Arion was growing braver with each day that passed. Without the presence of his mother and father in the pack the shadow was growing careless. He was venturing further away from pack boundaries with every trip, staying out late and occasionally returning at just as the sun rose from it's perch. He made sure that his longer excursions weren’t frequent — he did not want to test his luck with Iopah. After confining himself to the Timber territory for a few days, Arion decided that it was time for another adventure to clear his head.

For being abandoned by both his parents the shadow was fairing considerably well. Little R hid behind a mask as he maneuvered mindlessly around the pack dens. He did not want to be comforted by his pack mates—he just wanted his family to be whole.

Subconsciously he believed that all his ‘adventures’ were just an attempt to locate his mother. Arion hoped that his mother was hunting down his father—of course, he wouldn’t know her reason until she returned… if she did. The boy gave his head a quick shake as he pressed forward, leaving behind the Pines as he weaved between trees. As much as he missed his parents, he refused to be consumed by their absence. R was confident that his mother would return—he had to believe that. It was the only thing that kept him going.

Due to his long legs and slender frame (passed down by Zia) he manoeuvred through Relic Lore quickly, heading further south to distance himself from his home. Despite his age, the boy was getting rather good at scaling the land—he often wondered if he should purse the role of scout in the future. His knowledge of the neighbouring territories was growing; he knew them almost as well as Broken Timber. Today, however, was the furthest he had treaded and remained a mystery—until now, that is.

The tightly packed trees were accompanied by a soft fog; the air was still, muffling the sounds of the forest. Despite the eerie, unsettling feeling that engulfed the woods, it was oddly peaceful. The thoughts that previously plagued his mind had disappeared, devoured by the strange mist. The deeper he ventured into the forest the more calm he felt, his troubles temporarily disabled. The trees grew larger, behemoths disrupting his path as he forged through the foreign territory. With his cold, blue gaze focused above him, Arion did not notice the female until he nearly bumped into her. Her scent flooded his senses suddenly, causing him to stop abruptly, brows high as his cheeks grew hot. “S-Sorry!” He stammered with an apologetic grin as his ears flattened against his skull.

He let out a long exhale once the stranger dismissed his apology, relief washing over him as he offered her a timid smile in response. The smudge prince felt foolish for being so unobservant—what a wolf he was! What if she hadn’t been so forgiving? What if she had snapped at him instead, scolding him for his negligence? His expression became subdued as he lingered on the thought. The smudge was no longer within pack borders—there were actual threats out here; threats that could potentially want to hurt him. Or kidnap him. Or kill him. Depended on their mood, and the day, really. And whether or not Arion was unlucky enough.

The fiery-eyed female spoke once more, the question causing the corners of his lips to fall. Adults always thought puppies (even older ones, like Ari) were lost or running away when they were on their own. Which was fair—but still annoying, nonetheless.

Giving his head a quick shake as an initial response the boy forced his previous lop-sided smile to return. “No ma’am,” he piped up, his pale orbs focused on the older female. “Just explorin’, never been out this way before.” The Celencio child was all about exploring, especially outside Broken Timber territroy. He was growing so tired of exploring the densite and it's surroundings. Now that R was finally big enough—and old enough—to explore on his own, he was taking full advantage of it. “Do you live out here?” He asked quietly, his curiosity building as he kept his gaze focused on the female, a soft smile perched effortlessly across his maw.

He glanced around as she repeated the last word to roll of his tongue, his blue eyes widening slightly as he took in their surroundings. It was a marvellous place despite the eerie atmosphere that engulfed them. It would not be so keen on returning here alone in the future; perhaps he would bring the wonder twins, or Nalda, along with him next time. It was nice to get away from them and the hustle and bustle of pack life once in awhile; especially when it resulted in encounters with interesting strangers much like the shadow before him.

“Nope!” He responded quickly with a flash of his teeth, the corners of his lips curving upward as he nudged his head in the direction he hoped was home. “I’m from a place a lil north of here, past the red trees.” The boy had a habit of flapping his lips a little too much, but he always made sure not to give away too much information about his pack and it's whereabouts.

With his head tilted almost all the way back, his bright gaze narrowed slightly as he studied the trees and the fog that hung around them. “It almost looks as though they go on forever…” he commented absently, his voice quiet as he stared in awe at the army of trees. One could most certainly get lost in a place like this; he would have to make sure he was heading in the right direction when he decided to go home, or else he could end up spending days in this unfamiliar forest. “I’m Arion,” he announced suddenly, although his gaze was still fixated on the trees: “of the Broken Timber Pines pack.” She seemed okay; he was still wary of her, but she seemed much more trustworthy than the pale female he had previously encountered.