The giant redwoods Rayne found himself in company of left him slightly awe struck at the sight of them. Oh, he had encountered redwoods before but he wasn’t sure they had been this tall or wide. It made him feel as if he was a pup again, with his fleeting memories of running through large trees that dwarfed him and darting around them with his sisters. The thought of his sisters made his heart sag in sadness slightly as he paused by one of the trees, his rump slumping against the ground as he lent against it, deciding it was time for a break.

Even though it was so dark and he couldn’t really see the sky or see any light for all the branches and leaves, the large male knew it was roughly midday and that he’d been traveling since very early this morning. It’d be better to have a rest now, when he could feel tiredness just starting setting into his bones before it truly settled in. But even with the quiet darkness of the woods, it set off a sense of unease in him.  He was all alone after all, and while it had been some time since he encountered another soul, he didn’t know the new lands he had wandered into. The forest was seemingly never ending, so what if there were wolves or other things hidden within them that he just hadn’t crossed path with yet?  

Rayne certainly didn’t know how close or far he was from the forest’s edge so he had to take great caution. It could be so easy to get lost in this place, it felt like, especially if you didn’t know where you were going. And yet he could feel his eyes lids tempting him to just close them for a few moments, it wouldn’t hurt...

While at first hesitant to go too far from where his group had settled in while they decided where to go next, Caedmon eventually ventured forth towards the mass of redwoods that reached higher than he could see. When he entered the forest his jaw had fallen open at the size of the trunks. These trees were old, older than he could even imagine. And so he wandered through the forest, marveling at the red woods, and eyeing each smaller tree carefully just in case something decided it wanted to eat him as a meal. Surely if the trees were this large, there would be large creatures inhabiting it, too. The russet male had not travelled too far in the dimly lit forest when a large shape next to a redwood trunk caught his eyes. Squinting to try and see it better, he slowly walked forward, making sure to step on the moss while avoiding the leaves. He inhaled deeply, pausing when the scent of another wolf registered in his mind. Caedmon squared his legs, head lowering to protect his throat in the off chance the wolf was not friendly. But for now it seemed as if the other wolf was resting against the tree. "Hello?" He called out gruffly, ready to stand his ground if it came to that.

Blinking his eyes back open as a voice filtered past his ears - had he actually fallen asleep? It hadn’t felt like any time had passed by yet Rayne hadn't heard the other creep up on him. Then again, this forest was so quiet and the floor was covered in soft leaves and moss so it wouldn’t be too hard to sneak up on someone.

“Uh, afternoon?” Rayne tentatively greeted the other wolf, just as wary and perhaps allowing a little bit of his tiredness to escape into his voice as he stared back. Okay, maybe he had woken up earlier than planned, which was before the crack of dawn and continued to travel when his eyes refused to close again wasn't a good idea. Flicking his ears and yawning wildly as he rose up onto his feet, Rayne kept a relaxed posture as his head tilted towards the other, orange eyes almost studying the other. It looked like the other male thought Rayne might attack him, with his chin lowered to cover his throat. Which wasn’t a bad move, seeing a neither wolf knew what the other would do.

“These redwoods are huge aren’t they?” Rayne turned his head slightly towards a nearby tree, figuring to dispel the silence that had fallen between them and wanting to show he was no threat. Of course, he wasn’t wanting to expose his entire throat but showing only a little of his creamy throat, as if it was a small flag to show he was at least a benign threat for now.  Because truthfully, if this wolf had wanted violence, he’d had already done it when Rayne was half asleep and an easy target.

Caedmon curtly nodded, muzzle canting to the side at the other wolfs' greeting. He supposed it was the afternoon, not that he could tell from how dim it was on the forest floor. He watched with squinted eyes as the other wolf rose to his feet, taking note of his relaxed posture. When it seemed that the other male had no intention of harm the russet male lifted his head up and relaxed his muscles, allowing his posture to appear more friendly, though still not quite welcoming. They were still strangers after all. His eyes raked over the others' form, acknowledging that he was taller and much more heavily built than himself. Avoiding a fight was desirable, though it looked as if neither of them were looking for one. He hummed in agreement at the others' comment, taking a moment to glance at the trees once more, but his gaze quickly returned to the wolf. Caedmon let his tail sway gently from side to side in an attempt to quell any standoffish signals he was giving off. He found it a little difficult to trust others, the desire to keep his family safe stronger than any need to be friendly to others. But as it was just the two of them, he supposed he could be a little more friendly. "I'm Caedmon," he rumbled with a flick of his ears. "You live around here?" The russet male had not picked up any other wolf scents, but he wanted to know for sure if there were any other wolves he should be on the lookout for.

“Rayne Flint,” Offering up his own name, Rayne then shook his head in response to the question as he looked back at the other, Caedmon he learned. “No, I’m from lands elsewhere. I’m just wandering without much purpose at the moment I suppose?” It was true, while he had originally intended to find his sister, that had fallen to the wayside the longer and longer it took to find her. He still wished to make sure she was safe and sound but knew she would be fine, wherever she was. “It’d probably be a good idea to find a pack for myself to join soon or at least a few others to band together with. I can feel this winter’s going to be a doozy, I think.”  It definitely felt like the cold had come on rather quickly, as unfamiliar as he was to the land around him. Either that or he had found the one place where it struck the harshest.  

“And you? Are you with any others?” Rayne thought he smelled other wolves on Caedmon but he wanted to be sure and not assume either way. It also hopefully let him know if he was outnumbered and if he needed to take extra precautions with the other. Because as large as he is, two or more wolves to one would be a dangerous situation if things for some reason changed.  

Caedmon would remember that name in case they ever met again. It would take more than just the three of them to form a new pack, but finding new wolves to group up with was not very high on his list of tasks to accomplish. First they needed to find someplace that was actually habitable. He looked at Rayne with a vaguely curious expression, wondering why he was travelling alone. There was safety in numbers, did he have no reason to be worried about getting hurt and having no one to help him, or did he simply have no one around who cared enough to stick with him? Whatever the reason, Caedmon was not curious enough to ask, and so stayed silent as he observed the other male. "Winter arrived quickly," he said in agreement, which is why his group were determined to make their way south where the climate was hopefully warmer. Rayne would be smart to do the same. The russet male nodded at the others' question. "My brother and his mate." He glanced briefly over his shoulder at the direction he had come from, wondering if they were worried about where he was. "I do not advise heading that way," he said as he turned back to Rayne, nose wrinkling slightly as he thought about the cold that would await him upon his return. "Too much snow." Even if he was not the friendliest wolf, he would never lead another wolf astray on purpose, and offered up the tidbit of information just in case Rayne had been planning on travelling that way.

Catching the somewhat curious look thrown his way, Rayne smiled somewhat sheepishly. He knew it was odd of him to be traveling alone and not to have at least picked up a traveling companion or two along the way. But his luck just hadn’t been with him at all. The few wolves he had stumbled across in his travels either weren’t far from home or were only interested in traveling together for a short amount of time. There had been one small roaming band he’d run into but Rayne quickly realized why they were roaming around and not in a pack proper so he had quickly departed from them under the cover of night. But all Rayne did was smile and shrug. “I stupidly left my pack by myself, after my sister left so I guess my luck with traveling companions hasn’t been the best so far." Glancing the way that was being pointed out, Rayne shivered slightly. His fur was thick enough to keep him warm but even he couldn’t deny it was chilly even here, in these redwoods. So he believed Caedmon when he mentioned that there was too much snow. “I hadn’t picked which way I was going but I’ll make sure to keep that in mind, thank you.”   Truth be told, that was the most he had planned so far. It wasn’t the best plan he knew but the large male was tired and just wanted to hopefully find at least a little bit of warmth before winter truly set in.

Russet ears pricked with interest at Rayne's explanation for travelling alone, a soft hum leaving his throat. It seems the other wolf had left intentionally, whether to follow his sister or not. He was intrigued, to say the least. Seeing as Rayne was alone, that meant he had not caught up with said sister, or they had parted ways alone, but he was not going to query about that. It was too personal for two strangers. However, a wolf all alone who so far gave the impression of being close to their familial ties in some way, it got the voice in the back of his head thinking. At some point his group needed to recruit others, and if he ever crossed paths with Rayne again he would be a good candidate. Caedmon dipped his head at the other wolf's thanks, silently acknowledging it. He was only doing what he thought was right: no sense letting others travel towards the snowstorm his group was currently trying to get away from. "My group will be heading south soon, away from the snow and cold," he said in a low rumble. It was by no means an invitation for Rayne to join their group, he would need to confer with his brother and Eir before that was even a consideration, but merely some guidance just in case the other male did not have a good sense of direction. South meant getting away from the snow, and with the winter having suddenly come upon the land with its cold and frozen grip, there was no telling how bad it would get.

Dark ears flicked towards Caedmon when he mentioned he would rejoin his brother and sister in law and then they’d be going south, obviously heading towards warmer weather and lands. It wasn’t an open invite but Rayne understood the subtleness that ran underneath it. Perhaps that if they meet up again, there was a possibility to join with them if luck sided with him, at least for a time. And honestly, that brought a bit of relief to Rayne. He’d been traveling alone for long enough, even just the thought of running into familiar faces again made it a bit better.   “Then south I’ll head towards. As nice as the snow is, it’d be nice to be able to lay in the sun again and actually warm up without worry of being covered in it.” Which was true. As much as his coat did protect him and he did fine in the cold, Rayne always figured he was better suited for warmer climates purely on the basis he liked warm sunlit naps in the afternoon. Alas, it’d been some time since he’d allowed himself the luxury to do that. “And I hope the Stars above bless us with another meeting, because I’d like to meet this brother of yours and his mate as well.” The saying might come across as strange to Caedmon but it was something passed on from his parents, who had taught him that the stars were important. He couldn’t quite recall why at the current moment, that he just knew they were.

Caedmon responded with a curt nod, happy that his advice was being taken into account for Rayne's future plans. He could rest more at ease knowing he set another on a better path than they might have taken otherwise. "Yes, it's been too long since I had an opportunity to do that," he said with a small smile. It would be nice to relax on a slab of stone under the sun for a couple hours, for too long he had been on the move and was unable to stop and smell the roses, figuratively speaking. It would be good for his group to have some time to rest once they fully escape the wintery grasp they found themselves in, even if just for a little while. His head cocked to the side in a curious manner at the other male's chosen phrasing, but not curious to ask about it. He knew others had their traditions and such, his family definitely had plenty of their own. Hearing them was another thing, however, but it was a good reminder of the different histories each wolf had. "Maybe in due time you shall," he said in return, not willing to make any promises he could not keep. If all the pieces fell into place where Rayne joined them then that would be that, if not then the other wolf would just be a memory like others already were. "I do not wish to keep you from your slumber any longer, and I must be getting back to my family before they begin to worry." He turned to the side, giving Rayne one last look, hint of a smile on his face. "Good luck with your travels, Rayne," he said in farewell with a dip of his muzzle. Then, turning on his heels he set forth back to where his group had made camp, hoping it would not snow any more before he got back.

Rayne bowed his head in goodbye as Caedmon turned and went on his own way, back to his family. A small pang hit Rayne in the heart at the thought of his own family but pushed it down. They’d be fine, he was sure of it. “The same to you,” He called softly after the other, watching the russet form slowly fade away into the trees. Perhaps if they met again, Rayne would ask to join them as he’d forgotten how lonely things could get travelling well, alone. But for now, he just settled against the tree again and curled up. He’d better rest properly first before moving off again, as getting snuck up on again wasn’t an idea he liked.