They had begun to venture from their Glade, spurred on by the ominous premonition Vhaela had experienced, though she hadn't shared it with her Guardian. As ever, he followed where she led, not needing to know the 'why' of their journey, just that she wanted to make it. Bracken padded beside Vhaela as a giant, russet furred wolf, choosing the keener senses and faster form for their foray into the place outside their home. So far, the forest hadn't offered any threat, even if it did not resonate with him as the Glade did. This place was home to simple trees and plants, all living beings, true, but none of them as attuned to he and Vhaela as the Glade was. They were barely days away from the place that had been home for lifetimes, and already the weredirewolf found himself missing the tranquillity and familiarity of his adopted home. Glancing to his side as if to reassure himself that his mate still walked beside him, Bracken banished those thoughts. As long as Vhaela was with him, and he with her, that was all that mattered. He had lived outside of the Glade before, and seen the world that lay outside of its safety. Vhaela, however, hadn't. She had never seen anything but the Glade, never lived anywhere but there. If she wanted to go out into the wider world and explore, who was he to tell her no?
So far, they had found nothing to be cause for concern. This didn't mean that Bracken was ready to let his guard down, however - it just made him all the more vigilant. Any manner of thing could be laying in wait, just hoping for a chance to attack the druid once she left the Glade. It was a sacred place, full of magic and power, and Bracken was under no illusions that people would treat his beloved with the respect and awe she was owed, not if it meant they could snatch a measure of her power for themselves. So he stalked beside her, ears flicking back and forth to track sounds, nose constantly scenting the air for any change. His one eye glared from his muzzled face, daring anything to come and try him. Rumbling, he turned towards a rustling in a nearby tangle of undergrowth, snorting when birds startled into panicked flight towards the tree-tops. He hated not being able to hear the Glade, and ask the plants and animals what they could see. He had grown lazy and complacent, obviously. This would need to be fixed.
They walked for a while longer, rain beginning to patter down through the thick canopy of leaves. Above them, thunder rumbled, causing Bracken to pin his ears back in irritation. It made it all the harder for him to track noises, but stubbornly he persisted. 'Harder' was not the same as 'impossible', so he would keep doing so, even as night fell. They would have to find shelter soon, so that they could rest and continue their travels in the morning. The wolf could keep going for days if need be, but he wouldn't push Vhaela that far for no reason. There was no rush, after all.
Bracken was content to search for a suitable place to rest, until a rank, bitter smell reached his nose. Lifting a paw, he stopped Vhaela from going forward, though he focused his attention towards the smell. No, smells. Woodsmoke, vomit, person.
There's someone nearby, he 'said' to his mate, wait here while I investigate.
He didn't think she'd listen to him, he mused with a fond exasperation, but it was worth a try.
Following the smell of fire, Bracken came upon a figure curled within a cloak, apparently asleep. The fire was dying, the embers of which glowing in the darkness. The smoke tickled his nose, and the wolf turned his head, snorting to get the smell out. The figure didn't seem like a threat, didn't seem to have much common sense if you asked him. They hadn't even set a watch or any alarms - if he wanted to, Bracken could easily kill him here and now. Catching motion out of the corner of his eye, Bracken wasn't surprised to see Vhaela had followed. Sighing, the wolf shook his head.
Should have known better, he remarked, though fondness was buried deep in his tone. He jerked his head toward the bundled figure.
Doesn't seem like much. Shall we move on?