Shadow Mountain you are coming down with me, hand in unlovable hand

Base of Shadow Mountain near Wapun Meadow. Also backdated an indeterminate amount of time.

Ukko wakes up restless, his body stiff, but he makes a bigger effort to stretch everything out before he’s ready to get up and face the day. Even with more time, everything is still routine and he’s been unable to break it. If he could just stop and gives him a moment to reevaluate what he’s doing, he might have some answers. However, the stubborn bone in his body keeps him from it and he leaves his life in a limbo that is more frustrating than anything but currently the easiest option he has.

He peeks briefly into the den before he sets off with the intention to repeat the same day he has been. Checking the border, searching for breakfast, serving the woman that lied to him for two months to hook him in. He’d been prepared for this litter, he’d taken care of her when he needed to, and now none of it makes sense. She’d manipulated him into staying into her claim, under the guise of what he wanted, and then kept him in the dark before he was rudely awaken.

The pack deviates and it isn’t under he’s on the other side of Arrow Lake that his wandering has become aimless. He thinks to go north and say goodbye to Tavi, finally, but his paws carry him south.

Away.

It would be easy to just keep going. To travel along the base of the mountains, through the forest, and to continue further south until he can start a new life all over again.

He roamed. For now, it was far more peaceful than his recent weeks. Less frantic, less about covering the miles and more about.. himself. He sometimes had to remember to mind his own needs, especially when the other pressures bore down greater than others. Now it was better, but October had reminded him of what was to come and what that would mean for him. The nights cooled accordingly and Inari dreaded what was to come. Last winter had been.. relatively mild, if his pieces of memories could be trusted in full. Could he bank on it happening again? And if so, what would be the cost this time? Inari grimaced at the thought, and contemplated his own growing hunger. With nothing else to do, he kicked up to a greater pace and trekked on along towards the mountain's base.

At ease here, despite the relative unfamiliarity, he didn't feel compelled to take his time. Jogging on, he passed over the scenery for a long time undisturbed. It's eventually a dark silhouette that pulls him up to a stop, lest he go barging into crossing their paths. Inari knew better.

For the time being he is content to keep a little distance between them, but he is curious. Winds are not working in his favor either, so it's not a well-informed curiosity. He sees what he can do. But, he takes a deep breath then strides forward with a soft chuff to engage the unfamiliar male. Inari may as well. His pathways have no other purpose, and his hunts will continue with or without.

It takes a moment for the willowy figure to materialize but it is the chuff that really pulls his attention. The other's form had been ghostly enough that he'd blended into the background and Ukko's steady trot slows. Darkened orange eyes settle on the stranger, ears cupped forward as he works to sort what's playing out before him. What was once meant as a normal day (as normal as Ukko can make things) have turned into an unplanned adventure along the mountain line. 

Ukko weaves back and forth a little until the distance between them closes. He even opens her mouth to speak but nothing makes a sound and he snaps his jaws shut with a quiet clack of teeth. Perhaps, for a little while, he can forget what he’s running from and be someone else entirely. It’s happened before, it’ll happen again, so why not now?

He barks once in response, when he’s close enough, hoping to draw enough attention to egg the other on in a fit of play.

If anything, he knows well enough to not have concrete expectations. He's covered so many miles, seen so many varieties of folk, and given the right circumstance, just there's no telling what this may have in store for him. He intends to stay flexible and feel it out, as always. Luck has been on his side lately, though, and having this in the back of his mind encourages him. His company has been few and far between, but all quality in his eyes. His outlook is bright enough while his ears swing forward, questioning in silence as the space between them eased away more. While not with the greatest of confidence in it yet, he takes that as a good sign.

Inari watches more, carefully mindful of striking his balance between wariness and curiosity. At once, he felt a bit contradicted, but the bark issued by the shadow of a stranger perks him up straighter than before. He focuses anew with a tilt to his head, and prompted accordingly, he wiggles his tail against his knees. His posture suggested that he's still questioning this, and next he makes his move closer. Light steps, almost up to a lofty trot, he arcs towards him -- who is he?

But, he is still reasonably hesitant in the face of so much unknown, so doesn't aim to move in overly close, but instead portray that he is open to this, whatever it is. He doesn't quite know what to say.

The other wolf, while still reserved, doesn’t yet run off. Instead, he’s able to get a wiggle out of his tail and his features a little lighter. The reprieve is more than welcome where he can be whoever, or himself, without the weight of what stands behind him. He is far from accomplished in his eyes and he’s wasted his time here long enough that, for a little while, he can simply enjoy a time that won’t hold him back. 

When the other takes a step closer, Ukko dips himself a little and his tail remains low, ears alert and inviting, and he keeps a smile curved on his muzzle the entire time. “Hey,” he says, dropping his nose to the ground and putting his head on his paws while his rump remains in the air, waving his tail back and forth. “Follow me?” he asks, raising his brows before he bounces back up and trots off past Inari, following the shadowed ground at the base of the mountain.

It is in his nature to be careful, but he soon begins to think there is a little more. Everything about this seems light, warm -- perhaps dashed with some subtle invitation easing him between the lines. It's that which helped him keep his steps aimed forward closer to the stranger just a bit. While wariness is not hard to leave behind entirely, everything about this wolf seem to speak of no harm him. Inari gives a thoughtful look when he does speak, his ears go swinging greedily at the sound of the greeting. His tail picks up a more vigorous wave and nod. Likewise.

"To where?" he cants his head before he finds himself reaching a paw forward into motion, with the rest of himself moving just after. He is content in this way, soothed somehow by the landscape passing underfoot, and neither does he mind following.

Even though the other asks the question, he’s drawn enough to take a step or two forward that Ukko catches once he throws his head back. A smile appears on his muzzle and he makes a wide circle, certain that if he keeps it up, there is little that has to be exchanged. The wisp before him is still slow, not fully trusting him, and he slows to a stop and offers a shrug.

“I don’t know this place,” he confesses and his toes dance once more into motion as he follows along below a crag. He lifts his up head but he is mostly shadowed in darkness though he offers one look behind him. “Do you?” he asks with a tilt of his head and his smile widens, bouncing forward a few more steps so the other must keep up.

He gets his answer, however unexpected it may be and so his ears give a little flick. Something had made him think the dark male might know this place. But, with even ground on that matter between them, Inari strives for less hesitance and to hit a full stride with ease. "No," he replies with a small shake to his head. He spares a glance past the other wolf with the next breath to peer deeper into the sceneries. Not too different from what he does know.. "Maybe I do not need to," he added thoughtfully and kept his voice low as he did, despite the warmth the stranger's light steps over the terrain wanted to inspire.

He has to keep up. He wants to stay nearby, so it leaves him little time to consider the issue at outstanding length.

Before he can catch himself lagging back too badly, he adjusts his own speed with a few bursts. It does the trick and distance erases quickly. Inari uses the opportunity, while brief as it is, to nip at the stranger's flank before leaning off with his own momentum in tow. He doesn't surge on forward and away as he felt he could if he wanted. He prefers to keep more evenly matched, and closer just to see.

It does not take much to egg the other on as he’s suddenly bounding forward to close the distance. Ukko takes a few of his own bursts to entice him further, teasing him before he gets too close but eventually he feels a nip upon his flank that sends his gaze back. He doesn’t turn back right away as he gallops forward to get out of the danger zone but he gets distracted—as he tends to do with pretty things—and stumbles over his own feet. If he’d been paying attention, maybe he would have caught himself, but he takes a dive and eats dirt with a snap of his jaws coming together as soon as he hits the ground.
 
Ukko is stunned for a few seconds but he eventually turns, glancing up to (assuming he approaches) his companion approaching. His chin stings with the skin removed and dirt lingers in his mouth but he can’t help the bellowing laugh escaping him. He thumps his tail on the ground and heaves a big sigh as he settles, though he does not get up right away to continue the chase.
 
“What’s your name?”

It takes him a few strides to realize what exactly happened, and then to adjust himself accordingly now that they're no longer running together. He pulled up, slowing into a loose-legged trot that circled back to behold the extent of the stranger's faceplant.

Inari whined worriedly as he moved towards him, meanwhile hoping it had not been something he did to cause the fall and that he was alright beyond that.. Which, already, he seemed to be well-recovered enough to laugh at himself. Inari's tail switched and his expressed softened soon after, content to take that as a pretty good sign for the better. "Are you alright?" It doesn't hurt to ask anyway.

"Inari," he replies with a quick nod. A hopeful look of silence wanted to know his name, too.

Slowly, Ukko begins to pick himself back up and bob his head at the same time. A little tangle of his legs is all, and he’d eaten more dirt than he’d intended to for the day. Still, a little hurt pride is enough to cause a sheepish smile in an attempt to brush it off.

“I’m Ukko,” he says, followed by a quick shake of his fur. Dirt and stone flies from his coat and he shuffles his footing until he feels right once more but he ends up a little closer to the male than he’d intended to. His nose wrinkles and his ears splay against his head but it takes a few seconds for him to step back and awkwardly smile.

His mood lightens slow but surely when the sheepish smile and good shake says to him that Ukko's fine -- now having a name like that to think of him by does help, too, and the sterling male hopes it can stick. He doesn't want to forget any of this. It has been better, lately, he can reason. However, he doesn't let that distract him and steps forward, reaching to bump his muzzle against Ukko's not too long after he'd stepped back himself. Inari hopes it is not out of bounds either, but he is relieved he is not hurt and shows it simply.

He also catches himself lingering and wondering what the scents on his fur meant exactly. Chief among it seemed to be when and where he would return to, for it seemed to suggest he belonged to somewhere. Inari's next moves were as vague as always: back to the Sunspire's lower meadows until winter chased him away. Ukko's was probably much different. Or it was quite possible he was looking unnecessarily into it. So he supposed, and with a thoughtful furrow, he almost wanted to ask it as he searched his face instead. Inari just waved his tail and let himself get distracted by the orange in his new friend's eyes.

In an effort to not make his loitering quite so obvious, he slipped forward just a little more to plant a nip on his shoulder. With the next few strides, he spun away and waved his tail invitingly. If he could coax him forward, into more play or just company, he'd maybe know just a little more. He hoped he could. He would enjoy it however he was able to have it and simply yearned desperately to keep this memory close to him.