It had been farther than the boy had originally intended, but the trek sufficed in pacifying his hunger for movement; for change. He had only ever heard of the Sentinels but once before, and it had been a recent affair with little spoken in the way of descriptive imagery. Nevertheless, he was piqued enough to see for himself the true state of these mysteriously ravaged trees.

Dead and inert before him, the fallen conifers were an eery sight in the gathering twilight. Rings of ash and soot adamantly sifted grey into Marruz's ebony coat. For once, his single grey sock did not appear so disruptive adjacent to his otherwise jet-black exterior.

The absence of tree limbs - worrying and fussy and prone to knotting as they were - was the ultimate reason he had arrived. He had not, it appeared, been disappointed. And so, with a contented sigh, the stargazer lifted indigo and ink orb toward the great serene. What, he wondered, might be different today? It was this constant change that he loved most about the constellations. That, and the stories they provided.

It seemed his path back to Shadewood was a bit...off, nevertheless he didn't mind the journey taking longer than he'd anticipated. The salty air pinched at his already stinging nose, yet it provided a refreshing breeze that his sore muscles definitely reveled in.

His glowing baby-blue eyes gazed upon the wide sky with reverence, he was reminded of the night he meant the coffee colored girl when she had unexpectedly walked in on him singing to the stars. So caught up in the glimmering lights he didn't notice a shadow amongst the dark Sentinel and was shocked when he found himself standing a few feet from a young silhouette, similarly admiring the twinkling sky.

He chuffed in greeting and took a few steps back, worried of coming off too forwardly as he had done twice already with practical strangers.

Marruz had heard the wolf long before the subtle greeting. He had locked his indigo and Stygian upon the dark serene with a glint of apprehension at the notion. This was, after all, an unfamiliar territory — a place where you didn't just keep your back turned and get away with your flank in tact.

Instead, he angled himself slightly so that the stranger was visible in his peripherals. His ears picked up heavier pawsteps; perhaps a smidgen of timidity as they drew closer (that or soreness). He would have addressed the brute sooner had he not noticed the aloofness of the approach. This was no hostile creature.

But, Marruz was a reticent boy. He just didn't speak first, or hardly ever did. Thus, his only response was to sniff and shift his stance warily. The stars were just taking form, and they visibly captured his primary interest.

So there were two of them. Great. Well, it was time to get this show on the road. That meant changing things up. Perhaps he did speak first every once and a while.

Marruz realized that this situation had become unavoidable now. It was evident that the two were curious and it was evident that he was completely alone, without protection, in the midst of a pair of fully matured wolves. His ebony frame glitched when he finally turned, casting an almost withering glow upon the quiet strangers. Indeed, he had hoped for a night by himself beneath the stars, though recently it seemed that the Teekon was void of true solitude.

"Please say you've come to watch the stars and not ambush me," the boy's tone was mildly humored, mildly tart. "The way you're sneaking up like that, it's difficult to keep my mind on the stars, you see." 

Atticus was relieved to find the stranger was humorous and at least seemed open to strangers, unlike some of the others he'd encountered in Teekon. "No, we're definitely not here to do that." He insisted, with a half smile. With the mention of stars, he found himself, once again, admiring the twinkling balls of light in the sky. "It wasn't our intent, but certainly a welcome bonus amongst our travels." 

It wasn't often the wolf stared at the deafening void that is the evening sky, because in truth it can be rather unsettling. What is all of that? Especially with his lack of memory beyond the past couple months, his knowledge of anything remotely involving the sky is limited, making all the more intimidating to acknowledge so deeply.  "Sorry if we've interrupted your observations, we're just passing through."

Marruz sniffed and shifted a little at the amiable response. His gaze never left the stars, though from his peripherals he could gather that the two were not starving for all the harshness of winter. In that regard, it was a relief to know that they were not hostile, at least.

"Well, I suppose it's alright, then," his voice was still rough, though the presence of the stars deepening before him was enough to soften his temper. "You know you can use the stars for travel, if you'd like."

He turned to face the two now with mild interest. In the shadows, his height created a slender and eerie illusion. Only the indigo orb was visible against his sable fur.