Svala grinned as she strode into the prairie. Now, this was more like it. She could see for miles here, gazing over the waving grasses in their green and gold finery. The wind was picking up now but she felt better knowing that she wasn't too far from her den. Hopefully she could get there before it rained but in order to do so she'd need to cross the prairie. She also wasn't quite sure about leading the strange young man to her den. Perhaps he had somewhere else he was going?

Oh, speaking of… Svala reached into her pack and pulled out a piece of hide dotted with charcoal markings. Her temporary map. She'd redo it in ink, adding the new notes to the more complete one later. She unrolled the hide and took a stick of charcoal that had been mixed with clay to make it stronger. She marked a line for the boundary between the prairie and the briar. "Which way are you headed Hyperion?"

The wide open vista of the prairie was a huge relief to the shredded giant. If he never ventured back in there alone he'd die a happy man. Now, if the opportunity arose to drag one of his siblings in there he would do it in a heartbeat. But alone? Heck no, those thorns would eat him alive. If he was lucky some poor sap would stumble across his mangled body and drag him to safety before he died the death of a thousand cuts, but in all likelihood he'd just be stuck in there forever.

Svala got a few steps ahead of him and he paused to take in the prairie. There didn't appear to be much to worry about here. The land appeared flat with nary a tree to muddy his view. All he could see in every direction beside behind, was a sea of waving, cheery grasses. It was picturesque. The kind of place he'd bring a girl on a date. He lit up suddenly as an idea struck him. Maybe he needed a map too to keep track of all the good make out locales. This Boreas seemed to be teeming with interesting places. It wasn't a bad idea. Thank you, Svala.

"Oh, honestly? I haven't decided. All I know is definitely not back the way we came. I need to find my siblings, but I don't know where to start." Where had he seen them last? Oh, duh. That party with all the horndogs. "Last place I saw them was Obsidian Beach. By chance, do you know how to get there from here?"

Shilah stalked through the grass of the prairie, taking notes on the available prey though he wasn't terribly hungry at this point. There were numerous prey animals. Rabbits, pronghorn, bison and more. He made a note that this might be a good place to do hunting come autumn and possibly even winter. Winter's in the south were likely to be milder and while the snow might bury the grass larger animals like bison could break through the snow for food.

He eyed the clouds above him for a moment. He probably had a few more hours yet before he really need to worry about rain. With a little luck the clouds would just go off on their merry way and dump rain elsewhere.

Shilah stood to change course when he noticed a large, brightly colored wolf that looked a suspiciously lot like Perseus. The male spoke and Shilah perked up. "Is one of your siblings Perseus? I met him at a party some time back. I can take you towards the beach if you need."

Svala finished sketching in the border with the briar. It wasn't complete but she took an estimate as she sketched. Birds were still singing all about them, that was a good sign. If there was a sudden hush she'd start getting worried about a storm rolling in. In the distance she could see a herd of bison roaming and grazing the grasses. The wind picked up a bit but in some ways it was nice. The day had been hot and she could appreciate the drop in temperature even if it meant a storm might be brewing. She thought for a moment as Hyperion asked her how to get to the Obsidian Beach. She'd been there when there was a party but she'd come in from the north. "Let's see… I know its east of here…" Before she could say more another man joined them, stating that he might know one of the man's siblings. Oh, now that she thought about it she had met a wolf colored awfully similarly to Hyperion. "Talk" "You" Think

By now the wheels were turning in his mind. A map was a fantastic idea! He hadn't the slightest idea how to make one, but how hard could it be? A smooth-ish hide and some - what did she have there, charcoal? - was all it looked like he needed. He could learn to scribble. Couldn't be too hard, could it? Man, this was a great idea. He'd have a map in no time.

Hyperion glanced around again, this time with map details in mind as he mulled over the Prairie's features. He was going to have to commit all of this to memory and draw it up later. But what details would he make for this place? The Briar was a no brainer. He'd just draw a big tangle with pokey things sticking out of it and then mark through it with an X so he'd remember to not venture in again. But what about this place? Scribbling a patch of grass wouldn't do it justice. A wall of grass? Hm. It was something to think about. Maybe a landmark would jump out at him if he explored some more.

Out of the grass popped a neutral colored male. At his query Hyperion canted his head to the side. He knew Percy? The stranger then mentioned the party and it clicked. Hyperion smiled knowingly. That made perfect sense. "He is! And if you don't mind that would be great; got a bit turned around in that," he waved a dismissive paw at the Briar. "Mess." He glanced at Svala and then up at the sky as he tried to get a sense of direction from the foreboding clouds. "East of here, eh?"

Shilah's guess was correct, this man was Percy's brother. Not terribly surprising. They looked quite similar, in fact now that he thought about it he seemed to remember a number of colorful wolves with a similar pattern. At the time he thought maybe it was just a symptom of too much alcohol. Shilah nodded. "Yes, although if we head directly east we'll run right into a wide river that divides here from a rocky tangle of caves. I recommend we head northeast into Fern Gulley then angle southeast to the beach." While it wasn't necessarily the straightest past Shilah was certain it would be the fastest. They wouldn't have to deal with forging rivers or climbing mountains.

Shilah glanced at the sky again then back to the colorful man. "My name is Shilah. We might want to get a move on. I think the wind should push these clouds north of us but we'll be in the path for a bit. I'd like to cut east before it starts to rain."

Svala finished her sketch, adding a few lines and spikes to those lines to indicate the briars. She didn't really expect to be back. There wasn't too much she felt was worth going into the briar for. Sure, there were some healing herbs but she could find these herbs in more hospitable terrain. The call of a meadowlark caught her attention and she looked up, watching the wind roll across the prairie as Shilah explained his plan and his thoughts on the weather. She eyed the clouds and nodded. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you both. I think I'm going to go ahead and take shelter til the weather lightens up a bit. I wish you both well on your travels." -exit- "Talk" "You" Think

Those clouds were starting to look a bit more ominous in Hyperion's uneducated opinion. He didn't particularly want to get caught in the rain, especially this time of year when hail was a very really possibility. The wet he could handle, but getting thumped with eyeball sized ice balls sounded about as appealing as going back into the Briar and getting his nethers whipped with thorns. It was quite kind of Shilah to offer to take him back; cheekily Hyperion couldn't help but wonder what Percy had done to him to instill the man with such charity. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Since you have an idea of where to go, I'll follow your lead." Absently he wondered if Shilah's guidance was really free, but that seemed like the sort of thing to deal with if it came up later. Hyperion, for one, was happy to pay his way. He possessed nothing, but he had other ways of showing his gratitude.

"The name's Hyperion and it's a pleasure to meet you, Shilah," he said as he stepped over to his new guide. The grass of the prairie was very tall; so tall that Hyperion suspected once they stepped inside all he'd be able to see of Shilah if he (Hyperion) stretched was the tips of his ears. The thought amused him and he nearly made a joke about it, but Svala's announcement that she was leaving them chased the thought away. To her, he said, "Good luck, Svala, I hope you make it before the rain. Your company was most welcome."

The man introduced himself as Hyperion and he gave Shilah the lead. "Well met, Hyperion." The nomad nodded to Svala and took off across the prairie. The wind had picked up and was whipping the grass around them. The smaller fluffy clouds were starting to join together into larger ones, mounding slowly on top of each other. He hoped rain was all they were in for and not a storm. The weather could be fussy in the hotter seasons this far south. He was curious to ask Hyperion if he'd been at the party but decided to wait for conversation til they reached the border of the gulley. They weren't far and this was the time of haste. Once they cut far enough east the weather would become less of a concern. He shifted the bundles that rested across his back, one on either side, tied together with leather braids. While he wanted to be swift he also didn't want to drop anything.