Since the day that Hansel had passed, Bass had felt... numb. He was going to hold a celebration for his kids birthday, but now just leaving his den was a task enough. Today he went on his normal patrols, head down as he fought against the flurry of snow, but his heart wasn't in it. He hadn't even noticed that he had wandered away from Abaven's borders, heading to the still growing forest. He was aimless in his walking, golden eyes half lidded as he moved without purpose. Another life lost in Abaven, another wolf that he couldn't save; another friend gone. He knew that he should feel a bit better because at least he had passed of age over an accident, but it did little to ease the pain in his heart. With a heavy sigh he lifted his head, blinking in surprise when he saw that he wasn't on pack lands anymore. It took him a moment to find his orientation, looking around him with wide eyes. With everything covered in a blanket of white, it was that much harder to tell where he had ended up. Several moments passed before he started to feel familiar with his surroundings, a breath puffing out of his lungs and clouding before him. Redbud Nook, right. Should he head back and finish his laps around the territories? Glancing over his shoulders, he shook his head slowly. No, he couldn't do that. Not right now. It felt... heavier there now, like a weight on his heart. Right now he didn't want that again, and so he headed deeper into the forest. There was an awfully glum look on his face as he stood under one of the bare trees, the branches starting to get weighed down with snow. But he didn't care, he didn't have the strength to even bother going much further. Sinking to his rump, he curled his tail around him and glanced up at the gray sky, tiny flakes sticking to his brown marked face. Bass didn't even feel them as they melted into his skin, water dripping off his cheeks. Closing his eyes, he just sat there, slowly breathing in and out. The Primo knew that Hansel wouldn't want him to mope like this, but he couldn't help it. His mind kept racing through all the other wolves he had seen die, or had died within his ranks. Hajime, Chrono, and now Hansel. There were so many more that vanished without a trace, his own mate thrown into the mix. He couldn't catch a break, could he? He just wanted to live out the rest of his days with his pack and his kids, was that too hard to ask? "Talk" "You" Think

Deciding what to feel was a task Caelum found she was not up for today. Recent events had left her head absolutely spinning, emotions a mess, she just didn't know what to do anymore. She'd taken to walking, hoping returning to old habits for just a while might ease the tension that left her feeling on edge. It had helped for a while, though mostly just letting herself not think was what ultimately relaxed her. One thing was certain. Cae was tired and fed up with worrying all the time. There had to be better ways to deal with tough situations like these without becoming overwhelmed. She gritted her teeth and blinked her eyes, noticing they were tired and sore, likely from all the tears that had fallen these last few days. She was really a mess, wasn't she?

She hadn't even noticed how much snow there was until she came to a standstill, realizing that she had no clue where she was now. Wasn't that just like her... always running off places and accidentally going too far off. It was a pretty forested area, but how far was it from the lands she normally frequented? There was a quickening of her heartbeat and worry consumed her. Where was she? How would she get back? Why did let her troubles consumer her to the point where she became so unaware? For a moment she wanted to blame him for her mental state that lead to this predicament, but she'd soon dismiss the thought. Cae could only blame herself for this. Maybe that was the answer to some other nagging worries and feelings. She could only worry about what she'd done to lead herself up to this point and figure out what to change... Knowing this didn't really make her feel better though. Some things were so much easier said than done.

Soon she came to the top of a slight slope, finding that below her a little ways was another wolf, standing with a look she found intriguingly familiar. He seemed so downtrodden, in pain even. Ever the compassionate soul, with the added bonus of finding someone who seemed to be feeling similar to herself, Caelum approached slowly, carefully scaling her way down towards the stranger while trying not to slip on the frozen ground that lay beneath the snow. She'd greet the man warmly, a half-hearted smile tugging at her lips, "Hello there!" Her tail wagged gently behind her as she approached, glad to have found something she might converse with that she didn't already know. Caelum had had her fill of unexpected reunions for the time being.

Moving to take a seat near the wolf, letting her rump drop to the snow with a muffled thump, she took a second to assess her new-found companion of the moment. He smelled strongly of a pack. The way he carried himself, even in a seemingly troubled state, suggested he was of high rank. Perhaps he was an alpha? His coat was simple yet pleasing to the eye, and his height was greater than her own. What caught her interest most of all, though, was that look. It reminded her vaguely of how Zeph looked when he felt lost or confused, or when she saw her reflection and a pained expression was rippling over the waters surface. It took her almost no time at all to begin speaking again, "Sorry if I'm interrupting your alone time. My name's Caelum. I couldn't help but notice that you have the look of someone facing trying times, am I correct?" She didn't know why she was being so forward today, it was a bit unlike her to simply go u to someone and begin a conversation she wasn't sure they wanted to have. Apparently that wasn't going to stop her.

Bass was so drawn into his own thoughts that he didn't even hear the stranger approach, not until her words called out to him. His head snapped up, golden eyes wide in his startled state. It wasn't often that he let his guard down like that and let someone sneak up on him, but here they stood. A hint of a smile touched his lips, dipping his brown marked face in a way of greeting. Silently he cursed himself for not paying attention, at least this wolf seemed kind and didn't look like she bore him any ill will. There was hardly a time for him to gather his barrings before she was speaking again, apologizing for interrupting him, introducing herself and commenting on his face. He couldn't help but frown, she wasn't the first wolf to comment on his troubled look. Damn, he needed to work on closing himself off more. He had thought that he was alone though, and that he wouldn't have any company to entertain. What a foolish thing to think. These weren't his lands though, so he didn't have to be as prim and proper as an alpha needed to be on their own borders. "That's alright," he started, that hint of a smile on his face again. "I'm Bass Destruction, and I guess you could say that. You seem to be one who knows the look well," the man retorted, unsure of this Caelum's direction. He wasn't big on sharing his feelings with others, even more so with a complete stranger. Maybe he could change, goodness knew it would do him some good. But he would have to see, he had a hard enough time admitting his feelings to those he really cared for. Would it be harder or easier with a wolf he didn't know? It was an interesting thought. Still leaning against the tree, he gazed over at the black-faced female. Her markings reminded him of Vali for a moment, but there was a lot more black on her face than his friends. She was smaller than him, but size had never really been a factor for him. He had met wolves bigger and smaller than him, and fought both. Each size had their own factors, and he wasn't one to judge. A quick sniff told him that Caelum wasn't part of a pack, but because this wasn't Abaven he didn't have to talk about his pack. Well, for now. Who knows, she might ask after all. It was a conversation he had had so many times that he could do it in his sleep. After all, he wasn't quite sure what he was even looking for here. It could just be a friendly conversation, but Bass felt like he was almost rusty in these matters. He hardly left pack lands, and when he did it was usually with a task in mind. Today though he had just needed to get out, these woods acting like a barrier from his issues. Maybe he could just relax and be a normal wolf for once. "Talk" "You" Think

She felt a bit bad for startling him, the way his head popped to attention so suddenly it was clear that he'd been lost in thought. Likely would've been hard not to accidentally startle him so she decided to let it go, opting to appreciate this traces of a small smile she saw form on his lips which were soon mirrored in her own face. It was so easy for her to be effected by others sometimes...

At his frown when she mentioned his expression she quickly tried to amend, "Oh, don't worry, it's not always bad to have a readable expression! I find it charming in a way," She chuckled with a nervous smile, "I like it when others are honest, a face that doesn't lie suggests an honest heart in my mind." She hoped it wasn't too forward or rude to assume his upset at her reading of her expression once more. It was just so easy sometimes and she found herself commenting on what she saw without thinking. Hopefully the man wouldn't mind too much, but either way she could feel her cheeks growing warm with a bit of embarrassment at her fumbling attempts at this newly started conversation.

He introduced himself as Bass, a name that she found interesting and it seemed to suit him from what she could tell. Next he was confirming to some degree that he was indeed having some kind of trouble though she hardly expected him to volunteer his whole story and found her guess to be correct when he instead added a comment about her knowing the look. She had to laugh at that, a soft huff that sent a cloud of steam rising from her mouth in the chilly air. Sometimes she wished she could rise and disappear as the air she breathed out. Yes, she knew the look well indeed. A half-hearted smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth when she replied softly, "Ya' got me there. I know it very well indeed, I've seen it every time I take a drink for quite some time now." If only she didn't have to see herself in the water. There was a point not long after the attack when she was wandering alone and grew so sick of her own heartbroken face that she'd drink with eyes closed just to keep herself from witnessing her own pain more than she had to. Looking at the brown-marked male she had to admit she was a little curious what it was that plagued his mind and caused the aching in his heart. Perhaps she could help? Cae's blue eyes were full of interest as well as a gentle concern.

Knowing the man smelled of a pack, and the surrounding area did not she could only conclude he was wandering some distance from his home. This reminded Cae of herself so much she found it quite funny. Going for a walk till she couldn't go anymore or found herself interrupted had been something she did frequently when she first lost her loved ones that day, and even now it was such a habit she had a hard time doing anything else in response to stress or pain. Tilting her head she said, "You know, if you do too much walking all you end up with is sore paws. Trust me, I have experience in these areas. Sore paws, and the things bothering you follow you." She really needed to stop just letting her words go unfiltered... Normally she might begin by commenting on him being part of a pack, discussing it for a while, and somehow naturally arrive at this point after a while. Lately though she just didn't feel like going through the lengthy pleasantries and excessive politeness to arrive at what she actually wanted to talk about. It wasn't her normal way of doing things but she supposed it didn't bother her too much. If he took offense she'd gladly apologize of course, but otherwise speaking her mind as things came to it seemed to be the way she was going.