Blackfoot Forest harvest winds

After his run-in with a coyote, Hyacinth trailed him for a short while before that itself became impossible. On the wind he was able to locate at least one other pack and, considering his first meet-up, wasn't keen on getting to know the residents of this particular region. So he mostly followed the river, branching off when he couldn't and doing his best to avoid claimed land until he felt he'd traveled sufficiently far.

Under a cloudless blue sky in late afternoon, Hya made his way briskly over open land. Autumn's colored foliage and cool weather made the trip much more pleasant. Which was a nice compliment to his worries over food and shelter, both things he desired with increasing intensity. What luck then to find a row of trees at the foot of a mountain he'd been aiming for. Lush plumes in orange, red, and yellow rushed up to greet the brown timber wolf, and he was all too happy for the welcoming shade and seclusion they provided.

Still...

All his senses burned as Hya advanced, ears up and twitching, nose quivering, drinking in whatever information he could pull from the wind and earth surrounding. Last thing he wanted was for someone to get the drop on him, and he couldn't be sure if the uneasy feeling of this forest came from his own apprehensions or not. Either way, it was always better to be safe and aware than blisfully ignorant. And speaking of which - Hya paused suddenly. His nose tilted upwards, and he began drinking in quick breaths as he could have swore he smelled someone nearby. 

For @Zsuzsa

Initially heading west, the Mackenzie made a sharp turn east in her itinerary. It wasn’t in her modus operandi to travel in stark daylight as she was content venturing amid the shadows of the night in which she blended nearly seamlessly. Trekking via daylight was meant to throw off her pursuers as they knew her nocturnal habits. Briefly slipping through Haunted Wood for a second passing then nimbly journeying through the flatland that was Fairspell Meadow, the lone female needed to find overhead cover quick. With her stark sable appearance, she was too vulnerable to those with a keen eye who could spot her from miles away. She had been nonstop hoofing it, hoping to put enough distance between her and her suspected stalkers back in the western territories. Famished as usual and fatigued, the welcome of a thick canopy overhead signaled she found a temporary refuge for the time being.
 
As it was known to be enchanting and sun-dappled by day, Zsuzsa passed through the sunlit pockets of the forest at a trot. Her pace slowed considerably, feeling the slight sting of a blister forming on the tender corner of one of her paw pads. It would be here, and, in these lands, she would consider slowing her travels a bit in order to conserve energy. Already overly lithe, any more incessant venturing would leave her to be a black bag of bones. With her senses consistently scanning for any measly amounts of prey to snack from, Zsuzsa was on her usual patrol for nourishment. Her trot came to a soft halt. Raising her head a little higher on her neck, in the distance her silver gaze rested upon a large figure cloaked in earthy hues.
 
Not as fiery as the wolf she encountered in Haunted Wood, and not as mottled as the younger wolf chanced upon at Salmon Lake. He was a simple palette of amber and brown. Zsuzsa quickly discerned most wolves in these parts blended near perfect with their demographics; she only encountered one loner who was as darkly coated as her. These lands seemed to carry more than monotonous colored wolves. With his nose tilted to the canopy, Zsuzsa’s posture was neutral upon approach. The earthy hued wolves she met so far were amicable. If anything, he was a welcoming sight to see in the miles she traveled. ”You wouldn’t happen to be part of the Yuelong, would you?” Zsuzsa called out. She kept her promise to the fiery wolf back in Haunted Wood who was seeking the members of his displaced pack. She vowed she would keep her eyes and ears open regarding them.

A voice called out from the forest, prompting Hya to turn his head with abrupt swiftness. After a bit of searching he was able to pinpoint a darker shadow against a mottled background of trees, shade, and light. He registered her before the question, picking it up only a moment after she'd spoken. Yuelong, he thought with a quizical tilt of his broad skull. Perhaps one of the packs he'd smelled on his way over here?

"Sorry, afraid not." He admitted, then grinned as a thought struck him, "Unless that's a good thing." For all he knew she was trying to avoid Yuelong wolves. Though, if that were the case she probably wouldn't have asked so directly. Hya shook his head a little, trying to free himself of too many questioning thoughts. Then he remembered Condor, and picked his guard back up enough to turn and face her, not giving her the ability to move without his knowledge (as much as he could anyway, she did blend in quite well with the shady forest). "I'm a traveler...not by choice though." Hya's ears dipped a little with tangible regret, though he tried not to show it. 

He was a wolf after all, and not the kind who enjoyed solitary life.

@Zsuzsa :D

I just learned the '@' tagging feature this morning. o_x

The male seemed taken by surprise by her unanticipated appearance. Her lithe figure remained in its neutral stance as he expressed regret for not knowing of the pack moniker. Adding his quip of if it was in an action of keeping away from such pack for detrimental reasons, Zsuzsa shook her head. ”Not a good thing for the Yuelong. A storm ravaged their territory and displaced their members, along with a group of pups.” She paused, considering the thought of the misplaced pups in mind away from the adults. Every worst-case scenario with that came into her mind, and a glint of concern shone in her steel-colored gaze. ”This is just what I heard from the grapevine to pass along.” The Mackenzie further alluded, not pledging any allegiance to the Yuelong but at least being civil to spread the word in case anyone else in the lone wolf realm encountered them during their current hardship.
 
A traveler, but not by choice. Instant common ground to be sought amongst the two wolves. ”That makes two of us then.” Zsuzsa remarked, letting her tail drop some in her own personal defeat. It wasn’t so much traveling and not so much solitude (as she adored her quiet times alone even amidst the company of a pack) but constantly having to glance over one’s shoulder and make sure her tracks weren’t readily detected. ”Have a past you are running away from as well?” Zsuzsa questioned, not sure if he was willing to share such personal information right off the bat, but it was an amicable ice-breaker nonetheless. Seemed like everyone was running away from something, whether it was from the past or in the current present. The Wilds surrounding them, however, seemed to be the lands of promised opportunity and a new beginning.

(oof sorry for the late reply! i got caught up in a new game and forgot everything else existed for a little bit XD)

Very swiftly his vague attempt at humor (and his somewhat dour statement following) was compounded by the true gravity behind Zsuzsa's first question. Hya felt his expression drain to one of concern, especially when he considered the similarities between his own experience and this. His eyes darkened...could they have been effected by the same thing plaguing his last home?

Could...it have followed him here?

Checking her gaze the she-wolf matched his troubled expression handily. Still, he hadn't completely missed the fact that she didn't specifically say she was from Yuelong. Perhaps she was a concerned friend, or maybe a passer-by who took note of the pack's absence. No telling how long she'd lived here. So it could be possible she just knew the pack as a whole. Actually, if that were the case, then her concern was a rare thing and Hya was suddenly very glad to have met her. Especially when compared to the scheming Coyote from last time.

"Honestly," he began with a sigh and tightly drawn lips, "The Yuelong and I have something in common then. The pack I was part of, well it was sort of doomed from the start," Really their situation couldn't be blamed entirely on natural disasters, "Then once the earth quakes and storms started...well here I am." That one short statement packed a lot of years into it. Hya's shoulders rose in a shrug, and suddenly he looked a touch bashful. "Not a very interesting answer...but I guess it's always sad when a pack falls." After a moment Hya brought his gaze back up to meet @Zsuzsa with a question in his eyes.

"Are you trying to find them again? If you are...maybe I could help?"

Really what else was he doing?

No worries, just started classes this week so I may be a tad slow.

Judging by his reply, the male’s own plight was indistinguishably linked. Natural disasters were a common occurrence with the seasons and typically species of their likes were able to recover quickly from such calamities. It seemed like this particular year had an uptick in such natural misfortunes. Mother Earth could be unforgiving at any moment, changing the scape of the land as she saw fit. Speaking of his own hardships with quakes and storms, Zsuzsa could only offer a soft sway of her tail and silver eyes that reflected contrition. ”Were you the only survivor?” The sable female asked ruefully. Perhaps it was a delicate subject to tread upon depending on the trauma from the situation. If so, Zsuzsa could read between the lines of his response if he so wished not to elaborate further.
 
As for her, she was certain he was asking about her past. Shaking her head, she was quick to shoot down that notion. ”I prefer to stay running.” Zsuzsa said curtly. Nothing good was to be found in her past, despite it attempting to follow her into whatever new opportunities would be presented to her in the future. ”I came to these lands for new opportunity, hoping to establish some sort of permanency.” It was what all wolves aspired for, after all. While the Mackenzie greatly appreciated her solitude, there was a primal instinct in her that wanted to get back on track with some sort of purpose to assist a cause.
 
The male was offering out of the consideration of his good spirit to help, which of course Zsuzsa appreciated. A small smile formed on her muzzle, although her dark coat was good at concealing it unless she gave a wide smile to show her ivory fangs. ”Have you come across any others here? Any others meant any other packs. At this point in time she only knew of the Yuelong and perhaps this lone male had information to pass along about others.

(that's fine :3 good luck!)

Considering what he'd just told her the follow up question wasn't really a surprise. His reaction was quick though, since he didn't want to give the wrong idea about what happened. Hya's eyes flashed with attention as they cut to her and he shook his head while answering swiftly.

"Oh no, no nothing like that...well" Almost as quickly Hya realized he couldn't say that with confidence. "I suppose I don't know whose survived and who hasn't. The pack disbanded before the worst of it happened. Our Alpha abandoned us." Saying that was like swallowing bitter medicine and the look on his wrinkled face suggested he took no pleasure in stating the facts. @Zsuzsa on the other hand, seemed much happier on the move. Though he did certainly understand her desire for something more stable. Hya nodded a few times in agreement and his smile returned.

"Same here." He said between her earlier statement and last question. Condor's face flashed before his mind's eye as his companion asked about the residents. With a snort he nodded. "Yeah, one Coyote so far. But he acted more like a fox, and tricked me out of some fish. Haven't met any pack wolves, though I've smelled some markers back that way." He looked over his shoulder, nose gesturing in the direction of a small mountain range (Ursus, though he didn't know it). "Not sure if I want to stay in this area though. What about back that way, nothing good?"

If she'd come this far looking for a new home he had to imagine she hadn't passed anything worth her attention along the way. That was a bummer.

These natural disasters were displacing many, although Zsuzsa’s ears flicked forward when he mentioned their Alpha abandoned them. Seeing the visible displeasure upon his features, it always felt like a deeply rooted breach of trust when an Alpha betrayed a tightly knit pact. The black female snorted. ”You’re better off without them then.” Zsuzsa confided. She had never been in a situation where an Alpha or superior stepped down from a higher rank through such means, but it was instantly the characteristics of cowardly, weak wolves who did such a thing.
 
Mentioning getting tricked out of a snack from a coyote, Zsuzsa wasn’t too fond of coyotes for their thievery, desperation, and overall as them labeled as the significantly weaker counterparts of wolves. ”That’s why you always have your doubts about them. I am sure in these lands they take advantage of opportunity at every chance they get.” Seeing as how he mentioned scent markers, coyotes were never too far with scavenging what wolves dumped on the borders of their territories. He didn’t seem too fond of this area and Zsuzsa wasn’t sure if she should linger around herself. She shook her head. ”Endless plains. I traveled in from the south. Barely any overhead shade and even more so, barely any prey.” It was obvious her figure was more lithe than typical, not holding the curvaceous angles a healthy female would.