Porcupine Ridge waited too long for a ship to come.

Summer's recent altercation with Jace had left a bitter taste in his mouth and the heavy weight of guilt and distress upon his conscience. He did not take back his words, for he fully believed Jace had needed to hear every one of them even if he hadn't wanted to. But he still felt terrible for how it had affected the man, how it had hurt him. That he hadn't wanted to do, but if it meant getting the beta back on track, then he was glad to do it in spite of the painful sting.

With such thoughts upon his mind and Ty still as distant and melancholy as ever, Summer decided finally that it was time for him to do what he'd told Ame he would and make the journey to the Plateau. He had stalled for some time now, not wanting to leave his friend in such a delicate state when his was the only company she seemed to accept. But time had not helped to heal her hurting heart, and Summer was growing desperate. The Ostrega had an endless amount of patience and affection for the girl to take as much time as she needed to recover, but now he was beginning to feel like he wasn't doing enough and that his patience was doing more harm than good.

So, he'd left. Two nights ago when the moon was shrouded overhead and his black fur was masked by the darkness of night with a low howl out over the Spire to let them know he was going and that he'd be back. He had kept the details of his intentions vague, not wanting Ty to be aware of what he was doing for fear that it would upset her. Amekaze knew, though, and that was enough for him since she was the only leader now.

Two nights of travel had brought the dark Ostrega to rest between the rocky outcroppings of Porcupine Ridge at the far North end of Northstar Vale. He was determined to travel only at night, not wishing to run into anything that might delay him. He also knew that cougars traveled at night, and although he knew to run into one on his own would be dangerous, he still desired to locate the one who had injured Vienna or even one of those that had killed Ferdie. As he settled down beneath a small overhang upon the cliffs however, it was after another uneventful trip. He supposed that such was for the best, and yet as he closed his eyes to rest, he couldn't help but wish that he had some sort of outlet for the bundle of emotions that tightened in his chest.

Audrey III was not meant for mountains. He was much too fat, and the strain of pulling his nearly 200lb weight was a lot even for a strong guy like him. But he was hungry. And he saw a delicious looking goat heading up this mountain. Little did he know that goats that lived on mountains were much better at climbing than one might think. The goat evaded him easily, but his stomach kept growling at him to go after it.

Eventually the overweight man gave up and draped himself over a ledge. "Feh! Probably full of bupkes anyway. Look at me, schlepping around for a load of goat shit." He chuckled, catching his breath. His vibrant green eyes scanned the area lazily, until he spotted another wolf resting on an overhang nearby. "Hey there~!" He practically sang the words, calling out loud to get the wolf's attention.

Summer had just begin to drift off when he heard what sounded like someone calling to him. He took a few seconds to blink the weariness from his sunny his eyes before turning his head to set his gaze upon the largest--no, widest wolf he had ever seen. The boy chanted his head slightly as he gazed upon the man, wonder upon his expression for few seconds before he remembered himself and forced a casual look to replace it.

"Good morning, stranger," the yearling replied kindly, "Can I help you with something? Even as Summer said it, he regretted it. He was exhausted from his journey and the last thing he wanted to do was be distracted from his rest. Silently, he hoped against hope that he'd be called upon to give directions at most.

He was glad that there were actually friendly folks out in the wild. Actually, they were much nicer than those back in the streets of Skid Row, something that contradicted everything he was taught about the wilds. Huh. "Do ya know where a man like me can get something to eat? I'll make it worth your while, unless you just want to be a good Samaritan." The overweight fighter began his descent down the mountain slope towards the little black wolf on the edge.

Of course he wanted food. The thought came into Summer's head unbidden, and immediately he told himself it was an assumption based on the fact that they were wolves and always seemed to be hunting, not a harsh judgement based on the stranger's immense girth. A small frown twisted across the young wolf's muzzle. He was exhausted from his travels and had no desire whatsoever to feed anyone but members of his pack. And from his hasty judgements, this wolf would not benefit the Sunspire at all as a member, so he had even less of a reason to do anything for the man.

"Hunting in the Vale is usually a worthwhile endeavor," Summer offered reluctantly, the Vale being his second favorite hunting grounds next to the Sunspire itself, "There are also streams and small lakes within it where you could fish for something. The frogs have probably taken to hibernating along the shores if you have a mind to dig." He lifted himself from the ground and stood to face the man as he approached. He still had no intention of hunting for the massive wolf, but he was not comfortable lying down with the stranger so near.

He tilted his head in a manner - which had gotten him lots of coos from the women accompanying his former master - that suggested confusion. The Vale? Was it a place he needed to know about around here? "Where'n da hell is the Vale anyway?" The baritone-voiced wolf-dog asked, green eyes narrowing. "I'm not exactly a local, y'know. Be a bit more specific." He hoped it was close, and wasn't at a higher elevation than they already were. He was exhausted, and his body needed rest more than food at his point. Audrey III promised to himself silently to never come to the mountains again, for it would be the death of him.

The guy didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Summer saw the tilt of his head, but kept on with his explanation anyway. Once he'd stopped, the man gave voice to his confusion, irritating the boy even more although he knew it was not the round wolf's fault that he didn't know the area.

"It's very close," he explained, biting back his exasperation, "To the South, down the mountain." He paused, hoping beyond hope that perhaps they'd reached the end of their conversation. He wasn't typically so anti-social, but he was so very tired and he couldn't help but worry that this stranger was on the verge of guilting him into escorting him to Northstar Vale, or hunting for him. Perhaps both. It was an inherently wrong judgement to make, but the Ostrega couldn't help but make it.