It was more than high time he started investigating further beyond the pack borders. In the past months he had become a bit of a homebody, never straying far from Hearthwood territory, even n his frequent hunting- and tracking-trips. He felt a need to stick close, Aleksei was gone, Maksim was absent most of the time as well, and Kisla and the pups were so very vulnerable to any outside threat. This had prompted the young Baranski to take on the role of his brother and father, as protector and defender, patrolling borders and making sure that the pack was safe and healthy. But while he did this duty diligently, it was not where his heart was at. He guarded his family out of necessity, and love, but not passion. And every day, the extreme familiarity of Kingfall grew more and more pressing, the lag of novelty gnawing at the adventurous lad's insides like a nasty bug. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore. So on a day when all was quiet, and after he had walked the borders once to reassure himself that all was as it should be - which of course it was - the yearling prince headed out on a new adventure.

He went south, seeing rainclouds gathering over the lowlands to the north, and wanting to avoid the storm for as long as possible. Even if he was making this trip primarily to satisfy his selfish desire for exploration, he might as well scout out these lands for possible hunting opportunities, and tracking was made much harder by rain; Such a practical wolf I've become... He snickered to himself. The apparent maturity was only skin deep, Orren Baranski enjoyed hunting for the thrill, the absolute rush he got from adrenaline racing through his body, and the sense of power it gave to determine another creature's fate. That he this way had found a way to support the pack and provide for his family, while doing something he loved was a happy coincidence, and one he cherished every day.

Today he wouldn't think of them, he had decided, though it was hard to keep little @Inna and @Lekalta out of his mind for very long, and equally so his growing worry for @Karina. But he did his best, and in the joy of experiencing something new, he did rediscover some of his childhood carelessness. His path took him southward through the towering sequoia's, following an out runner of the brushing river from his home, that rebelliously refused to follow the strong stream out into the vast waters of Turtleback Lake, but instead curved oppositely, slowly leading him away from the forest of giant kings, and into more averagely sized cedar woods, similar to the ones where he was born; That now looked minuscule in his eyes.

Despite his attempt at avoiding it, the rain eventually started falling, putting a dampener on his adventuristic giddiness. Still, determination kept him moving through the sticky dust of water, ears spinning constantly in search of anything of interest; He wouldn't return empty handed. Nose filling with the thick scent of moisture, it was hard for the aspiring hunter to locate anything in the mist, and he felt his motivation fade as wetness slowly weighed down his ears and matted his fur. What was the point anyway? He wasn't gonna track down anything in this weather, let alone catch it; Maybe I should just go home... The thought of turning back without anything to show for his trouble didn't please the yearling though. He had had plenty of unsuccessful hunts, and each one always left him with this raging bitterness, not only had he wasted time and energy, but he had failed. Failure was still something that hit the young wolf hard, he continuously struggled with his feelings of inadequacy and even the smallest miss would make him doubt himself.

Hunting was something he could do, he knew he could, which only made failing that much worse. But his pelt was thoroughly drenched now, and gathered water was running down his nose in heavy droplets; Staying out longer wasn't gonna do any good. So the defeated boy lifted his head to gaze through the rain, shaking his whole body violently to try and get rid of some of the water before blinking through the rest, clinging persistently to his eyelashes. The air seemed dense and gray, every contour blurred by the water masses, but in the distance he thought he saw a figure, pausing just as he did. The low greeting reached his ears, making them perk up from their defeatist position, so suddenly little showers sprang from them. The silhouette became a little clearer when Orren narrowed his eyes, the outline of upturned ears and lowly swaying tail adding to the initial call's friendly atmosphere.

Straightening up properly, the young Baranski took a moment to remind himself that he was acting as an agent of his family and pack, breathing deeply to settle his nerves; While he had no qualms with interacting with others, strangers and family alike, this would be the first time after he passed his first year and Aleksei disappeared, the first time so much could depend on his actions; And I won't disappoint! Letting his own tail wave leisurely around his hocks, the youngster called out through the rain, smiling even though the stranger probably couldn't see it; "Hey there!" His voice cracked a little and he cringed, clearing his throat. It' probably just from lack of use, he told himself, shaking his shoulders once more, a cloud of water standing around him. "You wouldn't happen to know somewhere dry, would ya?!" He yelled in question, this time with a voice clear and strong, waving an ear affably, then veered his head as water got into it. It would be awfully nice to get some shelter until the worst of this blasted rain wore of.

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He had to blink constantly to keep the water out of his eyes, ears flopped miserably against his dark-furred head. The stranger was little more than a burred shape in the distance, and it unnerved him slightly, not being able to clearly differentiate her posture. But her voice had seemed friendly enough, and when she called again to answer his question, he still detected only kind emotions in her tone. His ears flicked, again making water jump, head tilting a little at her words. Then he shrugged, figuring that whatever she had in mind could not be worse than the current situation. Realizing she probably wouldn't see the gesture though, he yelled back: "Anything's better than this!" Shaking his head vigorously as a trickling droplet of water managed to make its way into one of his nostrils.

Meanwhile the woman started making her way towards him, movements gracious and strong as she traced around puddles and patches of mud. When she came closer he began seeing her more clearly, the mottled grey separating out into patches of cream, buff and slate hues, on a slender, well-muscled frame. She looked to be older than his mother, probably closer to his dad's age, sharp golden eyes watching him closely, even as the rest of her posture announced no bad intent. The River prince nodded awkwardly as she came to a hold a few steps away, ears kept flattened as he looked to meet her gaze, trying to appear as non threatening as possible. He smiled at her suggestion, nodding his approval; "Sounds good." Then he motioned lightly with his head, encouraging her to lead the way, ready to follow.

The rain continue to trickle down his fur, and while he was certain he couldn't possibly get any more drenched, every drop still seemed to leave a fresh, cold trail. It was hard to fight the urge to shake out his pelt, even though he knew it wouldn't help anything, and his head hung low, feeling several pounds heavier from all the water; Dryer would definitely be better! Glancing over at the female, the yearling cleared his throat, trying to ignore his discomfort; "I'm Orren, nice to meet you."

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The rain truly seemed never ending, every drop as cold, wet and heavy as the last. Orren shuffled alongside his newfound companion, nose hanging close to the ground as he tried to look ahead through half closed eyes. He was thankful for the shewolf's guidance, to him everything looked mostly the same through the pouring water, but she seemed certain of where she was going; Her pack must be close by… She gave her own name in response to his introduction, and the boy nodded heavily, a small rumble given in recognition, as he realized she might not see his gesture.

Iopah commented on the weather in a manner-of-fact tone, making the young man frown; How much water can possibly be up there?! He glanced briefly up at the clouds, blinking against the falling rain, noting with a sigh that there indeed didn't seem to be any change on the way. As his head came back down, the older woman continued to speak, and copper ears perked at the word prey. Orren looked over at her, eyes glinting now, despite the rain. An aspiring young hunter, the Baranski prince would never pass up an opportunity to learn more about his craft, and his voice was eager as he asked: "Ya think we could catch somethin' off guard?" It had sounded to him like she knew a thing or two about hunting in the rain, and a rush of thrill went through the young man's chest at the thought of turning this apparent disadvantage around. Suddenly, he wasn't bothered by the water at all.

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