the singing of the earth

Just outside the forest's edges, on the eastern side. Mind if we treat this like a joining thread? :)

He had been born under the dancing lights of the North, his body and soul tempered by the harsh life on the tundra. His coat was thick, and even as the frozen breeze pulled at the long mane at his neck, the male felt no kiss of winter upon his skin. He knew little of this place, and even less of why he had come; but he had not been raised to question the fires that fueled one's heart. In life, one had little choice but to follow what instinct and intuition dictated.

Some time after he had matured from youth to adult, he discovered in his soul that it was time to leave the tundra behind—to discover what Fate meant for him. The singing of the earth beneath his bearlike paws no longer resonated in his blood; he would walk until it did.

For much of the journey south, he had been careful to follow—and also keep his distance from—the packs he encountered along the way. He scavenged from their abandoned kills and caches, doing his best to eat enough to sustain himself without gorging. When the packs no longer tolerated his presence, the white beast moved on. He was large and a trained warrior, but he was wiser than to attempt to challenge a pack on his own.

Survival as a lone wolf meant one had to choose their battles and cut their losses.

In the year that had gone by, no land had sang in harmony with the one that moved rhythmically in his veins. He was patient. He bided his time, moving ever onward.

As the dark outline of a forest rose up before him, that changed. He felt a pull, and suddenly filled with exhilaration, his large paws propelled him forward as if he were zeroing in on prey during a hunt.

This. He knew.

He drew closer, and a scent laced the air. He slowed quickly, until he was placing one paw before the other in almost an idle trance. It would not do to barge in. He stopped, resisting the urge to disappear into the conifers. His heart leapt in his chest, telling him, Go, go! He exhaled, a cloud of breath expelled forth.

He waited.