He'd wasted no time in leaving, not even pausing to have one last snack from the caches before he went on his way. He had nothing to bring with him, and no one to say goodbye to that he didn't expect to see again in a few days. (Truthfully, he'd first thought of going to tell Adeline he'd be gone for a few days, but something in his gut had twisted uncomfortably at the thought, and if he wasn't going to say goodbye to Adeline, why would he say goodbye to anyone else?)
It was with a carefree hum thrumming in his chest that he snuffled through the Chimera Fields, sneezing every now and then as pollen or ants or other irriating small things went up his nose. Somtimes, tears would stream down his eyes as he snorted and sneezed small life from his nose. Other times, he'd simply allow his mucus to trap the little, buzzing insects and carry on.
Through it all, he kept his nose carefully tuned to Eden's still-strong scent. He knew the general direction of the fen, and had a rough map sketched out in his mind of its location. Even if he lost Eden's scent, he wasn't too worried about being able to find it, and even less so about finding his way back.
Still, he hoped he didn't lose the scent. Eden actually smelled kind of nice, and he got the feeling he might be a little lonelier without her now-familiar smell to walk by.
The breeze on the Fields carried with it the pungent aroma of a stringent female and the accompanying cloy of death. She wasn't dying, but had recently killed, and was carrying on her fur the smeared blood of a goat from the glacier pass she had come through. It was one of the few places in this area that wasn't drenched in pack scent, while also serving as familiar terrain beneath pawpads crafted for long miles on the ice. She was bloodied and unbowed, strutting as if she had claim to something; and she would tell you that she did, even though all she had was her own will and skeleton.
Back on tender loam, on warmer and more level ground, Furiosa was not any more comfortable. Blackened eyes picked out a hazy figure on the horizon. She continued her trajectory towards it, even after she realized it was another wolf, probably too arrogant to give any space to him at any rate.
The day was getting warmer, even though the weather had been fairer, as of late. As far as Day was concerned, things could just skip straight into winter. He'd never liked the heat, and he liked it even less now that he'd found himself in a warmer climate.
Lucky he lived on a mountain.
Such musings took up much of his attention as he walked, so much that he did not, at first, notice the pale wraith with which he shared the fields. It was not until she was merely upon him that he noticed her, and his steps fell short even as she seemed to barrel toward him.
For one fleeting moment, Day remembered assuring Steady that no one would bother him - why would they, after all? He didn't plan to tresspass and would sooner avoid wolves altogther than try and start a fight. It appeared, though, that it was not to be.
Getting himself out of the way, Day nevertheless prepared himself for a fight, should one come to him.
Furiosa watched, in a deplorable sort of amusement, as the stranger's entire body contracted testily and recoiled so that she might pass by him. She would've walked directly into him, if he'd let her— but by then, she would've also been using her teeth to get him to move. He had made a wiser choice in moving aside, however, and the pallid wench was loathe to leave him without compliment for his intelligence. She paused at an angle perpendicular to his readied stance, regarding the smoky male up and down out the corner of a single void-black eye as she held up her forepaw in a postponed step forward.
"Good boy," the bloodied wolf smiled a teasing grin as she tipped up her chin and winked the eye presented to him. In the beat following, she set her paw down and arrogantly continued forward with a stiff wave of her kinked tail.
The nearer she got, the more relaxed he became. Apparently, she was not bloodthirsty; only rude. If Day had been a little less surprised, he might've taken offense, but even then it was not likely. Her actions, though not polite, seemed to affect him very little, and he was content to let her go on her way.
A bemused smile found its was onto his maw as an ear quirked toward her unconventional praise.
"Pleasure," he replied in kind, watching her as she passed him. He wondered what sort of life one would have to live to end up looking like her, though Grayday, in his infinite appreciation of the feminine form, found nothing to dislike about her appearance. He might even call her pretty, when she smiled and winked. "Where're ya headed?" he wondered aloud, still mightily confused and trying to puzzle out the woman's aim. It would've irked him much more to know she had no agenda with him.
His response was entirely unpredicted. Furiosa prided herself on being able to assume what others were going to say or do, but she had not anticipated a complete lack of ire or even a sarcasmless response. Still, the stained harpy was content to be on her way, taking his so-called "pleasure" with her. And yet, he was not done with the grating she-devil. She turned, setting both atramentous eyes intently on his face as she regarded the given question with both suspicion and interest. Before she chose her words, she looked at him fully, noting more about him than just the color of his fur. The stranger had a strong, proud face, beset by filmy brown eyes and a proportionately slim body— a little heftier, and she would've tested his mettle— she was not completely disinterested.
"Are you coming?" With her terse question poised, she narrowed her eyes. A test, if anything. She realized she had not yet given her destination— not that there was one— but she wanted to see how adventurous he was. Furiosa could do nothing with an overly cautious man.
He'd've laughed if he'd known he surprised her. He laughed anyway, at her question, but not like it was a bad one. Not like he didn't wish he had a different answer.
For a moment, Day peered past her in the direction she'd been headed, wondering what would happen if he simply abandoned his quest and took up with this stranger. Strange as the offer seemed, he was sorely tempted.
Steady'd been good to him, though, and Adeline was at Silvertip.
"Places to be," he said simply, little regret in his tone. He had a feeling in his gut that this trip to the fen would be just what he needed; getting sidetracked would get him nowhere but sidetracked. Bad news, especially so early in the trip. Still, though, he wondered if he might meet the woman again. "I'll be back in a few days," he said, then, wondering again where she might be headed. "Maybe I'll catch up."
He doubted it, but it was a nice thought. That was the sort of life he'd dreamed of, when he was younger. Adventure after adventure, going wherever the wind blew him.
No longer placing herself into expectation with this wolf, she listened to his response without feeling disappointed. There was only one of two ways he could've answered anyway. Her chin lifted again, and the scrutiny had gone from her eyes. She made a noise in her throat (read: "hmph, suit yourself") and pulled her lips back in a besmirched grin, before turning on her heel and casually padding on.
He already felt as though he was pushing his luck with this woman; had been feeling that way even before he'd done anything at all, because no one just ran at a man without having something against them, did they? But she'd seemed nice enough in what little conversation they'd had and Day had never been too good with just letting things lie.
"Hey, wait," he called, trotting after her a few paces - refusing to relinquish her from his line of sight. "Will you at least tell me your name?"
Didn't know why it mattered. Day didn't expect to see her again - but if he did, he wanted to have a way to hail her, didn't he? A name, that was all he wanted. After that, she could go her merry way.
Wait.
She turned on him with her lip curled in vibrant displeasure. More than disliking being commanded, Furiosa hated being held up. It was probably a fortunate thing for the male that she didn't have a true destination to reach or even a particular goal for that day... Yes, he was quite the lucky guy. "Furiosa!" she announced with such sharp pride and bravado, she might as well have been introducing the star in a popular theatre play. Her smile returned, a wildly vicious expression, that ebbed as she realized he might want to give his name in return. "Keep your name," she barked before he could offer it. "I'll take it from you next time we meet."
A bittersweet cackle— then she was trotting off once again.
The look on her face finally did it - the first sparks of true fear raced down his spine. He'd been a little startled and definitely
worried when he'd seen her running toward him, but he hadn't really had time to think more about it than
'oh great' before the commanding woman had tossed him that grin and scrap of praise.
Since then, he'd just felt a little thrown.
But at her silent snarl, he felt fear. True, it was the not the kind that stopped a wolf cold in their tracks, and danger in small amounts made Day more excited than upset - but the fear was there. He feared her.
"Furiosa," he mused, finally submitting himself to the fact that she would leave. Too, he did not insist on introducing himself, but silently concede to her quip - he would make his introductions next time, apparently. He doubted it a little less, now.
Turning back to the south, Day continued on his way.
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