He'd been traveling for a long time. For many nights and days, he'd either walked or ridden on, tirelessly searching for answers. He never stayed in one place very long, knowing well that most of his answers would be found in the East. He paused once in Saint John but moved on shortly after- no news of his father there. So, he continued East once he'd gotten enough supplies to last him another week. Jericho was holding up fine despite the constant travels- she was used to it and thanks to Ink's perference to walk beside her, she got a lot of breaks. He only rode during the night, once he'd become too tired to walk. The guy was just a kid. Who would blame him?
The thick surrounding of forest told him he was still lost. The scent of a pack told him he'd gotten closer to a border. His wish to survive another day kept him well away from said borders- he didn't want another run in like before, back in Ontario, when he'd barely escaped with his ears in tact. No, he kept to the unmarked forest, leading Jerri carefully as they walked along, dodging fallen trees and sometimes tripping over roots and bramble. By the time they made it out of the thick and into a clearing, his legs and pants were torn to shreds, blood trickling down despite his best efforts to keep himself whole.
It stung, so he decided to tend to it. However, as he moved to rummage through Jerri's saddlebags, the scent of fire and meat caught his attention- and his stomach's. With an angry and painful growl from below, the boy knew he'd met his match. Today, he'd have to be social. He couldn't hunt well and he'd gone days without a proper meal. Maybe whoever it was would be willing to share. Maybe he'd lose an ear. It was well worth the risk, or so he decided.
He left Jericho to wander, knowing well that he could call her to his side at any given time. The mare followed him to the edge of the clearing and watched him as he vanished into the brush again. It took him a few minutes but when he reached his destination, it was with a flare of excitement- namely his own clumsy and painful paws and roots again. The dual-toned male came tumbling into the small clearing, falling flat on his chest with a yelp and a grunt. For a moment, he remained there on the ground, dazed and slightly disoriented. Then, he snapped to. "Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-" He sat up and as his eyes fell on the girl before him, he fell short and silent. At a loss for words as always, he simply shrank back and waited for the worst.
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