Kingsfall tell everybody i'm on my way

Aub's long legs navigated the drifted snow with relative ease, only getting caught up here and there for a moment or two. He couldn't say he was a fan of the dense, frigid powder but at least it made telling where you've been a lot more obvious. 'South past the tundra and all the way along the mountains.' He repeated the phrase far too often within his head, determined to not only remember them but ward off any mistakes that clearly could be made with such sparse directions.

He had to be on the right track, right? After all, how far could one wolf travel?

The forest floor was unmarred from a fresh layer of snow, and so when he finally crossed the trail of someone else tit was obvious. They would know, wouldn't they? Tail wagging, he set off after the tracks to find who they belonged to and ask his questions.

The weather was cold, and the snow was falling quite regularly now. In spite of that, though, life was good. The group was sheltered and safe. Had access to enough water and food in the area, all without too much competition or intrusion. Patrols or exploration here almost seemed to be a pointless affair, a needless expenditure of valuable energy in the winter months.

And had it not been for that one tragic incident with Flair over the summer, Jethro might’ve foregone that duty entirely by now. Or at least grown extremely lax with it. But every time he felt that temptation to sleep a little longer or lay around the entire day, the dark one reminded himself of that incident.

He was still determined as ever to try to not let anything like that happen again. For nobody under his care to ever be seriously hurt by another wolf again, and to hopefully meet and greet strangers first. Even if that meant pushing himself out on seemingly needless excursions like this.

-is he, perhaps, following Jet?
because ofc once again i can’t resist an open like this

>:D YAY

It took a few moments, but in exchange for a small pinch of patience he was able to track down the other. A local, from the smell of it. Aub couldn't know that the man's pack was not quite yet a pack, the signs of stability and familiarity intertwined through his fur regardless. Upon sight of the stranger's dark coat, the younger wolf lowered their head and began to wag their tail, hoping to appear friendly and harmless.

"Pardon," Auburn called out, keeping his green eyes trained just to the left of the other's paws.

"Do you have a moment?" He could be quick if needed, cherry pick his queries; hopefully the stranger would allow him at least a few even if his time was precious.

With the breeze blowing opposite the direction of his travel, there wasn’t much he could’ve done to detect the approach of another until the stranger spoke. Jet considered himself fortunate, as he paused and spun about to face the other, that at first glance this young man appeared friendly.

Pardon, he’d called, asking for only a moment of Jethro’s time. The dark agreed with first a nod, and then a wry grin and a quick tale wave to show he too, harbored no malicious intent. He could be grateful, this time, that his lapse in situational awareness hadn’t been to his, or anyone else’s detriment.

”Sure do. What’s up?” Jet offered, wandering a couple of steps forth to study the newcomer more closely. Something about the stranger was vaguely familiar too, somehow, even though Jet was sure they’d never met before.

Thankfully the stranger proved affable, giving Auburn reason to keep their tail wagging. A little more distance was closed between, and he stayed where he was, allowing the other to decide their proximity. His large paws shifted subtly and his ears reclined against the fluff of his nape.

"I'm trying to find someplace particular, someone," he prefaced, still yet to look upon the other's facial features.

"Ah- I'm Auburn, by the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he remembered the manners his grandfather had tried to instill in him just in time, before refocusing on his goal.

"Would you know, I passed through tundra and, is this... are there any mountains nearby?"

Hope was evident in the light within his green eyes and the smile on his lips as he asked his question.

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2022, 05:35 AM by Sovanya.)

The other was forthcoming, quickly explaining that he was trying to find a place, but specifically, someone. Although Jet hadn’t seen all of the area, he had seen a good portion of it. Knew of several places, if not necessarily individuals. Hopefully that meant he could help.

An introduction was next up, a courtesy that comforted Jet a little more, enough to recline back in the snow. ”Jethro, and likewise. Nice to meet ya.” He had time to offer before Auburn posed his question. One that was surprisingly easy to answer, at that.

”Yea, if you keep goin’ south.. and, west of here. Lived there for a while, in fact.” Jet answered, pleased that at least this first inquiry was one he could help with, and quite well at that. ”Can't go too far cause I got my group to look out for, but if that’s where you’re headed, I could at least get you to where you can see ‘em. If ya want,” the dark one offered additionally. Showing someone at least part of the way seemed better than just telling.

Especially when it wouldn’t be all that much trouble or too big of a trip.

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2022, 02:22 AM by Jethro.)

Jethro. It might not have seemed he'd stored the name away, but Aub had. The man answered positively, and his expression lit up, smile now fully blossomed into a toothy grin while his tail beat the air with excitement. Following his gut had been the right choice after all then, he wanted to assume. Thankfully, it seemed the stranger he'd come upon had even better ties than he'd hoped to that area of interest.

"Really? How recently?" he asked, eyes flickering to Jethro's chin and away infrequently.

"Did you-, do you know of Fallen Tree Cove then? Are they there?"

Please say yes, his beryl sights all but begged.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2022, 06:31 AM by Auburn.)

The look of excitement that grew across the countenance of the other was contagious and something Jet found himself mirroring, for he was incredibly grateful to have been here at the right time. And even happier that he’d been able to help, so far. ”Left the group I was with last spring. So not too long ago,” Jet answered the first part, although with the followup, he felt his heart sink just a tad.

And it was impossible not to let just a tiny note of dismay leak into his next response. ”I..  never heard of any Fallen Tree Cove. Pack I was with was called Sanguine Cove, lived by a big lake, up there?” The last part came out as a bit of a question. He wanted to believe they were still talking about the same place, just.. possibly rebranded, and the information Auburn had was outdated.

But still, he knew of a place there. Who was he? He looked to be right around Nori’s age, and - wait.

Was that even possible? ”Who is it you’re lookin’ for? I might know or have heard of ‘em.”

Just last Spring! Auburn's hopes practically soared, and then- faltered. So close, but the difference was distinct. Had his father's pack moved on? Had they simply chosen another name for themselves? Or was it all a coincidence, and they were discussing the wrong valley-bound lake after all? His mind spun with the possibilities, but Jethro lead the way in helping to narrow things down, for which the younger wolf was grateful.

"Of course. I'm looking for- his name is ah, Chan Eastfall. His father is Tagg, a... a war veteran, I'm told?"

It was all he had, not even sure whether Eastfall came from his estranged parent's maternal or paternal side. Hopefully, he was just days away from finally learning more.

The other appeared to carefully guard his emotion. If he felt any sense of disappointment at Jet’s lack of recognition of the Fallen Tree Cove, he didn’t really show it. But then there was a name, and once more everything changed in an instant.

From dismay back to surprise. Jethro’s eyes widened, and he nodded almost immediately. ”Chan?” the dark one spoke almost incredulously, though there was definitely no mistaking what he’d heard. ”He’s.. I consider him one of my best friends,” Jet added with a newfound excitement and smile.

Really, Chan was much more than a friend, at least to him, because he didn't know how much of that sentiment was mutual, if any. But friend felt like the best term to use when he did not yet know who Auburn was, or what relationship the two had. Though this revelation caused him to speculate and brought to mind even more questions than it answered, he’d hold any of that.

”He should still be with Sanguine Cove, up there. With his brother and ma. I’m.. not sure about his father.” Jethro hadn’t heard of a Tagg, which meant he could likely only assume the worst. But at least Chan would be able to confirm that.