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.

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?

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.

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.

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.]