Neverwinter Forest pinuksak

Making some assumptions about @Phox and @Maegi and the entire Blacktail thing; lemme know if I should change anything! This is open to anyone / whoever might hear him.

Kigipigak did not wait very long before beginning the hunt for @Sakhmet in earnest.

He had surveyed all of the plateau he could manage and thought of the surrounding territories, which soon took his entire focus. There were many places that he could begin to look; he wondered if she had gone off in search of the missing children and fallen victim to the same cat which had cut him to ribbons — which only brought a hateful edge to Kigipigak, fueling him to work faster, for longer periods.

Sakhmet's parents were busy. The return of a dark-pelted stranger had distracted them, so when Kigipigak thought to leave the plateau he did not tell them. He did not want them to worry; neither did he wish for the help of either the sad woman or her pitiful husband, knowing how they had failed their youngest and how painful they had made Sakhmet's life, with their absence. He would fix the situation himself as he could not trust them to do much beyond mourn and weep should they be aware.

In two days he had moved west along the valley's northern edge, following the mountains until he found a forest. Every so often he had called out for a sign, and this moment was no different: he raised his head and howled a long note of worry in to the wind. Then he waited and he paced among a copse of young trees along the eastern border of the woods, hoping to hear a returning call.

When nothing happened but the shudder of the trees beneath the graying sky, Kigipigak called again — adamant that someone should hear him, and hopeful that he would reunite with the girl he had somehow lost.

Silver eyes tracked a scarred northerner moving about the pine forest, utterly ignorant to the pack of hungry bearwolves residing on the slopes above. That was the conclusion Aventus drew, anyway, while he watched the man from the safety of the shadows. He did not seem nervous enough in the shadow of a pack, and fair enough. Ursus was newly arrived, and silently. Their presence was hardly on broadcast.

He was always skilled with sneaking about, but now that he was no longer a child, Aventus found few opportunities to take advantage of it. These were new lands, though, with new wolves and no guarantee that there weren’t enemies all around them. It required a certain amount of meticulous caution. The Bruin-jaw was best suited to sussing out wolves just like Kigipigak, whose voice rose a second time, calling for someone.

Aventus changed course, angling so his path would cut across Kigipigak’s. When he sauntered out of the trees, it was with a languid, sinewy ease that betrayed nothing of the tense readiness of his muscles under his fur. Another of Aventus' talents, inherited directly from his father, and one he had never had to use: the boy was never relaxed, but any onlooker would see only self-assured calm.

He cocked his head at the searching wolf, lifting his lips in a disarming grin. You rang?

The growing concern he held for Sakhmet's whereabouts left him with an uncertain sort of energy. It felt as if he were on a hunt, except he could not see, hear, or scent a single thing to lead him towards his quarry.

He kept taking great whiffs of the air and remained on high-alert for possible predators as well, in case the cat which had nearly killed him had somehow found its way to her instead, or now stalked in wait for him, to finish the job it had started. He felt as if he were being pulled in every direction at once - and still, there was no sign of her.

His calls faded and left him listening to the wind, or to the croaking of toads and the humming of bugs. Not once did anyone call back to him - and certainly not Sakhmet. Kigipigak would not allow himself to falter in his trust that she would return to him. The innate pride he held for himself refused to let doubt become too strong.

And when a dark shape slunk quietly from among the trees, Kigipigak thought he had won after all. Within the shadows of the forest the wolf did not keep a warm, ruddy tone as he was used to seeing upon Sakhmet; but they moved cleanly, as if they knew the area, and from a distance Kigipigak thought it was her - that his hunt was at an end.

It wasn't until they were closer that Kigipigak realized his mistake; this was a young man. Kigipigak refused to be disheartened for long.

I am searching for a woman. He went on to explain.

She is dark-coated, sometimes with red if the light is right. And she is smaller than me, he thinks quickly of their great difference in height and bulk - about half of me, and sharp. Have you seen anyone like that..?

Kigipigak searched for a woman. His mate? Aventus blinked owlishly at the broad-shouldered male wolf, observing him carefully throughout his description. A wolf like this must boast of northern blood. He could crush Aventus' skull in his teeth if he so desired, what with the angles and points of coyote muddling his own blood.

Yet he was unperturbed, offering only that same vague grin. Perhaps, he said, I may have seen someone of that description.

It didn't really matter what the truth was. Kigipigak was a man of strong muscle and hardened back, which Aventus took to mean he was also gullible and slow-witted, and he had stumbled close to the threshold of Ursus. What he packed in familial bloodlust, he had in abundance in guile. I believe, he said ponderously, she was running away from something.

There was a stronger hope within Kigipigak as he heard the boy's words, the eager nature of his heart plain to see. Whereas another might have hidden their hope and guarded it within some liminal space, Kigipigak was not such a creature. He heard what was said and focused immediately upon what it could mean; Sakhmet could be here, or somewhere close! His hunt might be at an end.

Running -- from what? Kigipigak began to piece together a list of things that it could be. At the top was the beast that had mishandled his own body: the cougar of the forest. There could have been many other things to run from; the family situation upon the plateau, or perhaps her parents, or -- himself. This was a gut-wrenching thought that caused his hope to taper in to surprise and a sharp, stabbing anxiety.

Where did she run to? He asked in haste, whether the boy had answered or not.

I'm sorry I let this fall by the wayside for so long, we can wrap here if you'd like!

Aventus shrugged, masking his glee at the way the northerner's eyes sparked with hope and the renewed urgency of his tone. What a witless creature this was! Aventus knew little about the Teekon Wilds outside the influence of Ursus, where charity was a nonexistent concept. That most wolves were well-meaning and helpful neighbours was lost on him entirely. He would never trust the word of a stranger this way.

I do not know, he said. She was running. I did not stop her to ask. Kigipigak must care greatly for this missing woman, to hinge his hopes on the word of anyone. Perhaps, like Avicus, his missing beau was easily recognizable and the man had no reason to believe anyone would lie about having seen her. No matter how little he thought of this giant brute's brain size, it was actually a credit to Aventus and his ability to maintain a poker face rather than Kigipigak's intelligence that he could lie to someone's face.

That way, he said, gesturing away from Silvertip and out toward the sea. He added, in a cotton-soft tone he hoped would pass for sympathy, She seemed very scared. I hope you find her soon.

The boy motioned towards the sea, away from the mountain and away from Moonglow. It was not the direction of the home that Kigipigak had once shared with Sakhmet, which might have surprised him at any other time, but now he took the information eagerly and did not discount the source. He had not reason to distrust this boy; they seemed as attentive and dutiful as anyone of Tartok he had known, and so any deception on Aventus' part was overlooked.

Kigipigak was thrilled to have an answer, or even a vague idea of where next he should go. There were many reasons why Sakhmet may have fled — but if she had been frightened in a visible way, Kigipigak could not fathom what had happened. He thought immediately of the cat-beast that had so wounded him, and any hope upon his face was mutated to worry, to focus, to guilt.

He began to move almost immediately, and called to the boy as he went: Thank you for this! If she is frightened I must find her, if she is hurt I must aid her! His voice dwindled the further he went, booming from him in gusts, but somewhere among the many words Kigipigak vowed to repay the boy's kindness.

It was likely Aventus would not hear all the things that fell from Kigipigak's big mouth, though.

Wrapping! :)

Aventus watched the arctic man go with a wry smile at the departing backside. Now he knew the locals were gullible fools. Maybe one day, Kigipigak would find his missing beau, but not today. Today, he would find only unkind deception. Aventus had no reason to target him that way besides idle boredom, but he had learned a lot from the interaction.

He strolled further into the forest, swaggering a little with his success.