The Sentinels timidly, into a garden

the duo had remained beside the ocean for some time since their arrival in those lands. anu had sought the companionship of others. anti assumed that his friend was working to teach their ways to the strangers of that world. the guardian had remained close to his dearest partner. he had done everything he could to provide a secure environment for the man who would lead them to greatness – the man who would fulfill his destiny. the taste of so many new things had been thrilling and inspiring to the watchful man. he had been placed in a world where he knew very little and had been expected to survive among those who had been born into it. anti had been fearful at first, but he had not experienced anything that had shaken him up and he believed it to be a sign of good fortune.
 
stepping away from the sea, the volgra ventured inland a short ways. when he had scented the forest, he had been filled with a sinking emotion – one that he could never have explained to another soul, even if he had tried. it was not until he had stepped into it and found the magnificent territory in such… disarray, that he understood. fire had swept through their land and had taken everything with it. anti stood on the edge of the wood with sadness in his eyes. he wondered what had happened there and if it would ever be restored to what it had once been.

The injured male seemed to be doing better, so Easy felt comfortable leaving him for a day or two with just Reiko to care for him. She would be able to get enough food for that amount of time, surely, and if she couldn't then Easy would soon be back to help. For now, she wanted to stretch her legs, and to see if she could pick up Kasatka's scent along the shore. It was a long shot, but she missed her siblings. Perhaps, when the male was healthy once more, she would seek out her brother, Sunny.

Presently, she entered a stand of trees beside the ocean, and the mixed scents of salt, ash, and rot made her nose twitch in interest. She had heard her father speak of this place, and remembered it well enough that she knew almost at once where she stood. As she forged deeper into the woods, she imagined that she might see the pale ghost of @Deirdre somewhere in this ancient wasteland; her father had described her as a creature of unrivaled beauty, and although it'd made Easy gag at the time to hear her father speak such thoughts, she was interested in seeing such a thing as an adult.

Instead, she saw a very different but no less interesting creature. She was reminded at once of Blixen, and she wondered how the other woman was getting on before refocusing on the present. "Hello," she ventured, padding a little closer with a wag of her tail. "You don't live here, do you?" she asked, half in jest but also wanting to be sure she was welcome to approach.

it was a tragedy that something so magnificent should fall to the biting heat of the flame. it was not the first that he had seen of such devastation. for whatever reason, it was the only one that had touched him in such a way. though he was capable of imagining another time, anti found it quite difficult to see the woodland as anything more than it was in that moment; a memory of something from long before. he could not help but to wonder if there had been anyone living there when the fire had swept through, or if it had simply been another piece of the world that had been taken by chance. it was all too saddening for him to continue thinking of it, but the timing of that realization was met with the voice of a stranger who called out to him. the guardian turned his head and latched his foggy gaze with the approaching beast.
 
a question was left for him to answer. she wondered if he lived there. anti shook his head slowly, glancing back toward the devastated wood with a small frown. he assumed she had wished to know the answer to that question so that she might draw closer to him. the mute feared she would turn away when she realized that he did not speak. so, the volgra did what he could to appear welcoming. her tone was pleasant, and her figure did not suggest any imminent threat to his wellbeing. there was a waver of his tail between his hocks and a glimmer of curiosity in the dull grey of his sights. his expression was one of expectance. anti wished for her to continue speaking or asking. he would do what he could to oblige any request she had.

The red man's answer was nonverbal, and for a moment, his silence threw the young woman. Being something of a chatterbox herself, she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. But he seemed friendly enough -- and welcoming! -- so she padded closer, her own tail swishing as her ears pressed forward in curiosity.

"My name's Easy," she told him, as she had always been taught that it was polite to introduce oneself. He did not seem keen on speaking, however, and Easy knew to respect that as well. Some wolves just couldn't, and others spoke strange languages. Although, she thought shrewdly, he seemed to understand my question just fine. "My dad used to tell me stories about this place," she offered, just to test the waters. If he seemed disinterested, she decided that she would leave him in peace. If not, she was grateful for any kind of company.