Great Bear Wilderness Take Your Time

Still out and about, but still getting very much closer to home. Kerosene wandered as he let his mate slip off to pee for the bazillionth time in peace. She could hold her own if anything befell her and he wasn't drifting too terribly far away. Just far enough to scout these lands further and pick up visual clues as to where they were and how far away their home was from this corner of the universe. They were getting closer, but they were taking their time about it.  

They'd crossed the river a few nights ago, slipping across whitefish river through one of the narrows in the gorge. It'd put them out somewhere just north of the heartwood, but not quite close enough to neverwinter forest for the terrain to be immediately familiar. They were caught somewhere in the middle of no-man's land where the great bear wilderness existed, but was left strangely unsettled by any locals who wandered in these midsts. Unsettled and unnamed. And by him? Unexplored.

Ears lifted, nose sniffing, he explored. One step at a time he prowled through the cover of the trees and kept his senses open of anything that might be of value. Scents. Sounds. He saw signs of life, both predator and prey, but he paid them little attention if only because he was here to gather information, not follow it. He ignored the broken undergrowth and hoof prints, and continued, following his nose in the direction of sweeter, fresher things.

Water. The scent filled his head with promises of a cool drink. He altered his course, adjusting his trajectory towards what quickly became a natural spring set beneath the shade of a large, twisting tree. It was something of a find. Nearing the water, he learned somewhat quickly that the water was safe to drink and home to an assortment of aquatic life. Frogs lingered in the shade of soft reeds as tadpoles flitted back and forth between the tall grasses. Dragonflies buzzed about the area, landing an drifting away as needed. Not too terribly far off a heron stared at him, peering across the water on tall legs as it seemed to suggest it was king here and nothing else.

Kerosene paid the bird no mind and instead lowered his head to sip at the cool waters. Delicious. Tepid. It quenched the thirst of wandering soul and satisfied some craving deep within. He loved finding places like this. These little gems of nature that made him appreciate the wilds he lived in all the more. Places like these? They were meant to be shared. He moved, drifting from the edges of the waters to climb into the low hanging bows of the tree that stood sentinel over this sanctuary. He let out a yip, a call to Tonravik that she might join him if she were nearby, but a place like this? This was meant to be shared with anyone who happened to come across it.