Thicket of Secrets Where will this path lead us?

Even with the weather making visibility harder Luz was out and about. She had decided that she should take a moment to poke around in the forest to the west of the cherry orchard that she adored so much. It was a rather abrupt change she decided as she looked around at the thick vegetation that was covered in snow and ice. It changed so fast from the more spread out cherry trees to the close and almost tightly packed plants here. Having heard howls in the area she was trying to be careful not to land herself in some other packs territory but she also wanted to see what this place was like and with that in mind she began to walk. 

Head lowered so that it was in line with her spine she glanced around with every other step. With it being winter some of the plants were bent over and other were wilted to a scarecrow like appearance she found that even with this some areas the plants were still troublesome to move around if she wasn't aware of were the thick patches were. Stopping she looked around at the trees that faded away as the fog settled more closely to the ground. Wasn't it supposed to be the opposite? With more trees around wasn't it supposed to dispel the fog some? Luz decided not to dwell on it she was here to see what she could see and then leave. 

Moving forward she jumped when she snapped a branch under her paws. Wincing she looked around to see if anything in the area had noticed. She knew that another pack was nearby and yet she had gone and snapped a branch anyway. Scolding herself under her breath she decided that she better just continue on and so walking more carefully she began to pad forward once more.

Luc was beginning to question his judgement in lingering to explore this place. Maybe he should have just kept heading along the mountains yesterday, while the going seemed good. Then, the world had seemed to blaze with bright winter sunlight, glittering off the fresh snow and turning the icy world into a dazzling wonderland. He'd made his way down from the highlands into the forest that spread itself before him like a treasure map, eager to see what they might hold for him to discover. Today, though, the world seemed to be mired in a thick fog that clung to the curves and hollows of the land, hiding the beauty of the forest and blotting out the suns's light until it was feeble and grey. It was hard to remember the way the land had looked from up there, going on for miles and miles. Now, it seemed to hardly extend a hundred yards ahead of him. Lucien couldn't make out any landmarks, and his haphazardly chosen path seemed only to be leading him deeper into the mist-shrouded forest. There was something almost foreboding about it, but it would take more than some inclement weather to scare the young man off. Besides, climbing back up the rocky, iced slopes in this freezing fog was bound to be more treacherous than staying below.

The thick miasma of mist seemed to amplify the sound of his footsteps, his breath, his heartbeat. Aside from these sounds, though, there was little else to hear - only the occasional sound of snow sliding from an overburdened bough. No birds called out with voices clear and sweet to guide him. No wind rose to lift the haze. It was then that he heard it - a sharp crack that had him freezing mid-stride, all senses instantly on alert.

Lucien's first though was of food. An opportunity that no loner should ever pass up if they wished to survive for long, it was often at the forefront of his thoughts lately. Finally! He hadn't come close to anything worth hunting for a few days now, and already his stomach clenched in empty anticipation. Lowering himself into a crouch, the ivory and chestnut wolf clunk forward, weaving through the trees. Surely just a little closer now... he hugged his belly to the tree roots, only now to catch the scent of... another wolf? The scent seemed to belong to a she-wolf. Luc stopped, a cheerful smirk coloring his features. She may not be something to hunt, but Luc was almost equally pleased to find company as a meal. As if it wasn't awkward at all to be army-crawling up to another of his kind, he stood up, gave his pelt a shake, and waltzed forward toward the figure who was coalescing from the mists. "Why hello there!," he called out ahead toward the other, his ears tipped forward and tail swinging in a happy arc behind his back, posture eager and unafraid. Whatever happened next, this day had suddenly just become a lot less dull!

(This post was last modified: Feb 11, 2015, 04:09 AM by Lucien.)

The more she went into the forest the more Luz was becoming nervous. She felt like she shouldn't be there. Coming to a stop she let out a frustrated sigh. She wanted to see what was here and she wanted to leave. Her mixed wants had her feeling rather jumpy and rather undecided. Looking at her paws she tried to think of a way to stay without having to feel guilty about it. She didn't want to be caught by a pack wolf and accused of being a spy. A spy? Her? She laughed softly at the thought. She wouldn't make a good spy unless you wanted her to become too attached to the pack she was sent to. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of coming. Nervously she took a step back as her ears twisted to catch the sounds that they were making. Crap she didn't want to be caught. Taking another step back she froze when a large wolf appeared. Her ears twisted back against her skull. Normally she wasn't this fearful but she didn't really know how to fight and this...well rather handsome colored male had her nervous. He appeared to be friendly and it wasn't until his scent reached her nose did she relax a little. He wasn't part of the pack that was here or any pack for that matter. She almost let out a sigh of relief but figured that it would be too obvious. Her appearance relaxed as her went back up again.

Hello to you to. She said a small smile twitching across her face. He obviously didn't mean her harm so she would try to be friendly. What are you doing here? She asked curiosity evident. She was trying to figure out if he was trying to join the pack in the area or just passing through. Maybe she could try and get him to join Black Thorns Down. 

@Luz

For a moment, he thought he might have scared her off - the red and creme lady stepped back, her ears pressed flat and radiating body language that Lucien could read all too well. He came to a halt, his tail still waving slowly over his back, head tilted slightly to one side and ears tipped forward in interest. He was about to apologize for having startled her so, and assure her he didn't mean any harm, when she seemed to catch his scent and relax a little.

His smile widened as she returned his greeting, and the two wolves studied one another for a moment. She's pretty, Luc thought to himself, and she looks a little like me, too. She wasn't built like the wolves where he was from, but there was a definite harmony in their pelts, which he had to admire. She seemed healthy and a little older than himself, and now that they were closer he could smell other scents lingering more faintly beneath her own. She must be a pack wolf. Luc wondered why she'd been so fearful in that first moment, pack members usually had allies only a howl away.

She followed her greeting with another question, which took a little out of his smile. Packs, always with the interrogations, he thought. It would have been one of his duties if he'd stayed at home, to question and chase away interlopers on the borders. He wondered if that might be what this she-wolf was doing right now, despite the fact that he'd been careful not to cross any of the scent markers typical of pack lands. In fact, he hadn't seen or scented anything interesting in a while. It was her tone that kept his smile in place at all, and prompted him to actually answer honestly. She sounded genuinely curious, and Lucien had never been one to pass up an opportunity to meet someone new, especially a girl, and especially after wandering for weeks alone since parting ways with his friends. "I'm travelling," he stated. "I wanted to see if there was anything interesting around here... so is there?" His grin widened again, and he waited to see how she would answer. If she got to ask him questions, he was going to question her, too.

@Lucien - So sorry for the wait.

The stranger seemed to realize that he had started her and Luz was thankful that he gave her chance to collect herself. She had to try to keep herself from jumping at the slightest sound that someone might be there. It wasn't like the area that she was in was pack territory and they couldn't get mad at her for being curious could they? Going back to the fact that she still had a company she dragged herself from her thoughts as she twitched a little when a branch snapped somewhere in the forest. She just couldn't stop being twitchy could she? Being that she was still a little nervous though less than what she had been before she didn't notice that the male's smile dimmed or she likely would have apologized.

Luz's smile faltered a little at his question and she the area in between her shoulders tensed. She wasn't even sure she should be here so she didn't know what was interesting in their general vicinity. I just started checking this area out so I don't know what's all here. She let out a sigh as she continued. Though there is a different pack in the area...somewhere. But if you go to the east a ways there is a cherry orchard. As she continued her smile came back. The cherry orchard was one of her favorite places to be. The berries could be used to bait little animals and she had met Firefly who had helped her join her current pack. It was a place that held good memories for her and a place that she liked to hang around when she had the time and wasn't doing things within the pack's borders.

@Luz no worries! :3

Another snap of a twig out in the forest had them both a little jumpy, and his amber gaze fell to scanning the mist-shrouded trees, only returning to her when she began to speak again. His full attention snapped back to the one before him, save for one earthen ear, which was still tipped toward where he thought the snapping sound had come from. The girl still seemed to be somewhat ill at east as well, and Luc found himself hovering between the instinct to take a step forward or back away. He wasn't sure which would be the better way to lessen the tension that still seemed to surround the two wolves. 

Packs. Plural. His mind wandered back the snap of the twig they had heard moments before as he heard the word. it was his turn to frown a bit, and he shuffled his feet for a moment as he glanced back at their surroundings, this time with a more critical gaze. One pack might or might not be a bad thing on it's own, but in his limited experience, multiple packs in close proximity to one another spelled out one thing - trouble.

The mists, for their part, still refused to give up any secrets. At least they were tranquil, albeit a bit eerie. Looking back to Luz, he gave her a quick smile, hoping she hadn't picked up on his nerves. "I just arrived here myself... this damned fog drove me down from the mountains," he began, a smirk returning to his jaws as he cursed the weather. "Packs, you say?" he asked, unable to hide his reticent curiosity. He didn't really care much about a cherry orchard in the middle of winter, although it might be worth a visit in the spring or, especially, the summer. The thought of spring and summer to come cheered his spirits a little - life as a traveler was certainly easier in the warmer months. Lucien's gaze wanted to remain on the young she-wolf before him, but he'd always been taught that looking directly at a stranger for too long could be considered a challenge - so he looked away to glance at the trees once more, hoping that his forwardness did not come off as rude. he certainly didn't want to cause offense, but he also had an agenda - to see whether or not sticking around in these lands was even worth it.