The Bracken Woods blood-freezing

He fell into the rhythm that carried him along, although nothing around him seemed to change significantly. He realized a subtle sting of loneliness somewhere along the way, one that seemed to miss the sounds of the coastline -- his one constant since the upheaval of his routines. Here seemed so quiet and almost claustrophobic by comparison.

The forest continued on and on, each path so similar to the last that his fascination waned quickly. Survival pressed him forward, though, over old vague prey and wolf trails alike. Although nothing captivated him enough to spare it a second glance for what seemed like far too long. He could only wait it out so long.

Dio's focus was brought to a sharpened edge when their paths intersected and he stopped abruptly. He'd not noticed her until she was closer than the loner might have liked -- and it occurred to him that she could have been watching him for longer than he knew. Seemingly, she'd materialized from the darkness and his eyes focused on her alone now, narrowing into a squint. He stiffened and drew his stance up more than before, hoping to use his height to suggest that he was imposing enough for her to not consider turning on him immediately.

Feeling defensive for being surprised, he showed the bottoms of his teeth with a wrinkled muzzle. But the gesture was short-lived. Slowly, he felt more curious and he swung his ears at her in silent question.