Ravensblood Forest brief encounters

The wolves of the plateau had seen him off swiftly and without remorse, and it was this rejection that now fouled his mood. It had been days since he had seen another wolf. Part of this was caused by his own choice to avoid them. Keeping away from the thick stench upon the wind whenever he crossed near a territory edge meant that he could not be so thoroughly rejected a second time; he ached with the knowledge that he was unwanted. Was he unfit for them because he could not understand, or because he was young? Perhaps their ranks had swollen to a degree that would not account for one more mouth to feed. Whatever the case, Tiarnan was oblivious to it. He harboured a great sourness that should have abated by this point in his travels. Alas, it did not. His ego had been bashed askew, leaving him emotionally wounded in a manner that was difficult for him to correct. Time alone did not appear to be working out - but he was nervous now. Affected by the strangers that had intercepted him and unwilling to test the boundaries of other packs.

He tread across open land for quite some time before discovering another forest. The trees afforded a protective cover - one that he welcomed - but he caught the scent of more wolves as soon as he passed in to the dark confines of the tree line. Immediately Tiarnan was stiff-legged and unsure; he stalked along as a corporeal shadow with senses tingling. The boy moved in an uncharted arc - first north, then west through the trees. The terrain became more mountainous in the process, and the air soon grew dark and chilled with the passage in to evening. He stopped only when the forest thinned and the earth began to roll heavenward; implying that he had reached the distant mountain opposite to the plateau. The boy was hungry and on edge in this environment, and now such feelings of inadequacy increased with the fall of darkness around him.