Red Fern Forest I've been a fool and I've been lost

He'd only dozed off for an hour or so, so where the fuck was @Cecily? She could barely see her nose in front of her face so why in hell would she just wander off without him? He could feel the anxiety growing in his chest, a clawing, choking feeling like the chains they had so recently escaped. He was on his feet before he knew it, sleep still thick in his voice as he called out, "Hey Cee? Cess c'mon it isn't funny!" but he was only answered with silence and the heavy beating of his own heart ringing in his ears.

He set off after her most recent trail, the fur over his shoulders bristling as the scent of a stranger intermingled with hers, his blue eyes narrowed to distrustful slits as he stalked closer. Sure, it could be perfectly harmless, but they didn't know that, the wolves out here, they were wild, savage beasts. What if they realised what was wrong with her and, and took advantage or something? He heaved a heavy sigh. Nothing good could possibly come of this.

The agouti boy wasn’t sure how he felt about the crimson forest to the south of the Shallows. It was not an obnoxious colour, like the orange that plagued his birthplace, but it wasn’t exactly a pleasing colour either. It was loud, intense, and excitable. But it also worried the tawny Leigh, for it was also a colour he associated with danger and frustration. He frowned. He would have to get used to it eventually, especially since the forest bordered his new home.

At least it was better than—shudder—orange.

The scent of another deterred him away from his path, his nose wrinkling as he pursued the stranger. Moving in with Askan and the Edgy wolves had given the boy a surge of confidence—a trait he had not possessed while living in the Vale. Normally he would have shied away from the loner, for he enjoyed his time alone. But things had changed during the move. The group he belonged to had become his family and he would do anything necessary to protect them (especially Pumpkin Eyes). Which meant approaching strangers when he didn’t want to.

Lookin’ for something? He called out at the mahogany wolf, a frown creasing his dark lips. The brilliant pools of topaz nestled in the stranger’s skull were awfully familiar, but that wasn’t Sachiel’s concern. Not now. The wolf was getting closer to Edge territory and that was definitely not okay.

ridge is a mature character

aka he curses a lot due to his frustation with his memory loss

x

ridge associates colours with moods/feelings & uses them to describe others

The Noor's head whipped in the direction of the stranger, fur threatening to bristle over his shoulders, expletives laden on the tip of his tongue before blue eyes registered that perhaps the wolf just a few years his junior didn't really deserve the flack he was about to fling his way. He grunted in response, chewing the tip of his tongue as he tried to apply a filter to his words. Did he want the kid knowing about Cecily? But maybe he'd seen a blind wolf bumping into strange trees and would be able to point him in the right direction after all? Finally, with a long exhale he decided he didn't have any better options right now. "Yeah, my sister. She's a bit lighter than me, bright blue eyes." His head canted hopefully to the side as he gave the other wolf a chance to process the information.