Sacred Grove the sky set to burst

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

Ryder still was nowhere closer to finding his brother than when he'd first left the Falls all those months ago. There were many other things he'd gotten to experience thanks to setting out on his own, moments that might very well be looked upon in old age as key, and still for him now, it all boiled down to that one thing; he had failed to find any answers for what had happened to Caspian. He'd been brooding again over it all, tucking himself away with his scavenged food and melting into his emotion. It was today that he pulled himself back out of the earth and forced himself to shake off the gloom. Even if it was all for nothing, there was still family to return home to.

And yet, it was as though the sky did not agree with his decision. It had appeared particularly sunny outside of the den he'd squatted in as he'd moped, and now it turned, threatening to storm.

"Fuck you," he told the dark swathe of clouds, before picking up the cleaned femur from his meal and setting off. He had hoped to find a place to wash up at, but now it didn't sound like such a good idea. Neither did scaling the mountains, as he had hoped to do, checking in with the Cove before descending into his own natal valley.

Well, he'd find something. Someone...

It had started to snow by the time he found the fresh prints, and his heart felt cautious optimism. A good omen, this one. He followed after them, learning a thing or two about the stranger through her scent along the way. Like that she was on her own. A fellow seeker, perhaps?

He caught sight of a pale coat ahead and called out around the bone in his mouth.

"Hey!"

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

The snow began to fall. It was just a few tiny flakes at first, one landing on the tip of her nose, another tickling the inside of her ear as it landed on the tuft of fur that guarded it. The few turned rapidly to many, as the flakes seemed to multiply not only in number, but in size as well until a thin layer began to coat the earth and blanket her shoulders. Hazel had hoped to stumble across an old fox den or a decent-enough-looking nook to wedge herself into, so as not to get turned around if the storm turned into a blizzard, but she'd yet to find any such place.

The wind did not seem to be in her favor either, concealing the yearling's scent even after his voice had cut through the silence. Hazelnut turned to meet him, her chartreuse eyes blinking through the snow. He was younger than her but already larger. "Hey!" she returned, taking a second to shake the layer of snow that had fallen on her crown and maw.

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

Ryder tried to smile around what he held, tail wagging to emphasize the greeting. He was thankful not to get promptly snapped at, and happy to be faced with a welcoming and pretty dial instead instead of anything like that little gremlin he'd run into. Closing the distance between them, he was finally able to set down the large bone he'd been carrying so as to properly talk. Still he had to raise his voice a little, given the wind.

"Name's Ryder. Weather couldn't stay sunny, huh? You alright out here?"

For whatever reason, it was a lot easier to use the etiquette and consideration his mother had strove to teach him when interacting with women. Did she know where shelter was, did she have it all handled, or could she use a little help to weather the growing storm? He could ask about Caspian after he knew the answer to those questions first.

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

She smiled at his attempt to speak and grin around the bone. He was much larger than she was, but younger, with an easy gait that spoke of pure intentions. At least, that's how she perceived it.

Her head tilted towards the sky, a mock look of disdain thrown at the dark clouds overhead. "Guess not." Figures. She was so close that it only made sense a blizzard might come and throw her off course. "You wouldn't happen to know a nice.. overhang or cave around here, huh?" or den, or really anything to get out of the snow, so that she wouldn't lose her bearings.

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

Hazelnut, wasn't that plumb adorable. It seemed she was indeed in need of assistance, giving Ryder a reason to have picked going out into the world today of all days. The guaranteed shelter meant a bit of backtracking for him, but not too much, not worth being ungentlemanly over. His mother's words echoed in the back of his mind, 'be good and kind, okay?' Ryder wasn't always the latter, but he really was trying.

"Yeah, stick close," he motioned with his head for her to join him as he turned, pausing only to retrieve his not-so-little treasure before heading off at a trot. His larger frame could provide something of a shield if she let it be while they traveled perpendicular to the wind. It wouldn't take long to get back to the den he'd been hiding away in.

"What're you doing out here by yourself anyways?"

Was she maybe looking for someone too?

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

Ryder confirmed that he knew a place and directed her to stick close. She had no reason not to trust him, and so when he beckoned her forward, Hazel did not hesitate to fall into step beside him. He acted as somewhat of a shield, bearing the brunt of the wind and snow. The woman felt bad, but just due to their size it would have been impossible for her to return the favor.

She tucked herself a bit closer into his side in hopes that their voices would not be lost in the currents. "Oh, I was born here. Well, not here, here, but in the backwater. I've been looking for my mom," or maybe even her dad, though she'd never known him. "I know she won't be there, but I still feel like I have to check." She knew how silly that might sound to the stranger, but Hazelnut did not care. It was true, and that's all that mattered. "What about you, what are you doing all alone?"

SO WASH YOUR PAWS, ALLEY CAT

The Backwater. He thought he'd had that place behind him, and mulled over whether or not to even risk letting her know he knew of it. Then she spoke of looking for her mom, and his heart softened. That was much worse than missing one's brother, or at least it would have been for him, had @Finley gone missing instead of Caspian. He supposed that maybe not everyone had a good relationship with their mother, just as he'd seemingly been missing a father without any real effect.

'Are you sure about that?' he wanted to ask her, but she'd already put the spotlight back onto him. He'd been watching her as she'd spoken, but now he looked ahead, gray eyes wavering back and forth subtly as they searched the blowing snows for a sign of their goal.

"I'm looking for my brother. Caspian, paler than I am, with dark streaks along his back and green eyes."

The description flowed easily after the name, well-rehearsed at this point even when he didn't expect it to strike any kind of recognition. Would anything else ever follow? It felt like maybe not, at least until he gave up completely.

"... I passed the Backwater. Do you happen to have a younger sister, black all the way around her neck, likes to pick fights?" the last part spoken with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

ONCE YOU'RE DEAD YOU CAN NEVER COME BACK

She mulled over the description, tossing her head from one side to the other. She'd met plenty of pale wolves on her travels, some with dark streaks, but none she could recall having green eyes. Hazelnut frowned, sad that she was unable to help this wolf. "I wish I could tell you that I've seen him, but I haven't. Where'd you lose him?"

The tinge of annoyance did not go unnoticed as he spoke about the wolf from the Backwater, which caused a playful smile to creep across her maw. "Nope. I'm an only child." but she had a feeling there was a story there, one she wanted to hear. "Why, what happened?"

SO WASH YOUR PAWS, ALLEY CAT

Of course she hadn't. Ryder masked his disappointment easily at this point. It wasn't Hazel's problem anyways. He'd much rather chase that hint of amusement in her voice. The two were interwoven anyhow.

"I last saw Cas up in the north where we lived, a long time ago," how it started didn't feel relevant anymore, but his tone lifted as it segued into the Backwater incident, "I wanted to ask your Backwater pack if they'd seen him, and that girl was wandering around in the adjacent forest. Literally all I say is hi and this kid whips around loud as can be like she's gonna gut me on the spot for it. So I tell her to cool her shit," whoops, cussing in front of a lady; @Finley's voice tittered to life in his mind as he continued, "and she grabbed me by the muzzle."

There was a measure of disbelief in his tone, despite the story being his own. He still couldn't believe someone had raised that girl. If she hadn't been attached to a pack, he'd of assumed no one had at all.

ONCE YOU'RE DEAD YOU CAN NEVER COME BACK