The Bracken Woods zindgani ke safar mein

how old was aditya now? nine years and a couple moons, if one was counting—and he wasn't. multiply that by the seasons. . . 

well, he didn't have to keep track to know. he felt it in the slowing of his gait, the stiffness of his joints. the dark browns and blacks of his agouti pelt, once merely peppered with silver, were now nearly cloaked in moonlight. his shrewd eyes were a little rheumy, running slightly at the corners.

but here he was. alive. still kicking.

picking his way through the bracken woods, cursing under his breath as he navigated the quagmire.

his son, waxwing, had gone off on his own, and while he was loath to leave tytonidae, he knew the woman would be okay. now, he was eager to perhaps find the young man again, and then drop in to see ani at brecheliant.

despite the tough going, his face lit up in a smile at the thought of her. she was the very best of her parents, and too good for this world.

and while he was here—at least it was shelter from the high solstice sun.

They traveled tirelessly back north, turning east to avoid the maples. Masque walked toward a distant river, crossing it into a valley carpeted in pink blossoms. They paused at the foot of a nearby mountain to ascertain their surroundings. They were footsore and weary but they were not ready to quit yet.

Moving much more slowly now, the Caru drifted toward a stretch of trees spanning countless miles northeast of the taiga. They felt their belly clench with hunger. This would be a good place to hunt. It was not impossible that Avicus had found her way here. Masquerade plodded into the trees, thankful for the shade.

They heard something moving in the underbrush and went still before crouching. It sounded like something relatively large, which meant Masque probably wouldn’t have any luck trying to hunt it. But they would wait for it to pass before they resumed their tracking.

the young woman's grayscale pelt camouflaged well into the brush, but the burst of red upon her face gave her away. well, that and her clearly wolfish scent.

aditya moved closer and gave a chuff, ears swiveling and tail low as he came into sight.

arrey, ladki, he rumbled softly, giving her a gentle smile. i hope i haven't spoiled your hunt.

it was possible to hunt here; the rabbits, squirrels and other small critters, however, would have far and away the advantage in this puzzling terrain. still, he'd never been much in that skill set, and it was quite possible she was far more adept than he.

The scent of a wolf threaded into their nose a moment before their eyes found one another. Masquerade slowly rose to their full height, ascertaining the stranger. He didn’t appear threatening. In fact, his demesne was entirely apologetic.

I wasn’t hunting yet, not really, they replied with a slow shake of their head. By any chance, have you seen any other wolves in these woods? Masque could not resist tacking on, still hopeful of finding some clue of Avicus’s whereabouts.

not really. still, his less-than-elegant crashing about hadn't done her any favors, he was sure.

before he could speak again, she asked him a question. aditya pursed his lips and shook his head after a few heartbeats of thought. he'd have remembered.

nahin, no one but you, he replied. you're looking for someone?

there must be some strange portal or crack in the earth in these parts, adi thought. how many times had he run into someone on a search mission?

hell, how many times had he been on one himself?

They didn’t expect an affirmative answer, though they still let out a shaky breath when he shook his head. Naturally, he was curious why Masquerade asked. There was no particular reason to withhold the details from him, though they’d always exercised caution when dealing with outsiders. It seemed incredibly unlikely but what if he realized it was the rise’s leader who’d gone missing and did something nefarious with that information?

No, I was wondering if anyone claimed this territory, they answered, pausing in case he volunteered any information on that front, though Masque did not expect affirmation there, either. Do you know how far the woods go?

the girl seemed stilted to an extent that made him nervous, but he didn't have any reason to fear her. just wary. he understood.

far, he confirmed in a croak, casting his head from whence he'd came. it doesn't end for a while, and when it does, it's the north, aditya added, hoping he'd be helpful.

his eyes wandered casually over her ruddy face, such a contrast from her silvery pelt.

no one claims this land, aditya added, realizing he hadn't addressed the first part of her query. not that i've seen or smelled, anyway.

and who would want this mire, anyway?

The woods were large and unclaimed. Masquerade swallowed and nodded in acknowledgement, gazing deeper into the trees and wondering if it was at all possible Avicus had wandered in here and gotten lost. It seemed absurd but no less unbelievable than the Wealda’s disappearance in the first place.

Eventually their eyes wandered back to the stranger. For the first time, they noticed the collar around his neck. Their fur prickled warily at the peculiar sight. What was it? Masque licked their lips a little nervously, shifting their weight.

Who are you and where did you come from? they wondered, suddenly curious about the foreign words he’d spoken earlier.

his ears swiveled backward and then forward again at her question, taken aback. it seemed fairly aggressive, though her tone hadn't changed much. he gave a small, albeit tense smile.

i was born far south, but i've lived around here for much of my life, aditya explained. he lifted his chin, further exposing the collar. if you're wondering about this thing, i haven't a clue. one day i went to sleep, and when i woke up, it was there.

he gave her a patient look. anything else you'd like to know about me? he offered, his voice suffused with gentle sarcasm.

He raised his head in such a way that it afforded Masque a better look at the contraption around his throat. They swallowed, full of misgivings at the sight of such an object. It wasn’t just foreign to them, it was alien.

There was a slight edge to the question he posed, causing the yearling to blink in consideration. They shook their head. They weren’t in the mood for socializing with strangers and small talk at the best of times… and this certainly wasn’t that.

I should get back to my hunt, they replied.

It was true Masque needed sustenance. But they also had other mouths to feed. And their search for Avicus to consider, of course. They took a deep breath, aware they were being brief to the point of rudeness. But that wasn’t entirely unusual for them and they simply didn’t have the bandwidth to care.

Goodbye, they said, and would have included his name, except they’d never gotten around to exchanging them.

Masquerade did have the presence of mind to dip their head before they turned and loped in a random direction through the woods, passing as noiselessly as a ghost.

he nodded, not surprised. she was standoffish to begin with; that their interaction was cut short was no problem to him.

be well, he said to her retreating form, preparing to return to his own foray through the thick woodland.

in time, he'd wonder whether the combination of his open nature and the yoke around his neck would alienate him from others forever. 

for now, he'd forge on.