Flycatcher Downs the wolf shook his coat and it snowed for days

The white wolf lifted his broad snout up toward the sky. That it was a mild and damp day could not only be felt but seen — in the snowfall. The flakes were few, but the few that lazily drifted down were big as many individuals clung together to form one.

"I don't like it," the pup complained as he chewed a clump of snow that had matted into the flossy fur feathering some of his leg. "I don't like it at all." He growled. His gold eyes flicked toward an offending flake - wide and thick and sweeping as it fell, it tempted the pup like milling prey. He lunged for it, aggressively catching it between his fangs and repeating the attack on several more.

"Do not quarrel with the change of seasons, Skwol. They change whether you want them to or not. Give in to them. Experience their influence. There is good in the winter too."

The pup looked skeptical as he stared at his mother.

"If you say so."

The corner of his mouth pulled into a small smile and his plush tail started to sway. The wolf dropped into a bow with a soft, playful rumble. Then with a woof he leapt up and surged forward, catching snowflakes as he ran and bounded through the snow. He was a pup in that moment. One that had learned he could not hold off winter with his teeth.

But he could enjoy it.

the pair took their turns hunting. small game were their lot for now — both venextos and garait were too travelworn and weak from the wounds they had sustained to even consider larger prey. it would only exhaust them further. and so, for now, garait lay at the edge of the wood and watched the snow fall softly to the earth. it was lovely, he decided, but altogether worthless. and yet the druids spoke of rebirth and slumber, so garait had accepted it.
boredom soon fell across his large body and the creature limped out into the open. it was a foolish decision, but the height and breadth of the gaul made any imminent attack less likely; garait was secure in his bulk. he wandered, always keeping the edge of the treeline within his peripherals, seeking venextos' returning tread with his swiveling ears.
the sight of the first wolf garait had seen since entering this new land set him immediately on edge; the large brennus' muscles tensed beneath his thick pelt and he stifled a growl, eyes trained pointedly on the stranger. while his body did not threaten a fight, garait demanded it be known he would defend himself savagely — he refused to take risks with amicability, not in the face of what had occurred and not without venextos alongside him.

By the time Skwol had ceased his frolic his tongue lolled from the side of his mouth. It was in that moment that he took note of another wolf. His ears lifted — alert, interested. His tail hung limp, animated by a gentle sway. The wolf cut a similar image to his own with a stature that commanded notice. They were well matched. Neither wolf was keen to prove so but it was questionable as to whether they were aware of it. Skwol did not observe any threat from the stranger but nor could he discern any sort of welcome. It left him with an uncertainty that halted him from being wholly welcoming himself. He was relaxed but ambiguously neutral.

He made to change that, and extended a traditional greeting.

"Have you eaten?"

the other's voice sounded and garait gave pause in his exponentially defensive gestures. the hairs along his nape reamined rippled with wariness, but his body relaxed somewhat — he extended his muzzle toward the other, lowering the flag of his ashen plume somewhat before letting it fall; it hung at his heels. brilliant eyes attuned themselves with piercing intent upon the stranger, to whom garait answered a single syllable: "no."
he did not remove his eyes from the snowcolored animal, but untensed further, though he was too well-versed to surrender all sense of protectiveness. and he listened again for venextos.

The goodwill of his kin was perhaps a bit out of place. He had little to offer the wolf. There was no continuously stocked cache here. His teeth pressed against each other but his expression did not shift to reveal the inner conflict he experienced, and he was able to stave off a possessive growl that rose with the thoughts of what he had buried in the snow mere wolf lengths from them. It was a learned restraint. He had always been a bit more wild than the rest of his blood. His pragmatic father had said it best: instincts were the most important lessons their ancestors had learned, the ones that had helped them survive in the beginning. They were there to guide him but he was not to let them control him. That concept had resonated with Skwol.

"Come then," Skwol invited as he moved toward his stash without fully turning his back to the strange male. His company would be kept in his periphery at all times. By now he had shrugged off the demands of his instincts to keep the food to himself, and his large paws made short work of uncovering a pair of hares. He clamped his jaws around one and took it aside, gesturing with his broad muzzle to the other.

"Eat."

garait did not expect the pale creature's invitation, and warily followed, keeping nares flared and ears flicked for the sound of his brother's return. it did not come before he was led to a cache; the warm scent of blood set his stomach alight with an audible growl as he watched the other dig, and he was unashamed of how he fell upon the rabbit, ripping it apart with jaws not far from starving. the bones he cracked for their marrow.
when everything edible of the animal had been consumed, garait lashed his mouth with a thoughtful tongue, his seafoam gaze settling on the snow-wolf. here was a hale beast, strong of body and intelligent; that he had shared with garait in the time of winter did not go unappreciated. the gaul knew venextos would feel the same. not wanting yet to speak, he shook out his ruff and inquired in the manner of their kind if his companion was alone, reaching hesitantly to take the male's breath and exhange his own.

The white wolf saw himself in the ravening wolf. He himself had been known for such feral savagery by his kin. He understood it. Respected it. But Skwol fed on his hare in a deliberate and slow manner, with a notable level of care. He chewed methodically, and held each bite on his tongue, consuming the rabbit piece by piece without demolishing the carcass. This too had been learned, and this too was done in spite of what his instincts told him. It was during this time that his gold eyes took note of how afflicted the other's body was. Skwol wondered but he was not a wolf to pry.

He had consumed only half the hare when his companion was licking the remnants of his from his face. Skwol could not help the anticipation that coiled in his limbs, the readiness he felt to defend what was left of his meal. But the other wolf made no threat and Skwol took a moment to quickly bury what remained.

The other wolf's snout reached and the white wolf extended his in return and swept his tail amiably from side to side. There was a certain ease, a unique comfort in this manner of greeting. However, it was dampened by the bothersome scents he picked up on. It made the furs on his nape stiffen like quills, but Skwol stepped aside and shook his plush coat out. Snow scattered, but so too did most of his apprehension.

"I am Skwol," he offered.

garait sensed the other's apprehension, but said nothing — what could he speak, that the pale wolf might understand? he himself had not explored how deeply he had been affected, and continued to refuse his mind its succor. the gau stretched and contemplated the syllable of the kind stranger's name. 
there was but one creature who need know garait's title, and that was venextos. their pagi was dead, and garait held no hopes of rebuilding in this odd land where wolves who did not know you gave kills from their caches. while the muscled beast was grateful, he did not understand the generosity. however, a name must be given, and after this brief contemplation, garait spoke: "triva."
for his mountains, for his mother.

Skwol was certain he knew the answer but inquired anyway.

"Is there anything you can tell me about this region?"

The white wolf felt that the two were kin in their reason for being here. He did not wear his tragedies so painfully on his skin — what blood there had been had since come off — but he carried them in the sundered remains of his heart. It was not a sensible time to be dispersing; only some terrible thing could make it so.

the gaul shook his muzzle with a vague gesture — he knew nothing about this place, and did not think he wished to know. but the time with himself and the white wolf was coming to an end, and garait knew the decision he would make. "bráther," the gaul murmured in a voice rusted with disuse, flagging his tail gently at his heels to signal that he meant no harm — it was unlike the other knew his tongue.
pacing aside, garait gathered his breath and called in a  low note for @Venextos, licking his dry lips when he had finished.

Skwol grunted in acknowledgement and turned his head to let his eyes roam. Neither wolf knew the area at all. It had been some time since he had encountered any scent or trace of the devils and he wondered if perhaps here — this endless sprawl before him — was where he should stop. But the white wolf was not yet prepared for that. His gaze turned back to his companion just as the male called for another. He waited until the last note of the summons had gone quiet, and then dipped his head and said his farewell.

"See you later."

Skwol loped away then, aware that he had left behind half a carcass that would sustain him, but also feeling that the other male's mouth needed it more — and maybe so did whoever he had called for.