Svala cut across the north of a pack, plenty content to get away from the human relics that dotted the landscape of the plateau. However, the new terra she found herself in didn't seem all that welcoming. The forest was thick and dense, vines weaving in and out. It was dark. She cast one last look at a perfectly blue sky and a brilliant afternoon sun before slipping into the dark of the forest. "Is it just me or is it kind of creepy in here? Oh, and to answer your previous question the markings on the hide are like a map. Just trying to remember where interesting things are." Though she wasn't even sure where to begin sketching things in this strange forest so she left her map in her bag for now. However, she did pad over to a tree and scratched into it with her claws until she made a noticeable mark. In a forest this dense it was going to be easy to get lost.

Naiche found himself in a place he was more familiar with.  He had only been to this forest a few times and didn’t know the entire area all that well but he knew what they would find on entering.  “I’ve been in here a few times, it’s a bit gloomy and oppressive throughout a lot of it.”   Naiche imagined Asla’s little spot in the forest.  He didn’t know the way to it from entering at this location and he hoped they didn’t run into it.  It wasn’t that he couldn’t stomach the place as much as he didn’t feel like it was a place for visitors to spend time at, nor would they want to spend time at it.  She had a strange taste. “I see,” Naiche nodded glancing up at the sky, well he would have if the forest wasn’t blocking out the light. “I don’t use maps, just my nose, and the sky primarily.”   Naiche hadn’t considered ever forgetting how to get to somewhere, then again there was never anyone specific spot he would feel a need to rush back to.  If he knew where a forest or pack turf was then the minor details would work themselves out.  As long as he could find his way home he would be fine, and his nose would never lead him astray there. “Fought a lion in here once, no idea if he was an exception or if there are more in here.”  For all he gave her a warning of it Naiche didn’t seem overly concerned.  He didn’t smell any sign of the dangerous creatures he’d seen as of late, so if his nose said it was safe Naiche would go on that belief for the time being. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Svala nodded in agreement as Naiche spoke about it being gloomy. It really was. In most forests she'd explored the light usually reached down to the forest floor, but here there seemed to be a veil that filtered the light making it appear far dimmer than it ought to be. The air here also seemed to be more humid. She guessed that it was probably due to the foliage and not to a sudden shift in the weather but it was hard to tell.

They continued walking through the forest and when they reached another good tree Svala walked over to it and scratched another trail marker into the bark pausing when Naiche mentioned fighting a lion. "A lion! I certainly hope there aren't more in here. I'm afraid I'd be about useless in a fight." She'd never trained as a fighter and her small size wasn't going to do much against a lion. She might be able to best one when it came to speed but that was about where her strengths in fighting ended.

“I haven’t smelled one yet, nor seen any other signs so perhaps it was the only one that headed to this territory.” Naiche calmly offered for a bit of comfort.  It really was just a guess, it would take more trips to this area to cover all the ground and see what else might be more common in the way of large predators. “I wouldn’t expect it to be an ideal hunting grounds for them.” Most likely there would be no more lions here, good for Svala and at least this trip good for Naiche.  Another fight with one would be fun though with maybe two more wolves to help keep things even, or just some monster wolf like Sirius or one of his other large kids.  Asla was tough but the odds were just less in their favor in that match. “I haven’t seen a lot of signs of other large predators thus far in here really,” not counting wolves of course, wandering the forest he occasionally saw signs of wolves, big surprise.  This was a good spot though to imagine all sort of threats that might pop out.  Looking up at the canvas of tree’s and vines thoughtfully before moving on.  Naiche didn’t imagine many wolves loving this place, but it fit Asla well enough. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

The wind started to pick up, causing the trees to creak and sway in the wind. Dead leaves scattered and she shuddered at the sound even though she couldn't feel the wind at the ground level of the forest. It was still spooky. She was eager to get out of the forest and back into open lands again or at least a forest that was a bit more cheery. She didn't even hear many bird songs here, only the occasional squawk of a crow. She nodded at Naiche's words. "That makes sense. I haven't caught much for signs of prey." And where there was a lack of prey there were generally a lack of predators though it was hard to say for sure. As fall moved in and predators began to struggle to find food they were likely to move farther and into new areas in search of food. Thankfully, though, it was still summer. They ought to have enough time.

Finally they emerged on the other side of the forest and Svala let out a sigh. "I'm glad to be out of there. Thanks for traveling with me. I appreciate the company, especially in more concerning territories."

-end?-

Naiche nodded to Svala, “I have a pangolin who would likely enjoy the place.  I’m sure its filled with bigs, and other small animals that hide better in that sort of place.”  Then it had also had a lion.  Who knew what all hid in there?  Naiche imagined all the bones at Asla’s tree and wondered if most were from in the forest or did she carry them out there? “No problem,” Naiche said in response as they left the forest. “I enjoy roaming a bit and it was the right direction for going back to my pack lands anyway.” Naiche looked up at the sky, enjoying the breeze and open air that wasn’t so available in the forest.   Naiche split ways with her there, heading back to the armada. ~end~ Speech:"Live to fight" Think