The young man was on an adventure. He found something light in his heart, moving with purpose outside of the territory. He was humming softly to himself, his gaze shining.  Since the siege he was feeling... content with himself. He had done what he wanted to for his family and that was what mattered. Now all that was left was to carry on in life. He was kind of curious too. Starling and Finch both had companions of their bird namesakes... maybe he could find one too! It was a longshot, but hey, who could blame the boy for trying? So that was his mission today as he padded into the territory just outside of Abaven. Head was held high, gaze alert as he searched the trees in the area. The sound of water was heard, and he would glance in that general direction too. Sadly he saw no Shrikes. Blackbirds, Robins, even Finches and Starlings but no Shrikes! The boy would whine with disappointment. It wasn't fair! He wanted to be cool and have a bird companion too. He would come to a stop, looking around, before something else caught his attention. Movement of a snake. Was it one of the ones from Serpent Plains? If so it had traveled a good distance. The boy would tilt his head. What would it be like to have a snake as a companion, he wondered. Would it be fun? "Speech"

Table by:: Eldarwen

It brought feelings of nostalgia for the girl to come back here. She hadn't been home long, but she was young and felt the need to wander. She loved having her family around again and having her mother and father around was wonderful but she was still a young adult and she couldn't deny the itch to explore. Granted she'd already discovered most of the Eastern territory of Alacritia but that didn't matter. Instead she focused on the thoughts of adventure and the enjoyable need to sate her curiosity. Still she couldn't help but noticed her lack of company as she trudged through the mountain range again. Winter had begin to settle in and her fur had thickened somewhat in the attempt to keep her warmer. Her fur was still sparse but so long as she kept moving she felt okay. Instead of fretting about the cold she felt the irritation of still not having anyone to join her for this adventure. She could have asked one of her siblings but after not seeing them for so long it felt awkward and she wasn't quite ready to work out her social issues with her family. She wanted someone new. Someone she'd never even met before. Her lack of friends frustrated her and it was possibly one of the fueling factors to her need to travel farther from home. At least this time she knew how to get home. She wasn't quite sure where she was but it didn't bother her. The new terrain was refreshing to her and she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as her tail waved softly behind her. Ever since she'd left the battlefield she hadn't felt the need to return home yet and she was at least grateful this place didn't smell of blood. She stopped dead in her tracks as the scent of something different invaded her nostrils. She raised her head higher and took in a long breath and closed her eyes. She could smell another wolf! Her tail waved faster now as she took off at a lope. She didn't pause her stride until she found the source of the scent. It was a slightly younger wolf, from the scent, but how much of a difference was unknown. She didn't care about the difference in seasons though. This was the first wolf, other than her siblings, that she'd come across that was actually really close to her age. It was beyond exciting and it didn't occur to her that he could easily be a wolf with ill intentions. She was naive in that aspect but she didn't care. She'd just been about to greet him when she noticed the slithering thing in his path and she immediately recognized it as a snake. Dual colored eyes widened in surprise as she bounded over to him pausing a few yards away. "I would get away from it if I were you!" She said hurriedly. "It could be poisonous and snakes can be rather mean if they feel threatened. I'd hate it if you got bit." She mostly hated the idea that she'd be absolutely useless if he got bitten. She wasn't like her mother. She wasn't good with herbs and she hadn't had to really learn in her time away. She knew how to stop bleeding but she'd never learned how to treat snake bites. She'd learned to avoid the serpents in her travels. Had he not been taught to as well? Walk, "Talk" Think

Shrike would lift his gaze as he heard a female voice. Hmm? That didn’t sound like a member of Abaven. He’d change his attention towards this female, definitely a stranger. She had bicolored eyes of blue and gold, much like Felicien did. He’d breathe in slowly, wondering how to address her. Finally he decided just to speak. So long as he wasn’t rude it shouldn’t be a problem, right? “I wouldn’t worry about me, miss. I live in the plains where this little fella must have came from. I know how to handle myself around ‘em~” Of course his brother Starling had once warned the very same thing. If he had gotten bit then it would have been Star who took care of him... But out here... He’d shake the thought away, taking a few steps away from the snake for good measure. Shrike would turn his attention wholy to the female now. He’d beam at her, his tail wagging gently back and forth. “Where might you hail from? I’ve not seen you about before.” "Speech"

Table by:: Eldarwen