The Tangle step lightly, little fawn

@Keyni

This was one of the worst places he had ever been.

Cold had pushed him away from the towering mountains and toward what was, he would soon realize, the coast. If he had known he would be baby-stepping his way through a minefield, he may have just hunkered down and made the best of it until Spring. 

A rumbled of irritation echoed in his chest as he felt another pointed stone poke painfully between his paw pads. His muzzle wrinkled ever slightly, even has some part of him knew how silly it was to be so angry at the literal ground. This annoyed him more and he skirted around a scraggly bush, ears low on his head as he made his way - with slowness - through the uncomfortable terrain.

This miserable, jagged terrain spared no one. The Tundrian, too, was also feeling the sharp, irritating poke of the stones. Why she had elected to circle up north, towards the coast, was long lost to her. She only knew now, that it had not been in her best judgment. Now, well within the heart of this inhospitable place, she turned back south.

The going was slow. No matter how carefully she stepped, somehow, a tiny stone managed to sneak it's way in between the thick webbing of her heavily insulated paws. Her slightly puffed hackles and pressed back ears signaled her thoughts on the situation. Respite came in the form of a patch bristly grass. Hobbling over towards it, she settled. With such a thin layer of protection against the stones beneath, it was hardly comfortable. But, it was good enough, whilst she picked away with her incisors to dislodge the culprit deep between her toes.

His head was lowered, his eyes cast downward to where his paws rose and fell. He did not see the patch of grass or the female who was taking refuge, however little there was, on top of it. He was much too focused on the task at hand, his mind going numb as he worked with much effort to ignore the painful pokes and stay at least somewhat sane.

It was broken when the thorny needle of a plant implanted itself in his left hindfoot. A hiss and a growl and Ratio raised it from the ground, his hackles rising and his eyes beginning to blaze. Lifting his head is how he saw her, still some distance away. His temper flared - what the fuck was she doing out here? He noticed, secondarily, the rough patch of grass she sat upon. He set out for it immediately, spitefully ignoring the sharp pokes of the rocks at his feet.

"Move." he snapped as he grew closer, not pausing for her comfort as he stepped easily into her space and onto the patch of grass, feeling immediate relief. At least he avoided stepping on her. He was limping and he sat down roughly to twist his body and snap at the thorn in his pad.

She was not one whose feathers were easily ruffled. Most of the time. As he approached, she didn't even bother to look up. The telltale slight flick of her ears said it all; she knew he was there. What she did not expect was for this total stranger to so brazenly move into her space, demanding she get out of the way.

The bump and shift of his bulk so close onto the meager, now shared patch of grass was enough to jostle her focus. Her teeth missed their mark, incidentally shoving the sharp pebble deeper into the folds of her skin. Harder to reach more than ever. She winced at the discomfort. Still, she did not budge. The Northern female rumbled, her only warning.

Where she failed to remove the stone from her pad at his jostle, Ratio took advantage of his own better vantage to successfully remove the thorn from his pad. He chewed quickly at the skin, scratching away the sharp pinch and replacing it with a duller ache. It was better but he'd still be feeling it for a while.

Her growl brought him out of his relief, his hackles rising. 

He shifted to look at her and settled stably on his hindquarters, eyes narrowing and a rumble starting in his own throat. She was a female, pretty if you were into that sort of thing - much more colorful than he was. He saw these things almost subconsciously as he felt his lips twitch. They were much too close. Ratio wasn't happy about it but he was also unwilling to move. He had been walking through this place what felt like forever and he wasn't giving up the little island of scratch-grass just because this female had a twist in her tail.

What was she even doing here? It was a poor place for some female to be passing through. "Why are you here?" He snapped, giving life to his thoughts.

She ignored him a moment longer. Combing deeply between her digits, using the tips of her teeth like tweezers to latch onto the offending pebble at last. With a firm tug, she pulled it free. After spitting it out, she licked the slightly sore skin in between her pads, pleased to find she was no worse for wear.

Oblivious to the males similar ordeal, when he shifted, still much too close, she lifted her head. Stubbornly, she refused to give way, but did swing round so her hind end was not at least touching his body. Her jade green eyes were sharp, but calm. The thin line of her lips promised a flash of teeth, were he to up his snappy attitude. "Getting out of this region, precisely." Her tail thwacked against the grass, firmly. "I could ask the same of you."

She was a prissy one. His eyes looked up over when she turned to face him. She really didn't look like she belonged out here...wherever they were. Ratio didn't know the region for shit, of course. Was he even going the right way to get out of this hell hole? He pushed it to the back of his mind.

He noticed her thin lips, the tightness of her eyes. He was in much less pain and was much more aware of the fact that she was just some woman. No need to bite her head off, not literally. He managed to avoid rolling his eyes at her, though barely. He was devoting enough willpower to relaxing his hackles which still stood bristling along his shoulders. 

When she spoke, she even sounded more prissy to his ears. 

"Getting out, yes. No one stays here." he growled as if that were incredibly obvious. Again, not that he knew the place well enough to be sure. As he calmed, he realized that she was passing through, which meant she must have somewhere to go. Allowing his bristling fur to abate, finally, he shifted a bit away from her and asked "Where are you going?" It sounded almost accusatory. Then, after a moment. "Where did you come from?"

Normally, Keyni was never so uptight. Never acted prissy. She was usually much more humble than this. But the season and the combination of the terrain had shifted her mood. Having had enough of sharing the small patch of grass with him, she would try her luck on the stone littered ground. She hailed from the far North after all, where conditions were equally as unforgiving.

"West. I have a promise to keep for a friend." She answered simply, not interested in sharing any more details than necessary. Now, if he changed his attitude, then that might be different. "I came from the Glacier in the east, after an extended stay." Carefully, she placed her paws on a few of the more rounded rocks, shaking out her furs.

The woman moved away and Ratio was pleased to have the patch of grass to himself. No one had ever accused him of being a gentleman. 

So, she was headed West but she had come from the East. Ratio swung his head around to stare in that direction, orienting himself. He was not a master scout but he had enough sense of direction to get him where he needed to go. Balto was better at it but...he didn't let that thought continue. 

A glacier. That wasn't what he had been hoping for. He frowned and turned back to her. "What is in the West?" he asked, not once considering how absolutely rude he was with his interrogation. He wouldn't have cared, anyway.

Before trying her luck further in navigating the rock littered ground, she took a seat. Not entirely facing him...more of a side view. Her dark tipped ears flicked back, receiving his question. "A former pack of mine. Friends. Allies." She craned her neck to fix her jade eyes on him, calmer this time. "But perhaps more importantly, plentiful prey." She gestured with her muzzle towards the east. "The great herds of the land were all but wiped out by an illness. Game is in short supply. So, if you want to stay well fed, I would not recommend sticking around."

She was very forthcoming with information, now. He listened without interruption, his crimson eyes less severe. So there was a reason to flee the East. This was extremely fortunate - not for the wolves who still lived there, no, but for the male who had received this information before wandering there to discover it for himself. He did not think to disbelieve the woman. 

There was become less and less of a reason to put off taking that red-eyed wolf up on his offer. 

He stood. "Then head West." he said, dismissively. He still intended to go, too, and they would be headed in the same direction but he did not want to travel with this woman. He turned and began to gingerly make his way along the rugged ground, again. He would make his way out of this place and then circle around. He didn't have the patience to stay in such antagonistic terrain.

"That is what I am doing." Came her reply. Her tone was calm and even. But also disinterested. No part of her wanted to stay in the company of such a...prickly fellow any longer than she had to. They would probably get on each others nerves. Keyni was already struggling just a teeny bit to keep it together.

Standing, she did not afford him so much as a backwards glance while picking her way through the minefield of rocks. She had nothing left to say for him, but not wish him ill. The meeting was not entirely wasted, if not somewhat abrasive. Putting him, and this place behind her, was for the best.