(Thoughts Speech)

Quinn stepped into the forest in front of him, looking up at the towering trees that made him feel like a shrew hiding in the ground, hoping not to get scooped up by some giant bird flying down from the canopy above. He turned his attention back to the ground in front of him, snow covered and cold. His eyes flicked back and forth as he saw the tiny paw prints of different creatures cris-crossing in front of him. He smiled a bit as he took in the grandeur of the situation, he was here, and hopefully, so were his family.

He let out a nice loud howl: "Kearney! Come to me!" He called, listening to the echo through the forest around him as it reverberated in an almost ghostly manner. He sat down on his haunches and looked around again, keeping watch for his brother and mate to come out of the greenery. He breathed in deeply, and lay down, to go to sleep. Maybe he could get a little rest here, under these trees, in this land.

Caedmon had been exploring the woods, wanting to find a nice easy path through towards the east as that had been their initial plan of action. It was easy to get lost within the expansive forest, the towering redwoods and dim light level not making it any easier to navigate. If only Eirnan had accompanied him, then he might not have lost track of the time. His ears pricked at Quinn's call, turning on his heels to lumber towards where his brother had called from. It did not take him very long to reach his brother, he had been expecting to find him beyond the redwoods but that was not the case. He let out a huff to announce his presence to the seemingly sleeping Kearney, a small smile on his face. Caedmon could fee, tiredness in his body and mind as well, but he would wait until they found a secure location before allowing himself to rest. His paws took him forward to his brother's body and he reached down to gently nuzzle at Quinn's cheek, a soft but rumbling whine leaving his maw in greeting.

navigate the broken world

Eirnan had never thought she would be so happy to see trees ever again. She had missed them after the decrepit and frozen tundra they had previously been in. One near death experience was more than enough for her. She had not been fond of her love nearly falling through the ice. In fact, it was on the list of things she would prefer not to repeat. This forest was not quite as large and expansive as the one where she had met Kiela, but it was good in it’s own right. She heard her mate’s call carry through the air and her ears perked, breaking for a run in that direction. It appeared she was the last to arrive, her icy blue orbs flashing between the brothers before she nuzzled her mate’s neck softly in an affectionate manner and settled down, a silent question never leaving her features as to why they were all called together.

"Eirnan"

(Thoughts Speech)

Quinn started awake to the sounds of his brother's voice in his ears, groaning gently to pull him from his slumber. "Hello brother." The tawny man spoke as he stretched out and began to rise to his feet, the light dusting of snow under his paws crunching as he steadied himself. The air hit his side as he rose and filled him with a crisp, chilled feeling that could only be described as fresh in the man's mind. Coupled with the strong scent of the evergreen redwoods, it was sharp and cleansing to the mind in a way he hadn't noticed before, and he took a second to drink it in as he nuzzled his brother in a more meaningful greeting. The other Kearney was with him again, and he was happy to see his face after the days they'd spent apart.

He turned to his side as he saw his love breaking through the underbrush at full gallop, coming to a halt just a jump's distance from them. She nuzzled his neck, and he gleefully returned the favor, drinking in her scent as well to comfort himself. He smiled and licked her ear playfully before stepping back and looking at the two. He wanted to give them a chance to speak before he did, in case they had any concerns.

When no-one spoke, he took that job for himself.

"It's good to see you two again." He sat down and motioned for them to do the same, since he felt is best to spend a fair bit of time talking about the things they'd found. He ears twitched and his nose shook a little as he focused his senses around him once to make sure no one was listening. "So, I'm hoping that we all found somewhere that we felt could be a good candidate for a home." He felt his claws dig into the ground as he grew excited to share his news about the gorge he'd found. "I found a place that, while noisy, is perfect for growing herbs, and is very well protected from the dangers of other packs. Sheer walls guard it from the north-east and south-west. A stream runs through it and it seemed to be fairly well populated with prey when I was there, you'd just have to get used to the noise." He grinned a bit, doubtful that they would take the option of a place that would leave their ears hurting, but it could never hurt to point it out, just in case.

Eirnan was swift to arrive after him, and he stepped back from her and his brother as they greeted each other, allowing them space to show their affections for each other. When she sat down, looking at Quinn expectantly, Caedmon also turned his gaze to him, ears pricked in curiosity. He could only assume they had been regrouped to divulge what they had found from their respective explorations. He smiled in response to Quinn's comment, also happy to be among their presence once more. Practically feeling the excitement coming off his brother in waves, he stayed silent as the other Kearney spoke, waiting for him to finish before offering up his own thoughts. "The winters up here will likely still be quite harsh," he commented with a thoughtful expression, still liking the idea of travelling further south before deciding on a place to stay. While they had finally reached somewhere not covered in snow, he could still feel the sting of the cold through his fur. He also was not very fond of this noise Quinn described the place to have, but he would wait to see what Eirnan thought about it first. "I did not find much myself. The forest becomes snow more to the north, but it seems as if the trees continue southward," he said. "I also came upon another wolf east of here who seemed quite friendly." Rayne was also heading south, and he wondered if they would run across each other again.

(Thoughts Speech)

The man looked around himself a he heard his brother speak first, trying his best to contain his excitement at the idea of finally settling down, until he heard his brother speak of the winter. He knew then that he would likely have some issues trying to convince him to settle in one particular place yet. He listened further to Caed's voice streaming out his new understanding of the terrain around them. Information about this new wolf cought his attention in particular.

"I also met a new wolf, named Nox." He spoke, recalling the interesting encounter with a bit of a shudder at how strange the woman was all in all. He looked back at his memory of the stark black woman, her voice and mannerisms seemed so foreign to him. He shuddered a bit and looked at his brother. "I suppose we should take a closer look at the surrounding territories before we make a decision, so south then?" He spoke, his tail twitching as he looked to his side at his mate, before looking back to his brother and hoping for an answer.