Wild Berry Meadow Por Una Cabeza

@Puffin maybe?

While he would return to the ring of mountains where Sialuk and Kukutux dwelled, he was keen to wander and explore, taking in the surroundings to get the lay of the land and those who dwelled nearby. He was keen to avoid trespassing, but could not help but find himself drawn to investigate the areas which were clearly unclaimed, but used for hunting purposes. He could smell that other wolves had frequently passed through the meadow, and he imagined that it was likely also home to jackrabbits and deer- possibly even wild horses if they lived out this way. 

He moved along through the meadow, and had a clear view of his surroundings for what felt like at least a kilometer in each direction. Nothing caught his attention, in the open expanse of the meadow- which meant that at least for the time being, he was alone. But even he- coloured like the snow that covered the ground- would stick out against the valley, but he felt certain if he was spotted, he wouldn't have to worry. With an open meadow like this, he could just as easily spot any other wolves well before they could cause him any trouble.

She traveled northwest, away from the Woods.  

When she had come here, she'd had grand ideas for what daily life was going to look like.  She imagined meeting friends, traveling, and eventually going to see her father's birthplace.  Reality had fallen far from expectation — while she was glad to have at least @Zephyr as a friend, the incident she'd experienced with Taikon had shaken her and she was no longer sure of much at all.  What she did know was that she was lonely.  At home she had been surrounded by people who loved her.  She was lucky enough to have parents who supported her unconditionally, and her siblings acted as built-in friends (when they weren't antagonizing her).

Here, there was none of that.  And sure, she had chosen for it to be this way, and one day in the future she would return home.  But now she wasn't sure she had been ready to leave.  Her mind was occupied while she wandered, and she was far too close to the pale stranger when she realized he was there.  Looking around, the meadow was clear and expansive.  He must have seen her coming for miles.  Puffin halted abruptly and yipped curiously in the stranger's direction.

He meandered with a wayward stride that wove this way and that as he investigated the different sets of pawprints he found. His previous assumption that the meadow received lots of visitors turned out to be correct, leading him to assume that there was perhaps a pack nearby. He'd passed by the fading borders of a pack that once might've claimed the glen at the foothills of the mountain, but had not travelled anywhere near the caldera in the distant or the fen to the South of it. 

He'd paused to sniff at some rabbit droppings that were cold and hard by now, when he caught sight of something dark on the horizon. Another wolf- mostly dark from what he could tell, though there was a bit of colour at her throat that caught the light and looked almost like sunset orange. Striking, to say the least- but she meandered about just as he had, and he assumed that she either didn't mind his presence, or hadn't noticed him. So he continued on, finding his way to another set of pawprints- large, round ones belonging to a lynx- and keeping the dark female in his peripheral vision when he caught the sudden lift of her head and turned to glance in her direction. 

She greeted him with a sound that almost sounded excited- either that, or surprised. In response, the modest man uttered a soft, calm boof  to greet her, and introduce himself as one who meant no ill will.

boof

The stranger's response was polite, but his voice was developed and deep enough that it seemed to reverberate through the meadow.  Stunned, her ears fell sideways.  He looked like such a man, but if she had to guess, he looked about her age.  Had she developed the same way?  Was she a lady now, instead of a girl?  She didn't want to think about that.  She physically shook her head as if the thoughts were simply water, and bounded excitedly towards the stranger as his response had been inviting enough.  

She came within a few paces of him and then stopped on a dime, lowering her hind end towards the ground as her tail whipped against the snow.

He was a bit surprised at the way in which she advanced toward him. He could sense no malevolence- not when she bounded with sprightly, excited steps, but it seemed a bit unusual (to him) for an adult to behave like a puppy with a stranger. Needless to say, he wasn't one to get caught up in the excitement so he remained where he was, looking somewhat like a stiff statue holding his position as she neared. He didn't flinch or shy away, but held his ground with the same, neutral calm he'd had since he'd caught sight of her. 

Almost expectantly, she sat down, and he blinked at her solemnly as though to ask why it was she was so chipper. But that wasn't his business. Clearing his throat, he dipped his muzzle slightly in a nod to greet her, continuing in his usual, formal fashion. "Afternoon," He said, wondering if her reply might be just as exuberant as her flirty approach had been.

Puffin didn't think there was anything weird about the way she approached him until she realized he wasn't doing the same; her movements became rigid as if the excitement was being pulled back from her limbs against her will, and then stopped altogether as  her shame quickly calmed her down.  Just because she was excited to see a stranger didn't mean the stranger necessarily wanted to be friends or play tag.  Not everybody wanted to be friends.  She cleared her throat, looked around them briefly, and replied, Yeah, it is.  She couldn't help but let the corners of her lips raise at her own joke before moving on.

She scented the air around him, but could not tell whether or not he was part of a pack.  Briefly she thought that she might be able to fulfill her scout duties and recruit him if he wasn't, but the thought passed quickly as she remembered she'd already made a fool of herself.  I haven't been out this way yet, I just moved here.  Are you from around here?

That wasn't what he'd intended- but perhaps he should have been more specific, and said 'good morning' so that she knew he'd been greeting her. This many months away from his homeland, and he was already beginning to find himself lapsing into a more casual way of speaking. One even the locals made fun of, apparently. Still- he wasn't so oblivious to that he didn't notice she'd made the remark as a joke. Not a particularly funny one, he thought, but it was an attempt at least. Nervous wolves made poor jokes, he thought. Perhaps she was just antsy. Then again- how comfortable did he want her to get if she was just going to make more jokes?

He shook his head in response to her question. "No. I am from very far to the North," He said. It had taken him quite some time to travel this far south, after all. "I am staying in the mountains, there, for the time being." He said "You have a pack you belong to?" He then asked, curious to get a bit of information about the area.

Oh thank god he didn't acknowledge any of what just happened, and just moved on to something she knew something about.  Me too, she says, although by looking at her he probably couldn't tell.  If she'd come out looking more like her father or her sister it would make sense for her to be from up north, but Puffin was a scraggly, leggy little thing in comparison to her family and most of the locals from her homeland, too.  Maybe not as far as you, though.  His coat was even thicker than papa's, or even Tango's.

Drats, so he was spoken for.  Oh well, there would be other strangers to meet.  I'm in a pack just southeast of here called Ivory Rose, she quips, gesturing towards the direction she'd come from.  I don't know how long I'll be staying.  She was here to see the birthlands of her father, and now to pay off a debt.

My name is Puffin.

He wasn't expecting her to say she was from the North as well- but the North was, in fact, very large, and he had met other wolves of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours in his travels, and knew better than to assume that all those who choose to live in the cold, Arctic tundra looked like the Arctic wolves he'd grown up with. Still- her markings were quite striking; the way her fur faded from one shade to another down the front of her chest reminded him of maple leaves in the beginning of autumn- when some held onto their reddish hue before turning yellow, in the midst of other leaves which had changed earlier. 

The pack name she gave him sounded pleasant enough; Ivory Rose. Very pretty, and he thought it might suit her well- though she hinted that perhaps it wasn't where she would remain. He could understand- he wasn't sure if he would remain with the pack he currently helped build, simply because his main priority was finding the star which struck the mountain. Residing with the mountain's former residents, and endearing himself to them, seemed the best way to make sure he was granted access to the mountain once the snow melted so he could resume his search. 

She introduced herself, so he nodded his head in greeting. "Adrastus," He said. He didn't figure he owed her his full name, as she seemed more inclined to be informal. "You have wanderlust, then?" He asked.

His name was longer than those she was used to, but it suited him well in a way she couldn't place.  It wasn't quite foreign enough for Puffin to consider difficult, but not close enough to what she was used to in order to make her feel comfortable.  The same could be said of the man himself.

Mhm, she says, nodding slightly in confirmation.  I do. This is my furthest solo trip so far, she admits nervously.  And she wasn't even able to make it here without the help of @Zephyr.  My father was born somewhere around here, a place called Dragoncrest Cliffs.  I haven't found it yet.  

I take it this isn't your first trip. Compared to her, Adrastus was confident and collected and she assumed it was a mixture of his nature and whatever experience he might have had.  Did anything bring you here?

She revealed more of her youthful personality when she told him a bit about her, and how her travels had been. He would have admitted, had she asked, that she seemed the type more suited to life spent travelling with a companion, as she seemed to be very social and eager to converse. She looked a bit self-conscious when she admitted that she was alone, though given the fact that she'd just told him that she belonged to a pack, he suspected that she wouldn't be travelling alone for long. "I'm afraid I don't know the place," He responded, in case she was asking if he might direct her toward the place she named. It seemed an interesting name- but such seemed to be the case around these parts. 

She moved on easily to turn the questions to him, and he nodded. "I have travelled," He said. It was about as much as she would need to know- he wasn't exactly one to flaunt his travel stories, as he believed them to have been fairly uneventful. Until now, at least- and when she asked why he'd come in this direction, he cleverly chose to hide the true reason, and replied with a slight chuckle. "Wanderlust."

She shrugs.  Although she'd had her hopes up, she hadn't really expected this stranger to know where the cliffs were, especially if he was new to the area as well.  Well, now you know.  And if you come across them before me, maybe the message will find a way to me.  She was still young enough to have that kind of belief in the world, that things would just turn out if she left them up to fate.

Maybe we're not all that different, then.  Size, colour, culture ... at least they had something in common.  I can let you get back to it if you'd like.  Maybe we'll see each other again one day.

He nodded. "I will do what I can to get a message to you, if I hear anything about Dragoncrest Cliffs. I'll find you at Ivory Rose," He said. She'd already indicated roughly where her pack was, so he didn't feel as though he'd have any great difficulty finding it from this point. And he had her name as well, to give to any wolves who were from Dragoncrest Cliffs, so they might be able to reach out to her on their own. It was her father's family, he reminded himself; hopefully they were as kindly and friendly as she was. 

She made to excuse him, which he felt was perhaps her own way of politely excusing herself so she could go back to what she was doing. "It was nice meeting you, Puffin," He said, and with a polite nod of his head he turned and headed off back through the meadow, with the intention of roving back toward the mountain range.

thank you, we'll have to thread again in the future when i have a better handle on who she is!

She was thankful he offered her the opportunity to escape; she really did have things she needed to be getting to, and maybe if there was a next time she wouldn't make such a fool of herself just because she was excited to meet a stranger.  (Next time, he wouldn't be a stranger).

I appreciate it, she says genuinely, And if nothing comes of it, well.  That's fine.  She doesn't expect anyone else to do the work for her, but the more "ears" she got on it, the more likely it was she'd find the place.  :Thank you for trying.

And with that she turned tail and, once she thought she was out of sight of Adrastus, swiftly made her way back to the woods.