Sota wasn't quite sure what he'd gotten himself into this time. Leaving his homelands had been quite the stretch for the rather reserved male, but once he'd heard that Balsam was heading this way he wasn't quite sure how he could let him go alone. He was used to his friend's headstrong nature, but Sota couldn't shake the feeling that he was in over his head with this mission. Either way, he wasn't planning on letting Balsam and the rest of his crew dive headfirst in an unfamiliar land without some backup. Sota had no idea what to expect in these lands, but if the miniature male was anything, it was loyal - and even if he only observed them from the backlines, Sota wasn't about to let them go alone.

Luckily the way he'd gone had seemed as though it was abundant with trees, and Sota was able to maintain cover so far as he navigated in the familiar way of his people, from one tree to the next. Of course he couldn't always travel only by tree branches, but Sota had yet to experience much of anything on this continent and he was wary about its inhabitants. Currently he'd found a nice mess of trees that were easily scaled, though currently he was perched on a low-hanging branch and attempting to scope out the forest floor - which was quite void of light, thanks to the vines that seemed to engulf this region. His pale eyes were bright as he crouched carefully on the branch, head hanging low as he peered down into the unknown warily.

Since being back down south the woman decided it would be smarter to travel where the snow could not. Obsidian striped legs carried her lithe form through what was once a thriving forest. It seemed the vines had sucked the life out of any existing trees and made a weird dome around the area. The entire canopy consisted of dying trees and hundreds of vines entangled. Hardly and light shined through the gaps but it was enough for the babe to make her way through the territory. Clementine was careful and her steps were quiet. After her encounter in the great north she was much more aware of the dangers that may lurk around her. She had nearly fallen through ice a month prior and her new companion Kane saved her. But, in the act the male fell through himself. Thankfully she was able to save him and they found refuge in Fyri. That chain of events caused the woman to buckle down and really take her ventures a bit more serious. She could not rely on friendly strangers to come save her nor did the headstrong femme wish to be a damsel in distress. Clementine was determined to train herself to be more cautious but also a bit more quick thinking in dire situations. As she wandered through the eerily quiet forest something caught her eye. The babe's silver gaze quickly flashed upward towards a set of similar eyes up in a tree. Her steps came to a pause with one front leg hesitating to move down to the ground. Her tail was aligned with her spine and her eyes wide in wonder. She had never climbed a tree before nor did she see a reason to. But it seemed the Wolf she was now eyeing was rather small and fully capable of doing so. Nevertheless, after a few long moments the woman piped up. "Greetings stranger!" Her voice was sweet but also a bit loud in order to travel up into the canopy where the male resided. Clementine couldn't help but feel at a disadvantage thus her hackles instinctually raised ever so slightly. She would silently wait with tempered breaths for a response. Perhaps he would just ignore her and they could be on their way. If not she was completely fine with a conversation. Maybe she could get a few pointers on tree climbing. speech action

Somehow, Sota had avoided interacting with the natives of this land so far. Part of him was curious about the fabled giants that roamed these lands, but another significantly bigger part of him was terrified of them and their ways. Watching them afar was one thing, but actually talking one? The thought made him feel weirdly faint. Luckily he was nimble on his paws and good at climbing trees and at navigating unseen through the world, so he wasn't forced to face these strangers quite yet.

Well.. until now, apparently.

Sota heard the pawsteps before he saw Clementine, but before he had a chance to react he saw a pair of eyes peering back at him from the forest floor. Oh no. Oh no no no. Sota's silver eyes widened dramatically, but he tried to keep himself from looking overly panicked - despite the sudden confusing raging inside his head. "Oh... hello," Sota called out breathily, feigning nonchalance and forcing a small smile to appear on his lips. Not that she could probably really see his expression from her position, but seeming rude wasn't his style.

It was hard to tell just how big she was, but certainly bigger than him, and he felt his own posture stiffen as he got a better look at her. Fear wasn't a good thing to display, but he wasn't too proud to let a healthy dose of wariness creep into his posture and voice. "Are you.. enjoying your afternoon, miss?" That was totally casual, right? His ears flicked as he scoped out his surroundings, taking the opportunity to navigate nimbly down onto a branch closer to her, maintaining that safe distance.

Clementine didn't think of herself as a giant by any means and due to the odd depth perception of their positioning she could not gather exactly how small he was. It seemed a wave of fluster hit the male as he seemed to realize she noticed his existence. Breathy words and a forced smile were caught and a tiny giggle was emitted from Clem in response. She enjoyed conversing and meeting new Wolves. The stranger the better! As long as they aren't evil.. Thankfully she hadn't come across any rude or bad Wolves just yet. Perhaps she was lucky. Clementine was not naive enough to believe this world lacked darkness. As his greetings hit her ebon ears the woman perked up a bit. Her giggles faded and a beaming smile remained. Her tail wagged ever so slightly as the babe's head tilted to the side inquisitively. Now that her silver eyes could get a decent view of his face the gal eyed his interesting markings. They were oddly exact but due to the distance she wasn't able to really make much out other then pale lines against dark fur. "Say, how did you learn to climb trees?" The only consideration she gave to tree climbing would be following prey up a tree trunk but she figured with a lack of experience she wouldn't get high. Clem had seen Wolves do it in adrenaline packed moments but not for leisure.   speech action

Sota hadn't really thought much about actually meeting the giants that lived here. Obviously he couldn't go forever without running into them, but he wasn't fully prepared for this interaction quite so soon. It left him feeling quite out of his element, and though he hoped that it wasn't obvious he had a feeling it definitely was. Oh well. At least he wasn't making a fool of himself in front of wolves who he'd consider his peers - doing so in front of complete strangers (who he'd hopefully never meet again) was a much preferred alternative for him. Thankfully for him, she didn't seem taken aback by his demeanor, instead offering a soft laugh as she gazed up at him.

The sound faded, but the pleasant smile remained, which calmed his slightly frazzled spirits. Well.. at least partially. She all but ignored his question, which wasn't exactly rude but still caught him off-guard. He resisted the rather strong urge to bow to her, deciding he already probably looked quite ridiculous and that bowing would only accentuate his weirdness. The question made him pause yet again, cocking his head to the side as he leaned down to look at her better. "I've always climbed trees," he admitted, sounding a bit perplexed. He knew from tales told by those back in his homelands that not everyone grew up climbing trees as he'd always grown up doing. "I suppose it's just... second nature to me now." Sota carefully navigated down to a thicker branch, using his forepaws to guide him down to the base of the tree in one fluid jump. The landing was about as graceful as he could manage, and he rapidly steadied himself on all fours as he got a better look at Clementine. She was considerably bigger than him, which he could tell now that he was standing on level ground with her. "My name's Desota, by the way, but you can call me Sota."