The aftermath of everything had been sitting on his mind for days...without relations here in this land, Fehrduin was suddenly more than aware of how alone he was, traveling through places he held little to no familiarity. Even after the answers provided in the second dream, the pine pelted wolf held more questions upon his thoughts than ever before. They flooded his mind, bouncing about like unruly waters in a storm. Enough so that as his gaze flicked, he came to abrupt...just in time to avoid walking right into the base of a tree. He stared at the rough pine bark before him and sighed. There had been no familiar faces. No one for him to talk to...talk....Fehrduin shook his head. That was odd enough for him. Under normal circumstances, talking to anyone was not something he usually desired. Though this situation was rather unusual to begin with. Was it really true though? If any question blazed across his mind the most, it was that...was it true? Even after a couple seasons, this land was as strange to him as ever before. It wasn't like he hadn't heard about the existence of magic before, but this felt different than his understanding of it.

For a moment, as Fehrduin tilted his head to the side to glance around the tree, he recalled the wolves of his home. Only a few appeared with clear recognition in his mind and he recalled a single face the most. She hadn't been a leader of sorts, but her claimed gifts had held the pack of his birth together for generations and...now that Fehrduin thought about it, he had recalled something she had once told him before the hunt that had landed him...here. Though in all truth of the matter, he was still trying to figure out where 'here' even was. Given those visions, it gave him a slightly better understanding. It was surely much...much...so much bigger than he imagined it to be.

The sound of a snap in the foliage had Fehrduin straighten. He had traveled quite a bit the past few days and found himself here, a little farther away from his usual jaunt. Maybe it was the distractions of his thoughts or memories of what he'd seen or even...another snap and this time, the bulk of body turned, his ears standing high, taking in a short breath and holding it fast. Yet, all that came from the brush in the shadows of the pines...was a bird. It hopped about, not minding his presence, confident enough that if he dared to approach any closer, it would easily escape. Fehrduin sighed heavily, giving a wave of a short tail and turned away, padding farther into this terrain.

Rune Discovery : 「 Failure 」

---

As you travel through the Hollow, you gradually feel more and more ... paranoid. A generalized sense of unease washes over you. You feel as though the shadows are watching you, maybe even laughing at you. Are they mocking your fear? Are they mirroring your paranoia?

Whatever the feeling is, it sets you on edge, and you feel the fur along your hackles begin to rise.

Somewhere, in the distance, another branch snaps. There is rustling above you.

And as you turn up toward it, you see the bird again. But this time, the bird seems to be looking directly at you. Unlike before, when it seemed to be minding its own business, this time it seems intent upon you. It appears almost ... sentient. It is nearly pitch-black, but ... is that a shimmer of blue in its feathers?

There is a moment when things are quiet, and then finally the bird croaks horribly: Yiar krite! Elsahire! (Your prize! Elsewhere!) Ha, ha, haaaa! It sounds like a crow, and yet it speaks in a language you don't understand. And with a final, frog-like laugh, the bird lifts off into the night sky and disappears from your view.

You are just left with the eyes of the shadows on you.

Fehrduin stared with large round eyes, halted in his tracks. Those were...words? He couldn't even tell. Was his mind going awry? Did he smack his head somewhere at some point in a night? He paused...

Was he insulted just now by that...thing?

The male's bright orange gaze narrowed. Then again, he doubted it...but, unlike before, this...bird...spoke to him. There was no doubt in his mind about that reality, but he doubted anyone else would believe him. Still, it took far longer than he would dare admit openly to let his fur settle. He felt...unease prickle across his skin, deep under his thick mane. With each slow, intentional breath, he lowered the fur which had risen across his spine. Still...the longer he knew he would be trekking through unfamiliar territory, the longer he was most certain this whole affair would give him a new sense of paranoia. If was anything else, he was certain he wouldn't feel this way, but this was things he couldn't touch. Things he couldn't hunt or reason with as far as he felt.

There was a small sway upon his paws for a moment, his tail drooped. The wolf of his mind had wanted them to find these runes and something about that bird thing gave Fehrduin the feeling he was heading in the wrong direction. He'd need to try again and most of him had no desire to do so.
Maybe, just maybe...a tiny part danced with a twinge of excitement.

This was well out of the norm for him. Well out of his cozy comforts. As the sun trickled in through some branches above, he felt...hopeful. The weak and fragile emotion that refused to ever entirely die rose up as Fehrduin let out another deep sigh. His ears lowered, hoping to not hear continued sounds as if something were out there he couldn't identify, but for now, he'd continue.

The urgency of the dream visitor had made it so.

They were in a hurry.

He had to keep going.

Pausing for a brief moment, Fehrduin looked at where the creature had been. It only further reminded him of the fur raising sound it made, but he began to wonder if it was there to help, despite its appearance and tone. Was it possible? With a great shake of his head, the bulky male tried not to consider it further. He had no doubt he was as lost as new born pup crawling across the earth blindly. Fehrduin gave a few small nods, keeping his ears back but his tail rose a bit, hope seeping back in now and he chose to drink it up rather than continue to sulk on the matter. He knew he would be more alert lately, but maybe by some chance, he also hoped he could meet the others he had seen in that previous dream. Knowing he wasn't the only one...there was comfort in that.