i found it, you're welcome

She comes across a half-eaten corpse. The deer lays dead, obviously, and beyond saving. No one else seems to be around, and the scent of a wolf was quite faint indeed. While she could track what remained of the scent, she didn't. The world provided in mysterious ways.

Feeling her hunger pains, Tallulah settles in to eat. The deer was much too large for one wolf to tackle alone, so she eats rather quickly. Just in case someone comes back for more. Despite being half-eaten, it is fresher than some corpses. Lest it wouldn't make her sick.

As she eats, she notices movement from the other side of the deer. Her form is tucked close, hunkered down... She could not see them clearly. But she is not averse to sharing.

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He still wasn't sure where he was or what he was doing in this strange land, but staying in one place didn't seem like a good thing. Having survived through the night without a clue where he was headed, Cassius decided to look for some food in the meantime. With his head low, ears tuned in to his surroundings, he slunk at a slow pace. Through the densely wooded area he seemed to be, he had moved away from the lake. Too risky to stay where a predator may linger, he hoped to find deer in this area.

Taking a turn to head up an incline, he paused when the scent of blood made his stomach rumble. Something left for dead, perhaps? Curious, he waited a moment for the wind to turn in his direction. When it finally crossed him, his head lifted in surprise. While there was only one wolf scent lingering around the carcass scent, a memory triggered in his brain. Still so very foggy and unrecognizable, his paws quickly picked up pace in the direction of the scent.

Dodging around trees and over rocks and fallen trunks, he was at the scene in moments. Both ears pressed forward before falling back. In front of him were the dead deer carcass and a smaller brown-painted female. Seeing her with his own two eyes struck nothing, but her scent was undeniably a part of his past. Feeling embarrassed for crashing onto the scene with now muddy paws and a grumbling stomach, he shifted his weight between his paws.

"Ah, scuse me miss, sorry to intrude. I'm a bit lost an' hungry. Coul' ya help a poor fella out?" Cass asked more sheepishly than he would normally speak. His rugged, thick western accent held the twang of someone who hated asking anyone for help.

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The sights and sounds of the mountains were going to be common to the woman. Birds twittered about her head, flying in the air without a care. She looked directly at the man, feeling a trickle of something deep within her. Tallulah flinched outwardly, letting a soft groan. "Ow..." escaped her lips. It felt like she was forgetting something. Something important.

"Sorry, sir. Memories kinda come and go" she began, self-conscious "I reckon lotta folks are like that. I... just came here myself. It rightly hazy and confusing, aye?" she admits to him "come eat" Tallulah invited him "won't do to drop dead and let the buzzards feast." She smiled kindly, gesturing to the other side of the deer.

"Name's Tallulah" she added, dipping her head to him courteously "why don't ya start at the beginning. I can try to fill the blanks in?"

@Cassius

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One could call this area secluded. Tall trees rose to the skies as their crowns waved in a blustery breeze. From down here, one could barely tell it was daytime, save for the fact that it wasn't pitch black around them. Surrounded by the scent of moss, pine, and a tinge of rotting timber, Cass wondered how far the forest ran. Would it be encased by the mountain he had noticed by the lake? Or would it be smaller than he imagined? No time for him to wonder though. The female standing by the carcass was addressing him. 

Was she in pain? Cass' head tilted to the side as his brow furrowed lightly. Had his sudden appearance caused her a headache? Rude, wasn't it? Still, he couldn't rid himself of the idea that he had seen her somewhere before. Her scent was so familiar. Never mind that it would come back to him eventually. After all, he barely remembered his own name. Let alone how he even got to this new place. She was speaking and his attention drew back to her words. Everyone forgot their memories? There were more like them around here? 

Letting out a responsive grunt, Cass stepped forward toward the deer. Sharp copper and faint clementine filled his nostrils as he leaned his muzzle down toward the deer. Another bout of pressure pressed into his temple as the foggy memory attempted to come back. Couldn't be the copper scent of blood, that wasn't specific to anyone. Ignoring it for the moment, Cass allowed himself to be vulnerable as he grabbed a chunk from the carcass before stepping back to eat it. 

He could hear the caw of buzzards as they circled above the treetops. Surely waiting for their chance at a meal but not yet. Lifting his gaze back to the girl, he finally decided to answer her. "Nice ter meet ya, Tallulah," even the name rang some sort of distant bell. "The name's Cassius, but yer can call me Cass. Unfortunately, I ain't got any recollection past yesterday when I woke up," his rugged twang kept the morbid critter at bay for now. Stepping back in for another piece of meat, he made sure to give her space to eat as well.

@Tallulah

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He seemed to be a bit shocked by her words. It was to be expected, even if he did not respond. The man came closer, snatching a piece of meat before backing up. She took the time to look around, feeling he was of no threat to her. Somehow she knew this. Not because of his manners but... because of something else.

 Something she couldn't recall.

The shadows stretched on and on as the sun began to fall. Due to the lack of a cloudy day, everything was on full display. Even the birds above their heads cawed with recognition - unafraid of the wolves below them. She looked back as he began to speak, explaining himself. "Cass" she began "yer not the only one." Unfortunately.

"Ever'one here woke up" she explained "some have been here for longer than us" She remembered Kore, and the woman's situation upon arriving "I've met folks that've been here a year or so" She shrugged "we didn't have a choice comin' here. It wasn't a conscious decision, I reckon."

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A slight vibration of the ground made him freeze for a second. Surely it was just another animal passing in the distance like a herd of deer or a grizzly. One ear flicked in the direction but he paid it no mind yet. His stomach was filling and he finished his last bite with a lick of his jowls. Both blue eyes held steady on the Tallulah girl while she spoke. Another uncertain huff leaves his mouth as he turns to stare off into the distance. 

The sun was beginning to filter through the trees some more. Shafts of light poured between limbs as he felt a warmness along his back. Last he could remember, summer was winding down to an end and the days of excruciating heat were whittling away to cool evenings. Was this place the same? Could he expect to find a pleasant sunny afternoon in only a few hours' time? Shifting his weight once more so that he took a few more steps away from Tallulah and the carcass, he let out a thoughtful hum. 

"How big's this place? 're there lots of us here?" Cass wasn't what "us" meant. After all, from what he could remember, he wasn't all dog and he wasn't all wolf either. Sort of an oddball of sorts, but accepted nonetheless by either group. Keeping his gaze on the winding path that he had come in on, he continued to mull over the multitude of questions he wanted to ask.

 

@Tallulah

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@Cassius had valid questions, and unspoken concerns too. "From what I gather, this is a central location" Tallulah began, settling and shifting to a more comfortable position "there's about five different places here." She hadn't been to the Desert yet but had strayed near the 'border' into the land before going further into the Plains.

"Plenty of choices of where to settle, I reckon" she shrugged "we're at the Mountains right now" she gestured around them with a paw "north o' here is the Tundra. Below us to the right are the Plains" Where she had met some folks "below that to the right is the Desert. Directly below us is a more lush land. Temperate."

She hadn't been to many, many places in the areas but... That would change with time. "Give or take, there's lotta packs" she went on "so there must be lotta of us."

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He still wasn't sure why or how he knew the girl standing in front of him, but the feeling wouldn't pass. Looking down at his paws as she continued to speak, Cass wondered just how similar this land was to his homelands. While he couldn't remember where exactly he came from, he knew that they were in a mountainous forest area. His eyes would wander as Tall spoke about the different regions. A tundra, plains, desert, and temperate area... It all sounded so normal. Why would he suddenly wake up here? What had caused his disappearance from home?

Still confused, Cass' brow stayed furrowed. "I'm guessin' then that there's some packs round these parts?" He asks as he continues to glance around their surroundings. Tall pines hid most of their view of the mountains, save for the very peaks in the far distance. The well-taken path off to their side smelled somewhat bare of scents, but he could tell others had wandered nearby recently. The bigger question though was where was he going to go? He couldn't possibly stay here, in the middle of the woods, alone, could he?

Letting his blue gaze fall back to Tall, he let out a sigh. "You found any good place to stay yet?" Cass asks, his eyes moving into a squint as his head tilts to the side gently. She just seemed so familiar...

@Tallulah

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 She confirmed his words with a nod.

Where they were right now was right above Rippling Heights, unclaimed and unmarked land. She angled her ears to the northeast. "I've heard tell of three packs up there" Elysium and Shiroshika by name, Vanderfell's unknown to her but she knew it was there "was goin' to scout them, meet their leaders." She shuffled a bit, knowing she was full now.

 Was he lookin' for a pack?

"If you don't wanna be alone here, you can travel wit' me" Tallulah offered. Was it her imagination or... could he be from her past life? Why else would he stand so brightly out against the strangers she had met? "it's a tough go of it alone" She added, frowning "though if ya don't like the path I chose, we can part easily." She hoped not. There was so much left unanswered.

  @Cassius - who were you?

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His face turns left and then right as he gets another good look at the forest. With the tall pines hiding most of their view, he wasn't sure where exactly he would go. With one ear on her, as she mentions her plan to go meet with pack leaders, he lets out a huff. That seemed like a bunch of nonsense to him. Why waste the time finding somewhere to live when he needed to find his home? Did she not have a home to go back to? Cass' blue eyes turn back to her. Surely, with how familiar she felt, there was a home and someone waiting for her.

She did offer to let him accompany up the way she pointed. And really, as he thought about it, there weren't many other options for him. Releasing a thoughtful hum, Cass slowly nodded his head. He was fully aware that he was staring at her by now, but he still couldn't shake the odd feeling that he knew her from somewhere. "I spose it'd be a good idear to tag along fer now," he responds in his thick western accent as his weight shifts between his paws. With both of their bellies full and not much else to see in these parts, there was no reason to stay. "Lead the way, Miss Tallulah," Cass says, a faint smile on his lips as he nods his head in the direction she had been pointing at.

@Tallulah

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The whole wide world stretched out.

It'd be silly to sit and mope. @Cassius seemed to want to go back the way he came from. He didn't want to settle. She could only guess this though. "Don't get me wrong" Tallulah explained with a shake of her head "this'll be until I can git back home." The strength of a pack was better than being a target alone.

"If I can find someone who knows how to git back... It'll be worth it." She rises, turning to where they had both pointed. Her eyes feel heavy after eating, but she resists sleep. Surely Cassius could see her reason? She wasn't the type to pledge to just any cause, and the more wolves they met... The better chance they had.

Alone? Even two wolves were subjected to threat.

"Let's go then!" she nearly jumped on the spot as she lunged forward, leading him further up the path from the Rippling Heights. The worn path that Cassius had seen was nothing to the heavy steps worn into the dirt here. There were surely plenty of communities to welcome them. Especially able-bodied folk like them. She didn't want to be away from Cassius.

Though she could not figure out why.

/end

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