The Tangle lament

2/5
on the edge of the tangle, felltree marsh, and redtail rise

With deft paws he continues to press his way through the Wilderness.  Morning has brought him to the untamed foothills of Redtail Rise.  Instead of maneuvering over another mountain he instead decides to cup the rocky edges, through the twisted black trees of the Tangle.

He soon came to regret that decision.  Traversing the low-lighted forest and its many ledges was difficult for even a versed mountaineer such as Tsiokwaris.  His broad paws only hindered him here, and it took him many hours beneath the early afternoon sun.  The only silver lining was that the shaded Tangle offered refuge from the heat.

The further inland he went, the less ash fell from the sky, the less smoke clouded his lungs.  Whatever phenomenon he was running from, he would be safe from it here.  As afternoon bled into evening he came across the territory where the three landmasses converged, littered with marshlands and sharp foliage.

He was in for another sleepless night.  There would be no refuge for him here.

She doesn't spend a lot of time in the Tangle normally, and truth be told she's not quite sure why she's here today. She's never been the most graceful thing around, and more than once her foot slips and she thinks she'll fall; luckily, she doesn't. Instead she catches the scent of a stranger and follows it instinctively, thinking of her pack nearby. It's not so close she wants to go be an asshole or anything, but she figures it's wise to know who's lurking in the neighborhood.
She finds a massive dark man, noting no discernable pack scent on his fur as she approaches. Hello there, She calls, tail swishing behind her. The tawny girl halts a few feet away from him, her gaze open and searching. Are you a traveler?

Thank you for joining!

His legs are covered to the forelimb in marsh scum when she finds him, his great broad muzzle buried deep within the slimed and fortunately well-furred pads of his right front foot.  He had been attempting to pry free a burr that was quite irritating but he could not yet reach it.  With the appearance of this new stranger his comfort will have to wait.  It does not take long for the stranger to begin prying his internal affairs.  She breezes through a greeting before asking him if he is a traveler.  He looks at her with impassive features before simply responding, Yes.  His tail gave a single, gentle wag before he tried and failed to remove the slog from his maw.  Are you?  He could tell from her pack-scent that she was not a loner, but that did not mean she was no traveler.

ofc!!

Okay, she's a little disgusted, witnessing him burying his nose into his slimy paw, but she supposes it can't be helped. Ugh. Yes — well, no, not really. I'd like to travel, but this is the farthest I'll go from home, She doesn't realize she's beginning to ramble until it's a little too late. I'm terrible with directions. I don't even know how I made it here on my own, and after the last time I got lost I just— Oh, oops. He doesn't really need to hear about all that, does he?
Oh uh, sorry, She's embarrassed, and not eager to hear whatever he might have to say in response. She breaks eye contact for half a beat to compose herself, then launches into something else. What's your name, anyway? Mine's Branwen.

By now the last of the sunlight has bled from around them, and the first stars are beginning to wink into view.  He cannot relate to her.  He has never been lost, not really; the fires had disoriented him but still he knew that the Great Star pointed North, and that he had left the North behind.

She talks more than he cares for.  Tsiokwaris is silent in general, and particularly untalkative when it came to the common tongue, but it seemed as though he was a foriegner in these alien lands.  When he speaks, his words are accented and slow. Your home is nearby?  He had not caught even the faintest border scent from the wind except for when the woman drew forth, but her words led him to believe it was closer than he would like.  Tsiokwaris.

He hesitated and drew his dusky gaze briefly up to the stars.  Do you get lost often?  Is that why you will not travel far from home?

She's vaguely aware of the light fading around them, but she's more aware that the stranger is unimpressed with her, as most are. He's talking to her nonetheless, so she takes that as a good sign. Tsiokwaris, She repeats, butchering the name only a little. To his question: Yeah, um, kind of that way? Accompanied by a vague gesture toward home.
His next question draws a soft laugh from her. Sort of, She admits a little reluctantly, but there's humor in her gaze. I think I've found my way home by luck more than anything else. She pauses a moment, deciding she'd rather not talk about herself more than she has. Do you have a destination?

She does better with his name than some, but he offers no other moniker to ease her struggle.  He is aware of the mud beginning to stiffen upon his fur as it dries, and he shifts where he stands.  

She gestures in the direction she lives, but even still he is not sure that she truly knows.  Is she lost now?  He does not feel any obligation towards her.  Still.  Travel by night, he offers with little regard to anything else she has said.  He throws his head back to the night sky and continues.  The Great Star is unmoving.  Use it to orient yourself.  It guides you home.  Travel by day was a bit more tricky for the uninitiated.

To her second question, he gave a great pause before he settled on, No.

She listens to the advice eagerly, eyes following the male's skyward gesture. There's no guarantee she won't forget the information entirely, but her gaze lingers on the star he's pointed out for a few moments longer, trying to commit it to memory. I'll try that, thank you, She murmurs softly in the space left by Tsiokwaris' silence.
So you just wander. Alone? She can't help but question further, though she can't scent any other wolf on him, intrigued enough to settle back on her haunches where she is. It sounds like a lonely existence; she can't imagine it herself. Her desire to travel is certainly outweighed by her love of having a home to return to and others to surround herself with, as she's recently learned.

Annoyance leaks into his impassive stare.  If he had it his way, he would not be living the life of a vagrant.  Although he did not mind the solitude, winter was coming and his mind was already on the colder months.  The dropping temperatures he could handle, but the lack of prey he might not fare as well with.

He tosses his chin up in a brief nod.  For now.  The slog has now dried onto his fur.  He brushes one broad paw over a treelike forelimb, trying to disrupt the discomfort there.

She notes the annoyance in his expression and decides she's bothered the stranger long enough. I see, She says, shifting uncomfortably. There's a brief pause before she speaks again. Well, good luck with your travels. Thank you for the advice — I should start trying to find my way home. Maybe I'll get there sometime this year. She offers a grin with her last words, then turns to depart for Drageda. Goodbye Tsiokwaris.