Bramblepoint Exodus.

For @Terance

As night gathered, and the wolf waited quietly. He'd stopped among the bramble bushes to rest through the hours of most unbearable Summertime heat that lazy afternoon, choosing to doze in the shade to ease his travel-worn muscles. Only when the sun began its descent did he rouse, raising his golden crown to study his surroundings and listen to the calming song of blackbirds as they foraged for fruit in the dimming sunlight.

By the time he managed to pull himself stiffly onto his paws with a groan, the temperature had dipped considerably. He stretched out a hind limb and shook his pelt free of loose dirt before he pressed onward through the foliage in search of the most appealing berries.

though terance was unsure of what arbiter would make of his conversation with hydra... he returned anyway, news in tow. of course, as he walked and thought and contemplated, he realized he was not alone in his journey. 

he spotted a man nearby, apparently foraging. terance looked upon him curiously for a moment, his nose twitching, before the man let out a gentle, friendly woof. after all, he had promised treason to drag home some stragglers... well, well fitted stragglers.

@Terance sorry for delay, derp

Above the chirps of nearby songbirds, a soft woof drew the pale wolf from his foraging. He looked over a golden shoulder to look curiously upon the raven features of another male and studied him for a quiet moment, wondering if he might step forward to close the distance between them.

Artyom blinked, and made no move to stride into the stranger's comfort zone. He merely twitched a whisker and flicked his tail between his hocks to accompany the polite "hello," that he offered.

no worries :p

as the man turned to give his attention to terance, a friendly greeting returned, the hollow’s alpha dipped his head. terance, he introduced, cutting straight through whatever pleasantries they might’ve shared otherwise, from lost creek hollow. 

his tail flicked, and the scarred man eyed the stranger curiously, though not rudely. are you from around here? he asked.

When the stranger dipped his crown, Artyom did likewise. He was swift to introduce himself - Terance, he was said to be called. The blonde wolf twitched an ear, quietly considering this offering before making his own exchange. "Artyom," he said simply, curtly.

Lost Creek Hollow meant nothing to him, though he deemed it safe to asume this to be the name of somewhere Terance made his home. A questioned followed, one that brought a deep and thoughtful frown to the rogue's muzzle, and responded with a shake of his head that could only be described as solemn. "Ze road is my home."

his tail flicked. a pleasure, he commented with a slight dip of his head. and, to the mans second comment, terance took a moment to think. do you like the road? he asked with a quirk of his brow, shoulders rolling as he thought of his own previous lives on the road. it didn't suit him, personally, he'd always prefer to have someplace to buckle down. it was even nicer, now, that he had arbiter and the kids. it was a constant, and terance needed consistency in his life. 

if it's not what you're after, i have space in my pack for an able body, he added to the end, ears rotating forwards.

The marred brute asked something of him, and Artyom blinked his surprise. With the Summer months presenting many new opportunities to distract him see more of what the world had to offer, he hadn't really considered the possibility of settling in one place. It seemed almost wrong to do so, without Anastasia to share a new home alongside him. If he were to find the courage to answer Terance, he would likely tell him no, he did not particularly like the road. He would tell him that the only real reason he kept moving was the fear that if he should stop, he might sink.

He closed his dark eyes briefly, and took a moment to cast his solemn thoughts of the past aside. His mate was gone, and he was young; Artyom would always remember what she meant to him, but life would ultimately go on without her. 

"I will go with you," he decided, figuring he had nothing to lose and it was at least worth trying to fit in somewhere. Dipping his blonde muzzle, he quietly awaited his new leader to lead the way.

a grin crept upon terance's face as the young man answered, though he'd be lying if he said he missed the pain that seemed to strike the other. with a solemn dip of his own head, seeming respectful of artyom's apparent memories and answer, terance gave a quick nod of his head for the other to follow.

we have a few days journey ahead of us, he informed him, though he didn't seem bothered by the trek, my mate, arbiter, is watching the pack now. you will meet her when we get there. it seemed like important information to know, after all, it wasn't just terance. there were others. what skills do you possess? he asked him, then, wondering if that was something he should've asked before offering him a rank... oh well.

Fading here.  :)

Warmth bloomed on Terance's raven features, and Artyom dutifully followed when his newest comrade pointed his muzzle in their intended direction. It seemed odd and exciting all at once, to pad along at the flank of a stranger with vowed loyalty. Fate had dealt him a harsh blow already by robbing him of his Anastasia, so he supposed their was nothing else to lose. Life was all about taking chances, right?

"I am a hunter," the golden wolf answered simply in response to the enquiry of his personal skills. It was an expected trade of all predators and made him nothing special, but it was the main thing he felt he excelled at.

Artyom and Terance's journey to the Hollow was an uneventful one, though made a good start on the beginning of what was hoped to be a strong bond between an Alpha and his recruit.