The going was slow, but with a heavily pregnant wolf in tow Elias couldn't say that he was surprised. In all honesty he didn't understand why Nin wanted to scale the mountain, he imagined there would be plenty of space for them to the north but....The Hervok had her eyes set on the horizon and there was no stopping her.

For the most part Elias stuck firmly by her side, like her blonde shadow. As much as he enjoyed her company...the other's tended to stick close to her as well-which was good, it meant she was safe. But...after some time travelling he needed a little time of his own, some space to unjumble the mess in his head. And so he slipped away from the main group and wandered into the tangled, ghastly forest. Above, the sky flashed white, making Elias near jump out of his fur. Heck, could things get any worse? The thunder soon followed, rumbling so loud Elias could have sworn he felt the ground vibrate beneath his paws. His ears flicked back as his expression tightened with worry, if this was more than a bit of passing thundering and lightning he really ought to head back. But as cowardly as it seemed, he didn't feel ready.

Nin and their litter deserved the best, his best, but as things stood he was far from that. Nervous, cagey, maybe with a sprinkling of regret?

Heck. What happened to looking to the future? To being brave and wise? All of his aspirations felt so out of reach, what was the point of even trying? He glanced to the sky once more, the outline of the mountain stood tall and grey in the not so far distance, they would climb it tomorrow, if the weather allowed. Selfishly, he hoped it didn't. That the storm would rage on and give him more time to....figure himself out, he supposed.

Hey!

Elias jerked to a stop as he glanced around, his grey-blue eyes darting this way and that until they landed on the pale form of a stranger. Her eyes were...remarkably bright weren't they? More than enough to light up the dark and dreary forest, they seemed familiar in a way that made his heart clench in his chest but...He stepped forward, his tail waving behind him so as to show just how friendly he was. From a distance they sort of looked similar but now that he was closer he realised he'd gotten excited all over nothing.

To an outsider yellow was well...yellow. But having grown up surrounded by a certain shade of it, bright and intense, unlike anything he'd seen...Well it was impossible to mistake it for something else, like saying a snake and a worm were they same thing because they both wiggly and long. Sort of similar but in the end completely incomparable.

For a split second the sky went white and sure enough not even a second later another rumble of thunder ripped through the air. Not exactly the sort of weather to be making friends in but...

"Everything okay?"

Goodness!

One moment the stranger had been at a conversational distance, then the next she was all in his space, pressing her small, pale form against his big blond bulk. His eyebrows shot up in alarm, though he wasn't sure what had taken him by surprise. Her blatant disregard for personal space, or the fact that  coyotes dogged his every step- or rather limp. If she hadn't been so close he wouldn't have heard her voice, it would have been drowned out by the thunder, but she was right. They couldn't stay here, they were out numbered and in all honesty Elias had no interest in fighting coyotes unless he really had to. That was his rule of thumb, he wouldn't get violent unless he well and truly had to.

His encounter with that scarred lady in the Caverns had left a weird taste in his mouth. Elias was the friendly sort, liked to help out when and where he could, but ever since then he couldn't help but wonder if he was easy. That other's wanted to use him for their own gains and nothing else. He pursed his lips as he shook that thought away, nope. Such pessimistic thoughts didn't belong in his head, he ought to give the lady the benefit of doubt. After all...she seemed rather spooked. Not that he could blame her.

His smile was bright and reassuring, but he stepped away nonetheless to give himself a little more room.

"Of course let's..." His gaze darted to the trio of coyotes. They were blocking the way he'd came, they'd have to go another route."Follow me. We'll get you somewhere safe, you have my word."