It wasn't as hard as he'd thought it'd be to leave the old willow tree. The small plot of land his parents guarded had been all Romulus had ever known — and yet after kissing his mother goodbye and promising to visit with tales of his adventures... The spotted boy hadn't felt any urge to turn back or even cast a final glance over his shoulder. 

It was nearly the easiest thing he'd ever done. Choosing which of his belongings to take along was harder than leaving — but even stress of choosing his favorite trinkets eased at the prospect of the for adventure now on the horizon. New things to see and trinkets to find! New people to meet and joke around with and play pranks on!! "I think this was a good decision, Remus." The boy chattered happily as the duo walked. "We're gonna find so many cool things!! And maybe learn some new things, maybe  new song for Momma. But like... songs and stories and stuff are like... imaginary things. I think real things are better, don't you Rem? Maybe a new kind of flower for her to grow. Yeah! We'll visit and bring flower seeds, whaddya think?" Wispy tail wagged as he spoke, bumping his shoulder (and bag full of knickknacks) against his twin. 

"Man it's hot here." The air was heavy with humidity, and the heat was foreign to the speckled dire mix — but along the moisture hanging in the air was an array of strange and unfamiliar scents. A toothy grin stretched across Romulus's features as once more he expressed his utter excitement to his likely exasperated twin. 

But the youth slowed to a sudden stop, tall ears flicking forward and nose noisily sniffing the air. "Hey, Rem... Does that smell like Bean to ya? Bean's been here!! That's definitely her! Maybe a day or two old but that's gotta be Bean! C'mon Rem!!" With a grin, Romulus would suddenly break into a run, sprinting through the dense forest (and likely ignoring any of Remus's warnings to slow down or stop). 

A joyous laugh burst from the boy's chest as he ran, enjoying the feel of the wind through his coat and soft foliage beneath his paws until — WHAM.

He's crash gracelessly into an unfortunate stranger.  

k a x l a n

She'd kept to herself since the war ended (did it really end? tensions seemed to remain high) -- it was better that way, especially after her promotion to Roc of Ravens. It was best to keep out of any situations that may trigger her reflex reaction of unhinged anger. It was true, all that they had to say about the Obsidian family. They were angry, bitter creatures. But they had a rightful excuse, having been treated like an untreatable disease; being outcasted to the far end of the pack to avoid being seen. Now solitude was her preference, which is why she made the trek down the border cliffs, wading in the shallow, crystaline waters as she challenged herself to a filet.

The kois grew used to her presence soon enough, waving between her legs trustingly. Foolish fish. Quickly her head snapped, snout submerged into the water and latching onto the prize, leaping onto the shore excitedly with her head held high. She'd mastered the art of fishing, clearly, and now Kaxlan would enjoy her gourmet meal alone.

Or, so, that's what she'd imagined. That's how she would have liked to spend the remainder of her day, but instead she was knocked sideways by quite the clutz, fish flying from her mouth, plopping back into the waters. "Are. You. Fucking. KIDDING ME?" She spat between clenched teeth, her crown of feathers flying forward to appropriately display her anger. Kaxlan twisted to see the twerp that had ran blindly into her, her face becoming more screwed. Taking a deep breath, she pursed her lips, lowering her head to meet the height of the boy. Teal crest towered above them as her brows furrowed. "Looks like you owe me a meal."