He felt dumb and numb. His body slightly sore but mostly recovered from his scuffle with that overgrown manchild but nothing he couldn't handle. Truthfully, Laike needed a break for just a bit so when @Lachesis had granted him permission to go out for a bit he couldn't have been happier. At first, the larger Artemieva had told himself that he just need some alone time to decompress. It was then after some wandering that he realized he needed to go see Adelayde. He wondered if she had gotten her problems sorted out and if she was fairing well. She had given him a name of the place to go and he knew the general direction. Surely if he wandered for long enough he'd get there.
The trip had been a bit longer than what he was used to but he loved every moment. Falling asleep alone and waking up to the sounds of nothing but nature. There were no loud children or nosy packmates or yapping mothers. There was only him and the big wild world. Perhaps he had needed this more than he had known. It made him doubt his place in Hearthwood River but he knew they needed him. He wasn't selfish despite his seemingly cold and rough personality.
He felt that he should have been arriving soon given what vague directions Adelayde had given him. Half of the day he spent debating in his head if she would appreciate this. Him just showing up on her doorstep like a lost cub. A few times he considered just giving up and heading home earlier. He still would have another three days back regardless of his choice to keep going or return. Maybe he could cut into some sleep to make up for it.
It was long before he smelt something on the breeze. A storm slowly rolling in that caused the grassy and grainy scent to mingle with that of incoming rain. He wondered if that was some kind of sign. He wasn't into the superstitious but then again he wasn't totally against it.
Stopping not too far from the pack's borders he looked around. It was pretty despite the gray clouds lurking in closer and closer. This had to be the right place. Some of it matched Adelayde's scent and there was no way he could have ran into another pack, or so he chose not to believe that. What a fool he would look like if this wasn't even Wild Rye Fields or if Adelayde wasn't even home. What would he say if someone else showed up and asked him a bunch of questions? How did he respond to someone asking how he knew her or what their relation was? Did he just barf up that maybe he liked her company enough to ask for permission to haul himself out here in rain or did he simply state she was a friend? A nice friend. A really nice friend.
He sighed and shook his head. Unknowingly he had begun to pace in a small circle. The large male knew the longer he lurked about like a hungry shark the more suspicious he'd be to anyone who caught sight of him. It was then that he heard thunder in the distance that he halted his pacing and looked from the ground to the horizon. For once he was truly and utterly nervous. But he would compose himself like he always did. He would wear a neutral face to hide his real feelings from the rest of the world because that was just what he did.
With one slow deep note he called out into the darkening sky, asking for Adelayde to come see him. He purposely left it vague. Unaware if anyone knew about him or not he decided to play it safe. When his call ended he took a seat as fiery eyes searched the fields as the rain began to dump from above. He could not have looked more pathetic than he did then and there.