right on time

@Gent - Light snow — Current Temperature: 3° F/-16° C Late evening

In his quest for food, Chulyin had brought a friend along. Well, friend was probably a very loose term. The dark man knew the boy, he'd confronted him when he'd first come to the borders. But as the boy had dark fur as the Guardian did, he'd decided that perhaps they'd go a bit further out tonight and take advantage of the darkness. In the daylight hours, the sun hit the snow, and he stood out like a sore thumb. At night, they would finally have the advantage. Tail waving evenly behind him, Chulyin occasionally tossed a glance towards his companion. He wasn't much of a talker while in motion, though had been willing enough to indulge the boy if he'd said something, whether it was a nod, a grunt, or an actual word.

They'd been walking for some time now, northward, along the mountain. Though when they'd struck out, the sun had been out, it had been consumed by grey clouds now, and a few puffy white flakes dropped from above. Chulyin couldn't bring himself to be unsettled by the threat of heavier snow. There was already so much of it on the ground...What was a little more? Swallowing, he slowed his pace as they came to a wall of vines. He nosed at the vines, nostrils flaring, though he did not hesitate to push through the curtain, not wanting to lose his nose. On the other side was a small spring, frozen over, unfortunately. Thankfully, the thick foliage had prevented too much snow from accumulating on the surface off the pool, so he could tell that there was liquid beneath. "We will camp here." He said, probably the most words he'd spoken in hours. Moving around the pool, he searched for a place for them to sleep, out of the way of falling snow.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

Gent was ecstatic to have been chosen to accompany the guardian second, whether the choice had been made through fluke or tact. The man had been his first glimpse of Naira's domain, and since recognizing the hierarchy of the pack the boy had sought to befriend him. Given his position and relation to the queen, as well as by merit of his own work, Chulyin was a denizen who's opinion was highly valued and respected; meaning he was exactly the type of person Gent needed to get close with in order to bolster his own position within the pack. More than this, Gent found he appreciated the other man's silent confidence, and considered that he could learn quite a bit from him. Therefore, he was not about to waste the opportunity. Determined to be at his best and leave a favorable impression, he maintained a peak of focus as they traveled. Every observational ability was sharply focused to catch tale of anything, from prey to strategy to threats. This fixation allowed him to fall in comfortably with the silence, and he did not disturb reticence until Chulyin himself spoke up. They had come to a curious tangle of growth, and the natural formation riled the boy's curiosity. Still, it irked him that they had traveled all day and still had not left the barren wood. Pushing through the curtain to follow Chulyin, Gent let out a yawn, tongue unfurling to catch a few valiant flakes who happened to survive the tangle of canopy above. His glacial gaze swung over the frozen pool, hoping to catch clues of activity within the panorama, but nothing immediately caught his attention. And so, he decided to do as the guardian suggested and give in for the day. He loped to the far left of the spring, where thick coniferous brush formed a natural overhang, and took to occupying the space, intentionally leaving enough room for Chulyin if he wished to join him. "Do you think the herds moved on or were killed off?" The question was asked partly for conversation's sake, now that their mission was put on hold, and partly because it was something Gent had been wondering about since recognizing their absence. Would spring truly bring them salvation, or would the land only grow green and never show them the red of bloodied prey?

Chulyin began to make his way around the spring, eyes shifting as Gent split off to settled beneath a comfortable-looking overhang. He traveled a few more yards, searching for signs of anything uncommon, before doubling back. He paused outside of their makeshift den, nostrils flaring, before he bent down, taking a mouthful of snow to quench some light thirst. It did not melt so easily within his closed jaws, and so he had to work it around for a few brief seconds before swallowing. Haunches settling in the snow, he eyed the younger man, thoughtful of the question he presented. "I believe they moved on," He answered shortly, though continued after a pause. "Prey don't think like we do. They run from danger, we face it head on." Whether or not that implied that they were foolish creatures, Chulyin wasn't certain, but this was home now, and he had no intention of leaving this place again.

He eyed their resting place for a moment, resisting the temptation to get to comfortable yet. They hadn't been here long enough yet for him to feel comfortable, brushing away any sense of security for the time being. The settled, undisturbed snow, the lack of outstanding scents. It all hinted towards peace and safety, but for all he knew, the moment they were both settled, properly warm, dozing off...Something would burst from the brush. A starving wildcat, a pack of coyotes. Though they were two capable males, one determined feline or three snarling coyotes would put them in a bad place, especially so far from home.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention