The intent had not been to seek out the stranger he had come across on the beach that day. No, he would have rather stuck around to ask that Haydee lady or even scary man Artorias, but the shadowy red man had something he needed. Yes, as he traveled south toward the far corner of Auster, he had seen the tall growing bamboo from a mile away. Or at least it felt like a mile.

When he grew closer, he could smell the tinge of blood. Now, Wilder was not... someone who concerned himself with other's troubles, but he wasn't a complete asshole either. Instead, he hesitated along the border of the dragon's blood trees as he hemmed and hawed over whether he should approach. With the amount of blood he could smell and the variety of scents, he worried that something bad had happened. Was it related to those mystery wolves the man had mentioned? His brow draws tighter as he gathers up his courage.

Approaching the bamboo, he takes one step over the border before lifting his muzzle to let out a call. There is a slight tremble in his body as he prepares himself for the worst. A massacre? A seige? A coup? He wouldn't know and really shouldn't care. He was here for something he needed. Right? While he waited, Wilder took the time to admire the bamboo from afar. Its talk stalks were bright green and very full of leaves. A beauty to behold.

There was much to be done, injuries needed to be tended to and then there was the clean-up. Ugh, it made Hattori grimace just thinking about it. But when he heard a call for him at the border he did not hesitate to heed it, moving quickly despite the deep-seated ache in his bones. Fresh cuts and abrasions apparent but ignored on his form as he shouldered his way through the bamboo, taking a shortcut he usually avoided not to trample newer growth. He was tired and not in a particularly good mood by the time he arrived at the edge of his territory, familiar enough but not someone he had been chomping at the bit to see again.

"What?" Was all he said, feeling his age for once.

There was temptation in his gaze as he looked at the bamboo. A wall of it blocking out all strangers who dared to enter. Well, by the scent, those strangers had dared to enter and hadn't been successful. Good for the guy, right? Maybe. He still wasn't sure and its that uncertainty that leaves him feet from the plant that he wants to get ahold of. If he could just cut down a few stalks of it... he could use it for some traps. Trapping is a lot easier than chasing down his kills.

As the breeze blows by, knocking the stalks together so they make a sort of ominous noise, Wilder doesn't notice the leader approach. Paw steps hidden by leaf litter, he almost jumps when Hattori emerges to snap at him. Dang, okay, maybe it really was a bad time to visit. He turns to look at the older man with his mouth suddenly going dry and his brain drawing a blank.

His lips open and nothing comes. Instead, a paw lifts and he points toward the bamboo. Why was this guy so threatening? Authority didn't normally leave him feeling... small. Scrunching his face, he gives it a good shake as a sort of reset before trying again. "I noticed you have a lot of bamboo," Wilder starts, his paws taking him a few feet to the side so he can get a better look at the fortress that hides Hattori's pack.

"I was hoping you might spare a few. They're sturdy and could be used for hunting, but this is the only place that it grows," his vermillion gaze avoids Hattori and only stays on the bamboo. He wants to reach out and touch it so bad. To feel how smooth the tall stalks are and understand how it is so different than the massive trees that grow in surrounding lands.

WILDER

Hattori grunted in acknowledgement, his gaze flitting to the abundance of said bamboo. Trade wasn't exactly his forte, the clan was more than capable of gathering and crafting what they needed and should a day come they were lacking, then they would raid for it. It was a matter of principle more than anything else, he did not like the idea of owing anyone outside of Tojo anything. Packs were too intertwined with their alliances, where was their sense of independence? Their ability to stand on their own paws? But this wasn't an interpack affair, just a loner asking for a few stray bits of wood.

Hattori exhaled, he wasn't feeling particularly charitable and his knee-jerk reaction was to say no. Perhaps the loner had thought if Tojo had fallen, their bamboo and stores would be ripe for the picking?

"Fine. I will have someone bring you out a cart if you wait, you can have your pick." Hattori didn't want anything in return, he doubted the loner even had anything of value.

That moment of silence, the wear exhale, it makes Wilder more uncomfortable. If the man wanted to say no, he could have just said no. It makes him feel slightly disgruntled. Being pitied wasn't his favorite. Wasn't he trying to do the right thing? Asking instead of stealing? Shouldn't that be appreciated? His brow furrows, unable to respond to the decision. Wait for the cart, that he can do.

Taking a step back, Wilder keeps his eyes on the bamboo. Leafy, tall, sturdy. Their ability to grow closer together provides protection not only from the elements but from predators as well. He can understand why they would want to hide away in there, but he doesn't understand the interaction. Maybe it's just him, it's probably just him. He wonders how they keep track of where they are, where they've been. They must have a system...but that would be a question for another time. Now definitely wasn't it. No, he would wait quietly for the bamboo and then take his leave.

WILDER

Hattori left momentarily, words uttered in the shadows in a language poor Wilder couldn't even hope to understand. It took a handful of minutes for the Kaicho to return, this time no longer alone. A hound was strapped up to the cart, straps across his torso and shoulders as he pulled it along the path, stopping just short of the loner. From the look on the dog's face he wasn't exactly thrilled such a task had been foisted upon him, but either he didn't care enough to argue or thought better of questioning his master.

With a flick of his tail, Hattori gestured for Wilder to take his pick. There were a variety of different strands, some thick and chunky stacked at the bottom and thinner reeds to the top. All stripped of their leaves, not yet processed.