Who the hell can see forever?

Panting, Brandr collapsed in the shade of the canyon wall and eyed his swollen paw pads, red and sore from another long hike. How long had he been walking? It seemed like an eternity and the pup was starting to wonder if he'd ever find a place he could call home. Maybe he'd just be a handsome rogue! Yea, the kind that went around sweeping ladies off their feet…

gggrrRRROOAWWWWawwggurrrgle

Brandr flinched. Then again, being a rogue meant be hungry a lot of the time but he was slowly getting better at hunting. He just needed a bit more practice and soon he'd be taking down small prey at his leisure, probably rabbits and that sort of thing but maybe if he was lucky he could manage to corner a deer. He gazed up the canyon walls while wondering if there was anything to eat around here, honestly he kind of doubted it but rabbits seemed to be everywhere. Surely there were some scurrying about, using the nooks and crannies of the canyon wall for makeshift dens.

Speech

*Navigation, Bent Canyon

It was perhaps a bit further than he should be traveling without Phantom, but the spotted male had thought that he had caught onto the canine's scent. Before he knew it he was walking across the sandbar, trapped in a new section of this world that he didn't even know existed. The humidity was high here, each breath he took felt like he was choking on it. There was a great protest from his lungs, making him a lot slower than he would have liked to see. It took several days before he lost the lead, already too turned around to head back to the main land. He had yet to see another soul here, and the worry was starting to sink in. What if he couldn't get out of here and was stuck in these warmer lands? His asthma was sure to act up far more often here, he could already feel the familiar tightness in his chest. His breaths came out in a soft rattle, as hard as he tried to conceal it they still sounded out. Eniko slowed himself even further, taking baby steps as he reached the canyon walls. Odd shades of orange coated their surface, obvious waterlines darkening the stone. His yellow gaze eyed them carefully, wondering what kind of deposit could have coloured the rock like that. Trying to hum in wonder, he ended up choking on it and struggled to catch his breath. Sucking in air between his clenched teeth, his legs slid a bit further out than his shoulders and hips as his head hung low. He was so used to this pain that it didn't seem to phase him, but it was hard to not panic when the very simple task of breathing became difficult. Shutting his eyes to close out the world, he fell into his normal exercise of counting his heart beats. Each five counts he tried again to take in a deep breath, doing his best to keep himself calm. After a few moments the man pulled himself up again, his chin raising slightly as another cough tickled his throat. The worst of it was over, the next two breaths in were still shaky but at least he was getting some air in his starved lungs. Well then, that put a dent in his adventure didn't it? Shaking his head slightly, his half tail swung behind him as he brushed up against the swell of stone beside him. A ramp came into view that led down, and as he peeked over the ridge he saw his first look of another wolf. He looked young, hardly a year even. It alarmed the prince a touch, but his stoic face didn't show any of this. Where were his parents? A quick glance around told him that no one else was around, but the bends of the canyon made it harder to tell if there were others hiding among the crags. It was hard enough to pick out the boy among the orange and yellow rock, his coat nearly blend right in. He looked like a wolf of the desert, almost, and he wondered if the child knew his way back to the main land. Not wishing to call down and startle the boy on these high cliffs, he took a few sliding steps down the ramp. When he was a few feet away, he softly cleared his throat before breaking the silence between them. "Hello, young sir, are you familiar with these lands?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse from his earlier attack. Eniko's brown head tilted to the side slightly, a hint of a smile on his black lips. "I am Eniko, and I'm trying to find my way home." There was no doubt of his heritage from the manner in which he spoke, a very proper, smooth lick of the common tongue. It was hard to speak otherwise, it was simply how he was raised. "SPEAK"

Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr debated about getting to his feet to start hunting but decided to let them rest for just a little bit longer in the cool shade of the canyon wall. He was hungry but he could go a little longer before he needed to start scrounging for food. Scrounging, yea he was probably going to have to scavenge unless he could find something injured to take advantage of and what were the odds of that? His thoughts drifted to his mother and he sighed, hoping she was doing alright but at the same time… he just…. he couldn't believe they'd split up. Had he done something wrong?

Coughing alerted him to the presence of someone else and as he looked up his eyes caught sight of a strangely spotted male. What in the world. He was spotted like a fawn and his tail what was…. it was missing, well most of it was. His brow furrowed. Surely he wasn't some sort of deer/wolf hybrid that wasn't possible was it? He stayed still but it seemed the man had spotted him as he shifted down the ramp and spoke. Brandr held his tongue, uncertain what to say to the strange man. "Um… not really, no. I mean well, kinda. I've been exploring all day but I don't like, live here or anything." The man stated his name was Eniko and he was lost. Brandr's ears pricked up. Oh, he was lost?

"My name is Brandr, I could try to help you find home… maybe, I mean I haven't explored much but…" He shrugged. "Where are you trying to go to?"

Speech

There was a bit more of a hint on his lips as the boy eyed him with a raised brow. He wasn't used to wolves questioning him in his appearance and mannerisms, it was a normal thing back at home. None of his habits seemed to be the norm here, and he just had to get used to it. His features a fortress, he took a few more steps down to the lad, taking it slow to ensure that he didn't slip. Golden eyes glanced wayward at the fall, he would be lucky to survive the drop to the hard packed ground down below. He glanced back at him when he said that this wasn't his home, a mild look of disappointment crossing his gaze. It was too humid here for him, he knew that his lungs wouldn't hold up too well. He had been exploring though, so maybe he knew of somewhere with more shade than this? The canyon had little shelter from the harsh sun above him, his tongue slipping free as he panted. It was too-warm on his spotted back, he was thankful that he was not darkly coloured like his sisters were. He introduced himself as Brandr, something that made his ears perk. It sounded like a Norse name, a language that he actually dabbled a bit in. He didn't hear any touch of it in the boys voice, so he let his questions fall to the side as he dipped his head, half lifting a front leg in a bit of a bow. He was too nervous to fully dip himself over on this crevasse, placing his paw back down on the ground as quickly as he could afterwards. "That is a very nice offering, sir Brandr. I would appreciate your assistance, but I don't want to pull you away from anything," Eniko said slowly, licking at his dry lips. The familiar pang in his chest warned him that his lungs wouldn't hold up much longer, making the older wolf glance down behind the sand coloured one. "Is there a way down lower? I come from the other side of this continent, I felt the atmosphere change when I crossed over." It should have been his first warning sign to turn back, but he couldn't help but follow a scent that was close to Phantom. It had been too long since he had seen the dog, the fear stirring in his belly. Could Kaahi really have found them, a months journey away from the kingdom? Pushing aside these feelings, he focused attentively on Brandr, waiting to see what he thought on the matter. "SPEAK"

Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr carefully got to his feet, his head remaining tilted to the side as he stared up at the older man. He wanted to be of help though he very much doubted he could be of any use. Everything was just so new. Heck, he didn't even know where he was. Brandr gazed shyly at his paws as Eniko referred to him as 'sir'. That was something knights and men of valor were called and he certainly wasn't skilled enough to be referred to as a sir. "Just Brandr's fine, you don't have to call me sir."

Brandr shrugged. "I'm not really doing anything. I was just going to nap for a bit." His attempts at hunting had been pretty fruitless so he'd been planning to nap for awhile to conserve his energy til closer to dusk when perhaps the prey would be more cooperative. Brandr realized Eniko was having some trouble breathing. Was it the climb? "Oh! If it's hurting you you can stay there, I'll come up. One second!" In hindsight he supposed it was overly trusting of him but the man did seem genuinely distressed. Scrambling up the way he'd gotten down he approached the man. "Is here better? If we turn this corner here there's a little cave in the side of the wall, it's cooler there than on the path."

Speech

A faint smile touched his lips as the boy became bashful at his words, a soft chuckle whistling through his tight lungs. Even though he would just be a commoner back at home, Eniko still treated everyone with respect. He had to be a brave pup, after all he was here all by himself with no one around, at least that he could see. He shuffled on his paws slightly as he tried to push down his unsettled feeling. "You are a brave young man to be in these canyons by yourself. I think that makes you more than deserving of the title 'sir'. But if it makes you more comfortable, I will call you Brandr." He called softly. He wasn't going to make him feel uneasy with his choice of words, but old habits died hard of course. When the boy shrugged off his concerns he felt a bit better, but Eniko still hated his asthma and when it made him appear weak. He didn't want to come off like an old man, at three years old he was far from it. His smile grew as the younger boy ran towards him, clearly seeing that his lungs were failing him. He flinched slightly as he tried to draw in a deep breath but faltered, a cough rattling his chest. He tried to push it away, tried to act like it was all okay, but it wasn't. His face twisted into a rare showing of pain as he fought to fill his chest. He tried his best to keep a smile on his face, just practicing his counting until he was able to take in enough air. Eniko's ears perked up at the mention of a cooler cave, his head nodding eagerly. Pulling himself to his paws, he swallowed down a wheeze as he waited for Brandr to lead the way. If he would be able to calm down and catch his breath, then it would be a lot easier to him to make his way down the canyon. As much as he liked to explore, his body seemed to fight him on every turn. It was a struggle, but something that he had been dealing with since he was an infant. He had hoped that it would get easier with age, but he had just gotten better at ignoring it. "That would be lovely si-, Brandr. Thank you." Eniko managed to push out, his words forced out. "SPEAK"

Who the hell can see forever?

A swell of pride blossomed in Brandr's chest at the man's complements. Was he really brave? His father had told him so seasons ago but he'd always had a bit of trouble believing the words. Surely if he were truly brave things would've turned out quite differently. Concern spread across his face as the man flinched in pain. There wasn't much he could do except try to help the man to somewhere cooler. He had no knowledge of herbs or healing having been raised primarily as a hunter. Brandr swiftly moved closer, offering his side to the man should he need someone to lean against. "Go ahead and lean on me if you need, I don't mind." From there he'd walk alongside Eniko until they finally reached the coolness of the cave. Heck he probably could've carried the man but he wasn't sure how the other would feel about being slung across his back. "So where are you from?"

Speech

The younger boy scrambled up to him when his breathing became more difficult, his smile still there. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs, but it hardly showed on his face. Brandr leaned close to him, but he coughed and stood up tall. Eniko was too proud to take his help, this was already embarrassing enough. His father had always told him to never show anyone his weaknesses, but here they were. It was comforting to have him here though, that much he was thankful for. Taking cautious steps, he made his way down the canyon and towards the cave that the child had mentioned. When it came into view he perked up, his chest heaving as he pushed his paws to move faster. Almost gasping, he tumbled into the cool cave and felt the relief wash over him almost immediately. He heard the question that was tossed at him, but he was busy trying to pull air into his starving lungs. After several moments he turned towards the tan wolf, more of a smile on his lips now that he was feeling better. Now... for that dreaded question. Nearly every wolf he had met had asked him, and he wondered if it was a common thing here, or because of his different mannerisms. Eniko's ears flickered slightly as he sat down, facing Brandr again. "Originally, a long ways away from here. Now though... here and there. I'm not in one spot for too long." He started, turning his neck from one side of the other to try to shove off that uncomfortable feeling that always followed an attack. "What of you?" "SPEAK"

Who the hell can see forever?

Embarassment nipped at Brandr's cheeks but he did his best to keep it hidden. He wasn't sure why he had asked the question to a man who was struggling to breathe but it seemed Eniko was patient with him and he waited until they were down in the cave before answering. The answer was vague, really vague but Brandr decided that it was best not to press the stranger. "Same." He said in answer deciding there really wasn't all that much to tell. He could say he was from a canyon pack and that the place reminded him a bit of home but that was asking for trouble, drudging up things that were best left covered in dust.

"Are you hungry at all? I could get you something."

Speech