Emberwood i: blood for blood

caw has never been a creature of purpose or deliberation.
 
he moves through the woods perhaps because of a lack of anything better to do. the boredom prickles at the back of his mind, the unpleasant empty itch where something is missing. he does not normally need to walk terribly far to find something worthy of at least a little attention, but there are fewer and fewer of those that are not other wolves around and he has not had much luck crossing their trails lately. nor is he yet foolhardy enough to stride into pack lands.
 
he is not expecting to find much, which is not doing much for his irritable mood. none of it shows on his muzzle, exactly; his expression is placid, almost blank, even when his assumption begins to prove itself incorrect.
 
when he notices it the scent is faint enough that he almost ignores it, at first, and then when a few steps later it grows abruptly stronger that is what makes him pause. avis’ feathers rustle where she perches on his shoulder as he draws his muzzle back and cocks his head. there is something curiously predatory about the movement, perhaps in no small part thanks to the raw-blood gleam of his eyes, perfectly matching that of the bird on his shoulder. his nostrils flare and his tail sweeps eagerly against his legs as he draws his gaze across the surrounding brush, curious. waiting.