Awakening in the familiar unknown

As the first rays of dawn pierced the mist hovering over the lake, the glimmering light and cool feeling of water lapping at Orens legs and chest stirred the brown pelted wolf from his sleep. His one amber and one blue eyes blinked open slowly, head foggy with a feeling of long sleep. The coniferous forest around him was a tapestry of green, the air filled with the familiar scent of pine, earth and water, yet tinged with an unfamiliarity that pricked at his senses. The towering trees, much like those of his home he knew so well, whispered in the gentle breeze, making Oren acutely aware of his solitude in this unknown yet oddly reminiscent place. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, trying to piece together the puzzling mosaic of sights and scents, each breath a blend of memories and piqued curiosity.

Lifting himself from the edge of the water, shaking off the wetness that clung to his front legs and dark brown chest fur he stood now looking down at himself in the lake then out into the forest surrounding. Everything looked normal, the pine trees a familiar sight, himself still himself, yet, everything was out of place. He’d never seen this lake before, never trod on these rocks, pebbles, grass and dirt, though there was a feeling of déjà vu that hung in the air, as if this place echoed a memory, a knowing he held but that now quiet into a forgotten void in his brain. “Where am I? How did I get here?”
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The morning rose quietly, calmly. Rose-tinted light caressed the behemoth striding towards the lake. Inessa at his side, quiet as ever and just as moody to be awake at this time. A grunt was heard from her lips as she stubbed her toe while they walked. Feminine ears pinned to a soft head, and Sirius hid the smile which lurked at her tired movements. Scenting the air around them gave no inkling of any other creature, though Sirius knew with experience that there were most likely ilk lingering about. The trees of this place stunk up a furious odor which the siblings were not particularly fond of in the slightest.

“As much as i'd like to linger here, im afraid we should grab our morning mouthful and begone, dear sister. Unless you wish to bathe as well." A sideways glance was cast at her then, just as the two broke treeline and the bank came into view. Squinting suspiciously, Sirius' bronze orbs did not miss the heap of fur standing and shaking itself from the wet mess. Then, alabaster ears pinned to match those of his companion, and at the change of pace of Inessa, Sirius knew she had seen the stranger too. There wasn't a single place you could rest here without running into some rather ominous canine.

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@Inessa

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“Если кому и нужна ванна, так это вам. — If anyone needs a bath, it's you.” Her voice was sleep-hoarse still, ears switched back against her skull as they walked. She was ignoring the fact that she'd tripped already, mentally blaming her clumsiness on the morning sun shining into her eyes, and the fact that she wasn't awake just yet. But Sirius had insisted they get a move on, so here they were.

However, her quip didn't mean that she did not want to take a dip in the cool waters of the nearby lake. She could smell its freshness past the thick trees and their odd smells, no doubt from the nearby pack. They smelled sketchy, violent, and it was nothing that the Rebel Princess wanted to entertain. No, the only thing she would entertain would be the lake ahead of them and the man standing at its shores.

Hazel eyes refocused, actually acknowledging what she saw. A man, soaking wet, standing at the edge like he was lost. Which honestly? Wasn't hard in a place like this. Still, the Princess strode past him and forged into the water with no fuss, immediately feeling the water soak in through her thick winter coat. Only when she was deep enough for the water to be up to her neck did she turn and look at him. She knew the look on his face, if only because she'd seen it on Sirius, and felt it on her own.

“Before you ask, no we don't know where we are, nor do we know how we -- or you -- got here. We woke up here, same as you probably did.” Her tone was yet brusque. Not unfriendly, but also not gentle like other females usually were. But she could sense the question, and simply used the moment to answer it before he asked.

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Oren's ears pricked up as the sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention away from his inspection of the flora surrounding him. His gaze shifted to the newcomers—a large male and a smaller female—who seemed to materialise out of the forest surrounding the still hazy lake. Their nonchalant demeanour in the face of his presence puzzled him. He took a step back as the cream and ginger shewolf strode past him into the cool water of the lake he had woken up half submerged in, a cautious wariness creeping into his stance as he regarded them with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Oh… yes, I - just woke up here. Wherever here is exactly...” his voice trailed off, his attention again seemingly dragged towards the scents surrounding, the heavy pine balm smell being so close to a memory of where he had once been before yet not. After a moment his amber and blue eyes flicked back between the two strangers, searching for any sign of deception or threat and deciding their demeanour said nothing of malice towards him. Despite his apprehension, the timber coloured wolf continued politely, hoping these two strangers may have at least a bit more knowledge than he about this place. 

“My name is Oren, I hail from …” his words faltered as he searched his brain for the name of his homelands, the words slipping just out of reach. “Hmm somewhere not here I suppose. My apologies, the name escapes me, it must just my brain still waking up.” He said shifting his stance, his voice and body language failing to hide the bit of embarrassment he felt having forgotten the name of place he had grown up. “May I ask how long you two have been here if you also mysteriously woke up in these lands?”
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Inessa's rather open demeanor had always irked Sirius, but then again she was always the more...stable of all siblings. Therefore Sirius tended to listen to his sister. Following behind slowly, the large male bent a curious head towards the bank alongside Oren to lap at the little balm lake's glassy surface. Disturbed by none other than the alabaster-gold pelt of a certain she-wolf. The ugly scarring upon his face was stark against the color of fur there - and though he could hide his cold gaze, not much could be said for the Oaken stranger's wandering eyes. Sirius knew he'd see it at some point, and stare. As did all others.

Lifting a heavy head from his drink, Sirius licked his lips of the dribbling mess, taking extra care to run his tongue over the exposed teeth and barren gums. Keen gaze steeled against the rising sun's glare, and the delicate wind which tussled the trio's pelts was nothing less than cold.

"We've been here as long as anyone else - no one knows how time passes here. Some are here and then gone the next day. Others stay forever." Sirius' gaze met the mismatched orbs of Oren as he spoke, gargantuan paw plastering deep into the lake bank as he stepped a tail-length nearer. Silent brow quirked as he looked the male over. Didn't seem to be in any pain - no harm had come to him upon wakening. Good, then. He thought. Better they find him than some other wretched group.

"If i were you i'd do well to avoid anyone heinous looking. Lots of ilk 'round these parts'd eat you up and spit you out." Sirius' smirk grew as he spoke, until his lips had pulled back in some twisted vision of a snarl. Though he meant no ill will, the giant couldn't help his outwardly gruff demeanor. It was who he was after all.

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He just woke up here. Of course he had. Inessa was not surprised. Even in her life before, nothing surprised her; perhaps because she was always the rebellious, roguish princess that could not be held back or held down. She did the surprising, and had since she was a ребенок — child. With this man, however, she didn't know or care enough about him to make deceitful moves in the here and now.

Oren. He didn't remember where he was from. How long had they been here? Some wolves go missing, some don't, blah blah blah. Inessa ignored the men, instead making an effort to clean her plush, gingered fur.

“Stop trying to scare him, Siri. He's done nothing to you.” Her tone was flat, her words lilting in that unique way that Russian voices always seemed to. To Oren, she tossed her head, pointing her nose to the Southwest. “I am Inessa; Sirius, here, is attempting to tell you that there is a pack that way that reeks of death and grime. Avoid it. Unless you also like to smell like кабанья задница — boar ass.” Her shoulders rolled in a shrug. Truthfully, she didn't care one way or another.

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