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So much green. It seemed no matter which direction she turned in it was there, mixing with another shade of itself, shadows and light all painted from the same base color. Where had all this color been hiding back home? Seeing trees so high and so many clustered in one spot was definitely new to her, and though the color was a glorious emerald that seemed to represent life, she didn’t think it.. Beautiful. It was almost extravagant in her mind, the green practically calling for attention, the light dripping through the canopy seeming to spotlight some of the smaller plants below. Was this a representation of those who lived here? Wanting the limelight? Wishing everyone to be their friend and live in such a vibrant world with so few other colors aside from those found in this wood? Snow knew she was making a terrible accusation about those wolves who lived within the area, probably giving them all an unjust representation, but there was no one to prove her differently at the moment. Besides, it was just a fleeting thought, a curious notion she let build too long within her overly active mind. There was beauty aside from the common forest.

<p>Her home for example. The tundra was beautiful in its own right, the land practically devoid of any sort of landscape. The plants that grew there were brittle and dry, but somehow made a determined life there, spawning new plants with each passing year. She had only witnessed two of these in her life, but still it gave a good idea of the struggles everyone faced through their own, proving that you could make it through those difficult times with a little stubborn willpower. Snow doubted plants could think like she and everyone else did, but somehow they persevered, striving to grow another year in the cold, unwelcoming lands. Even the snow, unrelenting as it could be at times, was beautiful. It almost seemed to accentuate the light, turning the ground an soft, pale orange in morning, while if the sun passed behind a cloud it faded into a blue that rivaled the sky. Only in storms did it lose its beauty, instead taking on a new strength that made you respect it more than admire it. There was no telling what it was capable of combined with a wind, and the two-toned wolf knew better than to belittle what it could do.

<p>I can at least see how troublesome this is to Haze, Snow mused as she silently walked through the trees, or at least as silently as she was able. Walking on unstable ice would have been quieter than this. Her soft yellow eyes glanced to either side of her at the green plants that looked like they were jumping out at her, snatching into her coat and ruffling against each other to bring as much notice to her as they could. Was it torment the outsider day? Who were they calling? A larger animal than herself to deal with the foreign intruder? Her mind really was getting away from her today. She stopped in her tracks to give her head a gentle shake, trying to get the reasonable, logical portion of her mind in control again. With a little persuasion to the active section of her creativity, the logical part seemed to win out, and she looked around her with a new curiosity.

<p>The forest probably really wasn’t all that bad. If her coloration had been a bit darker, or better suited for blending with trees, she might even have thought she could pass within the them unnoticed. The cover would have been wonderful. Back home she could pass along unseen rather well when she was younger, before her back end had decided to take on a different color than the front half of her. Walking around unnoticed in broad daylight, without any cover had made her feel like a walking spirit, so transparent she was seen through rather than noticed. Here you would have to be a shadow to go unnoticed, and a green one at that. Traveling unnoticed here would be far too difficult for her, because of her coloration and because she was unaccustomed to the greenery she trampled on and fought with to let her pass. Tilting her head back to look up through the treetops, she could see patches of daylight and sky, the blue reflecting back down at her without a white figure darting about. Haze was probably still scouting around for a place for himself. Where would he find a land less dense with trees like this one with a better suited hunting ground for his prey of choice?

<p>Snow had been meaning to help him, but something about the forest had attracted her into it. Perhaps it was the play of the light within, drawing her into it just so it could show her how much she missed home. Where ever I end up, it’ll need to look a little like the north, she thought to herself, flicking her tan colored tail as she reclined back onto the cool earth, her ears swiveling casually atop her head as she took in the sounds of the forest. It was rather noisy here, too. The forest must have been a popular place, not just for wolves. She tried to pinpoint any sounds that might remind her of the scurrying of small animals burrowing away underground, but the sounds she did hear seemed to come more from the trees or the undergrowth. Those loud scratchy leaves seemed to drown out most other quieter sounds. Feeling a little homesick for the land she had left behind - with good reason, she reminded herself - Snow sighed, trying to think where she might find a place similar to it here.

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XD Hi. I felt so tipsy when I wrote this post.. Sorry if some parts make no sense. <<;



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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;He didn’t know why he was there. He had no reason, no pull, no explanation for his sudden presence in a strangely brilliant forest in yet another strange land with its own strange inhabitants, fully expecting to not be pleasantly surprised at their wit and intelligence. This was the usual routine of darkened, miserable thoughts cascading through his psyche, wetting upon his hope for life’s shriveling chances to spring back from the stupidity it ground itself so firmly into. By the Mother Moon, it was enough to make any rightfully sane creature scream until their bloodied lungs were thrown from their throats, and then stare at the mess they made as they slowly suffocated. Was this normal thought patterns for a creature like him? Who knew, who cared, life went on to rot at his legs until some mornings he didn’t want to move a muscle. Moping? Nah. Just cursing the existence of Destiny.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Then again, he was never in a good mood. Even when well-fed, well-groomed, and finding a shelter over his head, he was never possessed by an emotion any stronger than “pleasantly content”. His thoughts were always on that horrid virus: not the virus that tinted his onyx fur scarlet and elongated his teeth, but rather the virus that sapped common sense out of creatures that created too strong ties to packs and groups and families. Honestly, the most intelligent beasts he had met on his own travels were loners as well. Those were the kinds he tended to respect a bit more. Packs weakened hearts and bodies while boosting spirits. If one could keep their own spirit from drowning in darkness along with their strengthened hearts and bodies, then they would survive for sure. After all, he had first-hand experience for that.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Perhaps that was why he was drawn to this place. Sure, it was… cheery, and sunny, and all other horrible sorts of blissfulness, but it was also free. No scents of a pack covered the bark, no howls demanding dominance or acceptance split the air, and no huffy and confrontational guards were breathing down his nape about crossing over borders he cared not to acknowledge. Instead, the peaceful chaos of a wilderness untouched breathed deep into his coal body and swamped away his troubles for just that moment.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And there he stood, quiet and alone, his precisely-built frame standing as tall as it would with ears pricked upright and sunset-blazing eyes lulled into a false sense of calmness. He was observing, relying on no tree or animal to scout for him. Curse the “spirits” to their eternal damnation. They never lifted a finger or limb or feather or whatever they used for grappling things to help him. He denied them. Where was their judgment now, eh? He was alive and well, strong and knowledgeable. Ha! This wasn’t to say he relied on Nature a few times, like to protect him from a rainy day or land him a rabbit when his stomach needed it the most. He understood and respect the wilderness, but never gave himself to it – for his relationship, they were equals with their own power, and they didn’t draw from each other like so many other silly wolves blinded themselves to.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;A crisp breath rushed through his nostrils, carrying in those sweet scents before blowing it out. Peaceful. He shook his shoulders, prickly hairs upon his back standing up slightly. While his head continued to take in the odd tranquility, his paws were moving. Mechanical steps, with a small swish of his tail, the fans of his ears turned to one small sound to another. His normal urge to walk silently at all times, for the paranoid reasons, was shot into the mud here. No creature no matter how stealthy would move softly in this dense menagerie of snaps and crackles and breaks. So why should he even try? In fact, instead of attempting to be at least soft, he forced his way on through every bush and leaf patch, a wake of thunder left behind him. Predators? Let them come. He could use the smell of blood.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Stifling the beginnings of a yawn, the long-toothed beast rested his eyes upon the horizon for but a moment before the klaxons in his head sang freely. White. White did not belong in a forest not purged of winter. A deer perhaps? Albino as well, anything larger than a temperamental badger. Other options ran races through his mind, but none emerged as a threat. What did he consider a threat? Anything capable of harming him. And what could harm him?
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Well… that was a matter of pride.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Powerful and thunderous steps took him on his way forward, not a single care if the white creature a ways off heard or saw his dark form rumbling on by through the brambles. Stop to chat or ignore for the better good of clashing personalities, he had no preference. However, both sharpened eyes fixated on the approaching white figure, squarely and surely. He was not looking at anything else, that was for sure. Tail down, ears relaxed, force the mechanized motions out of his limbs and replace it with a more fluid gait, don’t appear to be a threat. However, the confidence remained planted within his shining eyes and in every stride of his paws, long and deliberate. Weakness and submission? Forced.
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&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;All the passerby might get would be a semi-glare and tip of his muzzle, if he was feeling giddy enough.




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Maybe somewhere near that field place I first stopped at, a little more open though. Yeah, that place was nice. Absent thoughts wound around in circles within her mind, curiously trying to fit a possible permanent home for herself and her spirit animal to live on. This forest was definitely out of the question, but the field she had gone to right after arriving, giving Haze a chance to try and catch a small snack, still held the most potential if they could find a part of it that wasn't so grassy. The majority of it had been flowers and tall grasses, not nearly enough landing room for her arctic friend with his wide wings. Snow felt close to the same. Even if the flowers were so beautiful, she preferred a beauty less flashy, something a little more simple maybe; she couldn't exactly put it into words though one rang quite true to the point. Home. Too bad returning was still out of the question. No, she corrected herself, it would always be out of the question. Then again she hadn't needed to move so far south either, so far away from the snows and tundras she had grown so attached to. There was no doubt there would have been land there she could have scouted out and settled on that hadn't yet been claimed or deemed uninhabitable.

<p>Her thoughts ran fuzzy for a moment as the rustling nearby seemed to be growing steadily stronger, and closer she guessed. What, was some grumpy badger waddling his very umerry way through the underbrush with the intent of smashing through every piece of greenery within a five mile radius? But no, that wasn't really being fair to badgers. How many of them actually waddled? Snow sighed, wondering where this rather odd mix ofpessimism and sarcasm came from and how she might use it to her own advantage. Was there an advantage? Trying to direct her thoughts away from...well, her thoughts, the two-toned wolf tipped her head lightly to the side and gave the air an experimental sniff. To her surprise, what she received from this wasn't the knowledge of a badger trudging along at all, but a wolf instead. Her ears perked up slightly as the thundering sound grew, and a mere moment later the wolf was within sight. Although her outward expression remained unchanged, her eyes had crinkled around the edges, giving the hint of inward laughter, and she was laughing on the inside. Wow, another for mother.

<p>It was another black wolf, and despite the fact she had pretty much run away from her it was nice to hear that judgmental tone of her mother's speaking disdainfully about the dark color, how unkept it was, how imperfect it was compared to her children's coats. Well, her son's coats. Snow cast a jaded glance down at her hind end and tail, comparing the tan that ran there to the white of her front paws sitting before them. How could something as silly as this virus really make such a big difference to someone when it was their children they were talking about? It was hard to see her mother's logic in it, why she had wanted purely white children instead of "tainted" ones, but she had long ago given up on understanding. Haze had tried to help, tried to put himself into her mother's shoes - and hadn't that been funny to see - and figure out things for himself, but even then it was too hard.

<p>Glancing back up with an emotionless expression, she watched the dark colored wolf barreling slowly through the trees, noticing as he grew closer that his attention was rather focused on her. Well, that was certainly interesting. Since his eyes were so well trained on her, Snow caught the color of them right off the bat with the way they stood out so brightly in contrast to his fur. They were red, but at the same time orange and yellow, like fire or the sun. And as the light fell through the trees, catching and highlighting his black coat in places, she could see shades of deep red hidden in the shadow that he was. If she had been inclined to letting her emotions be read across her face, then she might have been grinning, but she kept her face blank except for the slightest bit of curiosity in her yellow-gold eyes. It had happened once before, meeting a stranger who would have sent her mother into a fit, and as she had with the first she decided then and there to strike up another conversation if this dark fellow was willing to go along. Though his attention was fixed on her, it did seem he was rather intent on his path, so she noted the fact that any comment she made could go unanswered and she would be alone again in a few quick paces. Well, we'll see.

<p>While his strides carried Mr. Bright Eyes closer, Snow took a moment to size him up, recalling that she hadn't given much thought to possible threats herself when she had first arrived, quickly taking off to talk with the first dark wolf she met and then later answering the friendly howl of another stranger. There was little in the posture of this dark wolf to hint to her that he might be the first to try and tear her throat out, more so that he was taking a casual stroll through the trees, and anything else that set itself in his path by the noise of it. Those eyes, though, were a little on the intense side, and probably would have made her the slightest bit intimidated if she hadn't found them intriguing to begin with. "Sure you trampled everything? I think you missed one," Snow commented with an expressionless face, amusement in her voice. She tilted her head to the side slightly as if peering down the path he had come, trying to find that one little plant he might have overstepped. Unable to find it herself, though she never really meant to, the two-toned wolf directed her attention back to the wolf she had already named Mr. Bright Eyes, internally wondering if he would comment back or proceed on his trudge through the thick forest.

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