Sunbeam Lair natural obsolescence

He had made it this far. Upon finding the entrance to the cavern, the only one like this he had ever known, he could rest easier knowing that indeed, these were the familiar scapes of the Teekons. Even he found certainty, especially as he had delved deeper into familiar turns within.

So, with that, he had rested. A entire day, practically motionless after a small meager hunt--it was the greatest luxury he had known in months. When he rallied himself up and out again, the pale Rikudou came to the entrance of the lair and loitered near, slow and pensive in his every move as he picked along.

The sanctity of Ryūjin's old former claim had been kind to him so far, albeit lonelier than he had ever known it. Still, he tried to rejuvenate while he was here and take advantage of it, ghosts and all, since he had nowhere pressing to be just yet. Winter was his biggest concern, but this was nothing new--and he could spare a day, or two, or three? Or he couldn't, who knew?

Temptation of another night's rest kept his paws heavy. The winds that buffeted against his coat were cold, his bones were aching, and a whole mountain range was in his next direction. He stood facing the chill and knew he had to find some more food, too. He couldn't waste all of his time, if he intended to keep going eventually.

She hadn't even meant to wander into the mountains, but now she was here and had spent most of the day exploring. Her breath came out in white puffs in front of her as she walked along the ridge. Sometimes she would stop and stare at something in the distance, thinking she had heard something, but would resume her pace when it became clear that she was still alone. She didn't mind the solitude; it was something she had taken for granted before coming to Teekon, but now pack life sometimes made her forget the difficulties of the lone wolf life, and she sometimes caught herself missing the times when she only had to worry about herself. 

Her pale yellow eyes caught movement down below, and she padded down off the ridge a little to investigate. Lifting her nose, she drew in the air around her and was met with fresh scent of a stranger. A few more tentative steps and she could see the pale stranger in the distance. She froze where she was, lowering her head a little before letting out a soft chuff. She watched the male intently but stayed where she was, ensuring there was enough space still left between them that she could run way if needed.

He stayed rooted where he was for quite some time and were it not for the cold winds, he thought for a fleeting second that he might not ever budge. When he finally tired of squinting against the chill, he managed a great sigh then picked up a shred of momentum to attempt to start onward--with no choice but to do so. He only made a few minuscule steps before his eyes found her, however, and this halted him immediately once again.

Delicately, he finished his last pawstep in slow motion, and watched her carefully as he did. He came as no stranger to all shades of reactions, and always, he sought to keep them as minimal; usually, he had little business with others anyway and it did him well to try to keep it this way.

Instinctively, his ears pulled back and his head sunk down--once the initial start of a stranger's presence wore off, and he could begin to get a grasp on the situation now that it extended past himself. 

So, since her chuff made him think she was amicable enough, he ventured forth a greeting of his own after a quiet, deep breath of his own: "Hail," he murmured, then chanced a more earnest glance at her finer details. Nothing seemed familiar, by sight nor scent (as well as he could tell from here). Inari was fine to be a no-one, though. "Passing through?" For lack of any specifics, it might help him find out more. Knowing nothing else about her, he left it at that for now.

She lifted her head a little at the greeting, taking a few more steps towards the male. She hadn't really spent much time away from Easthollow since arriving there and before that, she tried to avoid interacting with others, so approaching strangers so far from home made her a bit nervous. Still, he seemed friendly enough, so when he asked if she was just passing through she nodded and said, Pretty much. She slowly moved a little closer. Just exploring some of the territory outside my pack's borders, she added as she moved. It had taken her so long to get used to being in a pack again that she hadn't even considered checking anything else out until recently. 

Offering him a small smile, she asked, What about you?

He doesn't find it in him yet to move much. His tail only swayed a soft, almost hesitant little rhythm though--a further testament to his neutrality, and his harmlessness, he hoped. Also to help himself relax a bit.. since anything helped. He couldn't go so far as to say he was outright comfortable here yet, and now, because when would he ever be in the matters like these? But he was trying.

His ears gave a twitch, and mentioned pack already while he had nothing of the sort to counter with. He was one lone wolf and this roads ahead, and behind, were terribly vast. As for himself: "Yes, passing through.." he could admit to that for a roundabout way to say he roamed permanently. "A pack I ran with once.. they claimed land near here, and I stopped by to rest there a bit," his voice had quieted, and he did hope that his words didn't paint him as some loiterer--especially if her pack hunted somewhere in the vicinity. Sentiment had brought him back but it wouldn't keep him there long. "Is your pack near?" the wanderer asked as he tried to search her face--so he could steer clear. "I do not intend to stay long," he added, softly spoken, but serious still.

Brynn stopped walking and sat down at kind of an awkward distance from the stranger. She was bad at meeting new wolves and didn't know how close he would want her to be, but it would look even stranger if she got back up and moved closer, so she just went with it, cheeks heating a little. 

He stated that he had been part of a pack that lived here, and she wondered what it would be like to call this place home. It certainly wasn't anything like Easthollow, but it might be nice to be all secluded up here. Her old home was in mountains quite different than this, and she grew sad thinking about them. His question pierced her sad recollection, offering a welcome distraction from the thoughts about her past. Oh, um, they're not too close...Down in the valley, she answered softly, tilting her head in the direction of her territory. Don't leave on my account, she added, shifting her gaze away nervously. I mean, um, you don't have to worry about disturbing anyone here, she awkwardly elaborated. Well, um, anyone from my pack, I mean, she rambled. Seriously, why did she keep talking and making things worse? Her cheeks heated again and her ears fell a little. Sorry... she added shaking her head a little. Inside the security of her pack's borders she had no trouble talking to others, but out here, for some reason, she turned into a rambling weirdo.

She chose the distance between them by taking a seat of her own, and while he did not join her in the motion quite yet, he was quick to find some sort of relief in it even so. Accordingly, he shifted his weight around and maybe seemed a little less tense now. It felt that way to him, and on cue, his eyes followed her gesture's direction. More relief, too. "That is good to know," he said, nodding slow but appreciatively, even as she apologized--and he sort of missed why she would feel the need to, exactly.

Blinking, he felt the need to diffuse that for some reason. "Oh.. ah, do not be sorry, not to me. I just--it is good to be overcautious with packs, I have found," he admitted as his ears fell, and he tried to not make it more awkward to handle but he had survived largely on his own this far thanks to this mindset. If anything, he still felt like he should be sorry now. "It was a while ago that the pack I knew was here, so I am very.. dated on what or who is near," he went on with to further clarify though his voice was already getting tired. Nothing about her packscent, now that he had a clearer idea of it, made him remember anything from when he had been Ryūjin.

She dipped her head, feeling dumb for making him feel the need to explain himself more. It's good to be cautious, especially when on your own, she answered. Brynn knew what it was like to survive on your own and be constantly on the look out for pack lands. Many wolves were territorial of even the areas near their territory. Even she was guilty of patrolling the areas just outside the Easthollow borders and questioning anyone she found too close; the scar on her muzzle was proof of that. This was far from enough from her home, though, so she didn't see the need to make him feel unwelcome. 

Thinking about him being alone, or at least she assumed he was since he didn't smell of pack, she wondered. Um, are you hungry? she asked, tilting her head a little. She knew all too well the struggle of feeding yourself without the assistance of a pack. She had stashed a rabbit a little bit from here to take home with her, but she would let him have it if he wanted.

Indeed, and he agreed with a deeper nod than before. Life had made him cautious. It has been. He would likely be dead without it, which.. her next question too caught him off guard despite knowing how he looked, and what was another matter he was good at just barely scraping by with. Sunbeam's hunting was kind enough to me, he said. So I get by here.. for my standards, he detailed with an appreciative sigh; the Teekons always were some semblance of peace to him, even if it was small. Are you? he returned, trying to muster a small smirk and a small inflection of humor.

Was she in that big of a need of a hunting partner, he thought. He wasn't much of one for team sports like that, anyway though.. even if the offer (even if it didn't actually exist beyond his far reach here) was highly to the loner's benefit.

Her ears fell, and heat rose in her cheeks, Um, no. I'm fine, she answered, looking away awkwardly. She shouldn't be so uncomfortable; he seemed to only be joking, and she had literally just asked him the same question, but still, here she was with hot cheeks again. I, um, only asked because I have food if you want it, she said quietly, finally settling her gaze back on the male in front of her gain. It was only about a ten minute walk back the way she had come, and she didn't mind, but Brynn would wait to make sure he actually wanted it before leaving to retrieve the prey. She didn't want to just assume he would accept her offer because maybe he truly wasn't hungry, or maybe he didn't want to take handouts. So, she watched him with a shy smile and waited for his response.

His ears splayed out, and shifted around, unsure if he was supposed to feel uncertain or not as she glanced away. Was it him, somehow? The pale Rikudou had never been the most skillful conversationalist, true, and years wandering the wilds certainly did such arts no favors--but still, how? He was struggling to fully understand, and half torn between simply not bothering to grasp it; did it really matter?

But her offer was massively generous. A few days ago, and he might have taken it. Gently, he shook his head a 'no', declining. You are generous, he dipped his pale muzzle. But no thank you—your pack, they should appreciate it, he returned, when he could not burden some stranger with his plight, all of his own fate's doing. None of this skin and bones was her, and he did not need karmic debts right now anyway. When he wasn't sure if he intended to outlive the winter, the food was better spent elsewhere.

Trying not to dwell, he squared his paws again. Can you.. tell me anything about the area by your home? Are there any other packs near yours? Since he had been so far removed, he wondered what else had changed--what had he missed?

He declined her offer for food, and she offered him a shy smile nodded in response. If he didn't want food, she certainly wouldn't force him to accept. 

He next asked about the area around her pack. There are a few packs around mine. Bearclaw valley is our neighbor, and there is another pack near the creek just north of us, she answered, motioning in each direction with her muzzle. Speaking of packs, she wondered, Do you have somewhere to go for the winter? It was already starting to get cold, and it would only get colder. She hated to think of someone all alone in the mountains in the middle of winter. Surely no one would survive that. I'm pretty sure you would be welcome at Easthollow if you need a place to stay, she offered. He would have to meet her alpha first, but Brynn didn't think that would be a problem.

Her answer gave him plenty, and he nodded gently as she spoke. Bearclaw, near a creek. Very easily.. it could save him trouble down the line, or give him some directive, should he need one some day. Remembering that, thanks to even that small of a statement, was in his best interest.

But, as for himself and a pack? Not exactly, he replied honestly, although he did not intend to go into great detail about why. Something? Someone? I have something.. to visit first before I can settle in, he said with his ears falling when doubt threatened to creep. Winter was not about to give him much opportunity, and as one being, he could only cover so much ground at once and what if time ran out before he could? I will remember that. the pale wanderer added, as a scout and a homeless wolf at once.

My name is Inari, thank you. he said as he dipped his muzzle. For her time, and patience, even if he wasn't sure what she thought of him. At least she could have his name, as he felt the exchange warranted that. I should get going, soon—before snow comes.. but again, thanks. He didn't make a rush to any exit, though worked towards it subtly—wondering if he would see her again as he glanced her over once again, hopeful to remember for good.

She nodded at his answer as worry painted her features. Um, alright, but be careful, she said, looking around them at the mountains that hinted at winter's close proximity. Soon, the mountains especially would  be difficult for any wolf to survive on their own. 

She hadn't even realized that they had yet to properly introduce themselves until he offered her his name. She gave a shy smile in return. I'm Brynn, and um, it's no problem. He stated that he should get going soon, and she understood, especially if had more traveling to get done before winter. Good luck, she offered genuinely. She hoped he found whatever it was he was looking for and made it somewhere safe before winter. She smiled at him once more and dipped her head before turning to make her way back down the mountain, stopping at one point to look back over her shoulder at him and offer another smile before finally disappearing.

He knew how it sounded, but did not want her to worry--no matter how dire it sounded. He had come this many miles already, persisted, and eked by just enough to still stand today. I will, the pale wanderer nodded as he wished that she understand that his fate would be his choice. Careful or not, he would only have to find out what would await him in the weeks to follow--and, if all went well, maybe afterward he might find himself ready to settle in a bit more with an actual pack for the first time in ages.

With him, he would carry her good graces on. He offered them back in return, for whatever they were worth, and went on his own way. Farewell, he said softly at last, then left.