used to be as kids, but i guess we forgot

open to one other <3

 

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Leaving the territory almost felt wrong after being gone for so long in the first place, but Ries wasn't going anywhere far. Besides, the foothills were easier to travel through, and felt better underfoot. There was no threat of taking an embarrassing tumble halfway down a mountain (a major exaggeration) like he'd done the other day.

There was something calming about this place. The breeze in his fur, the wide open spaces, the shifting grass... it was peaceful.

And Ries needed the space. As much as he loved being home - and he certainly did! - he still felt the need to wander, to see new things and meet new people, and he hoped his family didn't mind. He'd always come back to them at the end of the day.

He had no destination in mind as he walked, simply enjoying the nice weather, when the sky began to suddenly grow dark. It was like it happened all at once - the sun vanished behind gray clouds, the heavens opened, and snow began to fall like rain. It wasn't a fun snowstorm, either - oh, no. This was nothing short of a blizzard.

Ries yipped in surprise and bolted for the nearest cover he could find - a tiny copse of trees, hardly visible through the whiteout around him. He slipped beneath some of the denser underbrush and let out a sigh of relief, sheltered from the blizzard for now. It wasn't ideal, but it was definitely survivable. 

He just hoped there was no one else out there struggling in this.

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Eyes of emerald and dawn twinkled in the backlash of sudden onset snow. The bushes where he'd awoken had been tucked against a crop of boulders, and though he'd been here for some time - hours probably, the fog still hung low upon Brelas' mind. He'd no idea where he was, just that the place seemed familiar - and then again it did not. Soft ears swiveled to and fro as the snow picked up, wind whistling with apparent urgency. The earth stole his warmth from him as if it was owed - and perhaps it was.

Where was he? Faint memories clung to the edges of the male's mind as he thought, orbs glaring out at the world from under that flimsy shelter. Something in him forbade him to move, as if gripped by the hand of the gods themselves. And then, footfalls. Rushed and desperate, clumsy even. A canine hurrying out of the onslaught, into the line of woods and right past the hunkering male.

And what of this other canine? Did he know what this place was? Despite the urge to stay hidden, Brelas stretched lanky limbs and allowed a cranky yawn to split his weary maw as he strode from the safety of the foliage.

"I suppose you have more answers than i do, stranger." Voice rough with disuse, the taller of the two quirked an eyebrow as he continued, "My head is rather clouded, i know nothing but my name. What is this place?"

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He’d been so caught up in getting to shelter that Ries hadn’t even considered whether or not someone might actually be there already. Caught up in watching the snowfall, a little entranced, Ries nearly jumped out of his skin when the bushes to his side rustled and out came a tall, imposing figure.

It was another man, painted in colors that reminded Ries of a desert - earthy and warm and quite the opposite of Ries’ cooler tones. For a moment, Ries was a little concerned that he might be driven out of the little shelter he’d found himself in. It would only be fair - the larger man had been there first, after all, and Ries would much prefer to avoid conflict if at all possible, but the idea of heading out into the blizzard was less than appealing.

An apology sat ready on his tongue, but the other wolf spoke first. And oh, he didn’t seem angry at all! A bit grumpy, perhaps, but Ries had most likely just interrupted his nap, so that was understandable. And the poor guy didn’t even know where he was. He had plenty of reasons not to be jumping for joy.

“I’m not sure how many answers I have, but I can tell you what I know. You’re in Dancer’s Foothills, near the Summit,” Ries explained, a warm smile forming on his maw. Not knowing anything sounded like a particularly stressful ordeal, and Ries didn’t want to make it any worse than absolutely necessary on the man. “Usually, it’s not so dreary - it’s actually very nice, most days.”

He tilted his head to the side, brows a bit furrowed. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” he asked. Maybe the other man had hit his head - that caused amnesia, didn’t it?
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