Incendium had fallen apart, that much was clear. When he'd found his dead parents alongside his sister, he determined that he could no longer stay but it wasn't until some women came and started fighting over a wasteland that he decided then and there he was leaving. He told his siblings and even though he was hardly old enough to be out here on his own, he was doing it anyway. He would find somewhere else to go, a new place to call home.

He couldn't remember anything about these strange blue bugs or the blue glowing plants back at the ship, however. The nights were long, the winter was of course cold, and now to top it all off there was some weird blue stuff going on. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he hadn't seen anything particularly frightening yet that he needed to be worried. What was worrying him, however, was the growling in his stomach. He'd hardly had much hunting practice and so tracking in the snow was difficult and even more so when he had little to no idea what he was doing.

Wandering around, the cold night was weighing down on him and he would need to find something soon, either someone to help him hunt or a warm place to sleep for the night, maybe in a place where the blue glowing won't keep him up.

Theron kept his nose to the ground, snow sticking to the short fur of his muzzle as he sniffed around the tree trunks in search of prey. Prey that wasn't glowing blue to be more specific. He had never traveled this far north before, and while winter probably wasn't the best time to be exploring this side of boreas, he couldn't muster the energy to care. He was curious about what was here and he wasn't going to wait until the season's end to explore it. The strange blue whisps and the too-long nights hadn't dwindled any, and if his more irrational idea of the world ending were to be true, he didn't have time to wait either. He was going to explore every inch of this landmass whether his short coat or the end of the world wanted him to or not.

His nose caught the smell of something before his eyes noticed the trail in the snow before him. He hesitated, the unmistakable scent of a wolf causing a sense of uncertainty to rise from his core. He had done a pretty good job at avoiding other canines so far, he didn't want to deal with whatever they brought with them. Other animals were easy to interact with. You ate prey, you ran from predators. Simple as that. Wolves brought conversation, social structures, and complexity. All things he had no idea how to deal with. However, something kept him from turning the other direction this time. It had been far too long since he had talked to someone else. Perhaps if they were native here and friendly, they might be able to point him in the right direction for some prey. They might even have answers to what was going on, though that was less likely.

Against his better judgment, Theron followed the trail in the snow, not attempting to hide his approach. If things went south, he could always run. The rhythmic crunching of snow beneath his paws was soon joined by a similar sound father up ahead, a red and black shape contrasting the white landscape around them. They seemed awfully young to be alone, even from a distance their youth was obvious. "Hello? Are you lost?" he called out, taking steps closer until they were only a few yards apart. While the pup didn't seem dangerous, Theron wasn't going to take chances. He kept his head high in feigned confidence, his legs tense and ready to put more distance between them if necessary.

Finding a place to stay the night safely was difficult for the young pup. He wasn't the tallest, so the snow was hard to traverse for his shorter, stumpier legs. It was starting to get frustrating, and the eerie blue glow wasn't helping much with his growing anxiety about being out here alone. Maybe tonight wasn't such a good night to leave home, maybe it would have been smarter to wait until the eventual morning. Raure didn't know why he thought this was the better idea, but had to settle with his decision anyway and was now paying for it.

A voice called out from behind him, scaring the young boy that was doing his best to avoid any strangely glowing snow or plants that managed to erupt from said snow. Eyes the color of the fireflies turned to face the grown man, clearly surprised to see anyone else out here. He wasn't alone! Someone maybe that could help him, either find a place to stay, something to eat, or both if he was lucky!

"Yes!" He said, his tail beginning to wag happily. "What's happening? Is this glowing stuff normal?" He was young, so for all he knew, this was completely normal for winter.

He didn't know what to expect from the child, but it was relieving to see his tail start to wag behind him. Friendly, he labeled the boy in his head, and he was happy to see him apparently. The pup's question did cull the possibility that he knew anything about what was going on, in the same hole that Theron was in. "No, I don't think so. I've never heard of this happening." Being nomadic in his youth, surely he or his packmates should have seen something like this before if it was normal. Eclipses only happened every few years, so perhaps glowing plants were the same, but he doubted it. This was supernatural, he couldn't find any other reasoning.

"Nights normally get longer during the winter, but not this long. The moon hasn't waned any either when it should have long ago." The glowing plants and 'fireflies' were avoidable with caution, but the night sky was a constant reminder something was wrong. Navigation and time tracking was near impossible using the stars and moon now, which was concerning. He had gotten used to taking notes of landmarks to guide himself, but he would always prefer to use the sky when possible. Trees, rocks, and land could change. The sky didn't... until now anyway.

"I was hoping you might know something about it, but I don't think anyone does yet. I haven't come across anything dangerous yet as far as I know though. I've just been keeping my distance." He left out that he had 'eaten' a firefly during his initial research, trying to make himself seem like a credible source. It hadn't killed him, which left him curious if other glowing fauna were edible too or if they would disappear when he captured them as the whisp had. His empty belly felt compelled to try, but the fear of death by poison caused some hesitation.

Raure was disappointed to hear that this wasn't normal, but somehow also felt relieved. Disappointed because this was new and strange not only to him, but adults as well. Relieved because well, at least he wasn't alone in this strange world wondering why everything was suddenly glowing blue, the nights were suddenly longer, and why the moon was always full. It wasn't like this before, but he was reassured somewhat knowing that this adult also didn't know what was going on. Raure began to walk towards the man, caring not that he was a stranger and only that he seemed friendly enough to maybe offer him some kind of help. He wouldn't verbally admit that this was a bad idea, but he certainly wouldn't turn down a helping paw to a pup, right?

"I don't know what's happening. It was never like this before, the nights weren't scary before." Raure frowned. He usually wasn't scared of things, usually took him head on with little to no fear, but this was new and he was alone. Maybe he should have made his siblings come along with him. Then he wouldn't have been alone until now. At least he wasn't alone now. Maybe this man would help him. "Can you help me?" He frowned still, looking up to Theron with the saddest eyes he could manage.

He would be lying if he said this wasn't the opposite of what he was looking for. He had come in search of his own help and answers, but now he was expected to give it out. He didn't know where how to take care of a puppy! He could barely take care of himself already, but now the world was also being shifted on its head. Yet, as the boy pulled a literal puppy-face on him, looking so scared and alone, he knew he couldn't just leave them here. They could die from the elements or starvation, and from his own experience, hunger wasn't fun to deal with. The least he could do is help them out a little.

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly, "Are you alone? Do you need help getting back somewhere?" He supposed that was the first step, to see where the boy needed to be. Then he could get into the complicated bits on how and what he could feed the kid. Theron's childhood wasn't exactly normal, but he was pretty sure hunting practice would only have just begun for the lad, if at all. Assuming they were alone, there was a pretty good chance that they were just as hungry as he was. "I'm Theron by the way," he added quickly, completely forgetting to mention his own name. Only after it was out did he start to wonder if he should have given the boy a fake, but hastily pushed the paranoid thought away. They were just a child, giving them his name probably wasn't dangerous. Probably...

His gaze left the boy to start scanning through the trees, already looking for tracks or a place to hide from the weather. He hadn't smelled any other wolves on his way over, so either this kid was thoroughly lost or there weren't any wolves he could return to. However, if Theron remembered correctly, there was a hollow tree somewhere back the way he came, big enough for the kid to fit comfortably. That might work for shelter if they need it.

Raure

The air feels somehow thicker than before. You also find 2 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Theron

Something feels off. You also find 3 crystals. Maybe these are worth keeping…