Blackfoot Forest way out of range

@Kieran Adrien!

After notifying his mom @Finley that he would be going on a short trip (and promising that he wasn't leaving for good like his sister), Lagan had set off in a new direction. In the past, he'd gone south a little bit, and north a little bit, but now he was going northeast. And this time he was going farther than he'd ever gone before. He had a lot on his mind, and while he was going to make sure that the trip wasn't too long, he was sort of hoping that if he travelled all around he might run into Liffey. He just wanted to see her again, he missed her so much already.

He'd passed through some rocky area, way bigger rocks than he'd ever seen before, but he hadn't tried to climb them. He stuck to the valleys below, hunting their mice and resting in their nooks and crannies. Finally he exited the mountain range, and found himself in a dark forest. It sort of reminded him of the forest where he'd run into that scary male, who had taunted and chased him. This put him on edge, so he stayed close to the trees, preparing to hide behind one if he needed to.

Thanks for starting! Also, sorry for crappy post!

Why he had come this far, he did not know. He had always been a wanderer - but then, he had never had a set home that had lasted. His first home was invaded, his second home was where his mother had died and his sister had gone missing (the pack disbanded), and now he was trying to start again in a new home. But that did not stop him from exploring the land outside of the territory.

Kieran was just padding through the land, hoping to perhaps bring back some prey for his pack. His black nose was pressed close to the ground, trying to pick up a trail of something edible. He did not notice the stranger just a little bit away - if his head was raised then perhaps he would have, or maybe he would have caught the scent, but he didn't as his head was low. He wanted to give another offering to his mother who, no doubt, was watching him from above. Sure, he could not see the stars at this time of day, but when they came out he would bury some food and watch as the others who had also passed twinkled magically. The boy did love stars, even if he didn't want to study them. Some things were better left a mystery.

Nonsense, that post is great <3

Lagan was just running from one tree to another, when he caught a glimpse of a brown cinnamon tuft in the distance. It stuck out in the dark woods, as did his own silver fur. He gazed at it curiously for a moment, unsure of what it belonged to. It looked sort of wolfish, except where its head should be was just a bulge. Lagan's eyes grew wider and wider as he looked at it, watching it shift around, all headless like. He was sort of scared, but also intrigued. He stepped forward cautiously, his own head low but his apple green eyes glued to the lump.

When he got close enough he finally realized that the strange lump wasn't some monster, but was in fact a wolf. He just had his head down. And now that he could see the wolf for what he was, Lagan started to think something he'd never thought before. He's pretty. He didn't know what that implied, for he was barely even a year old yet. But he knew he'd never thought that about anyone before, and so the thought only made him more intrigued by the cinnamon boy. Lagan chuffed lightly to get his attention, his tail wagging slightly.

<3

Kieran was interupted from his tracking when he heard a chuff from not too far away. With perked ears, the agouti boy scanned the area for the stranger, his eyes finally landing on a silvery-grey wolf with shining green eyes. He seemed about Kieran's age - something similar, at least. With a curious glint in his eye he padded forward, closer to the boy, forgetting his trail completely.

"Hi!" He greeted, supposing this boy was no danger. He didn't seem like he'd be danger. Plus... he looked... nice..? It was difficult to know just what that meant but for certain a thought like that had not come into his mind for any wolf, other than perhaps... Hawthorn. "I'm Kieran," He decided he might as well introduce himself - maybe he could chat for a while with this mysterious wolf.

The other boy seemed very friendly, he came forwards and chirped a quick hi. Lagan smiled, wagging his tail. The other introduced himself as Kieran, a weird name; but so was the name of every wolf he'd ever met that didn't belong to his pack. Hey, I'm Lagan. Nice to meet you. So what're you doin out in the woods? I'm exploring. He asked curiously, wondering if there was a pack nearby for the other or if he was alone. If he were alone, Lagan wouldn't mind bringing him back to the Caldera, another wolf meant another friend.

Kieran's muzzle turned upwards at the corners as he gave a warm smile to Lagan. "Same to you - and same as you. Exploring. Also hunting though."

Looking at the boy now, you would never realise the troubles he'd faced. The deaths he'd seen. The sadness that lingered somewhere deep within his heart. The death of his mother and the memory of finding out his only littermate was missing were pushed to the back of his mind right now, but they were there. Right now, the Watcher looked as happy as a pup that had just been given a gift.

So Kieran was an explorer like Lagan, the two had something in common already. And seeing how friendly the boy seemed to be, Lagan figured they could be quick friends. Kieran mentioned something about hunting, and Lagan's ears perked, his feet began to move anxiously. I can help ya hunt! Back home, they call me the hunter extraordinaire! Which was a lie of course, but Lagan always had a flair for dramatics. He found that with age, that dramatic side increased, but got a bit more practical. He was maturing well.

"Awesome! I want to be an official pack hunter, so I've been trying to bring food back for my packmates." That was his plan. He wanted to help out as much as he could, and although he still wanted to be a counselor and help others that way, he wanted to learn everything he could about about hunting. 

The boy seemed just as excited as Kieran about hunting, so he gave another wag of his tail. "What do you want to hunt?" They could try to find anything specific, if that was what Lagan wanted to do, or they could just hunt whatever they came across. Perhaps these two might become friends rather quickly, judging by how well they seemed to hit it off.

My older brother and my dad are hunters too! But I'm training to be a caretaker. Cause I like, taking care and stuff. Lagan replied, his tail flagged behind him. Kieran asked what he wanted to hunt, and Lagan shrugged. He'd never thought about what he wanted to hunt prior to the hunt, he usually just went and let what happened happen. He was a go with the flow kind of guy. I don't know! What is there to hunt around here? I guess like... birds and squirrels? He said looking around at the dark forest.

"That's cool! My family... or just dad, I guess, is a mecenary." Ooops. He hadn't meant to say it like that. He hadn't meant to accidentally mention the rest of the family that were no longer around. Of course... they were with him in his heart, always, but were not physically here. He missed them.

"Okay! Let's go!" Kieran chirped, hoping to get his mind of his family. He stuck his nose closer to the ground, then raised it again. "The scent I was following goes past here." And with that he began to follow it, smiling back at Lagan.

Kieran spoke of his own father, who was a mercenary. Both Lagan's mom and dad were mercenaries, and normally he would tell Kieran all about it, but at the moment he was too excited about hunting to talk more. Kieran said the words the older boy had been waiting to hear, and Lagan stuck his black nose to the ground. He glanced up at Kieran when the male spoke, but didn't move his head. He was too caught up in the searching for scents. He followed the trail and his new friend with hawk like focus.

After a bit of walking, Lagan could put a name on the animal they were stalking. A squirrel. He sometimes got squirrel and rabbit mixed up, they both smelled like rodents. I think there's a squirrel up ahead. He said, glancing back towards his hunting partner.

Sorry about the wait!

Kieran tracked the scent almost silently, occasionally pointing something out as they passed, commenting on different things he saw. It was most exciting, hunting out in the unexplored lands with a new friend. They could find so many things - too many to list!

When at last Lagan spoke again, it was to mention that what they were tracking was a squirrel. "I've heard of those, but I haven't hunted one yet. We mainly get rabbits." The boy spoke, smiling. "How do you want to catch it?"

its all good!

Lagan mostly saw rabbits at the Caldera as well, but he'd seen a squirrel one time in one of the denser forests at home. It had smelled a little different from this one, but that was probably just because they were in different areas. He wondered briefly if squirrels had different scents when they were from different families, as wolves did. He shook the thought from his head and returned his attention to his hunting partner. He barely caught Kieran's question, and sat there looking dumbfounded for a couple seconds.

Uhhh. He mumbled, looking back in the direction of the trail ahead. Looking thoughtful, he replied, I think maybe I could spook it towards ya? And you could like jump on it and catch it when it's close enough. I don't know, my dad and brother are hunters but I am usually just along for the ride. He added bashfully with a slight chuckle.