind of closure on the event.