Svala grumbled to herself as she attempted to navigate through the briars that tangled up the forest floor. Thorns snagged on her coat, forcing her to move carefully and slowly. She'd been cut a couple times and no doubt she was going to need to tend to her scraps as soon as she found a good spot to do so. Reaching a clearing she sat down and sighed before casting a weather eye to the sky. Clouds were starting to gather. They were clumps of fluff with gray underbellies that were likely filling with rain. Hopefully it would still be a few hours yet before she had to worry about precipitation. Of course she was trying to get back to the prairie which didn't exactly have the best shelter. Maybe she could camp at the edge of the briar if it looked like it was to rain.

The underbrush was thick, so thick that sometimes it was hard to be sure which direction she was going. Spying a sapling growing at the end of the clearing she padded over to it. Svala tilted herself back onto her hind legs and started scratching with her front claws until she made noticeable marks there. At least she'd know now that she'd been this way.

As he was wont to do when there was no one around to entertain him, Hyperion was entertaining himself with a bit of exploring. This place was quite the challenge. He kept getting caught in things and if one more briar hit him in the dick he might climb a tree and cirque du soliel his way out of this godforsaken raspberry patch. It was a neat challenge and all, but he was scratched from tip to toodles and it looked like he'd gotten attacked by an obese chipmunk who'd focused on the bits he could get without too much climbing. He had scratches everywhere. The insides of his legs, his armpits, the aforementioned important bits, and if he peeked through his fur no doubt he'd find scratches in there too. Scratches or not, there was no stopping. He was committed now. Also, he was lost. So there was that.

A scratching sound gave him pause and Hyperion, ever the magnet for trouble, had to investigate. When a poke through the briars revealed the backside of a wolf he was almost disappointed. And then - and this was key - he noticed the wolf was a woman. His interest in the backside grew and he gave it a second pass.

So as not to be anymore of a creeper than he already was, Hyperion removed his gaze from the hind end, cleared his throat to alert her to his presence and then said, "Are you...are you lost too?" Feigning awkwardness, he closed his eyes hard and shook his head as though chastising himself, then fixed her with a mildly apologetic look before explaining. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I just saw what you were doing and it reminded me of something I do when I feel like I'm going in circles sometimes."

Svala listened to the sounds around her, scrutinizing them before she realized that one of the sounds she heard was running water. Was there some sort of stream nearby? That would be useful, then she could at least get a drink. She heard the wind rustling through the leaves and glanced skyward again. Though she couldn't feel the breeze down in the undergrowth she could see the tops of the trees waving in the wind. Hopefully, rain wasn't moving in. She frowned then looked behind her as she heard someone approaching.

She turned to see a young man who seemed a bit unsure. She moved back down to all four feet and shook her head. "No, I'm not lost. At least not yet. My name is Svala, you're welcome to join me if you want. I hear running water not too far away." She pushed her way back into the briar's, carefully maneuvering her way to another slim clearing along the edge of a stream. There, well, this was new. New was good. That meant no circles. Eyeing a nearby tree she moved to repeat the scratching motion. Marking where she was.

Hyperion saw the woman glance up at the sky and naturally his gaze went up to. It kinda looked like rain. In addition to the heavy cloud cover there was a heavy feeling in the air. It was a bit cooler too, he realized, than the last time he'd noted the temperature. Granted it had been awhile since he'd been a little preoccupied with safeguarding the jewels, so what did he know. Now that he was aware of it, though, he couldn't shake the feeling. Great, in addition to being lost he was also going to get rained on. At least now it appeared he was going to have company.

He carefully picked his way through the briars, noting the way the ground fell away sharply to his left, to stand on the same stretch of open ground as the woman. The thorns had been digging into his neck and were, no joke, a bit of a pain. "I'd like that. The name's Hyperion." A tangle of thorns managed to snag his ankle and he kicked them away absently. Pesky things were going to eat him up. "Thanks for letting me join you. This," he motioned towards their surroundings. "Is not my forte. I'm garbage at wayfinding."

"Oh, not a problem. I appreciate the company." She truly did, it was nice to explore with someone else and at least if they got turned around and needed to rely on the land there'd be two of them to hunt. Though, she wasn't sure what all lived here. Her ears twitched. She heard plenty of birds and rabbits rustling about. Perhaps some deer also took shelter here? The sound of water alerted her to the presence of a waterfall not too far off. She trotted over to it. It was a small one compared to some but it still offered something of a vantage point.

Svala quickly scrambled up the rocks to the top of the water fall. It was sort of an odd thing, just here in the briar. She swiftly marked a nearby tree with her claws, just in case there were more. She doubted it but she wanted to take all necessary precautions. The clouds above her were growing bigger, their gray underbellies starting to swell more. She gazed northward and much to her delight she saw the edge of the prairie. "Oh, I can't believe it! The prairie's right over there, just to the north of us!" She slipped down from her perch and made a beeline for the prairie.

-exit to prairie?-

The woman scrambled over the terrain with the demeanor of a seasoned navigator. Hyperion, usually one to fixate solely on loveliness, took note of this. Maybe it was being lost that made him temporarily forsake his whorish tendencies or maybe it was the woman's focused demeanor that made it quite clear he didn't have a chance with her, but either way it was probably for the best. It seemed to him he had a lot to gain by simply observing her work. Normally his brain didn't work that way and he just sort of fell into knowledge haphazardly, but it was nice to be focused for a change even if it meant sacrificing any potential for a cuddle.

Doggedly he followed after her, his paws slipping occasionally on loose stones. Without asking he zeroed in on what she was doing. Why couldn't this come easy to him? He'd been too busy fighting cock thumping briars to focus on the important things like Svala was. Like climbing up somewhere high and looking for a way out or noting the location of water. It was a wonder, he mused as he carefully eyed the path ahead and noted the steps he wanted to take to avoid the various thorns and stones that marred the path, how he managed to get anywhere without his siblings. "Is it? That's great! I was beginning to think I'd never get out of here. You're gonna have to teach me your ways. I'd have just walked right past the falls and circled back to the briars or something."

-exit to prairie-