Whitefish River when i wake up i'm afraid

for @Ira ^^

With sobriety did he forge his approach, tentative and with ever-augmenting caution. Tepid; sombre. Clouds scattered like dust against a canvas of subdued azure, unsmiling in the wake of summer. The traveller, during his current escapade, had passed smoothly along the perimeter of the valley, passing through the mountains and gliding across the flatlands. He scoured the unclaimed lands and savoured the peace they conducted - rather deliberately, he'd avoided traipsing nearer to the fringes of pack territory.

Today, however, he was thrusting himself outside of his comfort zone.

If he could have marked each landscape within the wilds unaccompanied by a foreign face, he'd have done just that. It would have been far more straight-forward; facile. He'd contemplated for many hours during his trek, even now he grimaced dismally at the prospect, but opted to experiment and trudge closer - he only prayed he'd not been inauspicious in his choice. Edging toward the border, he paused a few paces away and stared fitfully into the flatlands, eyes narrowed in a thoughtful moue. What now?

sorry its late and my mind blanked halfway writing this sfads

The Count took to the borders using her window of freedom to stretch her legs. Donovan had agreed to move his pack, but she still did not trust him to not linger nearby. He had no home picked, who knew where he would choose to take his band of mongrels. As long as her pack members lives were on the line, Ira would use her free time to ensure their borders were secure.

Perhaps it was the paranoia that caused her to freeze as eyes fell upon the stranger along the edge of their territory. Ira approached, her tail instantly rising with her head. At the very least, as she neared there was no hint of Donovan or his Saints. This was a loner, potentially here on curiosity only and while he was close the male had not crossed into their territory.

Ira raised a brow towards the stranger, she'd rather be civil, but given the circumstances, there was no knowing this man's intentions. For all she knew he had been waiting to intrude. You linger close, what brings you to Kaistleoki?

aw haha you're all good x3

"You linger close, what brings you to Kaistleoki?"

The traveller jumped, perturbed for a heartbeat before settling. His gaze, a myriad of shamrock and lime, descried upon the stranger with the spiking of his nerves; disquieted. Viridescent, pensive, yet undoubtebly solemn. He'd yet to approach a foreign pack in such a manner, at least for the matter concerning him presently, and shifted uncomfortably in his poise. It was of little importance, and yet the very prospect almost made it worse - perhaps he was wasting their time.

"Uh... hello," he began, voice steeped in smoke. Sucking in a breath, he gathered himself to continue. "I'm a traveller, just passing by. I... thought it useful for me to map the land." The Valento paused, quirking a pale brow toward her. She was tall; willowy, and carried herself with reposeful authority - from her posture, he made the assumption she was of a high stature among this pack, and carefully dipped his chin.

"I was wondering if you might be able to spare me some information about the area."

Ah, so just passing through. The man was a traveler in hopes of mapping the land, luckily she had done some traveling herself even if most of it was between here and Easthollow. It appeared though, that she may have spooked the stranger upon announcing her presence. At the very least, he did seem genuine. It was likely that he truly was here through good intent.

I see. Is there a reason for your travels? Are you passing through these lands or do you seek settlement? Maybe he too was with a group forming, though she could not detect any others with his scent. Either way, I have seen much of the surrounding lands and know of several packs nearby. Are you looking for landmarks or territories? There was a lot she could mention, but Ira figured it would be best to start with the man's interests to avoid droning on for too long about irrelevant information.

As the Count spoke, she allowed her tail to lower. There was no need for the show of dominance and the man had already shown respect for her authority. Speaking of— it occurred to her that she did not inquire his name nor offer her own, Ah, how rude of me, you may call me Ira. I am a leader here. Do you have a name traveler?

She began to delve into queries – of reasons, of settlement and escapades. He took this moment to gather himself fully, a startled breath steadying into quietude, as rapids might spume and writhe before fading into the demure bubbling of a stream. Steeled and unwary; a solemn man, yet polite in his poise. Listening to her affable examinations, the traveller whisked a chalk-dusted ear in wordless thought before leaden lips parted to give answer to her words.

“I have no intentions of settling yet,” he mused with a negligible cant of his chin, a nictating of indecision crawling unwelcome to swaddle the weight of his throat – however good-natured her words may be. He simply wasn’t used to the proclivity of seeking insight, of others taking heed of his own intentions, but did not allow the incertitude to unveil themselves upon his face, dark and brooding in display. At least, he owed her honesty – it was not perfidious if he chose simply to say less. “Maybe one day.”

“Landmarks, primarily,” the Valento decreed in continuation, thrumming with the low timbre of his voice. Stiff muscles began to slacken just as the count let her own posture dilute – he was beholden, truthfully, of her approach; mildly convivial, amiable in the passing of words from one to another. Although a sombre soul, careful in equanimity, the man was not unfriendly. Simply unsociable. “Soltero,” he offered her diffidently, taking note of the name she provided him; while having no postulation of friendship, Ira was a welcome presence in the isolation of his travels. “Your insight is… well-appreciated.”

A traveler with no end. Not that it truly mattered aside from recommending areas that were nice to settle, perhaps there was more to it that he did not wish to reveal, it was not her business to pry. After all, he could really just be traveling with nothing more to it. Very well— Where to start. This river is long. Some places are shallow enough to cross, though if you follow it there is a dangerous drop. If it's followed long enough you'll reach a large lake. Ira turned, her muzzle now pointing to the Eastern mountains.

Those peaks are the Sunspires. A pack resides in the vale at the top, but they are friendly. Passing through the mountains should be safe. There's another set of mountains to the west, but the pack there is very territorial. They will chase wolves far from their own claim. If you head in that direction it would be best to submit lest you desire trouble. Ira had the benefit of meeting Hydra as an ally, but based on stories from Speedy, she knew the intensity she felt was not a one-off occurrence. What laid beyond, she wasn't sure, but she doubted there was much within the mountain range for anyone but Moonspear.

Beyond the Sunspire lays a valley. Several packs have settled there, but they all seem tame to me. The kindest is perhaps Easthollow. They lay within plains and a prominent circle of stones that marks the center of their territory. In the end she had recited her knowledge of most of the nearby packs as well, but hopefully, it was the information he sought.