His lean gray-white frame wandered past the lake and climbed higher, onto a mountain of cliff-sides. The snow had subsided and the world had become a spring wonderland. His green eyes squinted and he peered over the cliff. Floating from one place to the next... He had no goals, no hopes, no dreams. Just being. It was good and bad; a little sad.

What was love? Would he ever love? He wondered now if anyone could stop his heart. If there was anyone that could bring him to tears, anyone he could lay his life down for. He wasn't sure. His life was a lonely one and so he continued on, being.

His mother was at least 5 days gone, and still there had been no sight of her. Jed wasn't quite sure what he had expected. That the rockfall which had separated them would vanish unnoticed, and they'd be reunited again, to bask in the awkward company? That he'd find her dead body crushed beneath the mountain? That she'd be looking for him too? He didn't need her– stubbornly told himself that he didn't need her nor any company for pleasure, but it was just... wrong. He could do anything now, wander off past the mountain range, stay out long after dark to look at the stars, talk to anyone he liked. Nothing to enforce the rules he lived by, nothing to really do. At all. And so he'd kept to routine, hunting, gathering, sleeping. Hunting, gathering sleeping. And it was nice and it was pleasant, but Allure still hadn't turned up, and Jed was getting reading to search farther, search wider, not out of any urgency, but because it was a possibility, and if he could stick to his routine and see more of the world, why not?

Spring was beautiful in the mountains, the air smelling fresh and sweet, bringing constant news of prey and running water with it. Today was no exception, with sunny skies, the distant burble of the water below, and the soft grass beneath his paws pleasant to the touch. Admittedly, Jed really had no idea of where he was going, but he could think about that later, with a new cave each night and prey to be eaten as soon as killed.

The large brown wolf trotted further from his latest resting place, leaving the last vestiges of the lake behind in favour of a thicket and rocky land. In this area, even with the springtime, the flora was wiry and more greyish-yellow than green, though it smelled fresh, and held traces of life beyond what was visible at first glance. The terrain rose steadily in an incline, and as the bushes grew thicker and the trees sparser, Jed continued on shouldering through the most troublesome of plants, head slightly raised, in order to take everything in. There didn't seem to be direct paths, but evidence of larger creatures and the faint scent of other wolves permeated the air.

And then the flora thinned out, and he pushed forwards slightly faster until his front paw slid off the edge of something and he scrabbled back, eyes wide as a terse, distressed yelp burst forth from his maw. That was something decidedly unplanned.

A yelp pierced the air and he turned, his fur bristling. He was not alone on the cliff. A large wolf draped in umber teetered towards the edge and Cathal launched himself in his direction; in an attempt to block his passage from the cliff to the fall, so that it should be Cathal knocked off if his screeching stop failed. But it seemed his measures were unnecessary as the other halted, and he found himself right in front of him, lungs heaving. His tongue lolled from his jaw and his green eyes blinked, surprised. Adrenaline pumped through his blood.

"You okay?" He asked when he'd finally caught his breath, eyes flitting over the other. He cleared his throat and stood up slightly, edging away from the cliffside with caution. He waited a beat and murmured, "Uh.. I'm Cathal, by the way." He hoped the other was not... Aggressive. But he had little time to determine if stepping in his path was the right choice. He had to.


OOC: Hope there's no PP in this post! If its unclear, basically, Cathal launched himself in Jed's direction, but whether he hit or not is up to you (: Also sorry for my quick posts

Paws digging into the ground and nearly sitting on his haunches, Jed blinked slowly at the wolf in front of him, leaning back slightly as the other panted, placed in such a way that it would be scarily easy to roll off the edge. It was a position obviously meant to block his fall, but he didn't quite understand why. Was the wolf in front of him attempting to help? Had he miscalculated? Is jumping in front of a stranger instinct? Why would anyone approach him, anyways? Of course, he'd been caught off guard and in a rather dangerous position, but what about saving him in a more reserved manner? Rather odd. Not to say that he wasn't grateful for the effort or anything, but being self-sacrificing was kind of out there, especially when you didn't know the person at all. It had been very fast– one second there'd been the wide open sky in front of him, and the next a lean grey and white figure had appeared, eyes a shade darker than the emerald grass around them.

"Yes," Jed said quietly, rising to his feet and taking a few steps back to give the wolf some room. It wouldn't do to have him fall off the cliff after all that effort. The ground no longer seemed so welcoming under his feet, but he remained firm, the slight twitch of his nose the only indication of discomfort. The uneven ground wasn't the only thing causing him to squirm, though.

It wouldn't be very courteous of him to offer no thanks, but yet he hesitated, instead taking in the wolf with greater attention, a methodical scan from his paws to the crown of his head. Jed was certain that he meant him no harm. After all, he had jumped in front of him, but the possibility of hostile behaviour was still there, and so Jed made sure to check for signs of aggression. However, the male (he appeared to be a male) seemed more uncertain than anything else, and so Jed let out a deep breath and focused his gaze upon the other's face.

"I am Jed." He dipped his head slightly and resumed staring. The breeze felt nice ruffling his fur, and there was nowhere he had to be, so he simply remained standing. Plus, he didn't know how to... exit the conversation? Was he even supposed to exit the conversation?

"Thank you." He paused there. You were supposed to thank people. That at least he was sure of. "That was not smart." Not looking where he was going, jumping in front of the edge of a cliff, engaging in conversation with a stranger... The list of things went on and on. Today was simply one long list of wrong choices, wasn't it?

OOC: No, I think you're fine! Don't apologize for posting quickly xD. It's much appreciated! ;)

His muscles had begun to relax but blood still pumped rapidly through his veins. His green eyes were focused now on the stranger, giving him his full attention. Who was the man he had jumped in front of? He studied him through his glittered lens, as the other took a step back and righted himself. A silence fell between them and he was under scrutiny. But it was not something he objected to. He felt the heat of the stranger's eyes on him, even stood up a little taller so he could get a better look. His own gaze was merely fleeting upon the other; a simple glance to learn all he needed to. It was part of his nature, he oft made decisions on a whim. He was not prone to methodical study and perhaps never would be. He offered a flashing smile, knowing that it was taking longer for the other to accept him, this bizarre stranger that jumped near the cliff's edge. Perhaps it was a ploy - but no, it was not. He meant no harm and in time the other came to that conclusion.

Cathal realized the other was an intelligent being. This he learned from how he had been studied, the calm way the other righted himself before he spoke, how he assessed life's obstacles. Cathal was not such a being but rather lived with the beat of the moment, taking little time to cull his own intelligence. He dipped his head and said, kind of ironically, "Nice to meet you, Jed." As if Jed wanted to meet him, as if this was an ordinary experience. His lopsided smile was foolish on his maw and his tail wagged softly in the wind. It was so long since he had last seen someone!

He stepped away to give the other some more space, his gaze darting around them and then back to Jed. A rather pretty stranger. It would have been a shame if he had fallen - but he felt that even if he had not been there, the other would have been fine. Cathal was a mere stopper, a darting tree-trunk, a last resort should Jed's claws have failed. But he had to admit it had been... Kind of adrenalizing. The idea that he saved someone could inflate his ego; but in this way Cathal could be seen as smart, for he knew he had not exactly saved him. It was a mere safety net to fall into. Him. His eyes narrowed at the thank-you offered. Ah, he had been right... Jed was smart. But with it came some prejudice. At this, his demeanor darkened. "Ah, so it was smart to fall off the edge, I see?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm and rebuke. He liked Jed, yes. But he seemed to have little finesse with his thoughts and his words; a filter was missing. Or was it Cathal's filter? He paused for a moment, thinking. "But no matter. I needed something to do, anyways. Your welcome." His voice was dry and humorless, his welcome as empty as the other's thanks. He almost expected an apology from the man he'd saved; but that would be too far. He found a trickle of amusement from the whole thing, despite his wounded ego.