Red Fern Forest and how i wish he would answer

for @Cancer

The afternoon was drab with a small breeze biting her nose with the chill of winter. She had made it so far and while she was looking a bit lean, her spirits were still high. Most of the time. There was a certain boredom that came with loneliness. She had teetered very closely to accepting Morganna's offer but she had gotten distracted by other pretty landforms before getting herself off track altogether. What a mess she was. An adventuring mess.

Artionis strolled at a casual pace making it obvious to anything or one she was in no rush. It was hard to be in a rush when you didn't know where you were or where you were going. At least in the end of her journies, it would all make for a very good story.

Man he hated Winter, and for many good reasons. He tried moving through the dead forest efficiently, but each misstep would knock loose a clod of snow, repeatedly coating his pelt. By the time he'd made it half way through, the wolf was thoroughly agitated. It was probably time he just turn around and follow his own path back home, calling this little foray a total loss.

But then he picked up a scent.

His steps froze as his nose jumped to work, deciphering what it could about the other's scent. Female, alone, packless. He wasn't one for poking around at strangers, but he had to wonder if she wasn't in the same situation he had been shortly before, looking for a home to defend against Winter's wrath. If it was easy, he could bring her back to the pack and maybe earn some brownie points with Askan and Reyes.

So with his nerves still frayed he pressed forward, seeking her out. When he saw her, he woofed, catching her attention before asking;

"Where you off to?"

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

The woof caused her to halt her movement, head turning to catch sight of the stranger. He was dark in complexion like herself but his eyes were a brilliant shade blue that seemed to pop and match with his fur. He was a bit taller but she certainly seemed a bit bulkier. Had she gotten fat? The thought was strange but it crossed her mind anyway.

"Nowhere in particular!" The yearling answered cheerfully with a small smile. She was going wherever her paws took her. If she got lucky perhaps she'd find more friends along the way or run into an already familiar face. The goal leaving home had been to experience more and surely she was doing just that by going wherever.

"What are you doing out and about?" A brow arched with curiosity above orange eyes. Hopefully she wasn't being a distraction or getting in the middle of something. The last thing Artionis wanted was to be a pest.

The moment she spun around, he knew he had made a terrible mistake. Her cheerfulness hit him like a sucker punch, and he couldn't help but lean back on his stilt-like legs to put some distance between them and cup his ears against his head to guard them against the music in her voice. Shit, he should have just turned around like he wanted. Now he had to talk to this thing.

Or did he? His ears crept forward again as he considered just walking away without another word. Would she chase him, or would that simple motion make it clear that he'd changed his mind? If it was @Risaela, she'd probably hop after him. Ugh, she looked like an overgrown version of the pup, just all the wrong colors.

"Uh. Walking."

'Genius answer.'

"I gotta go bye."

'Are you scared of her?'

Yep. He supposed he was. Cancer turned his happy self right around, intent on leaving.

sorry cancer is a grade A loser

"Oh." Well that was a bit strange but if he had to go she wasn't going to burden him with her presence. "Well, be safe!" She hollered out as her tail gave a few last soft wags before turning herself around. Perhaps she had done something wrong. Maybe she smelled funny. A deep inhale didn't provide the facts for that but regardless she felt like she should go bathe now. The dark yearling did not want her next meeting to go like that.

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