For some reason.. leaving the southern continent felt wrong. Why? What was lingering in the back of his mind and bidding him to linger around the familiar territories like some pariah. Had it really been months since he'd left the pack? Yet, the whole time he had clung to its skirts like an anxious toddler. Not once in his life had he ever spent so much time mulling over the decision to travel elsewhere. It wasn't until he was drifting off into another night of fitful sleep under a straggling willow, the meagre pack of his belongings tucked beneath his chin, that the thought finally occurred to him. Half asleep and delirious, the sensation that poked and prodded at his subconscious was finally identifiable. Gods above, was he really lurking around the Hallows over a silly crush? On the waifish navigator he'd met a few times? The heart was a finnicky and incomprehensible bitch, sometimes. A heavy sigh shuddered through his chest, and the celestial giant rolled over onto his side to fall asleep. This was tomorrow's problem. With the dawn came a strange tightness in his chest and a sense of resignation as he picked up his bag and trudged towards the borders yet again. This time, he opted to stay a bit further away than usual. Try and parse out the scents from a distance, perhaps pick up a fresh trail from the little slate marked male. If he was ever going to move forward with the decision to live his life the way he wanted, he would need to do something about this whole... feelings situation. Had he ever been such a child? Fretting over butterflies and stolen glances? Definitely not. Sniffing around the familiar garden that bordered the fields beyond the castle grounds, there was little real hope of encountering Sota. Instead, he told himself that he would only waste one more day on this nonsense. After that, it was a lost cause. He would move north, and forget about this whole silly crush. After all, Deion was a grown man. What kind of marauder would he be if he kept dancing about the whole situation like he had been for the past few weeks? As he continued his check of the garden, he found only old trails from his once pack-mates. There was still plenty of day left ahead, but part of him was already hoping not to find anything. Then, he wouldn't have to make any admissions. That would be much easier to deal with. ""

Deion had left The Hallows quite some time ago, and truthfully Sota didn't anticipate seeing him around again, at least not for quite some time. He'd learned, especially as he grew older, that nothing in life was permanent. Wolves drifted in and out of orbit as naturally as the changing of the seasons, and he wasn't apt to fight those changes, especially not since he'd happily settled into a life here that he couldn't see himself leaving anytime soon. That didn't mean he didn't think about those who'd left - in fact, he spent a significant amount of time reflecting on the wolves who'd made an impact on him - but likewise he made a conscious effort not to let those thoughts weigh him down too heavily. On this particular early morning, he rose feeling an urge to stretch his legs a bit further than the usual castle grounds or the fields to the east. Today he headed south for no reason in particular other than to extend his paws beyond his usual stomping grounds. With the weather brightening even further he found a slightly longer walk all that more appealing, and the land that stretched before him seemed lush and full of life he was eager to meander through. Though he certainly hadn't expected to run into Deion out here, the galaxy-coated stood out starkly against the greenery. At first, he thought Deion might be a figment of his imagination but as he drew closer it became clear that was absolutely not the case. Had he really been lingering near the borders this whole time? Why had he left at all then, Sota wondered? They were questions he had but would likely not ask, since he wasn't the prying type, but he had to admit he was happy to see him - and the way his chest fluttered at the sight of his features as he continued his approach, well, it even caught Sota a little off guard. "Deion!" He called out happily, once his small legs carried him the vast distance across the garden to well within earshot of the oversized man. He just hoped he was as happy to see him as Sota felt. "I'm glad to see you out around these parts." Sota definitely thought he'd be far from here by now, but the way he grinned at the larger male made it clear he was not at all displeased to see him - just a little surprised.

Like a lantern bobbing through the undergrowth of shadowed vale, along trotted the petite male that he'd been seeking out in the first place. As always, Sota was warm and friendly, and there was that strange tightness in his chest again. The subtle tugging sensation that was high in his chest instead of low in his belly where it usually settled. A lopsided, tentative grin of his own managed to work its way over his rugged facade. "Sota," he grunted, fondness finding its way into his low vocals. He shrugged his worn bag from his shoulder and onto the ground, settling heavily onto his haunches. Already heat was beginning to collect across his dark furred cheeks, and he was glad it would go unnoticed even in this bright daylight. "I, uh, happened to be around. I thought I would check up on yo- er. The pack. I thought I would see how things were going, just while I was in the area. I'll be heading to the far north soon, actually." he trudged his way through the sentence with all the grace of a lumbering grizzly through a briar bush, and felt just as prickly as soon as the words managed to make their way out. Well done, idiot. The titan gave a half-roll of his massive shoulders, trying to disperse the knot of tension already forming between the scapulae. He cleared his throat, tried again. "How have you been?" he asked, grasping at straws with how to approach the awkward topic he'd come all the way to discuss. Best to ease his way into it, right? Maybe, against all odds, Sota would confess feelings of his own out of the blue. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Make the whole conversation infinitely easier. ""

Fortunately, Deion seemed just as pleased to see him, and Sota watched as the stoic man's face lit up slowly but surely. The large man's grin was not nearly as enthusiastic as his own but he had no doubt it was just as genuine, and the fact that he wasn't a wolf quick to smile made the expression all the more genuine. His own expression only further brightened as Deion continued to speak, and he took his head in sinking down to his haunches once he settled in closer to him. "Things have been well," he started, hardly skipping a beat. If he seemed to notice the way Deion stumbled over his words, he made no sign of it at all. "We've started preparing for Artorias' wedding. It's coming up soon, so if you happen to be around still.." His voice trailed off slightly as he considered. But he was headed far north he said, which was definitely a shame, but he wouldn't let his disappointment show. The last thing he wanted was to let his own opinions on Deion leaving influence his friend's thoughts - not that he expected he'd have any sway over him, but still, that wasn't his style. "I've been well enough too. Things are quiet, but after the last year.... I can't complain," he admitted with a low chuckle. He wasn't the complaining type either. There was far too much in life to be grateful for to dwell on the negatives for longer than was absolutely necessary. "What about you? I'm surprised to see you so close to home still," he admitted, still smiling at his friend. Well - it was his home still, even if it wasn't Deion's anymore.