The Heartwood All the debts I owe

There was no time to wait.

Foxfur traveled from the rocky clan and into the wilderness that surrounded it. His nose searched every scent that passed beneath his moving paws. The weary brown of his eyes scanned the mountains in the distance, wondering how far children might have wandered if they were unaccompanied.

There was a good chance that their mother had taken them, followed them, even hunted after their scent when she realized they had wandered from Moonglow. The warrior breathed a tired sigh and continued to search for the scent of youth upon the wind.

Ahead of him was a dark woodland that would provide fitting shelter. He would search it first.

Lele had not wandered far from the Broken Antler Fen since her arrival. Despite her quite pessimistic belief that one could never properly prepare for the winter that was coming, even she agreed that some precautionary measures could be taken. Throughout late summer and autumn months she had been busy hunting and eating everything she could find. Fish, amphibians, rodents, lagomorphs and occasional carrion - all had been either "vacuumed up" or brought back to the caches (with considerable regret, because as a nomad at heart she was not used to storing food). Because of this effort her previously gaunt frame had gradually filled in, giving her curves, where there previously had been sharp angles, and she had grown a thick winter coat. However long that was going to last, time would tell. 

Now with the cold, snow and ice setting in, she had search for food longer and harder. Which meant that, when confines of her pack's territory had drained the opportunities, she had to venture outside. Lele was surprised with the ease she transfered from her "sedentary mode" to the "nomad" again. She was keenly aware of her surroundings, her movements were in perfect balance between speed and energy, and she felt excited for the destination she did not yet know. The road mattered more than the goal. 

This was, how she reached a patch of woods nestled beside a river, where she stopped briefly to take a drink, unaware yet that there was another wolf around.

It was only chance that the warrior drew himself toward the river water so that he could drink. It would be a long journey, he estimated. It was wise to keep himself hydrated on the water sources that he met along the way.

Foxfur drew to the river and stepped into the chilling water. His paws sank into the soft mud and clay at the bottom. His torso dipped into the river until he had drawn himself in to his elbows. From there, he lapped at the top of it. The weary brown gaze shifted from the river to a shape just ahead of where he soaked his paws. It looked like a trim wolf with pale fur – the light concealed some of their shape from his eyes.

The warrior lifted his head up and chuffed out to them, hoping that he might draw their ear or alert them to his presence. Foxfur did not want to spook the other wolf. It seemed they had only just stopped to drink in the water, as he had. Mindful that he was elbow-deep in the riverbed, the warrior sludged himself onto the shore and shook his fur. Then he turned himself toward the stranger and took a few steps in their direction.

I apologize for the long wait!

Lele looked up the moment someone addressed her. It was a handsome fellow, roughly her age and only after she had stared at him few seconds longer than it was considered polite, did she realize that she had blushed beneath her fur and there was this odd giddy feeling in the pit of her belly. Another set of emotions she recognized, but had long-forgotten, how they felt. Not unpleasant in themselves, but they were still tied to painful memories. Therefore the sincere smile that had lit up her features for a moment, disappeared, leaving in place a more collected and serious appearance. 

"Hello!" she greeted the fellow from a safe distance. "Isn't it too cold for a swim at this time of the year?" she started conversationally.

Oh, goodness, please don't apologize! I never mind waiting. ^^ I am only appreciative to write with you.

The girl met him with a smile that faded swiftly from her features. He wondered, for a moment, if she might have believed he was a familiar face. A single russet ear swiveled on his head apologetically. His snout dipped down toward the earth. Perhaps, he should not have been so forward in his greeting. She appeared to be alone, after all. Foxfur did not wish to make her feel unsafe.

Keeping a short distance between them, the warrior offered her a gentle smile in response to her statement. Cold, indeed, but he did not mind so much.

It is that, his tired voice sounded with an air of warmth. I was feeling a bit tired, is all. Thought it might bring some life to these bones of mine. The tired search of his brown eyes moved across her frame and noted the curious markings that adorned her figure. She was made of stone and snow and her eyes were lovely.

How are you doing today, miss?

"I always thought that that the opposite was true - warmth brought life and cold extinguished it," Lele replied, but did not question his decisions further. She did not like, when people were too keen on finding out all the "why"s and "how"s and "what"s, when met with a habit that did not fit within their range of normal or usual. Therefore she did her best not to ask more questions than necessary, when it came to other people. 

"I am fine, thank you," she said. "Have you travelled far?"

Foxfur could not help but smile at her statement.

The man was prone to feeling tired when he had found warmth. The summer suns would lull him into a state of near sleepwalking. He could recall many moons when he would patrol to the furthest reaches of the Starsea and find himself lured by the warmth of the stones. As he had gotten older, those tendencies had faded away.

Oh, yes, quite far. I am staying with a clan called Moonglow right now. They are good wolves.

The warrior did not like feeling that he was talking about himself. Not when he had only met the young woman. She had been kind enough to ask – he felt it was respectful to give her a proper answer.

These lands are vast and beautiful. I am surprised there are not more settled here.

"Beauty and vastness do not always equal a suitable home, in my experience," Lele observed, casting a glance around. If it was up to her, she would not choose to settle here. Forests were, what she enjoyed more, felt safe in. There you could get lost, if you wanted. Make yourself invisible to others, while watching them carefully. There it was easier to blend in than out in the open. 

"I am from Brecheliant - down south," she shared her pack's name. "Many packs move during the winter - maybe in the summer, we won't be able to cross these lands freely, because someone will have claimed it as their own," she mused.

The tired man chuckled, nodding his head at her statement. Beauty and vastness did not always make for suitable clan territory, true. Not all wolves were like the wolves of the Starsea. Battling upon the borders and defending against intruders might have been commonplace, but Foxfur knew that not all lands were at risk of having their land taken from them.

The young woman mentioned that when summer had arrived, there would be a chance that the lands they stood upon would not be free. Foxfur glanced to the earth at his paws, thoughtful.

Do you see many clans settle in these lands? Come and go? Is this a place of traveling wolves?

Foxfur glanced toward his company with a curious tilt of his head.

"I have not been here very long myself," Lele replied honestly, looking around. "But I have travelled long and far enough to know this to be true," she added. Take her own family for example. "I do not walk far from the settlement these days," she said and for a moment there she wondered, why was it so? The upcoming winter and surviving through it had been the sole focus of hers, but had she not lost something of herself in the process? Life had been an adventure one, now - it was all about practicality. Disappointing really. 

"Have you always been with Moonglow or you have called another place home before this?" she asked.

The russet-faced man nodded his head, understanding what she meant. She had traveled a good distance before finding her place with her clan. It was an honorable thing. In the Starsea, there were few who joined their numbers from the outside. Foxfur always thought it admirable when foreigners were able to integrate themselves within established clans. It must have said a lot for the grey-furred girl.

I am from a place far from these lands. A clan called the Starsea, he answered her quietly. The weary figure appeared thoughtful. It had been many moons since he had last seen his homeland. Foxfur could not help but to pray that his clan was safe and that he would see them soon. The ways of my people are similar to those of Moonglow. It is almost like I am not far from my people.

A small smile found its way to his mouth and he looked to the silver-coated traveler with warmth in his gaze.

Starsea was a beautiful name and made Lele think of all the late nights she had stayed up to observe the starry sky above her. No matter, how far and where her little family had travelled, the stars and the moon had always been the same. In a life of perpetual move and change, this was the one constant thing she could rely on. Now that her home had become permanent, she had not looked up much. 

She noted to herself to do it this evening, if the clouds receded and let the moon shine through. For the old time's sake. "In what way are they similar to your people?" she asked, wondering, if all people - wolves - weren't more or less the same in the world? Four legs, triangular head, a set of face and a tail? She smiled at the inside joke.

Her question was a fair one.

Foxfur glanced thoughtfully toward her, wondering best how to word the similarities between the Starsea and the wolves of Moonglow. He did not wish to talk to the young lady until she had grown tired of him. The warrior wasn’t even certain if he had that many words inside of him.

Each wolf has a path that they follow to help the clan run well together. It is through the strength of the wolves that keeps it moving, that keeps it strong. The Starsea is the same, in this way. We have different words for things, but the impact appears to be… well, very similar.

The weary figure offered her a small smile. It was a tired expression, though it cast a light on the man’s grizzled face and weary gaze. Foxfur did wonder why she was curious, thinking that she might have been a collector of stories. It would have been a most interesting trade, and one that he did not come upon very often.

Wrapping up my threads. Thank you for this one! :)

Lele listened to his description of his home and found that, what was one pack's way of life was, in fact a universal truth. For the fear of sounding critical (that had come up before), she did not remark on this, but asked some more general questions about the man's former home, life and achievements. Probably shared some of her own too. 

Eventually all pleasant conversations need to come to an end and people part ways. She bid a farewell, expressed a wish to meet the fellow in the future, if it was in the cards, and then turned to return home.