days went by when you and i,

Kignitak, a depth of a dream whispered in his ear. Reflexively, another piece of him could answer.

“Blackfox,” he murmured out loud to himself.. realizing he had stopped what he was doing mid-step to say so, the borderland forests of this mountain spread thick around him, not far from where he centered around a thicket. He blinked slowly, thinking. It was just getting chilly, but fresh; the sun had only just left. He swallowed thickly, realizing how faraway he had just sounded, and that now, he was terribly distracted. Blackfox. That was.. that was..

Him.

He had not felt so sure before, not since waking anew here at the entrance of that odd cave. But now there was Saviguk here, and Jarilo was struck with the realization that he had no ulaq to usher him towards, no true store of resources to help the boy rebuild his comfort and health in. The spring was new yet, the greens hardly new, so it was fair giving the timing of the year, but that wasn't even at all what bothered him. It was how he felt this, how.. he knew about these missing things in the first place, it so very suddenly highlighted a very important absence to both him and the young boy who wore his own likeness so well. Fuck... mentally, he seethed, jaw aching because he couldn't get it to all come clear and that stung.

But what did remain was going forward, and he couldn't fret over his newly-resurfaced son at all hours. If he could get his shit together well enough to focus, he hoped to hunt something fresh for them both.. but a brisk walk with the deepening night would have to do for right now.
the staff team luvs u

Twining his way back from an exploratory outing was one of Hydra's newest inductees, Rex. He had spent the better part of the day mapping the northern reaches of the Ostrega's claim, memorizing various points of ingress, trouble-spots, and refreshing older markers. His shoulder gave the odd twinge here and there, but he certainly wouldn't allow it to hinder him as he toiled away for the family. The routine was a welcome change to... to...? 

He blinked as confusion tickled the fringes of his thoughts. What came before? ... much of the same, probably. 

The wind carried the renewed scent of what he now attributed to home, but it was growing more poignant with every step. The traces of masculine was not necessarily new; he'd familiarized himself with their individual differences afforded to him through his olfactory sense, but he couldn't put a name to a face yet. Now was an opportunity to do just that. He turned slightly into the wind and broke into a casual lope until he caught sight of movement between the trees. Not Hydra. The black was touched with ash—notable even cloaked in the shadows of night, and his physique was far more streamlined. Arrowlike. 

Rex didn't mask his approach, letting his paws rake across the undergrowth to announce his presence. He lent the man a low, but friendly, chuff. 

"Evening," he greeted, prepared to depart if an invitation wasn't extended.
the staff team luvs u

All of his uncertainties aside, it would be finding some purpose to busy himself on that would ease this best. Hence the idea of a hunt, but a lack of obvious, fresh trail in all of his several meters so far did not give him more than that to work from. Jarilo instead found he was not alone, first judging by the sounds of an approach--one closing in on him, even. It might not be prey, but it might still be a decent enough start; he thought it could work fine for him, so with a curious tilt, he gave half a pause to regard his company with interest.

Innately, he wanted to feel guilty about the unfamiliarity that he felt--sure that he was forgetting the face to this name through all of his hazy recollections upon this new mountain, but no, a instant later and he realized it was actually one of the newer faces here according to Hydra. Considering the weight he put in her words, he had no qualms, and had been curious.. especially after getting to know Element, another "new" face. “Hey,” he chuffed back, and a gesture meant to be a warm sweep of his muzzle. After, he sniffed the winds again. “Any good leads out tonight..?” he asked, vaguely, or conversationally depending how dutiful someone wanted to take it.
the staff team luvs u

A fission of tension eased from his shoulders at Jarlio's amiable greeting, but his ears did perk at the query that followed. Rex calmly claimed another breath before answering to ensure the individual's scent was imprinted on his mind as one of the aliit—the clan. "An elk herd has come down from the heights and taken up residence in the northern valley. From the looks of things, it appears many of the cows are due to calve in the coming weeks," he hummed with a ponderous wave of his tail, brows knit, "I noted a few rogues, but their scents did not linger long near our claim." He didn't need to remark on the chances a loner had against a healthy elk population. But with their numbers? A tempting possibility. 

He lent Jarlio a searching look, hoping to see a similar thought dance across his features. But upon realizing he had said much, and offered little of an introduction, he cracked a polite smile. "Name's Rex, one of the new blood." 
the staff team luvs u

Easy to persuade through his stomach, elk certainly snatched his interest right up. His eyes were bright and gestures easy, forthcoming with the nods. “Good, I think we've got the muscle to take advantage of elk,” he smirked, fighting off the urge to lick his teeth. With his trust in those he knew great, and a lot of hungry mouths to feed on the mountainside already.. he had no doubt they could easily rally up a hunting parting. Especially if cows were calving soon--all the more reason.

And, rogues. No surprises. “Same here..” he supposed, frown matched. He had yet to catch any of them in the act. “I've not heard of much trouble in the way of them.. yet,” he mentioned. At least not through his usual sources of news, but he was pulling in a lot of different directions these days. “I'm Jarilo Ostrega--It's nice to match face,” he swung his muzzle, having well noticed him around. Now he could think of him more properly every time he crossed the trail. “Hydra's my older sister,” he imparted, since that probably could explain how he had landed here generally enough in case he didn't need the long version so readily. “I 'woke up' here, too.” he would end with for now, happy to now have more distance between that unsettling reawakening and here.

He hoped they could exchange some information, and get to know each other better so that new blood could flow right along with the rest of them. Jarilo was content to share the time, and as much conversation as he could.
the staff team luvs u