Hoshor Plains a parlor glade

It had become a short day trip, his interests piqued on the edge of one forest to the sprawl of the plains. The tracks of larger prey were hard to ignore and the day had been early enough to set out wirhout much concern that his absence would be noted. He had come to the river by midday and crossed with relative ease—winter had not frozen it over, but the waters stayed shallow. The tracks had been easier to find in the snow then, marked by mud among other debris pulled up. There, the plains had opened up to distant mountains both ahead and behind, dotted with sparse woodland and hills.

Dirge could not see the herd that had come through, but he did not doubt their existence somewhere in the great unknown. There had also been a time when he had come through such a place, when summer had been at the height of its season and the day long. The days now were much shorter and that very sun once high in its sky now arched towards stretches of horizon. He cast a long shadow at the apex of a particular ridge and gave pause; his gaze searched wide for signs that he still remained on the trial of the elusive would be feast.

thank you for starting! <3

She too tracked the deer, losing their trail her and there and making haste to find it again. Frozen mud stretched up her limbs, and she regretted, somewhat, trudging through the stream. Here the tracks were easier to see; and yet here too they converged with a fresher scent; that of wolf. She paused; Moonspear wolf, male, recent. Not Rannoch, and not the twins she'd met, then surely a stranger. 

Still, pack wolf was better than loner; surely they might be more sociable and less likely to rip off her head in starving rage if she approached. And that she did, pick up the pace until she caught up with the male at the top of a small ridge. Chuffing, to declare her presence, she halted alongside him a short distance away. He seemed to scan the land before them, her own shadow stretched alongside his own as she canted her head, lobes flicking forward and tail wagging softly at her hindquarters in amiable approach

He had been about to set off down that snowy bank when a voice reached out to him. It was more than a voice too, he heard the footfalls as the she-wolf followed the rise of the hill to join him some distance away. He appraised her much in the way he would any other as though true strength could be told in build alone. She was silvery and svelte, not at all too rough around the edges or hard on the eyes. Dirge thought her a traveller then, until the shifting gust scattered the smell of others towards him. He smelled woodlands; their dampness offset by something he couldn't quite place.

It piqued his curiosity and after those lingering moments, he decided to curttail the distance between them. She stood in the broad swath of tracks he did, muddy as he was and therefore probably with the same intent. His gaze flitted to the sprawl of the plains briefly, but nothing else stirred. This allowed him the opportunity to completely divvy his attention. He would not draw too close to her, as it paid them always to have a modicum of respect... and of course to ensure their own safety.

"They've covered a lot of ground," he shared, though that was evident. "Seems not even the cold river dared to slow them." He wouldn't have admitted it, but it had slowed him. His stop on the hill had been just as much to survey as it had been to gather himself again. Perhaps too much longer of a wait and Dirge would have been apt to freeze to the spot.

it would appear you are my 100th post recipient! o3o

!! congrats :D

She male made to close the distance between them, respectful in where he chose to halt once more. He spoke first, his mention of the frozen river having her gaze flick to his mud-streaked limbs. She was silent a beat before replying, considering briefly. "they must be searching for a better territory, then."  The statement was too a question, for the girl was not experienced enough to know much about the movement of herds like this. She knew that the blacktails moved through the territory in search of the best feeding spots, and perhaps this occurred here too, merely on a much larger scale. "do you know how far a herd like this can travel?" Surely they must have a limit, especially in the winter, and she was curious to know if they'd land somewhere in a territory that would make them convenient to hunt.

The lilt of her voice reached to his ears, trailing at one point and ending into a question that gave him thoughtful pause. However far they could travel was an uncertainty to him and he supposed it mattered what other variables came into play. He did not voice such things, instead opting to make his conclusion the opener.

"Presumbly as far as they can. They've already covered fair amount of ground today from where I picked up their trail." That had been a few miles beyond the forests of Moonspear and past the thorny brambles, just where the wilderness flattened to the river and its plains. Hours ago at that; the arc of the sun now aware to him. It would be well past dark by the time he made it back to familiar grounds.

"Don't imagine they went much further than here though, but I can't claim to be familiar with the area. What about you?" Perhaps she was from closer by and he hoped that was the case. These ungulates were too far out for his liking to be worthy of trying to rally others from the distant mountain divide, but he could gather good faith all the same.

As he spoke, she eyed the ungulates thoughtfully. He was right; she saw little that would serve to stop them from wandering, save natural boundaries or lack of food. She supposed the blacktails stuck around only because the territory was good; save, of course, the presence of wolves. She made a small noise of contemplation as she considered, twisting her muzzle back around to face him. 

She gestured in the general direction of the plateau, adding, "I'm from the plateau - Morningside. I've seen most of the flatlands." They were rather far from Moonspear, and she'd hadn't expected to see one of their wolves so far out. He must be a tracker; the thought had her realize they had yet to exchange names. "my name's Dawn, by the way." She offered, small smile creasing her muzzle as she glanced back towards the male, not quite asking for his name but falling silent, allowing him to reply in kind if he so wished.

How perfect it was that she was familar with the lands. His eyes skimmed past her to where she had gestured, but the plateau had the advantage of being obscured. Not the mountains though, no, he could follow them in a resolute line that seemed to have no finite end. But just as readily, his gaze settled on her as she exchanged an introduction, and a thin smile unfurled on his features.

"You can call me Dirge," he seemingly hummed, his voice keeping a smooth timbre. Her name seemed to suit her, even if she was draped about with sterling silvers and charcoal. He couldn't say that about himself. "Any hidden little gems out there those deer might want? If you're willing to give them up that is, I don't have intentions of trying to steer them back over the river." It was too much work for just one wolf; he didn't expect charity from another with a more prime location to chase them from.

They chatted for a bit more before parting ways.