Spectral Woods ugh!

for @Cernan <3 whenever you have time. Dated for March 4th :)
Afternoon: Sunny 17 ° F, -8 ° C
Arion is basically in the eastern part of the woods at the base of the mountain, so super close to FTC :D if this doesn't work for you i can change it so it's closer to the lake! <3

He was much further than he should have been but Arion didn’t care — he enjoyed exploring. The smudge felt guilty or not spending a lot of time with his mother since she had returned to the pines but he couldn’t stop his wandering spirit. He was also concerned by the absence of the wonder twins — it was unlike them to be MIA for so long. Being optimistic was getting to be very problematic when everyone around him seemed to disappear. A frown cut into his lips at the thought as he weaved through the trees. He needed a distraction.

What had pulled him to the trees at the base of the mountain was the memory of two wolves he had encountered with Ember at his side. They were siblings, close in age to himself and his partner in crime, but that wasn’t what stuck out. It was the sister — he could remember how pretty (and outspoken) she was and Arion was hoping that he would bump into her on this little excursion. There weren’t that many wolves his age that were out and about like he and Ember usually were, which made it difficult for the youth to make friends.

The afternoon sun threatened to peek out between the branches above him. Feeling the warmth on his back was like welcoming an old friend — it had been too long since the sun had lasted for more than a few hours. Spring was well on it's way (which also meant more future playmates!) and it pleased the little smudge. He wasn’t so fond of the white stuff that still littered the ground. It was cold and damp and stuck to everything! It was, however, an excellent thing to play with as long as he had the appropriate partner (like @Nalda). The russet girl was growing more comfortable in her surroundings and was becoming a worthy opponent. A lop-sided smile grazed his features as he traced the bottom of the mountain with his steps, his dark body keeping to the tree line as he searched for the scent he vaguely remembered.

(This post was last modified: Mar 22, 2016, 10:06 PM by Arion.)

OOC: Okay, let's do this thing c: 

Once again the boy had descended the slopes of his home in search of some respite. This time though, he wasn't running from his mother's panic or Pa's depression. He had no interest in trying to track @Aleister down either; the pup had returned to them without a scratch just a couple days before, but Cernan still felt sour. Whether it was noble or not for his brother to have tried to help some lost girl, he had still caused them all a great deal of pain, and he had broken the rules. The child's protective side was livid, kept in check and practically stuffed away ever since. Emotions were messy things, and like his mother the Prince had begun to bottle them up. 

It didn't feel that much better, but at least he wasn't going to make a scene. Under the guise of another practice hunting trip, the tubby youngster's paws almost stomped across the rocky terrain and into the tree-line. Even if he had wanted to hunt, he would have been much too noisy and distracted. Getting away from the pack for just a little while gave Cernan a much needed opportunity to vent his pent up anger and distress where no one else would see, or ever even know. He barely noticed the distance he had traveled, or the time passing – they boy was lost in thought. 

There was Al's absence of course, and his parent's change in demeanor, and even the strange new scent a lot of the women had adopted (including his mother,) that had the pup curious. Neha was still perfectly normal, so it had to be some grown-up thing. Still, they had never smelled like that before, and eventually he'd probably wind up asking Mama just what was going on. Everything in his life was weird and uncomfortable now and that was just the worst. Fuzzy ears flattened to the side, his tawny brows furrowing with a soft snort. He had felt a little better after his short trip before, so hopefully this one would make everything a tiny bit better as well. The last thing he needed was for these wretched feelings to sow more dissent back home.

His meeting with Wraith should have made the pup even more cautious, or at least aware of his surroundings. Cernan would have been, but the irritation preoccupied him. The scent of another shocked him right out of his stupor though, drawing the boy's eyes wide as he searched for the source. There was something oddly familiar in it, and as the chubby pup stood frozen, nose quivering, realization sunk in. It smelled earthy, like those “Broken Pines” kids! The distinctly male fragrance pointed to it being the dark one's perfume, and instead of terror the boy felt curiosity.

What was Arion doing so far out? Last time he and Neha had been the ones wandering. The apparent proximity of a friendly individual stuffed his negativity away once more, again because Cernan didn't want to bother him with it. The Vuesain Prince urged his limbs into a trot, knowing by the smell's strength that the other boy wasn't far. His jaws parted in a quick inquisitive bark. "R?" 

With all the Broken Pines wolves preoccupied with the arrival of spring it made it much easier for the blue-eyed boy to sneak out undetected. When Arion wasn’t out exploring the neighbouring territories he was rebuilding his relationship with his mother or traumatizing his playmates. However, the older he got, the more he wanted to be on his own. It wasn’t that he did not like being around the sisters or Nalda — or even the rest of his packmates — he just liked being able to do things without being shadowed by another. Which was precisely why he had set out for the mountain just after the sun had made it's appearance above the horizon.

A familiar scent pulled him away from his thoughts, alerting him that he was no longer alone. While he was slightly disappointed it did not belong to the Fallen Tree princess the smudge was still pleased to discover that Cernan was not worried about wandering too far from his pack’s borders without the company of his sister.

The smudge woofed back a greeting as he approached the pudgy pup, his tail wagging frantically behind him. “Hey Cernan!” The cove wolf was a little quieter than Arion was used to, but it was refreshing. He was so accustom to the spitfire personalities of Ember and Bracken that he enjoyed the subdued demeanour of both Nalda and Cernan. The blue-eyed smudge was a healthy mix of the two and floated back and forth depending on who he encountered. While young, he was not stupid and was growing out of his naivety; he was quickly learning how to act in front of different personalities. “What’re you doin’ out here?” He asked with a curious tilt of his head, his blue gaze fixated on the agouti boy.

For a moment his greeting echoed into nothing; bouncing off of the trees with no acknowledgment whatsoever. His rounded ears stood on end; wondering for that instant if it was not Arion who he smelled; but the thought perished. The returning bark wasn't a dead giveaway, but the sight of the other boy's wiggling form was. Arion seemed to scamper up to him, and Cernan's ears folded back reflexively. It was a silent cue not to shower him in licks or to jump excitedly, as he was sure this pup's his female companion would have done. Contrary to his hesitant body language, a smirk broke across the mountain child's face. R was more than happy to see him, and that was pretty cool in its own way. 

His tail started to sway in reply, though much slower. The Vuesain prince grinned even when that uncomfortable question came across. "Me? I should be the one asking you that," he retorted playfully. How he wished that little redirection could be enough to glaze over his true answer, but Cernan knew better than to try and pretend he hadn't been asked. The other pup would probably just press him again anyway. He paused, regarding Arion with a fading amusement. This wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. "I just needed some air," the prince replied at last, trying to roll his shoulders and brush away the truth with a flick of his head. "I come hunting down here sometimes." It sounded so adult.

Hopefully that was enough information for now. Turning his golden eyes back onto his new companion, Cernan waited for his explanation. What was the other kid doing out here? Didn't the Pines pack live even further away than Halie's did? In all honesty he had no idea; but if the Bend and the Cove were allies, they were probably pretty close together, right? He briefly wondered what the relationship between those two packs were. It couldn't be bad; wouldn't he have heard about it from someone if it was?   

(This post was last modified: Apr 06, 2016, 03:37 AM by Cernan.)

The golden eyed mountain cub as much more somber than the other wolves he met that were his age and it was a welcome change. Aside from Nalda, who was similar to Cernan with her stern and serious exterior, the smudge had been surrounded by high-energy wolves who were constantly go go go and always up for some sort of play. He relaxed his wriggling body as he approached the pudgy boy, a lazy smile etched across his maw. As expected, Cernan turned the question around on him, to which he responded with a soft roll of his shoulders. The smudge was forever exploring and couldn’t stop even if he tried (not even if he got in trouble for it).

After a brief pause the agouti carried on, giving a vague answer to Arion’s question. He nodded softly, understanding the boy’s motives. “Me too,” he commented with another slow wag of his tail, bright eyes glancing around at their surroundings. “Sometimes the twins are a little too much,” he added with an exasperated sigh, though truthfully he just enjoyed being on his own. “Just been explorin’ as much as I can, keepin’ myself occupied,” he further explained with another gentle shrug. Perhaps he was destined to be a scout or a diplomat; something where excessive travelling would be encouraged and not frowned upon. “Never been on the mountain, though… dono if I’d get in trouble for goin’ that far.” As much as R wanted to climb the rocky terrain he also did not want to get punished for doing something he enjoyed. He would wait until the next litter was born so the Pine wolves were preoccupied with a new brood.