After tearing the claw out of it's socket they'd decided to take shelter beneath the trees closest to the plains for a few days while keeping off of their paw and cleaning the wound frequently. Much to their dismay the constant licking didn't fix anything when they'd needed to continue hunting for something to eat, it had been way too long not to put food into their body. With an infection blossoming Vida took off at a slow pace on a search for herbs that would be growing in early spring.


On the way they'd been lucky to spot the first few blooming flowers and while admiring the beautiful sight recognized the multiple long, white flowers to be daisies. With a sinking feeling in their gut they had plucked them from the ground grimacing while chewing the entire thing into a bitter tasting pulpy wad inside their mouth and continuing on their way. Despite the saliva pooling up they left the daisy mush inside their mouth until they caught an interesting scent on the breeze that changed their course bringing them to a meadow of melting white and blossoming greens with many colorful flowers starting to sprout and types of flora growing amidst it all. It was a haven so grand they almost choked on their daisy mush lowering their rear to the ground they smooshed the wet, pulpy plant flat upon their tongue and lifted their paw to their mouth lapping the makeshift poultice onto the paw bit by bit until it caked everything. Keeping it off the ground so it would dry properly they began to study the various plants around them with an amazed expression, their tail tapping the ground a million miles an hour. 

He was on the hunt, thick paws treading through the snow with haste, his breath labored and rapid but also timed to sustain a constant flow of oxygen. The hare, light in weight, managed to stay above the snow and skim the top with great speed but Rye was plowing through it with sheer force. However his stamina was depleting at an unsustainable rate, his lungs burned and his legs felt numb; there was no denying the hare would get to live another day. Slowly the male came to a halt, his legs shivered as he stood there, almost as if holding up his weight was taxing. Meanwhile his lungs gulped down as much air as it could hold and it dispersed with a cloud of thick steam, his whole body shook as he panted but he felt exhilarated; downright intoxicated with adrenaline. It did not matter his hunt was unsuccessful, to him the importance fell in how he felt; happy. For the first time in what felt like ages he was happy, relaxed and back to his usual self but a portion of him feared it would not last long but time only knew for certain. After his fleeting rush had dimmed Rye took to the nearby woods, he had watched his hare disappear into the thicket ahead and had hope he could track it down once more.
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 The scent of the hare was spotty, it would vanish one moment and reappear the next and for a minute Rye thought his sniffer was busted but he quickly shoved that thought to the back. The woodland male paused his snout lifting into the air, a gust of wind had brought him a scent of blood mixed with something unknown but it reminded him of when his wound was infected. Rye followed what he could, it wasn't long before he stumbled upon an odd looking wolf, the size, the colors and the fur was unfamiliar. It reminded Rye of @Imaq but he wasn't going to assume they were different quite yet. Every wolf was always unique and just like every wolf, each had the potential to be blood hungry savages. A hard lesson the male learned long ago.
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Rye assessed the other for a moment before speaking, a slight scrutiny held in his tawny eyes. "Is this your claim?" He asked directly, although the male smelled no borders or markings of any kind he did not wish to intrude on ones homestead.

So far they'd managed to spot five or so different herbs beginning to sprout and bloom rapidly from the rejuvenated spring soil. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to figure there was even more to discover in time but during their examination of the area the wind had shifted several times bringing fleeting scents to and from their nose. While the wanderer would have loved to make this their base there were wolves passing by or somewhere around the area albeit not close enough that Vida had been able to get more than a basic grasp at lupine scent. Right at the end of another lupine scent trail came the sudden sharp rich scent of rabbit made even more pungent by the panic it carried as if being chased causing the hair along their spine to raise with exhilaration their legs tingling with the impulse to rise and set off to hunt it down before they realized with disappointment the scent had faded away just as quickly as it had come. By the time they began to settle back into the thorough inspection of the fauna a voice asked them a question startling them from the deep state of concentration and leaving them standing there tail curved slightly between their hind legs while they replied with a shake of their head so they could take a quick breath to slow the racing thump within their chest. "I smelled the fresh herbs"  they lifted their injured paw which was caked in the thick drying herbal/Saliva paste "I'm just passing through..I apologize if I am close to your territory" Vida offered the apology while trying not to seem curious about the coincidence of having smelled others on the wind before he'd popped up. Discreetly drawing in the stranger's scent they noticed how he carried the rabbit's scent and felt a twitching in their tail while regarding him with a bit less apprehension knowing he was a fellow rabbit hunter. 

Their tail slunk between its hind legs, a posture Rye was not accustomed to receiving in light of his arrival. He did not see himself as a big scary guy, sure he had large paws but that was a common trait in his family. Without a second though Rye took a seat, his tail wrapping around the sides of his legs, with his posture relaxed and comfortable. Upon hearing the other males interest in herbs Rye thought to take a look, perhaps @Iana was in need of what the other found. However he knew it would be an overstep, for the moment he would remain still and investigate later. Rye shook his head at their apology, he knew not of any other packs claiming the forest they were in nor did he know of any near by his own home, except for 'Slyphs'. Though they never got into the topic of where she lived, a small twinge of regret left in his heart for being such a miserable oaf to the young female but that didn't bother him too much.

"No, no. You're fine, no one lives here except a pawful of small creatures." Rye gazed up at the trees, half expecting to see a few pair of eyes staring down at him but nothing was there, only branches and leaves. "I'm Rye, my home is actually thata' way." His muzzle pointed behind him, to the large mountain glacier in the distance. Although the view was mostly blocked by the canopy of trees above them, small portions of it could still be seen. "But I only know about one other pack, sadly I have no idea where it is so you are going to have to remain vigilant."