Permafrost Hollows when springtime came, red robin built a nest,

the girl responds, stuttering that she's lost and wintersbane gives a small nod of his chin — her answer does not necessarily come as a surprise to him. it's easy to get lost down here, wintersbane affirms in a consoling tone to his smoky timbre. he's got experience navigating tunnels and caverns from his time in blackfeather woods and he knows the little nuances that are tell-tale to a tunnel's exit or if it's leading you deeper underground. at the risk of getting lost and dying of starvation or dehydration in the tunnels beneath the dark woods he'd learned to navigate the underground networks quickly. while he'd been known for daredevil ventures in his youth ( picking fights with everyone and anyone ) dying in the dark of a cave was not the way he'd aspired to go.

you're not a bother. wintersbane is quick to assure her. i was just heading back to the surface, while he doesn't mind the labyrinth beneath the hollows — on the contrary he finds security in it — he's spent at least a good couple hours exploring and is ready to breathe in fresh surface air again. c'mon, i'll lead you out. assuming the lead; only pausing to glimpse back to make sure she was following.

i'm wintersbane, by the way. he offers his name to her, breaking from his normal cycle where he unintentionally remains enigmatic by never offering his name.