The sky was overcast, denying any of the sun’s rays from streaming down and hitting his dark pelt to warm his body. He gave himself a shake to fluff up his pelt, his snout wrinkling in distaste. He disliked winter about as much as he disliked summer. He was an inbetween kind of guy who much preferred fall and spring because they weren’t as likely to freeze him to death or over heat, but it wasn’t like there was anything he could do to change the weather so he might as well have grit his teeth and bear it.

The salt and pepper man moved toward a skeletal cherry tree, leaning his frame against the trunk and rubbing his shoulder against it the best he could. He wasn’t marking it, rather he just had an itch that he really wanted to get.

In the midst of his blissful itching (because, come on, what really felt better than getting that one good itch?) he hadn’t heard the sound of crunching paws that would indicate the approach of another. Thus, when the voice erupted out of nowhere he gave a little jump himself. He turned quickly to get himself facing the wolf, clearing his throat in an almost embarrassed fashion. ”Got a pretty lady tagging along with me who could do it, but I don’t think we’re there just yet,” he said, the corner of his lips tilting upwards in a sly smirk. “What about you,” he asked with a jerk of his head, “you come here to scratch an itch?”

The man mentioned a brother with a chuckle and Hudson gave a little shrug. Brothers, pretty ladies, as long as they were able to get the job done what did it matter. He agreed to feeling the need to scratch an itch that, apparently, a good tree couldn’t scratch and the salt-and-pepper man raised an eyebrow at this. What kind of itch was he talking about, exactly? He supposed there were all kinds of itched, itches that were physical, itches that were mental and itches that were spiritual. Hudson generally had a remedy for all of these considering his family background, and he wasn’t much of a helper to be honest, but maybe if he figured out the type of itch the other was referring to he could offer...something.

The man mentioned winter and restlessness and the Macieo supposed he did understand a bit. Winter was when everything was in a state of slumber, of hibernation. The world around them, normally buzzing with life, seemed to slow down and stagnate. It was depressing, to be perfectly honest, and it was another thing that Hudson added to his list of things he hated about this season. “Mmmm,” he rumbled in agreement with a nod of his head. But what to do about that restlessness? Hudson took a big sniff, inhaling the scent of his company and he noted the scent of another clinging to the dark hairs, probably that brother he’d mentioned. But, other than that, he seemed alone. Perhaps that was why. He knew he himself felt like he was searching for a purpose, but he supposed his purpose had come with helping himself and Sága find their families. “Is it the winter making you restless, or the situation you’re in? Being a loner I mean. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a loner too, but I’ve got a companion with me who’s given me something else to do with my time than just fart around, ya know?” he said. Perhaps he did have some of the wise ways of the his family running through his veins.

With all the babbling the other man was doing Huddy could tell he’d hit the right cord in his question, even if Maugrim didn’t seem to realize himself. He questioned whether he would know his purpose when he saw it, if he should search it out or let it find him, what it would feel like, so many questions that Hudson didn’t have the answers to. “I ain’t got the answers to any of those. I may be a couple years older ‘n you, but I’m still figuring shit out too. But I know sometimes word vomiting all over the place helps sort yer head out, so don’t apologize for things you don’t need to,” he said, his tone gruff but not unkind or indifferent. He couldn’t offer the younger man a lot, but he could at least off him that.

The man asked him what ‘his girl’ had him doing, and the term made him feel...weird. She wasn’t really his anything other than a companion, but he wasn’t blind, he could see the potential. But Hudson wasn’t a completely open book and he kept a lot of himself hidden away, plus he wasn’t good at the whole...romance thing. The thought of begging someone to be his mate and schmoozing away made his stomach coil like he was going to hurl. That, however, was a topic for another time. ”We both got dropped here a few weeks ago and teamed up to find our families if they’re here too. Winter makes travelin’ hard though, so we’ve just been following this herd of elk probably ‘till the spring comes, then start up again,” he replied with a shrug.

Maugrin’s ‘uh-huh’ ended that bit of their conversation, of which Huddy was grateful. All this touchy feely stuff was giving him hives and he was again reminded that he wasn’t his grandmother or grandfather, but rather his own father who’d also never been good with words.

The astonishment that the man showed about his comment of being dropped in these lands sounded a lot like Rhaegara’s had been when he’d told her about it. He supposed it was a rather startling thought, that someone or something could just...pick them up and put them down wherever they pleased and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Sure, all wolves knew about bears and other large predators, but they tended to think of themselves at the top of the food chain. Hudson had known from a young age from the stories from his grandparents and his father that they weren’t, though, so it hadn’t been quite as much of a shock. Still a shock, nonetheless.

His ears perked when he said he’d met someone else who’d been dropped and, while he wanted to ask what they looked like or if they’d given a name, he knew that if it were anyone in his family they would have described the event quite differently. Such as, know it hadn’t, in fact, been some sort of herbal bee that had taken them. He felt a sliver of disappointment in his chest but he pushed it aside. “Well, wasn’t a bee I can tell yuh that much. It happened to both me n’ my friend. They’re called humans. Ugly, hairless creatures that walk up on two legs instead of four and speak a language we don’t understand. My grandma, grandpa and father used to live with ‘em, though they described ‘em as being a lot better than the asshole who took us,” he explained, his muzzle wrinkling in distaste at the mere thought.

His brows raised damn near over his head as the man described the interaction he’d had between an older lady and her daughter. Man, what was with all the butt-hurt wolves that seemed to live here? He gave a bark of laughter, “Thanks for the warning, I’ll make sure to steer clear. Hope ya’ll gave ‘em what for then, seems like the wolves raised here weren’t raised with manners. I came across a whelp a couple weeks ago before I’d met Sága, clearly had a bunch of wolves with him nearby so wasn’t like he wasn’t being taken care of. Attacked me over a kill that wasn’t his either,” he grumbled, spitting at the ground at the memory out of habit. “So, yeah, I’d say things are pretty damn strange around her. Seems like something big happened but can’t quite put my paw on what. Guess as long as it doesn’t come back I don’t give a shit one way or another.”

Hudson looked at the man for a moment, a look of contemplation sliding over his feature before he gave a nod as if deciding on something. ”Look, Sága and I are traveling with a couple others, but winter is crap and we could probably use some extra bodies. Yuh seem like you’ve got a good head on yer shoulders, so if you and yer brother decide yuh want t’ tag along, you’ll find us in these fields a little further north probably for another week or two, least till the herds start moving along. If yuh don’t come across me, just tell ‘em Hudson sent ya,” he offered. Boy, he hadn’t expected to be picking up all kinds of wolves when he’d arrived here, but he supposed he hadn’t been expected to be kidnapped from his family either. Seems life always had a plan for someone other than the one they’d thought of.