Grouse Thicket the foetus of a new day kicking

He was reluctant to separate from the others at first, but once the pair of them got moving things were simple enough. Renoir tagged behind the dark man silently as they made their way. The leader's attention seemed to be set on their surroundings (for which Renoir was grateful), although the golden boy's own eye did wander. He knew why they needed to make this search and travel so far afield, but was curious as to why he was brought along; Ren was no hunter, and assumed he was here only as a test of his abilities, which made him nervous. He was of course made more nervous by the sight of Lasher before him, who he watched with fleeting glances between his hunt for game.

As they entered a bare thicket Renoir wondered what beauty the place might have held were it not for the locusts, and in slinking to keep up with Lasher, he caught a paw upon something bulbous netted amongst some long-dead roots. Above him were barren fruit trees but he did not recognize them; below, with a cant to his muzzle, he inspected a sticky red sphere that looked to been chewed upon and then abandoned. The apple core smelled rank to his nose, so Renoir recoiled from it, and moved on in search of something greater.