Oh man did she enjoy this weather! The thick-coated girl was happy to say goodbye to the awful heat and hello to the colder climate. Yeah, the nights seemed a bit colder than last fall, but she certainly preferred the stark contrast. With the strong sun-rays no longer dominating the heavens above them, Aralanne could finally explore without risking a heatstroke. It honestly felt great, because she enjoyed exploring and walking more than any other activity. The wanderlust inside of her was strong and today it took her to a very strange sight. These were ruins, scattered across in a circular shape. They certainly were not nature's creation. As beautiful and as creative nature was, those seemed something entirely different. Curious ocean gaze wandered from one rock to another, studying them from afar before her overwhelming curiosity took over and dragged her closer to them.

Dark nose took a whiff of the rock instinctively, large ears swiveling atop her smaller head in bewilderment. There were odd marks across the stones, looking as if they were left by other predators that thought it would be a good idea to leave their own signature. Well, that was her assumption anyway. They could be something very different, something that her mind couldn't comprehend. There is so much to learn about this world and so little time to fit it all in one lifetime.

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this place... he hadn't been to yet. leaving behind wherever else he had gone to, Nimbus felt his paws close the distance to the next location. before him now was the eastern lands of Boreas. he felt his neck go down as he trailed in, eyes wide and shifting constantly. the scent of wolves was both strong and weak. as if someone hadn't been here for long but also lingered a bit to allow their scent to reach him. he was unaware of the other being as he walked, too focused on navigating the area. he'd heard of ruins before but this was perhaps his first time exploring such a place. a circular wall of stone... various rocks and boulders inside... Nimbus was both excited and fearful. though that was quite normal. he'd pause by one of the larger boulders once his paws made their way inside the structure. the ivy and moss literally covered it, making the grey undertones a mere whisper of once was. he also wondered how long this had been here, and if he should mentally map the area. but then again, he didn't know if he'd ever return here. a few markings were etched into the side of this boulder. he'd peer closer, unaware of the other still. "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 1/3 for navigation

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Aralanne observed the rock before her, attempting to make sense of the marks across it. What kind of creature left those? They certainly did not look very cat-like, nor would a bear leave such marks. She couldn't quite come to a conclusion. This was a mystery and the girl just loved mysteries. If anyone would leave a mark somewhere, it would serve only one purpose: to communicate something to those who come across it. This just posed another question in her mind: what do they mean? Perhaps they were saying "Stay away!" or maybe they were names of pack members? But then again that seemed impossible! Could a wolf leave these kind of marks? Her inner conversation ceased as the wind carried an unfamiliar scent of another wolf. Her big ears perked up, nose scrunching in an attempt to pinpoint the other. Suddenly, she peeked her head from behind the boulder to find a stranger standing on the opposite side of the same rock! "Oh, hello!" She said with a big, cheerful smile, completely neglecting the fact that the male might not like that. Quickly she moved from behind the boulder to reveal herself, keeping a friendly body language by instinct. "Are you looking at them, too?! I was looking at them as well! They look so cool, don't ya think?!" Babbled the energetic girl, beaming with joy that she found somebody who was amazed by the odd marks as well.

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he really should start paying attention to his surroundings. exploring leads to danger, and danger led to injuries. or even losing a part of himself to another. Nimbus' eyes went huge as a female rounded the boulder. she didn't stride up to him but her presence had been unknown until she revealed herself. though her body language was friendly enough, the young man felt himself back away. he stumbled backward, his hind leg tripping over a stray rock and landing on his rear with an 'oof'. resisting a soft whimper of pain, he'd stare up at the woman. "u-uh... um..." her forward attitude made him self conscious. he'd dip his head, eyes trying to go back to normal height. studying the floor for a few seconds, he forced himself to raise his head again. and then he scrambled to his feet just in case she decided to come closer. say something you idiot his unkind inner voice proclaimed. "y-yes... they're... nice?" oh my gods that was terrible! he mentally berated himself. Nimbus didn't get closer like he once did, but his eyes shifted away from the woman to the etchings. they could be long forgotten pack lands. they also could be a danger sign. it was a monumental discovery that he was sure that some other wolf had discovered too. so he hadn't found anything new and important. he longed to approach and brush away some of the ivy, but he was clearly afraid of the other wolf before him. "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 2/3 for navigation

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Her navy eyes shined with curiosity, her joy upon finding another to share this discovery with was absolutely evident across her youthful face. She was so happy, that she hardly paid any mind to the fact that the boy was stumbling both with his response and with her surprising presence. Her gaze quickly darted back to the stone and when he agreed with her, she continued to babble. "I know! But I wonder who left these marks.." She squinted at the surface of the ruin, lifting one paw to move the ivy away out of their sight. "Maybe it was another wolf, but! But then again, how would they do that? I thought it must be a feline!" For a second it seems as if Aralanne was talking to herself, but then she turned to face her new friend. "But are felines as intelligent as we are? Maybe not.." She gives him almost little time to speak, before turning around to study the boulder again. "What if.. what if it's a lost civilization that died out ages ago before our time?" She turns around now putting on a suspicious gaze, as if to try and intimidate the black-and-white boy. "They used to perform strange rituals over here.. connecting to the gods and other-worldly creatures by spilling the blood of one of their own!" A great conspiracy theory, which she knew very well is slightly unlikely to be true but sounded compelling nonetheless.

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She talked a lot. If only he could contribute in some way. Nimbus stood there dumbly, mouth slightly open as the young woman prattled on and on about her hypothesis regarding the markings. His parents often told him stories of ‘runes’. They had been left behind by civilizations long gone, their meanings as vast as the sky itself. Were these ‘runes’ or were they as simple as scratch marks? Were they even claw markings, the boulder used as a sort of scratching post? “err” he tried to get a word in, but she continued cheerfully. When she talked of blood sacrifice, the timid young man let out a small “…eep!” of shock. W-what if that was true? What if they sacrificed people (people like him) to the lost gods? He felt himself take a step back, eyes wide and wild as he looked around his surroundings. There was plenty of places to hide and run to, but even he felt it was… a bit rude to simply ignore her. He breathed in a deep, very deep breath, before trying to talk. This time, she seemed to be finished. “s-so…” Nimbus started, clearing his throat to try and act like he was in control “they, um, could be runes” he returned to his earlier train of thought. “l-like a written language but with… pictures and etchings instead?” the young man tried to make sense, or rather make her see sense. It could be that simple, but he wasn’t looking to change her mind. only broaden it a bit. There was no doubt she had a big imagination. He’d look away from the blue-ish female to the markings. Another breath before he approached the boulder. Lifting himself on his back legs, his front tried to clear the ivy and muck away. He saw more etchings underneath, but he didn’t know what they meant. "y-you really think sacrifices were made here?" if that's true, the ghosts of long forgotten beings could haunt this place. he felt faint. "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 3/3 for navigation

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She wouldn't openly admit it, but a part of her was glad her theory managed to spark light fear in the stranger. However, when she noticed that the boy was stuttering, Aralanne quickly added: "Oh well, it's just my theory anyway!" She said nonchalantly, then gazed towards the weird etchings in the stone. One ear twitched as the male coined a full sentence. Marvelous! His assumption was great! Her face lit up again. "Yes! I thought they may have used those to communicate, but then those writings must mean something, right?" He was a bright one, with good deduction skills. Maybe it was fate that they met here? That is if fate existed. "If only we could read them.. I wonder what they would say. What if it's something very important? Like the end of the world!" She quipped, acting shocked for comical purpose.

Of course, she wasn't the type to jump to conclusions so quick. The blue girl chuckled. "For real though, even if they say something non-trivial, like the daily lives of those who wrote it, it would be great to know, don't ya think?" She continued calmly, with a light smile while gazing at the writings on the boulder. It was odd.. there very well may be lost knowledge right under their noses, and yet simply because they had no understanding of it they couldn't obtain it. Ocean-blue gaze watched as the other rose to his feet and cleared the plants away, revealing more of the writings in the supposed lost language. His anxiety evidently returns when he ponders about her previous assumption. "Affirmative." She said seriously with a curt nod. "Every assumption becomes a possibility, since we know absolutely nothing about these.. runes. But an assumption is an assumption, it's wrong until proven otherwise. Sadly, I do not know of anyone who can read those. Do you?" Has this guy been around here longer than her? If he had any acquaintances who had further knowledge on this topic then she was beaming to meet them.

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She seemed to be one of those intellectual types. Nimbus wasn’t sure what knowledge he could even contribute to her deductions. He felt stupid. He always did. This young woman could prattle on and sound smart while he stood there. Stupidly. Too afraid to speak and too afraid to argue with her. But she had some points, even if she seemed to have some joy in teasing him. This time, he didn’t say anything to her ‘end of the world’ spiel. His head slightly hung, trying to figure out what to even say to that. But she did seem impressed that he had called them ‘runes’. That gave the man a small burst of confidence. Maybe someone in a pack here could read them. Maybe the runes were code for hunting grounds of some kind. Or a haunted circle of stones. You never know. “I don’t smell blood…” Nimbus said stupidly, realizing that any blood scent would have faded with time. He flushed, looking away. The young woman asked if he knew anyone that could read the markings though. He shook his head. “n-no. I just… came here to this place. I don’t know anyone” Nobody smarter than her, that is. It seemed a shame that the runes she was so interested in… well, she couldn’t read them. It was ironic in a sad and depressing way. “maybe someone… maybe people in t-the packs could?” He knew at least one pack was here in the east. Their scent was very strong. "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 3/3 for navigation

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He was not the talkative type. Certainly hung his head low and kept his tail between his legs more often than not. Aralanne did her best to try and make him smile or gauge some kind of reaction out of the boy other than meekness. Honestly, she found herself pitying the stranger for no apparent reason. "I don't smell blood as well, maybe they are long gone." The blue girl grinned from ear to ear. Ah, so he was new too! Her big, fluffy tail lagged behind her excitedly. "I'm new too! Name's Aralanne, by the way, but you can call me Ari if you'd like!" A quick, short introduction and she paused to give him a chance to introduce himself as well. Maybe they could be friends? She hasn't met many wolves around. This guy looked harmless, quite sweet. She completely lost track of the main topic though, thankfully he spoke further about the runes. "Oh, yeah, maybe they know. Do you think there's a pack nearby? I thought I caught a whiff earlier but I wasn't sure..." Brows raised in surprise, then she looked away as if to think.

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she introduced herself in a rush of positive emotion too. the young man felt his head raise a bit at her optimism, trying to catch it and whatever bravery she seemed to have. "Nimbus" he said at last, trying to steady his voice. she wasn't exactly a stranger anymore. Aralanne was a pretty name to place to a pretty face, but he was too meek to even say such a thing. let alone to a wolf he had just met. 'cause she was a pretty young woman, no doubt about that. maybe she even knew it so he didn't have to say it. "it...it's n-nice to meet you. Ari." he gave a small, nervous smile. he'd give a nod at her query about the packs. there was definitely one here in the area. "y-yes. a big one" he shuddered a bit as he recalled how he passed by their border. they had to have at least three territories compared to a pack's usual two. Nimbus didn't know what that meant, only that he had mapped by sight the different scent lines and where they ended. but he didn't stick around to ask questions. "I don't... know their name though." "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 3/3 for navigation

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Nimbus. That was a fancy name. It reminded her of those little, long eared creatures in the myths. What were they called? Elves? Well he certainly looked like one! She found that thought quite entertaining, but dared not to share it with Nimbus. It might offend him and that certainly won't give her any brownie friendship points. "Nice to meet ya too, Nim!" She grinned, noticing the shift in his expression. Jackpot, he was smiling! That was a cute smile. I wonder how many other expressions I can gauge out of that boy.. He looked young, maybe he was younger than her? Or perhaps the fact he always seemed to keep himself smaller made it appear so.

So there really was a big pack nearby. How big though? The idea of a large group of wolves living nearby didn't frighten her, but made her even more curious. What were they like? Did they speak their language? Oh! What if they spoke the same language like the etchings on the stone. Now that wouldn't answer any of their questions.. "...their name..." his voice made her snap back to reality. "Wanna go check them out? Ask them if they know?" She asked with a smile, already taking a step in the opposite direction while peeking back at Nim.

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her nice words were forgotten when she suggested they go seek out a pack. Nimbus shivered on the spot, shaking his head and looking at the ground. as much fun as this was, it was only fun because there was one other and not a whole wack of people around him. he couldn't handle large crowds. he was only used to small groups. "n-no. t-thank you. I should, um... go find a place to sleep for the night" Nimbus thought this was more convincing than telling Ari the truth. he was scared of other people. how she had kept him in conversation this long was beyond even him. Nimbus was evidently alone and new here. he needed to find a suitable place for a den until he got his thoughts together. at least he had the capacity to shoot the girl a sorry look. she probably would leave now that her curiosity was satisfied. he didn't blame her either. he wasn't the most sparkling conversationalist and he lacked the confidence to be charming. "maybe... another time" though he knew that was futile. this land was a big place. it was gonna be dumb luck to run into her again. "Speech." | "you" | ----------------------------------------------------------- OC: 3/3 for navigation

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