Angry gray clouds dominated the sky, blocking out the weakening sunlight. A chilly wind wove its way through the thicket, sending a shiver up his spine. Hackles ruffling, the wolf snorted at his circumstance. 'I sure pecked a foine time te leave, didn't I?' He thought to himself, picturing his warm den, laden with elk pelts back home. Certainly, staying with one's pack was the smartest thing to do with an encroaching winter, but he had little doubt in his decision to cut ties. He couldn't stand the heated gazes of his father and brother any longer. Sooner or later, someone would've caught a stinging bite.

"Wohin gehen wir? Ich rieche Mäuse." Laika's small, accent-laden voice asked, bringing him back to the present. A blue eye slid downward to glance at her, the little pine marten trotting at his side like a puppy. Despite their extended time together, Dane still couldn't understand a damn thing she said. He wasn't fully certain why she so loyally followed him everywhere. "We need te find a plece to stay fer a couple deys." The dual-colored wolf replied anyway, whisking his bushy tail. He paused for a moment, peering through the entanglement of grass and bushes, noticing that beyond it lay a small clearing in the shelter of an old tree. That seemed promising. Ducking, he pushed his way into the bushes, wincing as the little branches pricked at his sides. As he nearly cleared the annoying little pathway, he felt a particularly sharp branch catch in his ear. "Oh fuck me!" he growled, yanking himself free. He sat there a moment, one eye closed as he waited for the pain to subside. Laika, as caring as ever, simply tore off into the thicket towards the sound of birds rustling about somewhere nearby. He scoffed, shaking his head and rising to his paws to survey the area.

The bushes provided adequate shelter for the night, reaching up around the tree trunk. As he investigated the area, the sound of a branch snapping on the opposite side of the thicket would cause his ears to perk. Brow furrowing, he crept forward quietly and peered into the bracken. The scent of another creature would waft into his nostrils, his tail rising above his back in cautious curiosity. Dane had never been the overtly aggressive type. In fact, he almost hoped that someone interesting would emerge to distract him from his lonely state. "Hello?" He called out softly.

Jay hadn't meant to go so far from home, but she wanted a brief respite from the projects she'd been working on... and the further she went, the more interesting things became. The relatively flat plains of Avalon's homelands transformed the further away she traveled, more rocky and ominous as she made a wide arc around the volcano - remembering the warnings both of her parents had given her repeatedly - and finally growing more tranquil again as she found a winding river and a dense thicket to the north of the waterways.

Everything out here was so different, and so beautiful, so much so that she lost track of time entirely. By the time she realized she ought to be heading back home, she decided it was likely too late to avoid the rain that was proving imminent. There go my plans to get home in time to patrol in the morning. The clouds that had floated by earlier now were dark and threatened rain soon - or worse, maybe, but she wasn't certain. Jay wasn't easily shaken by much of anything though, so impending storm was no exception. She'd simply find shelter and wait it out as best as she could. Wasn't like she'd melt.

The thicket seemed a promising enough place to hide out. The foliage here was thick, thick enough that she thought it might even prove better shelter than the forest she'd passed not long ago. Once she reached the edge of the thicket though she realized maybe this wasn't the best idea. A thorn caught on her tail and she jerked away from it, curling her tail between her legs to protect it. Ears also flattened instinctively against her skull as she wiggled further in, spotting a few spots through the vegetation that looked a little more open... and, even further ahead, a pair of eyes! Jay's eyes widened with surprise when he called out, but a smile crept over her lips as she tried to navigate over to him, no longer as phased by the burrs and thorns that pricked at her coat. "Hello! Hiding from the rain, too?" She asked, likewise hoping she'd encountered a friendly soul.

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Dane found himself a bit dazzled by the pretty face that appeared through the thicket. A once-over of her slender build told him she'd had as much difficulty getting through as he did. "Hello, m'lady," he said softly, dipping his head politely. A charming smile found its way onto his face as he raised his head again. "Aye, but I don't know how much better those thorns are than a bit of water." He turned to present his own flank which had thorns and the odd leaf or two tangled in his fur and chuckled. Talking to strangers had never been a weak point of his, especially when they were pretty lasses. He sat down, his bushy tail unfurled and curling at the tip to beckon her forward so she might get comfortable. "I'm Dane Shepherd, what might I call you?" He'd ask, tipping his chin inquiringly.

If he were honest, it felt good to have someone to talk to -- someone who actually spoke the language, that is. Back home, the company wasn't too pleasant. As if summoned by his thoughts, Laika came marching back into the thicket, her neck craned back as she hauled a large mouse with her. Despite her small stature, one had to acknowledge her aptitude at hunting. The marten set down her kill and eyed the she-wolf uncertainly. "Wer ist das? Ich war fünf Minuten weg!" she exclaimed in her little voice, though Dane didn't understand a damn thing. "Stop yer squeakin'," he said good naturally to Laika, who seemed not to care anymore as she dug into her kill. "This is Laika, the little beast who won't stop following' me." He said to the other wolf with a smirk, wrapping his tail around his side.

The burrs that had snagged into her coat were not something she could ignore entirely, but present company was far more interesting! The stranger smiled at her, oh so polite, and she felt a strange feeling bloom in her chest - like a kaleidoscope of butterflies trying to burst free. "Yeah, I don't know either - I didn't mean to end up so far from home," Jay admitted sheepishly. It was no surprise that the farm girl felt a bit out of her elements exploring away from home, but she wasn't sure how well this man might relate to her reservations. He held no discernible pack scent, so she wondered if he was an explorer of sorts? An adventurer? Her eyes widened as she envisioned the possibilities.

"I'm Jay Destruction-Memoire," she introduced herself without hesitation, a grin spreading over her gentle features. Wiggling her way out of the mess of vines she'd crawled into, she was glad that the thicket opened up slightly here. It was still somewhat sheltered from the rain, or at least she hoped it might be. When was it due to start, anywhere? She cast her eyes above for a moment but the clouds were too hard to make out from under this mess of vegetation.

It seemed the two of them weren't alone though, and the woman watched as the other wolf's friend appeared with a fresh kill dangling from her mouth. The pine marten spoke in a tongue Jay didn't understand, and her head tilted in curiosity as she studied Laika.  "A friend?" She reiterated, those lime green eyes of hers oozing with interest as she looked back and forth between the two of them. "She's so cute!" She certainly smelled a little similar to the rodents that lived back home, but not quite the same either. "Are the two of you from around here?" His accent was a dead giveaway that he wasn't, but Jay knew it rude to make assumptions.

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The young lady seemed comfortable in his presence, to his relief, as she got more comfortable within the thicket. He found himself a bit lost in the vibrant green of her gaze as it met his, damn near missing her name as she presented a wonderful smile. "Quite the name! Though ye don't look like much of a destroyer te me." He said with a playful chuckle as his icy optics swept over her slender physique. The healthy glow to her fur told him she likely wasn't a stray hound roaming like he was. Where did she come from? He ought to go seek out her parents and thank them for bringing such a beautiful creation to the earth.

He glanced over at Laika at Jay's prompt, not being able to help the smirk that spread over his features. "A friend, yes. Cute...I'm not so sure. As if she understood him, Laika jerked her little noggin up and sniffed in Jay's direction, her face bloodied from her meal. Dane would roll his eyes then turn them back to Jay, who'd asked if he lived near the area. Although Dane was well aware of the caution one was supposed to have with strangers, he hardly could keep his thinking straight with the nervous warmth that was coursing through his veins. "No, m'lady. Me and Laika 'ave been travelin' fer quite some time now. This is all new territory fer us." He shared, a flicker of wistfulness flashing in his gaze.

As he finished speaking, a rumble of thunder sounded close by, drawing his attention upward. Were they in it for a storm tonight? Ears perked, he could just make out the sound of the first raindrops pitter-pattering on the leaves of the thicket. Hopefully it wouldn't worsen much. Jay surely had to get home. 'Unless she wants to stay...' his intrusive thought popped into his head and he immediately pushed it aside. Who knew what the lass thought of him. "Where are you from? Ya said you wandered a bit too far, huh?" Dane asked as he turned to look back at her inquisitively.

Oh, that was something she'd never heard before - Dane's comment about her name earned a girlish laugh. He wasn't at all wrong though. Her family, at least those she knew, weren't known for being particularly destructive or even a little mean-spirited at all. The origin of her family name lost on her, she simply laughed and nodded. "You're not wrong," she agreed easily. Jay wouldn't know the first thing about being destructive if she tried.

She couldn't help but be momentarily distracted by Laika, even with her blood-stained face there was something quite endearing about her. That was no doubt why Dane allowed her to tag along, right? Maybe a friend like that would be nice. Jay thought back to Avalon and the critters they kept there, though she couldn't quite picture a sheep or a chicken as such an appealing travel companion.

He confessed that the two of them indeed were new here and had been traveling for awhile together. Part of her, a small part, envied that sort of freedom - though she could never imagine leaving her family behind. Only in her wildest dreams would she live a life like that. "So you're from very far away? How far? Are these lands very different from where you're from?" Her eyes widened a touch, so clearly interested in what he had to say. Carefully she crept forward a bit more, using her muzzle to push aside a particularly thick vine out of her way.

The rain started then, a gentle mist raining down on the thicket at first. At least they'd found good shelter here to wait out the worst of the storm. "I'm from a pack named Avalon, west of here, past those big mountains," Jay explained easily. Avalon always opened their home to those in need, so she wasn't worried about divulging too much information. "I'm not all that far from home," she explained after a beat, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. Hopefully he didn't find her too sheltered. "I just don't leave home very often. Picked a good day for it, huh?" Jay let out another little laugh. genuinely amused at her timing.

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