Permafrost Hollows through indiscriminate suffering men know fear

the vartija scouting thread || part ii.

a light snow had begun to fall about late-morning as wintersbane makes his way just north of permafrost hollow. he's inspected the hollow enough to ensure that any scents of others are faded and do not linger. content that it's in no danger of being snatched out from beneath him he adds it to a mental list of top pack-potential territories. the taiga has already been decided for the general location — thus far he has yet to come across any pack scents and he's already crossed several different herd trails still relatively fresh and abundant. it makes sense to him that they'd migrate where there isn't the lingering scent of predators every which way they turn.

he takes his time with his exploration, favoring thorough investigation — though he is aware that he should fulfill his original purpose when he'd went on this little adventure if only to present blackfeather woods with parting closure when he decides to sever himself from them — though he knows it's risky. putting the would-be vartija in potential crosshairs that should not concern them ...and what if the risk was taken and it was all in vain? blackfeather woods was not what it used to be. it is a weak echo of what he'd known as a child. for a brief moment it'd been strong but now its numbers dwindle worryingly lower and the threat of war looms. a war that they cannot win. wintersbane knows this. he sees this. just as he is coming to realize that everything around him hinders on a precipice of change; it's a dangerous balancing act and tipping too much to one side or the other was all it would take.

he tucks his thoughts aside for the moment. worrying them like a bone does him no good at the moment. he will cross those bridges when he arrives at them. instead, he focuses his attention to the bracken woods as he pushes deeper into the woods; a mixture of tangled conifers and deciduous trees. he sidesteps a particularly thorny bush and makes a mental note to watch out for them as he ventures further inland, concluding that thorny bushes alone wouldn't make this the best to settle nor to use as hunting grounds unless necessary.