Chimera Fields We could fall or we could fly

@Ibis if you want!

Breccan had been on his own for a week, and it had been simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. In just the first few days, he had experienced a range of emotions -- he was excited, he was worried, he was lonely. Occasionally, he felt a deep pang in his chest when he thought about his parents and siblings. Soon, though, he started to enjoy himself, and focused on the more primal aspects of his journey: hunting and exploring and finding a place to lay his head each night. He adjusted to this new lifestyle, and while he missed his family, he couldn't wait to see how his life would unfold before him.

Luckily, he was an adept hunter and had no trouble feeding himself along the way. The trickiest part of this adventure was avoiding claimed lands; he gave a wide berth to any pack borders he detected. He followed the same path he had taken with his family from the hollow, but in reverse, and he took his time. There was no rush; he had no real agenda, and he found himself reflecting on Ibis' words. She had told him that she and her brother were going searching for a friend, but she kind of hoped they didn't find him because that would allow them more freedom to continue traveling. He could understand that now.

He was surprised to find that the edges of his father's old home, Neverwinter Forest, had been marked since they had last passed through. The scent was not overly strong, but someone was apparently trying to lay claim to the territory. For that reason, he had stopped short in a field of wildflowers. The sun was high overhead, marking midday, and as his stomach rumbled he dropped his nose to the ground and began to search for something to eat.

The act of claiming a territory was not something she felt comfortable doing; mostly because it didn't seem like a lady's work, as it consisted of the laborious task of delineating a limit to the territory and then the awful practice of urinating on command - gross! So Ibis did her best to tend to the borders in her own way. She collected the prettiest flowers in bundles and would lay them wherever Mali's scent - or her brother's scent - were strongest. Occasionally, when the scent of urine wasn't very dominant in a patch of grass, she'd take a moment to roll around and add her scent that way. It wasn't as strong a commitment but she did her best.

It meant that Ibis was sporting a greenish-yellow tinge to her shoulders and back, though. The downside of having a pale coat, she supposed. It marked her as a resident of the forest though; all those scents mingled like a perfume. Bits of leaf-litter tangled in the long hair of her belly fur and netted some of the flowers she'd been collecting, so as she walked she tried to work at them. Her head was down as Ibis pranced through the woods — and she very nearly walked right in to Breccan as he was perusing the outer limits.

You know, you would think that both of them would be a little more observant -- but Breccan happened to let his guard down for just a moment, at least where other wolves were concerned. He thought he was far enough away from the unfamiliar marked borders of the forest, and his mind was focused on finding food. His head was down, and he wasn't paying much attention to his periphery -- so he was surprised and caught off guard when he suddenly became aware of a wolf nearly bumping right into him.

She came at him from the side, and he threw his head up and veered away, hackles bristling and lips skinning back from his teeth defensively. His heart rate ratcheted up; he feared this would be his first confrontation. Had he strayed too close to Neverwinter Forest? But it became apparent after only a few seconds that the wolf wasn't attacking him, and as he turned to face her, he recognized her.

"Ibis?" he said, the fur along his spine settling as he blinked at her. "Ibis!" he repeated joyfully, happy to see a friendly face.

When she connected to the alien body she let out a small, Ooph! and when it shifted against her, she knew instinctively that it wasn't an inanimate object like a tree or something. As the brief confusion flickered and faded she looked at whatever had tripped her up, and saw the shock of autumnal fur and slate - a solid body - two bright, familiar eyes - Ibis? A voice that made her heart flutter --

Breccan? She murmured as she drew back a step, only to realize it was him and rush forward to engulph him in a wolf-hug the likes of which only Okeanos had ever been privy to before. Oh my gosh you're here! I'm so sorry for running in to you, I mean, no I'm not -- I'm so happy to see you, but -- ohhhh she was so happy to see a familiar face! But if he was here then what about the Hollow? As she withdrew Ibis thought of their last conversation but then she was reminded of what her father had said - that Rannoch had chosen to leave the Hollow with his kids. That meant Breccan too.

What are you doing here? My dad said -- you left, I mean, not just you, the whole family, for somewhere else. Ibis wasn't sure what to say but if you judged how she felt by her expression, the ceaseless smile and shine to her eye was enough to clue you in; she was a little confused but so, so happy to see him!

Realization hit Ibis only seconds after it had Breccan, and she quickly enveloped him in a hug. He leaned back into her embrace, in disbelief that he had found his friend without even really trying. I told you so, Mom! he thought triumphantly as he disentangled himself from Ibis, who was processing the fact that he was there and asking questions.

His tail swept in a wide arc behind him as he grinned down at her and answered her queries. "Yeah, we did leave -- my parents moved us way southwest, with some of my mom's family. I decided not to stay there with them, though!" he said, chest swelling with pride as he shared the news. She had partially been his inspiration, after all. "I just decided that I wanted to go exploring, and my parents weren't really very happy about it, but they couldn't stop me -- and I was planning to come find you, and here you are!"

He reached out to touch her cheek with his nose, as if assuring himself that she was real. "How are you? How have you been? Where have you been?" he asked, now taking the opportunity to toss a handful of inquiries at her.

---

Some time later, the friends parted ways once more with promises to meet again soon.