Sunder had found a curious thing. He wasn’t sure of its purpose but it smelled vaguely of wolves and sheep? Whatever the reason for it’s creation, it was a fascinating test of his path finding skills. He’d found a maze. It appeared as though a herd came through regularly and sort of used the same path. From what little exploring he’d done so far Sunder knew it branched off into short dead ends every once in a while.

The many questions (why were the sheep and the wolves together? What was the purpose of the trails? Why the dead ends? He could go on) we’re so intriguing they inspired him to do what he loved, which was run. Surely someone else would find this curious land just as intriguing!

Curious to see if anyone else was lost, Sunder howled to see what he could scare up. He then sat down to tighten the many straps that held his raggedy coyoteskin outfit on. Maybe he could tempt someone into making the maze escape a game. It was worth trying anyway and certainly better than wandering around trying to find a way out himself.

While he wasn't in the orchard itself, the smell of fermenting fruit had certainly caught his attention in passing. The lichen dappled wolf had considered stopping there to see what might be lurking about, but had abandoned it in favour of continuing his journey south. He hadn't gotten more than a few hundred paces away when a howl rang out from the clustered trees, and there was no choice (in his mind) but to respond and see what was going on. He tucked his bag of supplies away under a winterberry bush, marking the place in his mind only. If he scent marked, someone else would certainly investigate and find his food and furs for travelling. They would probably steal it, and he'd have to abandon the adventure early. With a spring in his step, and his muntjac skull firmly affixed to his face, the yearling ambled into the trees. As he ventured deeper in, chasing the freshest scents for the caller, the musty aroma of sheep mingled with the sharp musk of wolves. Well.. that wasn't too odd, right? Wolves hunted sheep, and corralling them into close quarters was as great tactic for separating a herd for a hunt. That must have been what that was all about. He crashed through some particularly uncooperative brambles, and found himself staring at an animal he didn't immediately recognize. At least, until he realized it was someone wearing some furs. Wait. Under the coverings of the furs that were strapped to his body, the strange male was very naked. How did that happen to someone? Lifting his head, he scented the air. This wasn't a wolf. Close, but not exactly. The furs still smelled faintly of coyote. "Where'd your fur go?" he asked from the edge of the trail, verdant gaze narrowed behind the pale bone of his mask. He certainly wasn't going to entertain this stranger if they had some weird hair-loss disease. He needed whatever fur he had, thin or not. "Are you the one that called out earlier?" he added with a curious tilt of his head. "speech" thinking "others"

After tightening all the right things in all the right places Sunder plopped his leather clad buns down in the snow to wait. The cold had just enough time to seep through all his layers before someone showed up. Sunder popped up immediately, the picture of enthusiasm. He thought nothing of the man’s mask or any of the other things that might give another wolf pause. Why would he, when he himself was wearing seven different kinds of furs and fabrics?

If Sunder was at all bothered by the first words out of the wolf’s mouth, it didn’t show. He laughed good-naturedly and replied, “I neva had none. Well, except dis patch here,” he held a booted paw up to his chest as though the wolf could see the skin below. Because he could not, the joke Sunder was trying to make was almost lost entirely; there had never been any hair there. “But I had my broda wax it.” He pretended to shudder. “I canna stand a hair anywhere.”

He nodded emphatically when asked if he’d called. “I did, yeah. Dis confounding maze has me running circles and I tought if imma run in circles I may as well make a game of it, ya know? So how’s about a race t’rough da maze? If ya tink you can keep up wit a hairless dog, dat is…”

The hearty laugh and glimmering eyes of the strange, leather-clad canine were donig a good job of putting him at ease. I neva had none. Well, except dis patch here,” and the man lifted a paw (wrapped in the same tanned hide as the rest of him) to his chest as though there might be some evidence of it that the swamp dweller might find. “But I had my broda wax it.” he said with a dramatic shudder, followed by the next logical conclusion, “I canna stand a hair anywhere.” This was well beyond the expertise of the young adventurer, who only saw naked animals when they were afflicted by mange. Which.. didn't seem to be the case. If it was, it was weird mange, and clearly wasn't affecting the man's mental state in the least. Best to leave it alone, it seemed. He had to make a point to focus on the conversation at hand, when it picked back up. “I did, yeah. Dis confounding maze has me running circles and I tought if imma run in circles I may as well make a game of it, ya know? So how’s about a race t’rough da maze? If ya tink you can keep up wit a hairless dog, dat is…” the small male issued a challenge that the leggy little mud monster wasn't about to pass up. He grinned broadly beneath the eerie mask he wore, taking a few bounding strides closer. "I think ya might find y'self eatin' some powder tryin' to keep up with me." he teased back, stubby tail wriggling excitedly. He dropped himself into a ready stance, joints bending to lower his centre of gravity. If there was going to be a maze, he was going to reach the end way faster than this dog would- he was born and raised in one of nature's most deadly labyrinths, after all. Glancing to his right, he checked to make sure he wasn't about to get called out for cheating if he took off at a dead sprint. Skull lowered parallel with his spine, he couldn't stop himself from smiling like an idiot. So fun, so exciting! "Loser gets their face dunked in the snow!" he announced, only moments before he shouted "Three, two, one, GO!" And took off at a gallop. There were mostly bare branched trees all around, though he found himself skirting the weird mounds of mostly rotten fruit around a few of their trunks. The brambles that seemed to tangle through the grove kept him from moving where he pleased, even dormant and stripped of most leaves. The thorns stuck around, and he was keen to keep whatever fur he had while he travelled south. Bog vs Sunder for Race Round 1/? Age: 1+ year Size: Small Build: Medium Skills: Novice Healer & Advanced Navigator "speech" thinking "others"

Sunder snorted a gleeful laugh as his new competition claimed he'd be eating powder. That's what he liked to hear. Not that he was going to lose, no, that his opponent shared the same happy, competitive nature. Braggadocios teasing always made the competition more interesting. Now there were stakes. Small ones, sure, but they were stakes all the same. He had to make this wolf eat his words. "We'll see who's eatin' powda here in a minute, eh?" "I accept dose terms!" he said as he fell into a crouch. Sunder's eyes locked on the path ahead. Normally he would try to plot a course but in this maze that was nigh impossible. He could only see so far before the path turned and was hidden from his sight. Still, from what he could see Sunder thought he detected hoof prints moving in one particular direction. To follow those, maybe? He was off like a shot at the word 'go'. The little dog whipped around corners and slid under obstacles as quickly as one could in a full leather suit. While it might have made sense for him to ditch his jammies to increase his speed, there were enough thorns around that he was glad he hadn't. One wrong turn, one stumble and he'd find himself in a painful tangle. No, if there was one thing he knew it was that thorns and nudity did not mix. Sunder vs Bog for Race Round 1 of 2 Age: 1+ Size: Small Build: Medium Skills: Expert Hunter & Advanced Navigator ""