For a winter evening, it was unusually humid; the entire dark sky above was holding its breath and waiting to unleash a gust of slurry and cold rain. Siobhan almost felt like she should be holding her own breath as she picked her way carefully through the thorns. The thorns and branches were brittle with cold. As she walked, no matter how she tried to avoid the prickers, they snagged and broke off in her fur. They were so tightly wound that she doubted she'd be able to loosen them herself. Praying she didn't mat her fur beyond repair, Sio slunk lower to her belly to try and navigate through a particularly narrow pass. Why had she come here, anyway? She'd been looking for adventure after the long, long winter - but maybe this was a bit too adventurous.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn was headed south to Auster once more to escape the incoming cold of winter. However, a slight miscalculation landed her in a not very nice terrain. The Gambit's briar was an incredibly thick patch of thorns and brambles. She was hunkered down where she was, eyes peering forward for a way through. The late morning sun beamed down and she could see several beams of deep golden light filtering through the brambles here and there. Thick green vines streaked with white and covered with pale curved hooks streaked here, there and overhead. Her own red blood dribbled down the nearest one where she had tried to get through and misstepped.

Jynn licked at the wound on her front right leg. She gathered that she was maybe half way through so it seemed silly to turn back now. Sheltered beneath and amongst the vast thorns and vines were other plants, small shrubs and a few trees. Tired and sore she opted to curl up in the small clearing she'd found and take a rest.

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Jynn woke some time later in the evening, surprised she'd managed to sleep that long. The bright light of the sun was gone, making the briar appear incredibly dark. Peering through a clear spot she could see a darkening sky and rolling gray clouds that suggested rain. Ah, crap. Jynn's ears flicked back at the sound of movement. "Hello, is someone there?"

The branches were so brittle that no matter how carefully she wriggled, pieces broke off and ensnared themselves fully in her fur. Siobhan cursed quietly and then a little louder when she heard a voice. There was someone else stuck in this cursed place? "Ummm... that depends," she croaked in response, her voice hoarse from disuse. She'd been isolated the past few months with no one to talk to. Getting to know strangers had never been her strong suit anyway. "On if you're going to eat me or not," Siobhan finished lamely. Another thorn skated by her head, catching on her ear and nicking it. She yelped, more in surprise than pain. This place was terrible, just terrible. Sio could barely make out anything between the densely packed thorns - plus, she was afraid she'd poke an eye out if she started swinging her head around looking for the source of the voice.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn tensed, wary as to what else was in here with her. She heard a female voice in reply in hoarse tones. The owner of the voice was concerned that Jynn was going to eat her. She blinked rapidly in surprise. "Wh-what? No, I won't eat you. Unless your a big, fat rat but you sound much larger than that. Hang on, I'll try and make my way over." Jynn moved slowly and carefully. Her thin, long legs made it a bit easier to move through the thorns but she still had to be careful, she had the wounds to prove it. Ahead in the thick of the thorns she spied a gray-pelted woman. "Helloooo. Think we're close to getting out of here?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not a rat!" Sio sputtered, her ears saddling in disappointment. She sure felt ugly and small like one, though. Especially trapped in all these thorns. A rat snared in a very, very clever trap - or maybe she just wasn't a clever rat. Some kind of lithe, orange shape moved through the treacherous thorns towards her. "Hello! Here I am, not a rat! I think!" she said, sounding exactly as pathetic and helpless as she sounded. "I'm Siobhan," she added. Teamwork would be a bit easier if they could at least get on a first name basis. "And I'm not sure... I thought I'd only wandered in a short ways, but now it feels impossible to get out. I must have gotten turned around at some point."

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn grinned and nodded. "Nope, not a rat at all! Just a cute gray wolf! Ow!" Jynn winced as she snagged her back right thigh on a clump of brambles. She tipped her head upside down to assess the situation for a moment before she carefully placed her paw back down on the ground. "Name's Jynn. Nice to meet you." Jynn took a few more careful steps forward, using her long legs to slip through the brambles. "Yea, I'm in the same boat unfortunately. Wish I had something to cut the brambles with." How many times had she wished for a pack of some sort? She needed to make this happen. Granted it would be just another thing that could get caught on brambles but at least she could carry supplies with her. "I think if we head to the left here we should be closer to the edge."

"C-cute?" she sputtered, a hot blush creeping up her face. Siobhan had been on her own so long it felt strange to have another wolf acknowledge her at all, much less with a compliment. She winced as Jynn caught her thigh on the thorns. This place was a cursed mess and certainly good for nothing but trouble. It was hard to imagine how any creature carved out a life here - except, well, maybe rats. Without further comment, she fell into step behind Jynn and let the more adaptable woman take the lead. "Cutting them out might be even messier. Imagine if a thorn snagged on your lips holding the blade?" Siobhan gave an exaggerated shudder. She hunted for as much as she needed to survive, but she sure hated violence. And blood. And discomfort. "Alright, I'm fine with playing follow the leader." Heeding Jynn's directions, Siobhan weaved her way through the thorns. They seemed to grow sparser and sparser until they finally petered out and opened up back into the world. Just as she sent her paw on thorn-free ground, the angry gray sky above opened up in a fit of sleet. "Guh! Okay, nice meeting you, I'm shooting for c-cover!" She sputtered, making a beeline out of there.