i'm fairly local, i've been around

Not at all!

Some time passed, during which he moved away from the mountain range and towards the more solitary peaks to the north east.  He was unsure if this was the correct direction, but at best one would prove to be his destination.  At worst, it would not, and even then he could find shelter better at the foot of a mountain.

The rain turned to a hazy drizzle, which persisted into a light misting that invited damp and chill.  Aesop sighed and cursed his luck, along with the soft earth that coated his legs in mud.  It was slow and miserable going until the ground hardened as he drew nearer to rocky terrain.

Boredom began to set in as the conditions improved.  No longer could he maintain an internal monologue about the weather and his poor luck, so he began to run out of things to think about.  The clouds thinned enough that he could get a better sense of where the sun was, but soon thickened again.  Still, he was able to correct his course slightly, now turning away from the ocean.

A sound like someone trying to catch his attention did just that, and he turned to find the source.  It was a male, a darker brown than Aesop and heavily wounded.  Some sort of medicinal plant clung to blood-matted fur, and beneath the male's eyes were heavy lines of silver.  The markings were odd and distinct, and if the encounter was to be of any note, he would remember them easily as the male's most defining characteristic.  Seeing this as his chance to ask directions, Aesop approached, posture relaxed and neutral.  "Hey," he greeted as he came to a stop a respectable, safe distance away.  "You got time to aid a weary traveler?"