Red Fern Forest all the need to be loved can't be wrong

So Leviticus wasn't a father. That was good, but he wasn't really anything else either. Not a romance, not a friend or companion, he couldn't even rightly call himself a traveler or seeker. He was just, existing. Floating. His paws avoided the desolate North, finally turning intentionally South for the first time in a long, long time.

Maybe it was time to go home. Maybe it really was where he belonged.

Leviticus crossed onto a game trail, and the scents of others immediately registered. For a lengthy moment he simply stood, and considered. Should he see who they are, ask if they knew Sawyer and River, or was it just one more distraction leading to ultimately nothing? Indecisive, Levi's gaunt frame stilled entirely and his green eyes dimmed. He waited for the world to make his choices for him.

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2021, 07:08 PM by Leviticus.)

Saga made her way through the ferns, swinging out past the borders just to make sure that all was right before returning to check on the cubs. Her trek had been pretty uneventful until she came across the scent trail of a man she did not recognize. Of course he was allowed to be out here, and she had no intentions of enforcing the territory beyond the Chasm's borders, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure that the stranger had no ill intentions towards them.

So altering her course the silver woman followed after him, pausing once her eyes fell over him. He seemed.. not as healthy as he should have been, or at least.. he seemed to be rather thin. Her brow creased as she finally called out, hoping that his still form would begin to move if she did so. "Hello?"

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

Leviticus heard her before anything else. Had he more energy, he might've been visibly startled. As it was, he merely swung his head her way, mild surprise briefly shining in his eyes before they dulled once more.

"Hi," he breathed, and the next inhale brought him her scent. It was far more complex than any vagabond's, fused with the musk of others from pack life. He missed that. Levi's nose wriggled, something about the woman tickling at his brain, registering her as... familiar. Confusion crossed his brows, and he stepped closer.

"You... you smell nice," he murmured absently, clearly trying to pinpoint why her scent beckoned him.

It hit like lightning.

"... River."

It couldn't be. Levi lurched forward, all at once alert and needful.

"Do you know River?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2021, 03:14 AM by Leviticus.)

The man seemed.. off, faraway maybe? Like a ghost, though his form was far too solid to be anything but real. Her brow furrowed at his condition, and the way he praised her scent. That wasn't.. quite normal, was it?  Or at least not outside of.. spring.

The stranger lurched forward, his medium frame shooting towards her own, which forced her to step back. Saga was in the midst of deciding whether she planned on calling for help when his question came, deepening the crease in her brow even further if it were possible. "River?  We don't.." Could he mean Riven? Surely not. Why would this weirdo be out looking for their healer? Unless, of course, the wolf knew that he needed a healer.

"I don't know a river, but we do have a healer.. Riven.. if you need one."

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

Leviticus thought that by now, he was all cried out. The familiar, wet heat of tears pressed against his eyes however as she answered, hesitantly, in the negative. Then she mentioned a healer, named Riven, and his heart jittered inside of his chest. That was wrong, but so close that it hurt. Levi couldn't help making sure, desperately trying to keep that final flame of hope alive.

"Male? Blonde, blue eyed? Small, kind?"

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2021, 03:18 AM by Leviticus.)

Saga couldn't help but feel.. uncomfortable with the man's inquiries. He hit Riven's appearance on the nose, and yet, she didn't want to confirm his possible suspicions. She felt bad about thinking it, of course, but the stranger didn't seem quite... right. The woman tried to hide her concern, worrying her lip as she thought over her answer. He was one wolf who seemed to be alone, he was gaunt, and young, and really she wasn't sure how he could pose any threat to them...

"Yes." Hopefully she hadn't made a mistake in offering him that information. "How do you know him?"

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

It was the first time Leviticus had heard that word in response, the one he'd been waiting on for... gods, had it been a year by now? He couldn't be sure, he just knew that he almost couldn't believe he'd heard right. Yes. Reason tried to jump ahead of him, warn him that this could all be just some terrible coincidence. That River had a doppelganger living out this far, not that he'd really made it so far and... changed his name?

"I've always known him," Levi spoke, a disbelieving look stealing over his face. Slowly, hesitantly, a smile began to lift his lips. This could be real. River could be just a conversation away. Finally.

"We're from the same pack. I... when he left I went too, but I couldn't ever, I never... I never caught up to him. I was going to give up."

The tears were flowing freely now, curving around a toothy grin.

"Please. Can I talk to him? I need to know it's really him. Please."

Though she had initially been put off by his strange demeanor, Saga couldn't help but feel for the tawny wolf. His tears seemed genuine, as did his admissions, but the woman had a habit of only seeing the best in wolves and she knew it, of course knowing that fact did little to change the inevitability of it and the trouble it could cause. "Well... alright, follow me." She angled herself toward the Chasm, back the way she had come, and trusted that he would fall into step beside her.

"You must have come a long way to find him..." She wasn't sure how to ask without seeming rude, but she needed to know. "Why?" What was this man to their healer? A friend? A brother? An enemy, perhaps?

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

She seemed to hesitate, but much to Levi's utter relief, she said yes once more. His tail wagged behind his scrawny frame as he happily trotted after her. Exhaustion, hunger, the gnawing numbness were all temporarily staved by the prospect of finally reaching his goal.

Her question perked his ears as he followed, and while most answers usually flowed pretty freely from his muzzle, this he had to mull over a second. If this was his River, he'd deliberately changed his name. The way their own pack had treated him, he wouldn't be surprised if his agemate was in some kind of hiding. No matter what, it wasn't his story to tell, and so he tried to speak only for himself.

"Very," he agreed on the length; this past Winter was a staunch testimony of just far he'd traveled in his search.

"I just... didn't want him to be alone," was the best he could think to say. It really had been the driving force, he couldn't stop picturing River by himself, completely, trying to survive in the world and all because... it just hadn't been fair. Not one bit.

"It wasn't supposed to take so long."

She nodded at his sentiment, all too aware of what it felt like to not know someone's fate, to picture them lost, and alone, and confused. She had been scooped up by the humans, taken away from her family and perhaps some of them had been taken as well, had woken up in the same fashion she had. The Tainn could only hope to know their fate someday and trust that if it were meant to be then the strings of fate would wind them together again, as it had for this man and Riven  "Oh, I'm Saga by the way." She offered in hopes that he might return the favor.

"Is Riven going to be happy to see you?" Her question wasn't meant to pry, but rather the woman wanted to know what to expect.

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun