Neverwinter Forest Synergy

I think it's time these two meet. :] @Tatsuya

Tonravik was fed. He'd dropped another bird at her doorstep, watched her devour it, spent some time with her, and ventured off to tend to other things. Idleness. It wasn't something he knew these days. Between foxes on their doorstep, the disappearance of one of their own due to predation, and a number of other things he was always walking, roaming, and keeping guard as needed. He'd circled the perimeter of this place a number of times already upon waking. No changes. Their markings were thicker than ever. Between the plains wolves and Tonravik's pregnancy, he had this foreboding feeling something would befall them. Despite his preparation, that same feeling told him he'd be unable to prevent those circumstances. It was unsettling.

The only breaks he had these days were when he pulled @Nanuk aside to continue his tutorage of the Tartok tongue. Often times, she found him first and snapped him out of his stupor. Too serious. He was forgetting himself. Determined. More driven. He was forgetting those days when he could sit back and laugh and remember what it was like not to feel the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Perhaps, after the pups came and were old enough to take care of themselves he would remember what that was like. Maybe. He couldn't be sure. What he could do was look forward to their arrival and try to remember himself in the mean time. Bachelor Kerosene... Now who was that wolf with a healthy blend of Iqniq?

His thoughts distracted himself as he wove through the forest. The tall spires of trees reached towards heights he did not dare imagine from where he stood upon the earth. He moved through them, a flicker of wildfire within their shade as his paws guided him through the forest undergrowth. Uncaring within the heart of his home, he made no movement to guard his steps as he brushed through lounging ferns and folded grass and straw beneath his feet. He sought water. A refresher. He pressed forward. The river couldn't be too much further now.

The crisp scent muddied he nose just before the white noise of water fell upon his ears. He neared it, picking up his pace before he lowered his tongue to the water's surface and lapped at the river. Cool. Refreshing. As he was a wolf for a fondness in water sports and this portion of the river rolled lazily, he stepped into the shallows and walked up to the height of his shoulders. He dipped his head beneath the surface and re-emerged, breathing deeply as he cleared his head and shed himself of the weight which clung to him.

Clarity. Like a fog come mid-day, his mind seemed sharper. He recalled those finer details he'd forgotten in his hyperfocus and was able to extend his grasp to things he'd abandoned. He'd forgotten someone, hadn't he?

Iqniq lingered in the water, blowing bubbles through his nose as he soaked. After a mental debate, he drew himself through the shallows and back towards shore. He lingered on the river bank, body dripping water through the quantity of his fur. A quick shake and he rid himself of most of it. The rest he kept if only to ward off the heat of the summer. And shade. He needed the shadows if he were to keep off the rest of it, so he turned back within the cover of the trees and worked his back towards the edges of the territory. A howl rang up earlier. The wolf he sought was off exploring.

Thinking to join the wolf for a moment in his expedition, Iqniq caught the wolf's scent and followed it into the nearby forest. No doubt, the wolf had covered much ground by now which meant he was well behind whatever course the dark wolf had taken. He lost more ground as he paused momentarily, rolling around in the soft basin of a mud puddle as he masked his scent and ventured forth. He lifted a brief howl, short in range, but questioning all the same. Location? It seemed to ask. His ears lifted as he pressed onward, seeking a reply.