Keacious awoke with a start. His breathing was ragged and uneven. He remembered storm clouds and whispering, cackling voices. A shiver raced down his spine just as a flash of lightning lit the trees and ferns beyond the abandoned den he sheltered in. It was well dug out and dry; spacious enough for two adults and pups as well. He could not imagine why it had been abandoned, and decided not to dwell on it. The earth sang beneath his paws, humming in a low baritone, which he resolutely ignored. He peered out the entrance of the den. Wind ripper across the plains and thunder roared in the skies, seeming to crash in time with his pounding heart. The grass roiled like a raging sea. The clouds were the color of iron, dense and angry and hovering low above the ground. Far in the distance, struggling to be seen beneath the overhanging clouds, the sun shone on a distant horizon. Its warmth could not reach him, but its light had turned his world into a brilliant motley of gold and indigo. He had never seen a dusk he liked half as much. Emerging from his den, Kaecious greeted the trees. He had found a small knot of woods on the bank of a dead stream, the last straggling survivors of what may once have been a grove. Their fallen ancestors still lay scattered around them. Two proud oaks remained to guard the entrance, branches yet clawing high into the sky. He brushed his tail against the trunk of the smaller as an act of affection.  'Good morning,' Kaeci thought with a wry grin. At the base of the larger was a flat stone, fetched from the nearby riverbed and specially selected. It's surface was smooth and broad, and it had not been easy to transport. Atop it was a sprig of dried elderberry, which he'd been replacing every few days when the forest creatures had stolen too many of it's berries.  'Bright colors are easy to see, they ground spirits to a place', his father's voice echoed in his mind. It was faint and fading, but for now it was still his to treasure.  'Berries and flowers and bright stones are always a good addition to a shrine.' He would have to find more soon, but for now he simply sat and admired. Eventually he closed his eyes, simply waiting to hear whatever the spirits had to offer him that day. "Talk" "You" Think

*Navigation - Buffalo Knolls

It wasn’t often that the gray coated woman got to get away like this, not since she had promised to help out with Vyper. But now that it was spring, she needed to get away. It had been far too long since she had been able to roam free, but now here she was. The sun was starting to set at her back, the storm raging above her, but Jaelle didn’t even bother to slow down her pace. Goat the stoat, or Giet as he insisted his name was, was behind her somewhere, following the sound of her chiming bells. Without a care in the world she took off without warning, her paws pounding on the earth in time with the booming thunder above. A crack of lightening illuminated her monochrome pelt, her metal bells glittering in the sudden appearance of light. Tipping back her head she let out a wild howl, finally feeling free at last. When the storm slowed, so did the wolf, her tongue flopping out of her maw as she glanced around. In the dim light it was hard to see where she was at first, it was a new territory to her though. Her blue and brown eyes were narrowed slightly as she inspected the terrain, drinking in the sight of something that wasn’t snow. A soft breath left her, her mouth closing as her lungs caught up with her. Peeking behind her, the woman didn’t see the weasel whose coat was starting to turn brown. Snickering, she tossed her head forward and nuzzled her nose into her gray scarf. She had no idea what she was going to do with herself now, it would be dark soon and not the best time to explore. If the rain started, she didn’t want to turn into a drowned rat. Letting out a sigh, she paused only when she heard the huffing and puffing of her tube of fluff. Smirking, she flipped around and dropped into a play bow, flashing her teeth at Goat. "You’re so slow, you overgrown puff ball!" She called at him, her ears pointing forward. He had insisted that he would be leaving as soon as the snows cleared, but he was still sticking around. Growling at the wolf, Giet lowered his head to nip at her toes. He sneered when she picked up her leg, giving him a mouthful of metal instead as he bit down on one of the bangles. "If you slowed yur butt down I wouldn’t have’ta run so damn fast!" Jaelle just smiled at the weasel, placing an overly slobbery kiss on his little head. Leaving him sputtering, she turned around and started to walk along the dried up river bed. It was pretty narrow down there, she was surprised that the melting snow hadn’t filled it up. Perhaps it was long ago dried up, never to see water again. Tipping her nose down to sniff at it, she detected a hint of a stranger on the air. Lifting her head again, she looked towards her left to see a pair of piercing green eyes in the darkness. Seeing the wolf behind them made her pause for a moment, her bangles clattering down her raised limb as she stared for a moment. The pattern on his coat was the most intricate that she had seen in quite some time, capturing her full attention for the moment. He hadn’t noticed her, not just yet, but she was downwind and on the other side of the dried stream. It took a bite from Giet on her hind leg to snap her out of it, eliciting a soft growl from the woman. Glaring at the creature, she bunched her hind legs and jumped to the other bank, clambering up to the ridge to get closer to the strange male. It had been so long since she had seen anyone outside of the pack, there was no doubt that this male held her full attention at the moment. "Got anything interesting there?" She asked softly, noticing a sprig of some sort of berries on the stone in front of him. There was a soft smile on her lips, her tail swinging behind to to bring forth the chime of her bells. "SPEAK"

Kaeci had not anticipated the arrival of another. The sounds of movement in the brush had broken him out of this trance with a jolt of alarm, and his vivid eyes fell upon her just as she seemed to move into view. “Got anything interesting there?” she asked him. Kaeci blinked. Where on earth had she come from? He looked down at the space between his paws and fought to force words through his useless maw. His jaws opened and closed again and again, useless in the face of his alarm. “E-Elderberries,” he finally stuttered. “It's an alter.” He hoped that bit of information wouldn't inflame her. He had had his fair share of run ins with religious zealots, and while the memories were hazy he knew that oftentimes those with varying opinions would lash out for no reason other than that they disagreed. This fae had a friendly tone to her voice and he hope she was not like those others, but there was no way to be sure. He sat still and quiet and hoped. Around him the woods seemed to wait with baited breath. He imagined that he felt the plants leaning in and watching him, waiting for his next move. The pressure began to mount and he coughed, clearing his throat and buying time to actually think of something worth saying. “This place is very vibrant with life, no?” He queried, all while wincing at the somewhat awkward tone to his voice. Why could he not just be average? He envied the calm confidence of those he met. “Are you familiar with the area?” Oh Spirits, please just let this woman talk. He felt the skin beneath his fur began to heat with self-conscious embarrassment. While Kaecious did not particularly like to be alone, he found the presence of others to be a stressful addition to his days as opposed to a pleasant diversion. Each time he met another his mind would turn out and expel all manner of dour and discontent thoughts. He was not smart enough nor capable enough to contend with them, what with his broken mind. It was a useless pursuit to keep up, so all he could really hope for was to put on a convincing show, right? That's what he was hoping for, at least. "Talk" "You" Think

It wasn’t hard for the woman to see that this man was not used to conversations, his maw opening and shutting a few times before he was able to get something out. Jaelle was a patient woman, and his demeanor made her even more gentle. She was used to dealing with grumpy males with sticks up their butts, but he was softer in a matter, like a delicate thing meant to be handled with care. She was surprised how quickly she relaxed, her smile growing wider as he mentioned that it was an alter. Nodding her head softly, she sat and curled her tail around herself, bells dragging on the earth. Giet finally made it to her side, but even he seemed more calm than normal. Good, there was no snow to push his narrow body into if he misbehaved. Sending him a warning glance, as the creature did have quite the mouth on him, her eyes wandered back up to those stunning green eyes. "What is it an altar for? If you don’t mind me asking, that is." She wouldn’t force an answer out of him if he didn’t want to talk about it, and she felt as if she might have to be the one to direct conversation here. That wasn’t a problem, she was pretty talkative since she had grown into her own. Jae remembered a time when she was so shy and reserved, but when the rest of her troupe vanished she had to learn how to stick up for herself. For the longest time she had relied on them to keep her safe and protected, that being left to her own devices had been scary at first. She wasn’t bitter about it though, without that event she wouldn’t have grown into the woman that she thought she was always meant to be. She met so many wonderful wolves after it anyways, she wouldn’t have gotten to meet Xephyis or all the members in Myriad. Her backbone had fully come in, it just took a few more years than it did for others. Perhaps that’s why she was so empathetic towards the stranger, she knew what it was like to be in his paw steps. A bit of a silence spread between them, but Jaelle was not feeling the pressure that he was. A question was directed at her, her head canting to the side as she took another moment to glance around. The grasses were growing well after such a harsh winter, the bare trees rattling in the wind that buffed her splotched coat. Her bells rang out gently with each stronger breeze, adding to the soft soft on the wild. "It is, I can hardly imagine how it looks in the summer. I can’t wait until it warms up, myself. It’s a lot easier to explore that way!" Jaelle said with a soft, jingling laugh. She hummed when he asked about her familiarity with the area, righting her head as her gaze wandered back to his face. "Depends on what you mean by this area. This particular land I don’t know the name for, but I’ve been around this part of the continent before. I’m a bit of a navigator myself." She wasn’t bragging, just allowing the stranger a little glance into her life. Oh, wait, they hadn’t even exchanged names quite yet! Even though she was more experienced than she had once been in conversing, she still slipped a few times. It wasn’t often the first thing that she led with, making an entrance was kind of her thing. At least she hadn’t tripped after her jump, she pretty much had all left paws. Winding up on her rump or face wasn’t an unusual happening for her. "I’m Jaelle by the way, and this is Goat," she said, pointing her nose down at the weasel. "Goat the stoat, although he insists that it’s Giet." "Because it is, ya big fluff." He muttered, kicking at a discarded stone by his little paw. Chuckling, the wolf shrugged her shoulders as her grin turned into a toothy one. She was really starting to like this tube of fur, even if he was rather grumpy at times. "SPEAK"

The woman seemed to soften in the face of his inabilities. Even as he stuttered over his words she waited with patience and understanding that he was not accustomed too. It made him instantly suspicious, though he did his best to hide it. She asked about his alter, and Kaeci turned to give it a long stare. "It is an alter for the spirits that live here. I want them to know I'm here, and to wish them merriment." After all, spirits would only ever reciprocate what they were given. To wish them happiness and good fortune was to receive it. He reached out a paw, and gently nudged the sprig of elderberry so that it sat at a more attractive angle. He had known no law except the will of the spirits since being separated from his family. He remembered little except for their teachings. It's all I have, he wanted to tell her. Please understand. But Kaeci remained silent. It was hard to explain something no one else seemed to be able to see or feel. There was no point in bearing the depth of his fragility. He knew it was better if she did not know. Instead he attempted to press onto a distracting topic, something that would capture her interest and lead them in another direction entirely. She claimed to be a navigator and he latched onto it, quickly asking, "I'm looking for a land of high mountain peaks near a white sand beach, with marshes in the far east," he said, reciting all he could yet remember of his homeland. It was getting more and more difficult every time. "Do you know of anywhere like that?" Whispering voices cackled in his ears. He twitched them in an effort to brush them away but they would not go. Ignoring it would have to do. The woman called herself Jaelle, and introduced a small weasel creature names Goat... Giet? Something or other. Kaecious wasn't particularly concerned with the creatures name although he did bend down low to the ground to get a good look at him. "Fascinating," he said, but offered nothing else. Looking back at Jaelle he said, "My name is Kaecious Avenicci. I've strayed a bit far from home, I'm afriad." It was an understatement to say the least, but he hoped the stranger would ignore it entirely. It wasn't exactly a pleasant topic, and trying to recall what was slipping into the fog of his mind would only bring him stress and infirmity. Better to leave it alone, he swore to himself. "Talk" "You" Think

There was something so delicate and soft with this male that she almost felt as if she were dealing with a child. He seemed to be over a year, how far above she couldn't quite tell, but there was a certain... quality to him that made her feel this way. She had to remember that she probably had appeared like that when she had been more reserved. It was something else though, his soul seemed more gentle than most. So focused on her own thoughts, she missed his slight change of expression. Taking no note of it at all, she pushed on when he spoke about the alter being for the sprites who lived in the area. Curious, she glanced around, but didn't see anything lingering around them. She was familiar with the legend of the sprites, she had heard tales about them in her travels before. She herself had never seen one, but Jaelle had a rather open mind. If he was leaving offerings for them, then perhaps he had seen them before and just wanted them to be appeased. Nodding her head slowly, she took another peek around and even stopped to sniff at the air. Maybe they could find something else to offer them? "There might be some mint nearby, I can smell a bit of freshly grown stalks. Maybe we can add that to your offering?" Her head tilted to the side, Geit digging at the ground below him as he grew uncomfortable. Jae hoped that she wasn't insulting what he had now, or saying that it wasn't enough. He just wanted to help him out, maybe she could ask more about these sprites of his. Different wolves had different takes on them, so she had no doubt that this man saw them differently. She had seen offerings before, but not like this. Instantly the woman wanted to know more, but she held herself back from flooding him with questions. She watched as he moved the berries more towards the center of the alter, and an idea came to her mind. During the winter when she had been trapped in the avalache, one of her bells had lost its chime. It was damaged and no longer rang out, she didn't want to part with it but maybe it would be a good thing to give to his little creatures. Turning around, she nosed around the bells softly, bumping them to see which one no longer sang. Once found, she nipped it off the metal chain that kept it around her tail. With the care that one would use when holding a child's scruff, she rose up to place one paw on the flat stone, her other raised and tucked towards her chest. Bending her neck, she opened her maw as the bell clattered to the stone as if letting out its last song. A somber look overtook Jaelle, she was very fond of her bells and this was the first one to break like this. She had several on her tail, but only two on each bangle on her front legs. She would be very upset if one of those stopped working, and made a mental note to keep an eye out for any more. Peeking up at the stranger, she waited to see if this was acceptable. "Maybe they can fix it... it no longer sings like it's supposed to." She shook herself slightly when a question was directed at her, describing a land in great detail. Closing her eyes, she started to map out all the places that she had been. It sounded like the Fjord, but she couldn't be certain. You couldn't really see the ocean from up there, and the volcano wasn't near any beaches at all. Slowly reopening her eyes, she shook her head with a frown. "It sounds close to some lands around here, but nothing that perfectly matches your description. I'm very sorry..." Jaelle really did wish that she could help him more, there was a sense of loss in his voice that she knew very well. She missed her troupe, while not able to really call one place home it was the wolves that made it that for her. Geit looked up at the young wolf as he bent down to look at him, his browning fur puffing up as he got closer. He longed to bite down on his black nose, but a quick glance from Jaelle told him that he would be in a lot of trouble if he did so. Not wanting to get pushed into the mud or kicked somewhere, he just grumbled under his breath. He was far more than just 'fascinating', but he would take it for now. Her blue and brown eyes shifted off of the weasel and back to the boy as he spoke again, saying that his name was Kaecious Avenicci. She had a last name too, but she usually didn't tack it on to her first like a lot of the wolves here did. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry that I don't know anything about your home, but I can keep my eye out for a place like that as I wander. I could howl for you if I find something like it, if you wish." She really did wish that she could offer more assistance, but sadly that was all she had. "SPEAK"

The woman listened to his explanation of his activities with rapt attention. Kaecious wasn't used to this level of single-minded focus, seeing as his mind wandered farther and faster than a river in spring. She nodded before turning her snout to the air. "There might be some mint nearby," she proclaimed. Kaeci's ears perked and his eyes lit with curious interest of his own. "You don't say? Lead the way, then." But instead of taking off directly towards whatever she was sensing, she paused. The woman gave his alter a queer look before slowly leaning down and plucking off one of her... strange, jingly berries. She pondered whether or not his spirits would be able to cure it, as it had somehow lost the noise it's kin chortled out after her every motion. He liked the look of it on the stone, deeming it a worthy addition. Kaecious smiled at her, grateful for the thoughtful action. She told him that while the land he described sounded like something that could exist around here, she herself had no knowledge of such a place. Some of his excitement washed away, but the man refused to wilt entirely. "Thank you for the offer, but I range far and in many directions. Who knows when or if ever we might cross paths again." It was something of a dour statement, but he said it with a disaffected, casual tone. He saw no reason to tell her that he would likely not recall her even if they did someone bump into one another again. "Would you still like to go hunt down that mint?" He asked in a gentle voice, not wanting to press the issue in case she had changed her mind. "Talk" "You" Think

The damsel had gotten so focused on offering her bell that she forgot about their hunt for mint. Oh right! It would look nice, add more colours to the already growing offering. She had a hard time ripping her eyes away from her precious, broken bell. Perhaps his sprites would have more use of it than she did. With a sigh she leaned down to brush her nose across it one last time before completely pulling away. Mint, mint. It would probably be by the dried river bed, and she turned to the browning stoat. He was closer to the ground and could probably find it a lot faster than the two of them. She nodded for him to lead the way, following a few steps before turning back to Kaecious. "Shall we?" she asked. She did want to explore the area a bit anyways, her paws were itching to move already. Following the weasel, the female took the chance to glance around the area quickly. Aside from the dried river bed, the only thing she could really see was the rolling hills of the knolls. They were covered in short grasses that had already started to sprout across the gentle roll of the hills. It would be nice to climb up on top of the tallest one around to see everything around them. But their task right now was finding some more offerings. Sniffing at the air again, another smell crossed her nose completely. What the heck was that? Her head tilted to the side as she moved with practice ease, stilling her bells so that she made no sound at all. Turning around one of the knolls, a large herd of... something, showed up. She quickly expelled a breath, her eyes wide as she looked at the massive creatures. Giet was moving through them without a care, obvious intent on the mint they were looking for. Jaelle's legs felt stuck though, peeking over at her guest with her flabbergasted look. "What are those?" "SPEAK"

Kaecious watched the woman's quiet display with solemn curiosity. He felt like he was intruding on a moment, but lacked the courage to ask. Luckily for him, she stepped back from the bell and seemed content. She turned to her small friend and gestured for him to lead the way. Kaeci agreed it was wise, but turned his own nose into the oncoming breeze all the same. He was not terribly familiar with the area and he could not recall having seen anything of the sort, so perhaps it was best that she lead the way. They followed the weasel alongside a dry riverbed and rolling hills. They were consistent, but hardly obstacles. Occasionally he would trot up to the top of the nearest just to get a look around the area, but not much seemed to change. He fell deep in his thoughts, not saying much as they moved, and did not notice that Jaelle had pulled ahead of him. She stopped suddenly, and had she not let out a rush of air he might have run right into her. Even as it was he had to swerve hard to his right and stumbled as he came up short. Kaeci turned, hackles raised in alarm, to see what had caught her eye. The massive creatures inspired a sense of wonder in him. They were so large! He did not think he had ever seen something so big, but then again, he knew only deer and pigs and smaller things. Perhaps he had seem them once in his past but if so, all knowledge of them has vanished. "Great spirits," he murmured, and sat down with a thud. Those closest to the wolves looked up, though they did not seem to mind their arrival given the distance still between them. Farther along, the herd milled. Giet continued along his way as if nothing had changed, but Jaelle seemed as struck as Kaeci. "I have no idea," he replied in a weak voice, as if the wind had been taken from his lungs. "Do you suppose they'll come at us?" He did not like the idea of that at all. He couldn't imagine what something that large could do to his squishy little body. He watched as their sharp hooves tore up the earth in search for fresher feed, and gulped. "Talk" "You" Think