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For Dimas

Kirain's words of warning were ever-present in the wolf's mind as they familiarized themself with their new home. Juniper did not feel strong enough to call it home yet, but they knew it would come to them in time. Not that they had a choice in the matter. Water sources were met with scrutiny and plants were carefully inspected for signs of blight or disease.

Today Juniper's wanderings led them to lower ground. Golden fields could be seen from the moors that claimed the southern range of the rise. Tall meadow grass held interwoven trails made by passing game. Perhaps this was where Camhanaich's fauna had fled to. Juniper wouldn't blame them, for the fields were bountiful and seemed endless.

It is not the simplest trek, to find her way down to the lower altitude, but it is one made in earnest. Juniper of course did not get to finish the hunt with her brother. Any bounty she claimed would be shared with her new compatriots when she returned.

Juniper pauses atop a hillock. Using the higher vantage point to her own benefit, she careful studies the wonderous fields. Assessing the land for any oddities, and marveling at the beautiful spread of wildflowers.

How aggravating.

The high winds whipped at his fur with an ever-increasing intensity to the point where he almost found it difficult to navigate. The great ruff about Dimas' neck and face clawed furiously at his eyes, and he might have cursed under his breath if the eternal presence of Houtu's watchful eye did not threaten to punish even the smallest of sins. It was with strict faith which he conducted himself, and he would not falter even now.

Even as he remained utterly lost in this foreign land.

Священная Мать-Волчица, усмири этот ветер во имя Эфира, (Sacred Wolf Mother, tame this wind in the name of Aether) he muttered bitterly, shaking his head in a useless bid to remove the clinging hair from his vision. A fresh gust simply replaced the errant fur, and, uncharacteristically, he stumbled.

Warm resistance met his shoulder, and now he could discern the shape of a small she-wolf standing before him.

Dimas was not in the mood for company.

I could not see you, he rumbled. Apologies. May the Five go with you.

He turned to leave stoically and precisely in the direction he had already come from, which, observed by a third party, signaled that the man still couldn't see where he was going.

There is a pause in Juniper's marveling. Did the wind play tricks, or did she hear a voice?

She is given no time to consider further, as a heavy shoulder is thrust against her. Being the lightweight that she was, Juniper was thoroughly displaced from her perch with an unceremonious yelp. Only the quick placement of nimble paws kept her from rolling down the hill.

Casting her gaze over her shoulder, she finds a large man cloaked in silver and white, ambling about. Without direction? Juniper made it her interest to find out just where this stranger was going.

Turning to bound up the slope, Juniper strode besides the stranger. The pitch of their voice high as they chided, You're going to walk yourself off a ledge if you don't stop to watch your paws! They leaned after the long fur off his ruff. Juniper made a grab for it, not to pull or to yank, but to get his attention in one place. Preferably the place they were standing on and not at the bottom of the slope.

Although he could remember little of his past since awakening in this place, Dimas had absolutely retained the core of who he was: ferociously and stubbornly independent. He did not do well with advice, he outright rejected command, and only occasionally favored the rare, respectful request.

The little stranger-wolf pitched a high whine in his ear as she warned him of his folly, and at the merest pressure of her teeth clutching at his nape Dimas whirled on her in a fury, all thunder and lightning and flashing eyes as he rumbled his displeasure. The sudden force of his momentum was a foolish choice; as his hind legs sought purchase from behind, Dimas found only empty air as the hillock descended at a sharp angle and he suddenly landed against the hard earth with a whallop.

Whether or not she was dragged down with him was the question; the wind was still too violent to tell, and he was presently laying against his side.

Petulant, asinine, interfering - he started angrily, then quickly stifled himself.

Begrudgingly - he realized she had been right.

With great dignity he rose.

Gloat if you wish, Dimas said, lips set in a firm line. It is not the first time Houtu has spoken through the lips of another, and I did not heed her warning.

Well intentioned as they had been, they had clearly crossed the man's line. A great storm rolled in those pale blue eyes, and Juniper gasped as they locked with theirs. Startled by the fury aimed at them, Juniper let go of Dimas's fur. Ears splaying and tail curling against their hocks, Juniper took a step back.

Dimas would tip over the ledge on his own.

Oh—!

Juniper's face could be seen peering down at the larger man from over the ledge. Those widened oakwood eyes wincing at the heavy thwack with which Dimas hit the ground. With a soft oh dear muttered under her breath, Juniper turned from the ledge and bounded down the slope. A much kinder, and safer, way of reaching the downed man.

Dimas was rallying himself to his limbs by the time Juniper reached him. The small wolf held much more caution in approaching him, her head low and tail wagging slightly to pacify him.

Why would I gloat? All four legs bore his weight, and he didn't remain sprawled out in the dirt. That was a good sign. You are not hurt, are you?

The only thing hurt was his pride, he thought dourly. What was somehow even more irritating was the girl's sincerity of care - she reminded him of someone, someone he had forgotten, but he couldn't picture their face. Just the sight of her wagging tail was enough to set him on edge.

No matter, he grunted brusquely.

Someone he knew, and someone he had been fond of, his memory nagged insistently.

Infuriating.

What brings you to this cursed place? he asked, stealing a glance at their surroundings. You do not look as if you are home, in much the same way I am not.

Decidedly not.

Where even was home?

The man brushed aside the matter of his fall, and Juniper is wise enough not to pursue it further. It was quite the first impression, they would likely feel odd about it too. Juniper's ears perked as the Dimas posed an unanticipated question.

It was not my choice to arrive to this land. Juniper offered a slight shrug as they spoke. But I, like you, am here all the same.

Mythris was an entirely new and unknown world to Juniper. Its motivations and abilities were not hers to know. Never fully. But a land that collected soles was alive in a way beyond her understanding. In hanging onto to this notion, she finds a small semblance of peace. Even if her skin crawls at the mention of a curse. Perhaps he was referring to the plagued regions.

With no way back to the home I knew, I've been fortunate to find others forming a small community. Mythris was not the home that her heart searched for. Not yet. But in time, the young wolf hoped that home would mean Camhanaich.

Oakwood eyes meet pale blue. Juniper's head tilted ever so slightly, a somber note in their throat. Are you searching for the home you knew?

The man's wanderings seemed nonsensical with the way he walked purposefully regardless of direction. But it would make sense when you had no direction to follow, wouldn't it?