His siblings were still MIA, which only made the peppered yearling even more anxious. He scoured the forest at the base of the mountain, his muzzle constantly pointed down as he searched for the scents. The snow sort of helped, as it was easier to track prints, but it masked most of the scents. His muddy gaze swept the towering cedars, his tail twitching nervously. The scent of pack was heavy here, so Seven kept his distance from the heart of the territory and where the markers were the strongest. He was not stupid enough to cross borders. Even if he was positive this was where his uncle lived.

He flopped down beside a large tree, his muzzle pointed toward the sky. Maybe his siblings had returned home, to the north… or maybe they were looking for him in all the wrong spots. They had chosen to stay north, too meet up in a few weeks… but the weeks had passed and there was no word on where they had gone. His chest grew heavy, his brows furrowed together. They had to be here somewhere… they couldn’t have left him behind. They wouldn’t. Sure, they argued every now and then, but what siblings didn’t?! It was never anything severe and they almost always forgave each other within a day or so. They must have found out some more information. Gotten turned around. Something. There was no way they would have left him. 

It was foolish to think he’d have a few quiet moments to himself. While he had distanced himself from the pack borders it did not mean members of said pack weren’t lurking about the forest, looking to scare off wolves like him. He swallowed as the scent approached, his muddy gaze sweeping the dark forest for signs of life as he remained fixated to the spot. He could hear the soft crunch of paws against the snow, echoing through the empty forest; taunting him. His tail curled tight against his coiled legs, his hears flattened against his skull. Be brave, he thought desperately to himself as he swallowed once more in a feeble attempt at suppressing the fear that bubbled within his chest. H-hello? He called out, his voice cracking as it hit the cold air. So brave, good job, his mind taunted as a frown creased his dark features. Please don’t eat me. Not until he had found Lachesis and the other Selwyn’s. And his siblings.

A sigh of relief escaped him at the dark girl’s appearance. She was much smaller than he was, which meant that she was no longer a threat to the quick-footed yearling. He could easily outrun her or protect himself if needed. Plus, she looked just as nervous as he was, so clearly she wasn’t prepping an attack. Unless, of course, this was all a clever rouse and she was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike… no. Not all ferals were bad, Seven knew that. He had been lucky in the ones he’d encountered so far, as they had all been quite helpful. Kingswood, huh? The corners of his mouth fell and he shrugged, his muddy gaze fixated on the fiery-eyed cub. Just restin’ my paws, he countered, his tone light and friendly, not causin’ any trouble, I promise. He wasn’t trying to snoop or cause a ruckus. He had just grown weary of constantly travelling. Lookin’ for a few wolves, actually, he added in an attempt at smoothing things over. Are you from around here? Maybe she could help… she didn’t look annoyed with his presence (yet), so maybe she was one of the good ferals…

Pretty far, yeah, he mumbled with a soft frown, his espresso-coloured pools never once wavering from her inky frame. He could hardly remember how far his home in the north was from the lands of Lore… it had felt as though he and his siblings had been walking forever to find the lands his mother had once visited. Unlike her, however, Seven refused to come up empty-pawed. He had to find his uncle, to let the healer know that his sister had gone searching for him—that she missed him. And he had to find his Selwyn relatives, even though almost all of them were completely unaware of his existence. He’d still grown up in the reserve, after all, which meant most wolves on his father’s side did not know that he and his siblings wore the Selwyn name.

I know a few wolves. The comment earned a smile from the peppered yearling, his head tipping to the side. Maybe she was of use to him after all. This was her home. Huh. Wasn’t his uncle supposed to live in a big forest, too? Lost my siblings a few weeks back, he started, his brows furrowing together, we’re lookin’ for some relatives. Have you heard of Hearthwood River? His uncle was first on his list of wolves to find. Then he would pursue the Selwyn’s… along with his siblings. 

Was it important, searching for his relatives? In the beginning Seven had believed it was. The thrill of finding wolves that were related to him… connecting more dots on his family tree… it was had pushed him and his siblings to break out of the reserve and head south. All the stories their mother had told them had festered long enough. Plus, the pale woman had always wanted more for her children. She never wanted them to remain in the reserve with the two-legs keeping a watchful eye on them. Providing them with food and hindering their feral nature.

But the search had resulted in him losing his siblings. And while he knew they were likely fine, Seven still worried. Worried that venturing south was a mistake. That he would never find Niccy and Lia again.

He dismissed the thought immediately, his attention refocusing on the fiery-eyed girl. Me too, he hummed absently, his tail sweeping behind him. Her next set of words caused his eyes to nearly bug right out of his skull. SHE was from Hearthwood?! Holy moly, it appeared the boy’s luck was turning around. Yes! Yes I am!! He responded gleefully, his tail wagging so hard behind him he was sure it would fall off. But it couldn’t contain his excitement. Finally the boy had stumbled upon his uncle’s land! Lachesis! I’m looking for him! He’s my uncle!