Wild Berry Meadow And that's called jazz!

@Star

Ok, so, the snow had stopped being fun. Snow, he decided, was fun when it was nicely laid on the ground and the sky was clear, not when the wind was howling and the flakes were coming down in clumps. The excitement that he had from the feeling of the snow under his paws disappeared the longer he spent outside. He nipped at the snow clumped in the fur between his toe pads, shivering as he trod towards the dark woods to the southeast. He smelled no strong signs of wolf there, no trace of a pack inhabiting what was now his one refuge from the deluge. He cursed at himself, for coming so far north, for ignoring the signs of a storm coming through, for acting like a child when he should be putting down his roots or deciding to leave.

After her time with Howl, Star had head south. New ideas had been planted in her mind which she could not shake, much as she tried. The warrior was not yet ready to return home- because when she returned home, there would be questions to ask, meetings to hold. Quiet things. She had little hope for the future, but still some small part of her held the belief that the impossible was possible, that Howl could represent her future, as short as it may be. 

The wind buffeted her thick fur as she traveled; snow made its home on her nose and eyelashes. Though wholly unpleasant, she could not claim she was unused to such things- she had lived many a day in the north. Though she was chilled to her bones, she breathed in a bittersweet nostalgia for the past. 

Soon, dark eyes caught the sight of a moving figure just ahead. Unlike Star, he stood out plainly from the snow, despite the amount of it settling on his back. Curious, and never one to turn down good company, she offered a gentle chuff to catch his attention, while she continued to follow albeit at a much slower pace.

Every few moments Yao rubbed his face to remove the snow that blinking could not. He was irritable in the weather, despising every moment that he spent in the blowing wind, though he could not urge his paws to walk any faster than he could manage at the moment. The wind was rather strong and the chill sapped away any energy he had left within him. He was a creature born for heat and sun, not cold and dark. Sun and snow he could handle, and he liked, but this? Miserable.

He heard a chuff and turned his head to the noise. From the snow a figure began to take shape. A wolf, like him, though almost completely white, save a few scars and marks on her body. He saw that the woman, though smaller than he, was older by a few years, and his first instinct was to speak the words of greeting to an elder. He bit back the words, which he knew would be unfamiliar to the woman — the few interactions he had outside of his birthplace had indicated to him that there were few who spoke his tongue outside of those he knew in the south. Common had no equivalent or at least none that he knew of. Instead he bowed his head to show his subordination to the older woman and an open invitation to join him.

my apologies for the crazy wait :( plots on hua have been out of hand

The boy halted, gazing upon her form for a moment before dipping his head down. A rather respectful acknowledgement; it had been some time since she was greeted in such a way and so she felt inclined to come closer, moving up just beside him, dwarfed by his size in comparison. 

Quiet, the sound of wind and swirling snow. If he began to walk, she would follow, breaking the silence with an introduction. I am Star. It's a pleasure to meet you. There. Kids these days were so keen on every interaction being about hunting or sparring, wouldn't it be nice to just have a simple conversation?

Had Yao taken the moment to zoom out and looked at this moment from a third-person point of view, then he would have seen the hilarity of the moment. He was such a large creature and yet here he was bowing and scraping to a smaller female. Yet he, through his cultural lens, saw little wrong with the situation. He had been bossed around by older, tinier females before. It was just how he was raised. Haoniyao, he answered. The same to you, He looked eagerly to the nearby forest. Would you mind if we get out of the wind? he gestured towards the dark woods, his body shivering both from the cold and the anticipation of getting out of the cold.

He introduced himself as Haoniyao- an interesting foreign name, but she had heard many along such lines in her lifetime. When he suggested they get out of the wind with a gesture toward the woods... she felt a shiver run down her spine. Blackfeather woods- it was a place filled with dreadful memories for her, many which she would prefer not to revisit.

But her manners overcame her fear, and she reluctantly led the way, though tried her best to seem chipper about it. Once Star found herself among the trees, she had to admit it felt good to be out of the weather. Assuming he followed, she turned to him curiously. So you're a loner, eh? Know anything about these parts, or are you new? Unless her nose failed her, he didn't carry the scent of a pack, and so she was inclined to ask such questions.

He did not see anything of his trepidation, but he feared nothing (so he told himself) and kept walking towards the woods, eager to get out of the cold. I am new. I know nothing, he admitted. The land was still fresh and new to him, and he had skirted around the thick lines of scent rather than inquire of their inhabitants and their names.

Knew nothing. Star wished she could inform him a bit, but was no scout, and mostly kept to herself in the mountains. Whatever little she could have, she would offer, though- Well, there's my pack Sagtannet in the mountains, and she gestured pale muzzle to the spire, And beyond there, was a pack led by a young lady called Ibis. Unee Gorsett, or something. She was quiet for a moment, and huffed out something half breath-half laugh. I wish I could be of more help. Star chuckled awkwardly.

La'a, that was helpful, the more he heard of the lands around him the more grounded he felt. With nary a wolf wandering about at the tail-end of winter it was easy to simply imagine that he was in a wasteland, rather than a large region filled to the brim with wolves and years-old packs. Anything is useful, he smiled, hoping that he looked genuine. How long have you been in this region?

gonna wrap

 

He said it was helpful, and she smiled slightly with an awkward glance away. Star wasn't good with praise, even the slightest of it. He asked how long she'd been in the region, and Star chuckled. Well, I lived in the valley past these mountains when I was a kid for a year, and then headed north again. Not bothering to mention the short period of capture in there spent beyond the valley, in these plains- And then I revisited here... a couple months ago. It's probably my last land of settlement. A bit grim, but she knew she was old. She felt a bit awkward bringing up her own death to a stranger, and as was easiest, ditched whatever social situations made her uncomfortable- Excuse me, but I should be heading home. It was nice meeting you! The cloud would drift away back to where she came from after giving her farewell to Haoniyao.