The Tangle masked in blood and bathed in fire

*squints at map* This takes place somewhere in the corner of The Tangle that flirts with Ankyra Sound. @Caiaphas

vilkas's expedition west is cut short as he realizes that he is cornered in by the north-west and south-west by the packs that inhabit the territories that touch those corners of the tangle — not that vilkas knows the name of the unpleasant territory he stalks through. if the whitemane was of a superstitious mind he might have been unsettled by the warped, bony, witch-like trees that stand legion throughout the territory. this revolution forces him to re-route himself and head south. all the while he strives to avoid the spiny brush, rocks and sharp drops that threaten to make his life difficult or otherwise prove to be dangerous that might more or less end in his untimely demise. he's not overly thrilled by the idea of backtracking and his annoyance is aimed largely towards himself for it. he should have turned around the second he realized what kind of territory he would be trekking through — and it hadn't taken him long to figure it out. yet, he hadn't and now he suffered for his hubris.

vilkas's salmon pink tongue lashes in a quick, swipe across his jowls as he reminds himself to keep plenty of distance between himself and the border that hugs the south-west corner of the territory he stalks through with a gait that conveys his inner annoyance. he thinks he is almost free of the the tangle — only to realize as he crosses his own path that instead he'd looped around in a giant circle. his upper lip curls back and in a rise of body heat from his building irritation ( at himself ) he lashes out at the nearest witch tree, claws slicing through the warped bark that curls and gives without much resistance against the force of his swipe. likely, it was already crumbling with decay but regardless he feels better and as quick as his rage built it is soothes and he is calm once more, turning his seaweed gaze away from the path he'd taken to find a new path. the detour he took had not been apart of his plan ( because he did not want to admit that he's lost ) but left vilkas with the hope that he would succeed now that he knew which ways to avoid going; and that hopefully, he would soon find himself free of the tangle.