Blackfoot Forest Re-entrance

Sorin had not intended to leave the wilds, and had done so without truly realizing it. His wanderings had taken him some miles east of teekon before he had circled back. Now, he stood upon the edge of a forest, one he had not ventured into before leaving. But he knew, somehow, that he was back in teekon. He grinned wryly, wondering why his paws had turned back towards these lands, but deciding to trust them nonetheless. He had little else to trust in.

He delved into the bare forest, the trees having lost many of their leaves from the cold winter. For Sorin, this was a slight annoyance; there were not many shadows for him to weave between unnoticed. But he still did his best to cling to what darkness remained, intent upon venturing north. If memory served, there was a meadow to the north that might have good prey opportunities. It would certainly be better than this fox filled wood.

Amsu had wandered a bit from the mountains. He intended to stick to them fairly closely if he could, but he figured it didn’t hurt to stray every now and then. Forests were interesting places to him, normally so dappled with light amidst shadows from the canopy of leaves above. However, winter was here, and most of the leaves were dead on the ground or blown away in the wind. Some coniferous trees stood tall and proud, evergreen, but their needles were not the same as broad leaves—did not create the same dapple effect upon the ground. 

Amsu wandered the bare forest, wondering what was here that had called him to this place. He did not have much experience with forests since he’d grown up and lived amid deserts and canyons his entire life. Forests were strange to him, even with all of their leaves. At least the bare trees made the space feel a bit more open—and let him see the wolf up ahead easier. It was a black wolf, and some part of Amsu’s religious mind felt superstitious. This wolf’s coat had an absence of Light, the Light Amsu worshiped. But he shook the thought away. One could not choose what color one was born with.

Putting on a happy face, he called out, “Hello.”

Sorin continued his trot through the forest, his eyes scanning the wood before him for prey, or potential threats. He always aired on the side of caution, the world had taught him to do so. It was better to be prepared and not have anything happen, than to not prepare and have the worst happen. Some may criticize him for being too cautious and guarded, but such had simply become his nature. The dark man had not survived war by being careless.

So he walked on, searching for some source of food. It had been a few days since his last meal, and pangs of hunger were slowly beginning to set in. Furthermore, winter had well and truly arrived, and the worst was yet to come. Sorin knew he had to meet the worst of winters fangs with as much strength as he could. So he searched with a desperate intent, attempting to block out all other distractions.

As a result, he did not see the other male until he was almost upon him. Sorin whipped his head up when he caught the strangers scent, seeing him only a short distance away. The stranger was a mix of creams and greys, a coat pattern Sorin had not seen all to often.

"Hello" Sorin responded neutrally to the others greeting. He did not offer any more words though, content to let the stranger initiate whatever conversation may occur.

Amsu winced, having clearly frightened the man. But the dark-furred male only said, ’Hello,’ in return, and did not seem angry about having been frightened. He said nothing else, leaving Amsu to wonder what else to say. He, himself, did not say much either unless there was something to say. He paused and looked around, noting the snow on the ground and the bare, grey trees. A sudden wind picked up and whipped cold through his fur. He shivered. “You wouldn’t happen to know of a sheltered area nearby, would you?” he asked, suddenly wishing fervently to get out of the cold.

Sorin watched the other carefully, trying to ascertain their intentions. Looking at the stranger's eyes, he saw no guile or malice there, which put the dark male a little more at ease. It seemed however, that the stranger was a man of few words, like Sorin himself, at least upon a first meeting.

The sudden wind cut through Sorin as well, and he shivered almost imperceptibly. He shook his head at the strangers words, wishing he could respond otherwise. "I left these lands before I explored much of this forest" he replied. "I only just returned."

sorry for these super short replies.

Amsu’s face fell a bit when the dark male admitted that he didn’t know the area well. “Ah,” he said, nodding his head. “Well, no matter.” Perking up a bit, he added, “Perhaps you and I could search for such a place, yes? Somewhere to get out of this cold?” Amsu was a desert-dweller. His coat did not come in as thick as others due to the normally warmer temperatures he was used to. He’d seen snow in his life before, but snow did not stick around long in the places of his youth. He was not used to this lingering, bone-deep chill that made him ache. He longed for the summer days of his puphood spent splashing in creeks and napping in the sun.

its fine

Sorin watched in both sympathy and mild amusement as the stranger shivers against the cold. He was sympathetic, as the rugged male had felt winter's bone chilling bite a number of times. And therein lie his amusement, for the stranger clearly was not as accustomed to the cold as Sorin was. The dark man had survived alone in the deepest part of winter after his natal pack had fallen. He was used to, and both respected and feared, the bitter fangs that winter so often bared.

His gaze narrowed slightly in contemplation when the stranger suggested they search for a place out the cold. He supposed he could help, there was nothing pressing that he needed to attend to. However, Sorin did not really intended to make a new friend quite yet. Besides, he did need to keep moving north, as he was hoping to head into the meadow. Prey opportunities might be better there. "I'll help you find somewhere sheltered, but I will likely not stick around long," he replied.

Amsu bowed his head gratefully towards the dark when he said he would help him find shelter. “Thank you,” he said. “And this one does not need to stay if he does not wish. Amsu would be grateful of the company, but it is not necessary.” In truth, the desert-dweller missed his family and wondered where they were and if they were safe. A nice conversation with a stranger was a good distraction from such depressing thoughts.

He looked around for a few seconds and then said slowly, “Amsu supposes it does not matter what direction we go in, if neither of us know where to go.” Arbitrarily, he began walking west-ish in search of some kind of den to hole up in, or a snowbank to press against. “Does this one have a name?” he asked, just to keep them from total silence.

Sorin nodded to the stranger, who gave his name, Amsu. The warriors expression relaxed imperceptibly at Amsu's, interesting speech patterns. He had never heard such diction before, but found it to be an interesting change of pace. Such new experiences and quirks were always a welcome distraction for Sorin.

"Seems like a logical conclusion" he replied to Amsu's statement about their direction of travel. When the male set off, Sorin followed, content to let his new acquaintance lead the way. As they traveled, Sorin once again fell into his habit of scanning far ahead of the two, searching all he could see and smell for predator or prey. He flicked his ear slightly when Amsu spoke again, more to break out of his own thoughts and actions than to dissuade any conversation. "Name's Sorin" he responded, but left it at that. It wasn’t exactly in his nature to initiate conversation with a stranger. That did not mean he was totally opposed to it though.

“Sorin,” Amsu repeated, nodding to himself as they walked along. “Amsu thanks you for your help.” He looked left and right, looking for some sort of shelter to hole up in. Mainly, though, there were trees. Bare trees that offered no protection from the wind, and cold snow upon the ground. As luck would have it, going west seemed to be a good idea. Blackfoot Forest lay at the base of a mountain range and west was closer to the mountains. Soon, Amsu could see the mountain looming ahead through the trees, and to his great luck, there was a cave in the side of it. “Look!” he called over his shoulder to his exploring partner. He began to sniff the air, aware that other animals might be taking shelter in such a place. Like a bear, another wolf… maybe a big cat. He approached the cave entrance cautiously.

Sorry for late reply

Sorin walked slightly behind Amsu, alert to his surroundings and ready to defend himself should any trouble come their way. The bare trees the two wolves walked among were not as helpful in protecting against the wind, and it clawed at Sorin fur, battering him with its icy chill. Despite himself, the dark male shivered slightly. He may be tough, but he wasn't immune, and he did wish to be out of the fierce wind.

The two continued on towards the mountains looming in front of them. Soon, Amsu spoke, pointing out cave in the mountainside. Sorin approached it cautiously, aware that other predators might be taking shelter within. All he could smell was a faint trace of fox, but there was nothing else apparent at the cave entrance. "This seems like a suitable shelter" he said.

Also sorry for the wait lol. School started.

Amsu nodded at the dark one’s words. “Yes,” he agreed. He stepped inside, glad that the scent of fox was the only one in the cave. Immediately, the wind stopped blowing through his fur. It wasn’t exactly warm in here but he was sure if he curled up somewhere in the back, it would be warmer. Not too far back, though. If he could not see the light of the sun or the moon, bad things could happen to him in the dark. He would only move far enough to avoid the worst of the elements. “Thank you for helping Amsu find shelter,” he said, turning to Sorin and bowing his head. “Amsu hopes we will meet again one day, yes?” Amsu said his final goodbyes and moved a little farther into the cave to get warm.

[Exit.]