Wondering through the "Haunted" Woods (flitters of wind passing through branches proved enough ghost noises) had become more of a hobby now, one that Veritas always made time for in her day. Since she intended to claim it for herself and her pack, she'd decided to explore the territory and familiarise herself with it. The spot where she'd collected the beehive still lay bare, devoid of any bees except perhaps for the one confused insect. Perfect.
Soon, she was out of the second layer and into the first where the sun shined and prey roamed. She bent her head to lap from the river, letting her guard down for once.
Warbone was on a roundabout trip— a circular voyage in which he meant to travel around the range of the Sunspires in an effort to find some stomping grounds. Usually he followed his nose, ever tracking, ceaselessly impulsed into a conditioned hunt. He found himself skirting far too many packs, and decided this was not the side of the range upon which he wished to settle. He approached a distant forest, shrouded in the fog of dawn, but crossed a river first. Wet and heavy, the wolf padded grumpily along the shoreline, shaking himself every few minutes as he acclimated to the cold that clung harshly to his skin. He resisted the urge to let his teeth chatter.
A svelte, inky figure materialized ahead of him. Warbone gave another shake of his peppery copper fur (leaving him looking miserably prickly), and he veered suddenly to the left so that he might give the she-wolf a wide girth as he passed by.
I'm so sorry this is late!
Unfortunately for the male, Veritas could scent him with the still air - and he could smell her too. Her standard response was to whip around and snarl but the last time she did that, she ended up being recruited into a pack. The fae wasn't sure if she was ready to hop into
yet another group especially with her intentions to lead her own. As such, she quelled the feeling to immediately confront the threat, instead turning around with a civil grin on her face-
-to find nobody there. Eyes displaying her hidden confusion, they swept the area back and forth until they were near blind from the snow (in a matter of seconds, because why not? Snow was bad) and she was pissed. Luckily for the threat, Veritas didn't automatically launch into a stream of curses but chose to turn some more, catching an unknown wolf currently trying to sneak away from her without being noticed.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Her voice was neutral - neither kind nor hard, but it carried a slight tone of questioning. Why would anybody be right here, right now in this exact moment and choose to backpedal away? It made absolutely no sense.
Though he had chosen a path that to show his disinterest in interacting, the she-wolf called out to him regardless, drawing Warbone to cease his heavy plodding— a walk that had hardly been meant for any sort of creeping. The wolf turned heftily to face the raven female, his stiff tail swinging back and forth in slow sweeps. "What does either matter to you?" he asked in quiet seriousness. She could have let him move on, but she was either lonely or needed something, and the dripping male wasn't sure what he felt like dealing with at that moment. Idle conversation? Certainly not.
When she couldn't provide him with an answer he felt was suitable or quick enough, Warbone turned, more irritated than before, and continued on his way.