Grouse Thicket out of the mist

Ulrich was not one to leave the Isle. He had found his safety and security--his home--there, and he was loath to leave it for any reason. However, he knew that exploring the areas around the Isle was an important task, to scout out any danger or to find deer trails or other such places where prey might be abundant. Also, the last time he'd left the Isle, he'd found Goliad, and that had worked out quite well for the both of them.

Today, he found himself a forest, which was not surprising. There were a lot of those around this area. A lot of water and a lot of dense trees. However, this one was not so thick or so foreboding as the one in which he'd found the red-coated man of the Sandsea. This one seemed like it might be pleasant in warmer weather. The trees were bare now, the dead branches covered in snow, but he tried to picture them at the height of summer, green and beautiful.

Up ahead, he could smell the presence of another wolf, and he began to make loud shuffling sounds with his paws, clearing his throat, trying to make himself known to whoever was ahead. Hello? he called out. No need to frighten whoever was there. He was usually more suspicious than this, but he was away from the Isle and did not have his family to think of out here.