Sunbeam Lair Could you be more elusive

On his way south again (away from the borders of a pack he had not anticipated to exist), he paused by the ledge of river stones where he'd met with Greyback and, on a whim, plunged in to the river. When he came up on the other side he was drenched and freezing but it was an invigorating sensation that clawed across his skin. He wondered just what was in the mountains; before him was a massive, nameless chain of rolling hills that rose in to cliffs and gulleys, and never before had Tulimaq felt so intrigued about the landscape of these wilds. He knew these mountains had been here — he was living in their shadow and had been for weeks — but he had not yet traveled close enough to experience them.

Enamored by the prospect of climbing through their lower reaches, the man chose to deviate for the rest of the day (and in to the evening) and challenge himself. Life was built on challenges and Tulimaq was keen to prove himself capable to overcome them. A few hours in to his hike and he paused, looking over his shoulder at the path which had brought him this far; the sky had been ignited with many flamboyant colors. He was not as impressed by the sky as he was of these hills, the effect they had on him. He sighed as he began to move again, tasting the minerality of stones in the air. It smelled a little like rain was on the way.

Tulimaq did not want to slow his pace, but he found that he had to. The mountain continued to rise and split beneath him and he knew, no matter how eager he was, that he would need to turn around soon. But the evening had lost some of its luster — the colors dulling, the air growing a little stale as he stalked along. He almost missed the scent of wolf in the air, but when he caught it he zeroed in, and began to investigate. Soon enough he came upon a dip in the rock that trailed down towards a blackened cave mouth. He was soundless as he entered it, peering through the dark and expecting to see — well, he wasn't sure. A wolf, probably. Maybe more than one, although he hadn't detected a layered scent like that of a pack-dweller.

When he spotted the reclined figure of a pale wolf upon the floor of the lair, he paused in his advance and let out a chuff; if he was going to disturb one of the locals, he'd prefer it look intentional.