In what he viewed as a selfish wanderlust fulfillment, Kade had spent the night and day away from the Hollow. He would tell himself that he just needed space and air to clear his mind, a little quality time with himself to put some things in perspective. Of course, he'd not gone unnoticed, and it was in the dark of the night that Jaysyek had found him, ripping a shadowy course through the Ghastly Woods. He'd yet to come to any one conclusion, or to find any answers, as he thought he needed. Nevertheless, he'd committed what was left of the night and most of the following day to taking the long way home, a path that led him west and south, right through Blackberry Fields.

The aching of his paws, at this point, was beginning to feel like the aching in his head, and the ebony and silver shaded male tried to focus on the shades of the dirt underfoot as he moved. His timing was nearly perfect, and at this rate he'd reach the cedar forest just before the moon should hang as high as it may. The hard silver in his eyes grew colder as the sun began to fade, casting a dark veil on the land in every direction behind him.

As twilight descended, he had reached a small, rolling clearing, a number of scattered willow trees constituting some of its perimeter. For a moment his pace slowed - it was a beautiful scene. Like ice-covered jewels, the dead blackberries that remained after winter had settled upon Relic Lore covered a frostbitten landscape, delicately preserved in shades of grey. A chilling gust rustled through his thick coat, and as a deep breath of arctic air was taken he'd nearly choke on it. At the base of an old willow tree lay what he'd first thought was a mirage; a mysterious female whose beauty was so that she had nearly evaded his sweeping eyes as they admired the dusk scene. A calm curiosity overcame him as he observed for a moment longer, watching her eyes as she looked for...anything, to no alas.

The brute called out to the winter creature, a gentle tenor tone ringing clear among the whistling of winds that passed them both, hidden among the rolling hills of the blackberry fields.

Perhaps the wind was quicker than he'd gauged; nearly as soon as the notes slipped from his body did she shewolf rise from her icy nook at the foot of the lifeless willow, spotting his dark figure among the rifts of snow that had hardly hidden him. The interest that he had initally embraced deepened as he noted her emaciation, a condition that could take the female's life during such a season. Though her coat was soft, full, beautifully patterned, it lacked the shine characteristic of a nutritionally sound wolf. Snorting softly, as to, for a moment, rid his lungs on the cold air that cut through their passages, Kade slowly began to close the distance between them, the moon hovering in peace overhead as the last rays of sunlight vanished.

The brute stopped short of what he'd considered personal space, less he scare her, looking her over carefully. It was obvious that she refrained from looking into his gaze, something that he could understand but was not necessary. He was no alpha, and even if he were, he'd not approached her as such. Honestly, he could have passed her by, saving himself precious time that he depended on to make it home; but something about her stature, the isolation of the meadow...he wouldn't leave her to fend for herself in the night. The shewolf spoke her name, Alaska Donovan, which he comitted to his memory with a nod before offering a quick introduction, stretching his thick neck as to almost touch the tip of his own nose to hers before drawing back. Lowering his stance, he spoke softly. "Kade Attaya." She may not yet look him in the eye, but he couldn't help but to look into hers, roving through the folds of color - a warm gold, quite the contrast of his own icy silver. If only the night were as warm...

His decision was made upon a whim - he'd not return to Cedarwood Forest tonight. Instead, he'd commit the night to finding shelter, somewhere where the pair could rest, which was what he needed, absolutely, and something she may benefit from as well. As gusts tore through the meadow, strengthened by the drop in temperature, he notioned for her to follow his path, should she choose to do so, as he forged his way toward the boundary of the Thicket to the west.

The trek was cold and into the night the precipitation had increased; flurries of snow whirled about the wolves as they sought refuge, at times coating the tips of his pelt in a thin layer of ice. From time to time he would scale aspects of the landscape, searching the distance for some hidden shelter that may be, knowing that he was running out of time. At this rate, it would appear that the mountain would spew rains of ice into the morning.

He'd look back to her, the quiet follower who, for now, was safe beneath his wing; Don't lose hope, his silver pools would convey to her reassuringly, squinting against the winds that rustled through the black and silver of his muscular figure.

Beneath a silver, clouded sky he would come to find exactly what he was looking for in what would seem to be just in time. Deep within an untouched hollow, shielded from the weather by way of the thick foliage surrounding it, was the mouth of an abandoned den. He'd been here before, many of the nights that he'd spent in the northland during his days as a loner. Observing that the area was seemingly safe for now, though with less satisfaction than he'd desired, the male entered through a small, dark hole into the earthen underground space. Only after assuring that it was empty and secure, he poked his head back out. "All clear."