The Bracken Woods The difference between here and there

With such unfamiliar surroundings, Prophet couldn't help but feeling a little more wary than usual, but there was no reason to believe the woods were any more or less dangerous than the frigid tundra. Wait. His ears slammed forward as the chirping of the birds faded, the forest's breath seemed bated, and the subtle crackle of brittle twigs reached hearing range. The stiff furs along the back of Prophet's neck spiked and he turned slowly, with ears cropped to the top of his head and flared wide, until he was able to determine the location the sound came from. Whatever was approaching was doing so quickly and with little care for its steps; frozen wood cracked and dry twiggy bushes rustled, and within moments he could detect the gentle thud-thud-thud of paws on the ground.

Prophet hunkered down and darted his eyes wildly about the woods in front of him, searching for signs of approaching danger, and his reaction to an unfamiliar wolf suddenly materializing out of the gloomy wood was immediate and predictable. He flashed his teeth, tail lashing, and took several quick steps back to preserve space between Depp and himself. His actions were naught but a warning; he did not wish to bait a fight, but to prevent one.

When Depp spoke, it melted some of the tension from the lone dispersal's figure and he stood a little more neutrally, though he remained guarded. To be a loner and not guarded was to be dead, after all; even the tundra, harsh and unforgiving as it was, told a wolf as much. "Hello," he replied smoothly in a voice that was low and quiet.