Thunder Dome does this ski mask make me look fat?

@Stigmata backdated to 12/14
set in cantatis cavern

recent events made his life jus that much harder. not a day went by without him thinking of what he said. it disrupted his work flow, his coping mechanism, making things all the more frustrating.

he needed a break, so he strayed outside of the plateau and and traversed up the rocky slopes. an enticing cave waited for him at the peak and inside lie a mystical forest. he weaved through the trees, looking from one side to the other like a tourist.

though he had found the thunder dome quite barren his first time through, a second visit proved much more fruitful as he crossed the scent of another wolf - alone - and followed it to the entrance of forest buried literally in the mountain. he had only seen this once before in the peaks of his homeland, and never to this scale. it was too quiet here for there to be much prey to sustain a pain indefinitely, but it certainly marked a good place for refuge in times of emergency.

stigmata followed the male's trail deeper into the woods, intent on finding him if only because the scent belonged to ruenna's pack. this was finally an opportunity to meet another wolf of the plateau, and potentially meet that famed crippled leader he'd heard so much about. "wolf," he called ahead, keeping his distance and intent on not approaching with an enemy's footing. "could i have a word? i have come alone," he added evenly, keeping his tail loose and his posture neutral.

the calming silence was broken when a voice echoed through the cave. issun grunted softly under his breath. there could never be a moment to himself could there? he wanted to continue through the trees, but ultimately he stopped to face the man. “what?” he asked. the stress and irritation was clear in his voice.

as the dark wolf turned to face him, as welcoming as the backside of the skunk, stigmata recoiled slowly him any further approach. this was no cripple. "are you a wolf of the plateau? blacktail? i heard rumors," he explained, retaining a level voice and keeping to himself that he was already acquainted with one of his packmates. "i came to ask if it is true that your lot follow a crippled wolf." he didn't express this query in any particular way, though his curiosity on the subject itself could be misconstrued as antagonistic, despite his lack of tone and posturing. he probably shouldn't have asked at all, given his competitor's current attitude.