Aimlessly, he wandered still. He didn't do much to occupy himself except keep his needs met. Survive. Every day blurred together into one seamless flow of wasted time. The sun was up, and so was he, though not by choice. Corvus always preferred the night, but sleep oft escaped him, and he'd learned when to give up on trying.

His feet dragged him to a little lake, though its namesake had flown off to warmer pastures. The only sign of life he saw was a dark figure by the lakeside, but he wasn't interested in what would likely be another unpleasant interaction. So he kept his distance and acted as if the other black soul didn't exist, instead focusing on securing a meal.

His hackles bristled against his will for a moment when the other man approached, but the movement was easy to miss. Reluctantly, Corvus lifted his head to meet the strangers' mismatched gaze with his own tired eyes. Hello, He hoarsely returned with his neglected voice, standing still a statue while he waited to hear what the man wanted.

The man simply wanted directions. Corvus relaxed and turned to face him fully. Fair enough; he had a good mental map of these wilds and the land outside of it from years of travel. Nodding, he said, Ask away.

Corvus cracked a smug grin. It's your lucky day then, because I've been traveling for years now. It was his turn to pause as he glanced around, noting the sun's position in the sky. A day and a half's worth of travel south will bring you to a pack called Easthollow. Their territory houses an odd circle of large stones, you can't miss it. There's also pack in the pass east of here past the grove, and another in the woods past the creek about a day's walk north from here. He gestured each direction with his snout before fixing his gaze back on the other white-breasted stranger. Only his eyes inquired about further questions.

"I bet you have some interesting stories from your travels." That was an understatement. Corvus huffed in a bittersweet manner.

Yes. Too many, Was all he said on that subject, posture drooping from the thought as it weighed on him. Thankfully, the man seemed to get the hint and moved on to ask another question. It doesn't get much colder than this, which is pretty tolerable. He thought to ask for his name but quickly waived the notion; they'd likely never meet again, and this interaction was more a formal exchange of information than an extension of friendship. Labels mattered little to him.

He wasn't going to give his name, but the other man offered, and he wouldn't deny him something so simple. Corvus, He returned. Is there anything else you need? He didn't sound particularly impatient, but he did want to get back to looking for something to eat.