Stepping from one season into another was definitely not something Remus could ever say he expected to experience. The gradual transition into fall seemingly had been thrown out in certain areas and one just areas was just beyond the current Ashen borders. While he was patrolling with Maverick he spotted the obvious path that seemed to wind through the now brightly orange and red trees and pass along the river bank. It didn’t take much convincing to get the white and navy brute to agree to come with him and then the two of them were off, strolling through this oddly perfect piece of autumn. The river’s surface was dotted with falling leaves, adding splashes of color to the quick moving water. “Pretty strange, huh?” he mused as he looked around, trying to find what might be causing all of this.

"Remus Armada"

Following Ashen's expansion into the Rio Grande territory, Maverick had been helping to lead a few roving patrols to their new land, keeping their scent markers fresh to establish dominion over the land. However, not long after their claim had been established, an early onset fall had spread over some of the lands seemingly overnight. That, coupled with the appearance of the peculiar familiars and strange shrines to deities he'd never seen before, Maverick was more than a little cautious and curious about the changes in the world. Patrols had ramped up, and while out on one with Remus, the two males encountered a path through the autumnal woods alongside the flowing river that was being tended to by some of those animal familiars. With a shrug of his shoulders and some encouraging from the Armada boy, Mav set off down the path with his companion. Teal eyes took in the strangeness of the autumn forest, the shifting colors of the leaves in the trees that ever so delicately fell from their branches with pirouettes in the air before coming to rest on the grass. "A bit, yeah," he agreed with a nod. "I mean, I've seen lands where fall does come early, but never quite like this. This is... super early for the leaves to be falling."

"Maverick"

Remus nodded in agreement as Maverick mentioned how he had seen lands where fall came early before, but not like this. "It's also so... contained. Sure, I've seen places have different climates at the same time, but not like this. It's almost like there's a cut off between this territory and the next now." As they walked he looked up through the trees, spotting a couple of various birds and rodents that he could have sworn were watching them. If the landscape wasn't so picturesque and beautiful he probably would have been more unsettled than he was. Instead he found himself starting to enjoy the slow drifting of the falling leaves, the crisp smell that autumn always brought, and the sound of the water rushing by partnered with the soft rustling of leaves. "You know, with all the traveling I've been doing in the last year or two I haven't really been in one place long enough to see a whole cycle of seasons from one perspective," he mentioned conversationally, starting to think back on what had gotten him up to this point. After a quiet pause, his ears flicked and he mused, "I wonder if it's like this wherever my brother's at right now."

"Remus Armada"

Maverick nodded assent to Remus' keen observation of the paranormal fall surrounding them. He had noticed how neatly organized the changing seasons seemed to be, as if made by design. "Yeah, it's really giving me some major whiplash..." he murmured, thinking about how strange it was to go from autumn to summer simply by crossing a threshold. A few dry leaves crunched beneath his paws while they walked the meticulously maintained dirt path that cut through the trees of the river lands. Overhead, he saw a few birds beginning to fly south, perhaps in preparation for the winter they thought was coming—only for him to see those same birds a few minutes later flying back north when they encountered summer to the south. Even the birds were as confused as the wolves were. Maverick smirked and chuckled to himself.

Remus began to make small talk with him, and Mav supposed he should get to know the young man a bit, especially since he seemed to have the hots for one of Venom's daughters, and given he and Venom likely weren't about to separate any time soon, and her children would essentially be his family then too. "I've been a traveler almost all my life too. Ashen is the first place I've ever laid down any real roots," he told Remus while they walked along the path. "Honestly? I don't miss it at all." Remus brought up a brother he had, and his words made him sound distant from the silver-furred wolf. Maverick pursed his lips, thinking of Gareth and wondering where he was and how he was doing too. He missed his brother dearly... his only friend in the world, excluding Venom. "I wonder if it's happening wherever my brother is too... Maybe it's just something happening in Boreas?"

"Maverick"

Remus smirked a little and glanced over at Maverick as he mentioned how he had also been a traveler before settling down in Ashen and how he didn't miss that lifestyle at all. "Neither do I." Considering the both of them had come to the pack because of the ladies they were now with it made sense why they were both so willing to give up their rambling ways, but being here and having a real home again did remind him of what he had been missing in the first place. Sure, traveling and exploring the world had its benefits and he had enjoyed it while it lasted, but having Ike and having somewhere comfortable to come back to at the end of every day was far better than any traveling he had done before.

As he thought of his brother and wondered how he was and what the world was like wherever he might be, Maverick mentioned his own brother with the same curiosity, making Remus glance toward him with a bit of surprise. The more he spent time with the Empress' mate the more he found similarities between the two of them. The realization made a little smirk tug at the corner of his lips as he wondered if it was something about Ike and her mother having similar taste in men. Regardless, he also wondered if this was something that was only happening here. "Well, Boreas and Auster at least," he mused, letting his ruby and emerald gaze move across the open path ahead of them again. "I guess we won't know... Well, unless one of our brothers randomly reappears, I suppose," he said with a chuckle.

"Remus Armada"

The pair of wolves were quickly reaching the opposite end of the territory, and up ahead, Maverick could see the woodland trail gradually fading into literal nothingness, as if its existence simply ended where the Rio Grande's borders did. It was bizarre, but given everything that he had seen so far, bizarreness seemed to be in vogue this season. So long as it remained benign, he was happy with that. Remus made a comment about how Auster had been affected by the paranormal pockets of autumn and strange stone statues as well and the prince consort gave a pensive hum. "I haven't made my way down to Auster since the start of this. Makes sense that it isn't isolated to us alone."

As they neared the end of the path, Maverick noticed a couple squirrel familiars tidying up some sticks and larger leaves from the path. They paused in their work to look up at the wolves as they reached the end, Mav giving them a little smile, then tapping something with his paw mid-stride. Glancing down, he spotted a large pinecone on the path. Well, might as well do his part to help. Lifting up the pinecone, he passed the woodland refuse to the closest familiar, which picked it up and moved it aside. Maverick gave the little critters a parting smile and nod, then finished crossing the threshold of the path, their walk now complete.

"Maverick"