The Sunspire spire of might with a row of stars

He's come this far and just in front of him towers a mountain. The centerpiece of its range, he stares long and thoughtfully at the peak. He's been here before.. the recognition tickles at the bottom of his feet and makes his throat feel a little too tight, but, he can't seem to dredge up a proper recollection no matter how hard he narrows his eyes. There is something important he is missing and this sensation is frustratingly familiar.

Inari delicately lowers his haunches to the snow covered ground and heaves a heavy sigh. He's been trying to travel purposefully and avoid pack boundaries for who-knows-how-many days. It's stressful and he's tired, so a quick rest won't hurt while he tries to gather up his whereabouts. He yearns to find what he's meant to search for, but he can never seem to get ahead in this pursuit that had led him to right here. While he tries to, he stares glassily skyward, hoping the answers may be written in the upper reaches of the mountain.

Her legs move, and burn, but they move. They keep her forward and she ignores the splintering feeling developing in her toes. It only worsens once she finds herself on a mountainous and rocky terrain, harder on her paws and each step becomes an internal and continuous scream. Hurt, hurt, hurt. 

Hiisi grinds her teeth together, slowing her gait to a stop that almost immediately, brings belief flooding her body. The sudden tsunami of a wave over her muscles remind her to pick up again, to keep walking, and as she takes the next step she freezes. The waft of another prevents her next step, taking in it to find it unfamiliar, and she relishes in that short lived relief. 

Sunken deep green eyes turn until she sees the other wolf, light in color that should be familiar but doesn’t, and makes her way to him. The distance takes a lot longer than she anticipates, each step burning her splintered bones, but she cuffs when she’s within earshot.

He's consumed enough with his labyrinthine thoughts and trying to make sense of what loomed ahead that he didn't notice the other wolf's approach until she was already zeroed in on him. Inari turned his head first and the rest of him was slow to follow. While he shifted, he sunk his posture down to one of utmost neutrality -- one almost unnecessarily appeasing to a complete stranger with no distinguishing scents about her. His encounters haven't been good, lately, so he's swift to use excessive caution. But the more he sees of her, the more she looks like she may not have the energy to expend on him. 

He whines a tiny greeting and sweeps his ears back against his head, all while wondering if maybe he should recognize her. He doesn't, of course, and opens his mouth with intention to ask why she's here too but he doesn't manage to actually say anything. With worried eyes, maybe he can still get a piece of his point through to her. 

It’s enough of a relief when he isn’t aggressive, lowering himself despite their neutral ground and she mimics the action. Her tail sweeps the snowy ground beneath her and she moves closer, shortening the distance quickly despite how much it hurts to put pressure on her toes. She eases to a stop a few feet away from the male, head low and ears back against her skull. The whimper he elicits gives her the cougar to take a few more steps, reducing those feet to nothing.

Hiisi whines in return and slowly reaches her nose touch to brush the bottom of his muzzle to lift, encouraging his stance. She murmurs something nonsensical with a few swishes of her tail, taking a step back to put the space between them once more.

Inari stays and she gets closer. He realizes he's bracing when it dawns on him what she's doing and it's coming nearer to him without teeth barred and aggression behind it. The touch is gentle and encouraging. He exhales suddenly, feeling shocked into an awareness sharper than before that widens his eyes more. Yet when this settles, he sits up a little taller and then stands in the very same spot.

The unknown murmurs of hers bring his ears up and he's still confused by everything. He isn't sure what he he should do with himself. Inari licks his lips nervously but is trying to warm up to this. "Do you know why you are here?" he rasps back, as if knowing her purpose may help him find his own. 

He stands and lifts his head a little, giving her a little elation that she hadn’t upset him. She even offers a faint smile, twisted on her lips that she forces to disappear a second later. He hadn’t lashed out at her decision or too upset by her closeness and it’s all she can hope for. It wasn’t an illusion anymore when she touched him, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his fur and the sound of his voice when he does speak.

Hiisi hastily shakes her head, looking down at her feet. She expects blood pulsing out of her toes but they are only covered in dirt and snow, the pulse of pain feeling audible in her own head. If she could rest for just a little while, get something on her stomach, perhaps she’d have a clearer head. Maybe then she could answer his question but for now, she can’t remember. She’s tired.

The woman closes her eyes then, feeling the urge to grind her teeth. She hesitates before shaking the tension away. “Hurts.”

Hurts. He nods slowly and keeps his jaw clamped shut as he looks her over. Inari wants to help.. he's mended minor injury before, but in a better time and place. Not now, though, so he can't find it in him to even make the offer yet -- if that was truly the only extent of the hurt she spoke of. He has no resources and right now, no clarity to find them here on strange turf. He lets his ears splay subtly this time because it is not something he can fix.

But in so many ways, he feels the same. He hurts too. His head aches like it always does and his body doesn't feel real anymore, but he knows it's ailing and has been for a long time. It's become difficult for him to remember what it was like before he felt this way -- all alone, tired, lost, and hungry.

"What hurts?" he decides to ask and tilts his head.

She feels his eyes upon her and she stiffens, unsure what she’s supposed to do. There’s a burning in her chest she doesn’t know how to place and she closes her eyes, pointing her nose downward. For a moment, she thinks he might ignore her comment but he speaks up, questioning her, and she’s unsure of how to answer. Everything, she thinks, and she whines when the word doesn’t yet slip from her lips. Hiisi heaves a long sigh, wishing to sink further into the ground.

“Everything,” she finally murmurs after a beat, glancing up for the male’s expression. She’d much rather bury herself in his mane, feel the comfort of another wrapped around her and the quiet whisperings of it’ll be okay but she doesn’t know this wolf. Her approach had already startled him and she restrains herself from furthering their contact.

He's so overcome with I don't know what to do that he feels like it has to be too much one day. Time has let him grow used to confusion in one way or another, but so much all at once is even jarring to him.

She does answer and he exhales softly, sad, then squeezes shut his eyes for a second. Inari decides he's probably vaguely familiar with the same feeling. Maybe he just can't remember it entirely and he certainly doesn't know how to remedy strife of that kind. He reaches to tap his muzzle gently against hers. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks quietly with a hitching voice, since he doesn't feel right asking when he can barely help himself.

He's torn. He wants to do right, stay here, and be safe where something made sense.. but at the same time, he knows he keeps the want to just run until he just couldn't breath anymore or his legs gave out, whichever came for him first.

But, there is nothing he can do. He resolves to stay on the mountain for tonight and invites the stranger to join him. Some of the pathways are almost familiar as he scoped up further towards the Spire, but much of it is unknown to him still. Eventually, he finds a place to rest, and he decides to try again the next day, and sleeps a deep sleep.