The Amolga Prairies were a nice place, in Harus opinion. Even in the middle of winter like this the place seemed teeming with life, the snow nothing but a gentle dusting over the grasses trapped beneath them. The honey brown wolf favored this place for a training ground, finding that there were usually loners or pack wolves around who were interested in sharpening their skills. For the lean, energetic male it was important that he continued to train and become a better wolf, and so it was worth the risk of running into and unfriendly face every now and then. He was too worried about that though. He was tall and lean and fleet of foot, and whenever he did find himself in a spot he couldnt run from he was usually abe to fight his way out, overwhelming his enemies with the speed and ferocity of his snapping jaws. Yes, lean but not frail, that was Haru.

Green eyes shone brightly as they scanned the land around him, scenting another wolf nearby. He wasnt sure where they were, but he figured he'd send them an invite to join him if they so wished, and tipped his head back to let loose a welcoming howl.

Spirit had gone much further from home than he'd meant to. As the winter cold set in he'd taken to going further south in search of any useful herbs to collect before the worst of winter was upon them, but he found himself distracted by the sights. It'd been a long while since he'd gone this far from home and strangely enough it had a way of helping clear his mind. Here he didn't have to worry about his mother, about his siblings - here he could just exist. It took most of his mental focus to be aware of his surroundings, only acutely aware of Strawberry flying somewhere in the distance, taking note of the various scents here. Winter had just barely touched this prairie, dusting it over with a light coating of snow. The vegetation here was wilted, but some signs of green remained beneath the snow, struggling to hang on to life while it was still able to.

He let out a hard breath as he slowed his pace, gazing across the field. He was lost in thought entirely and when the call of another wolf broke across the near silence he practically flinched. Maybe some company would do him good though..? The thought was a wishful one at best. Maybe another distraction would prove helpful to him though. Cautiously he made his way to the source of the sound, slowing once the stranger came into his field of vision. it was no one he knew; this male was about his age it seemed, not much smaller than him either. "H-hello," Spirit stammered once he drew closer, forcing a friendly smile to his nervous features.

If Spirit was uncertainty and nervousness, then Haru was his opposite. He stood alert but relaxed, unphased as he stood there waiting. The unknown wasn't something he'd come to fear, but rather look foreward to, finding that the unpredictability of life could bare fruit just as sweet as it could sour. And call him optimistic, but Haru liked to think it was worth the risk of running into a potential threat every once in a while. Luckily, it didn't seem as if this encounter would be a negative one.

The wolf who appeared was just a bit taller than himself, a male that seemed about the same age. their dark brown fur was painted with streaks of white that painted one of their forelegs and chest and light blue eyes. They had a bit of a nervous air about them as they came foreward and stuttered out a hello, offering him a tight smile that Haru quickly returned with a far more natural one of his own.

"Hello." he echoed back, tail giving a lazy wag behind him at the prospect of having another wolf around. "My name's Haru, who're you?" he asked, his tone light and hopefully enouugh to reassure the other that he wasn't about to go picking a fight or anything like that.

Suddenly he wished he'd taken the bag that one of his first friends had given him here; though it was more practical to take it out than to leave it at home, he feared ruining it. The thought was a silly one but it wasn't a thought he could shake off, so he'd taken to gathering things in small batches and just carrying them home like that. There weren't really any plants here he found himself wanting to collect though, so the thought faded quickly, replaced by wary curiosity of the stranger up ahead. His smile remained - grew, even - at the male's friendliness. He'd had plenty of friendly encounters with others, in fact most of them were quite pleasant, but his fear of being rejected or mistreated never seemed to fade. This interaction was no different, though he tried to be optimistic.

"S-spirit," he stammered, his own tail giving a small flick indicative of his positive mood. "D-do you live around here?" Perhaps Haru knew more about this place than he did, which... well, that wasn't really saying much. Spirit had been through the parts before but he never stuck around for long, and with winter upon them he wasn't sure how much there was to find besides wilted plants and half-frozen soil. Maybe he was wrong though. At least getting out to clear his head would prove beneficial to him.

The other wolf went on to introduce themself as Spirit, and Haru offered them a small smile as they asked if he lived around here. Once he would have answered that question with a 'yes', but he wasn't a loner anymore. "Kind of? I'm a bit of a wanderer, really. I used to spend a lot of time here during the spring and summer. Right now I'm just passing through on my way to the Ashens territory." he explained, aware of the potential tension that could arise from mentioning a pack -especially if thi wolf belonged to a group that was enemies with the one he wished to join- but Haru wasn't too worried. He didn't have any intention of starting drama over pack business. "What brings you out here today?" he asked, flipping the script back on the other wolf out of sheer curiosity. They smelled as if they had pack-scent on them so Haru was willing to bet they didn't live here. Had they come out to the meadow to train, perhaps? Or maybe Spirit had just been bored.

He seemed more and more friendly with each passing second, though he wouldn't completely let his guard down - he couldn't. It was against his fearful nature. "I-I see," he responded with a faint smile. He'd never heard of Ashen but that wasn't saying much. He kept to himself almost all of the time; Abaven was all he knew. "T-this place.. seems nice. Maybe when it's not all frozen," he commented out with a quiet laugh as his paws scraped at the frozen ground. Conversation wasn't his strong suit but he always seemed to find the nerve to try. Though he was deeply nervous around strangers, he was a social wolf at heart - eager for the approval of others, no matter who they might be. "I was… h-hoping to find some herbs to collect before winter. B-but I don't think I'm going to get lucky." He'd been hopeful about the trip, just optimistic enough to try without getting his hopes crushed when he came up short.

It was perfectly fine with Haru if Spirit was more on the shy side. He wasn't the sort to judge another based off something like that, and besides, as far as he could tell this other wolf didn't seem like he was trying to avoid him or the friendly conversation he was offering. If anything they seemed hesitantly interested, and that was good enough for Haru.

"This place... seems nice. Maybe when it's not all frozen."

Haru chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's definitely nicer in the spring. The snow never seems to get too deep here though, so if you've got thick fur like me and can handle the wind, it's not a bad place to hang out." he agreed. Despite the land being gripped by winter there were still pleanty of rabbits to chase and deer to stalk, and it was a popular place to find racing partners thanks to the mostly flat and open landscape.

As Spirit went on to reveal his own purpose for being here, Haru would hum thoughtfully. "I don't think you'll find any around here, but if you really need them I know of a place just on the other side of the bifrost. It's called The Gods Garden- it's literally covered in herbs. Not sure what kind are there, but you'd have much better luck finding what your after."

One of the few benefits he'd had as a loner was that he had the entire world to call his home, and he'd done quite a bit of wandering in the three years of his life he'd lived so far. The southern continent was still in the throws of summer if he was correct, and at this time of year it would be teeming with life where this meadow was not. He'd seen it as a great advantage that the Ashen -and even this valley- weren't too far from the Bi-Frost, meaning trips along the landbridge would still be possible even after he joined with a group. Having access to a place like that was extremely benefitial, and he wouldn't forget it. The Gods Garden in particular was a hotbed for herbs, and one only had to pass through a grove of berry bushes to find it once you reached the other side of the bifrost.

With as friendly as Haru was, it was easy for him to grow notably calmer, or at least on the surface he seemed a bit more at ease. He nodded to his assessment of this place. "I-I.. don't usually come this far. I live far east of here," Spirit admitted. As he grew older he found himself more comfortable in his own skin; going to new lands wasn't terribly difficult for him, but being around others, strangers, never seemed to get much easier. "A-at least this winter isn't at bad as last," he made a slow, unsteady attempt at conversation. "I-if.. you weren't around here last winter, it was pretty rough." His voice trailed off a moment later as he tried to regain his composure. He gave a nod to his little bit of information. Truthfully Auster was too far for him though - traveling across the world to a different continent again wasn't his idea of a good time. "T-that's a bit far for me. But thank you," he added, sounding truly thankful. Even coming this far was a bit out of the way for him, but he was willing to go somewhat outside his comfort zone to find what he needed.. just not too far. He was quiet for a moment, feeling the conversation beginning to fizzle out, and he was all but certain he was the cause of it. Spirit took in a slightly shaky breath. "Y-you said you're from Ashen? What is it like there?" His question had an air of innocence. He wasn't prying for information, only hoping to keep their chat going on for a moment longer. He liked being around others more than he liked being alone and he was happy for the change in scenery for the moment.