Boy, it's tough

He's smack under the middle of the Mountains label somewhere

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It was cold, that was the first thing he was aware of as he came-to. Cold, and the sounds were wrong. An eye flicked open and he looked around without moving quite yet. It was familiar in its own way but at the same time entirely alien. He couldn't place what would have been right, not yet anyway. The one thing that he was sure of was that this was wrong. He pulled himself to his feet, wobbled a little, and gawked around at the uneven landscape. This wasn't home, this was nowhere. Where?

Perhaps dawn would have been a grand metaphor to focus on, but he wasn't that sort of wolf -- not now at least. Instead it just bathed the world in yellow light that to another might have been beautiful, but again, he wasn't paying attention to that. Instead, he was urged onwards, away from where he'd started, towards... Something. Something that was not here. He wanted something familiar, but right now nothing struck a chord that would have pointed him in the right direction. Somewhere away from the uneven landscape. It was aimless, uncertain wandering, but he picked a direction and started that way.
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 His paws ached mildly, though the fresh air brought great joy to Crux's heart. He and Mordecai had left early the previous day-or-two, heading due east. Towards the rising sun, it would seem. While he wasn't sure what Mordi wanted with the trip, his own goal was this: Research.

 This land was beyond what he had explored thus far and the new sights were interesting. Sure, he had explored the mountains before, reaching a place full of strange, coloured materials floating in the wind, but this was further south than that had been then. This was wild lands, unnamed and unclaimed territory that he figured would eventually find its way into some pack's well-deserved grasp.

 But for now, it was free land, lacking in wolves but full of life anyways.

 Ahead, he noticed a moving shape. Slowing to a stop, he observed the form of a grey merle wolf moving with intention in what appeared to be vaguely his direction. He inhaled deeply and began to step again, trotting towards the wolf, offering up a bark of greeting once he got close enough.

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How could none of it seem familiar? He'd ruled out getting hurt, it was clear he was just as perfect as always, not a wound, not an ache. Just knowing something was amiss was all. He needed to get away from here, towards the familiar. Perhaps over the next hill. But honestly, as long as something made things make more sense, he'd be happy. He just wasn't sure that was something that was gonna happen. Certainly not if things stayed the way they were. Where was everyone? Too many gaps, too many holes.

Well, someone was there, just not anyone he knew. With pricked forward ears, the guy was given a visual once-over. Considering who was thinking the guy was odd looking, maybe it was a joke for him to think so, but look, spots vs fangs were two different ball games. Something about the black and white man tugged at a faint memory, and not a positive one. Not a match, he knew that, but a few things that overlapped enough that he wondered if he should just be careful. It was like trying to figure out if some blurry photograph was bigfoot, but he liked his spots right where they were, so time to err on the side of caution -- at least while he was trying to sort out what had gone on here. After pausing, he did finally ask, “Can I help you?” Ok, he probably wasn't really in a place to help anyone, but he'd rather not let that be obvious.
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 He continued walking, unaware of the flowing thoughts the stranger had about him. Any familiar form to his own was lost on the man, for this dual-eyed grey fellow before him was completely new to him. Still, he continued on his heading, which so happened to head him right towards the stranger. He found himself thinking about the mountains to the left, how they swept up towards the north and west and left valleys in their wake. He pondered what kind of packs might claim some of the valleys and wondered if there were any that mimicked his own birthplace, though then again no. This land was much more lush with life than the half-desert he'd grown up in.

 A blunt question and Crux's attention snapped back to the man.

 Ah, right, they were close enough to talk now. “Are you a native here?” Crux asked innocently enough, “From a pack, perhaps?” His real goal for this entire trip was to seek out what packs might be nearby. While before he'd gone on day-trips around neighboring areas and one day had gone so far south to meet a man from Empyrean, this time his trip would span several days before he returned home.

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Though honestly he wasn't sure if he'd just wandered and got himself lost or what. It didn't make sense -- he should be able to figure out why he felt so weird and displaced, right? But it was just so fuzzy. He tried to visualize the horizon he was searching for but it was like looking through a fog. So close and still so far away. But he couldn't just sit there and think about it. There was the weird dude here. 

It seemed like a pretty simple set of questions, with a reasonably simple answer, at least, “No. They're not anywhere near here, I haven't been in these mountains before.” True enough, but he was still keeping the depths of his problems to himself. Too many gaps that weren't filled. “Sorry.” He wasn't sure what else to say. The spotted man would be pretty useless if the other guy wanted directions or something.
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 The other seemed completely bewildered and Crux peered at him for a moment before suggesting, “Did you, by chance, recently find yourself in a completely different place from where you last remembered?” Waking, walking into a new location, there were different methods but waking up in the new location seemed the most common. He seemed more confused than anything, though he hid it well. “Not lost while wandering, but when waking?”

 He tried to word it in a more neutral fashion to his encounter with the young boy shortly after his own arrival, for fear of being called mad again, but it was a question that had to be asked.

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You've run into Mal when he's at his most like.. Vidocq-ish, rofl

---

So what, was that an everyday thing? An irritated twitch, but that was about it. In this aspect he wasn't confused nor thinking the other man was crazy necessarily (maybe he was, who knew). What he was, was defensive. Whatever few details might hit a chord but that wasn't enough to be like wow, totally! No way. He wasn't going to explore the depths of it -- or share like it was some sort of therapy session. Hell no, the toothy guy was a stranger and guess who still apparently had some trust issues? Or maybe they'd just been unburied by recent events. Whichever. 

So, he frowned, expression otherwise getting more illegible, “That's the conclusion you jump to? Sounds more like you're trying to convince me -- or that you think you've got all the answers.” Like this guy was suddenly going to pull the curtain up on some big circus or try to sell some snake oil. But which? Not sure. Something about people offering friendly things suddenly turning vicious. Snarling shadows that he was wise not to trust. A fleeting glance in case another was appearing from another direction.
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LOL dammit not again

---

 The stranger didn't seem too keen on conversation, eyeing him with clear distrust, as indicated by the frown on his gray face.

 “No,” the starlit male looked at the other evenly, giving a slight shake of his head. “It is just the experience of almost every wolf I've encountered here.” Almost, but apparently not all. Some had woken here, some had walked and appeared. Yet, none had the memory of how they came about being here.

 He had nothing to gain nor lose from this man believing him, and after that half-yearling that had called him mad for insisting, he didn't have the energy to press the point. If this wolf wouldn't believe him, then that would be his own fault and he would eventually learn that there were far worse first wolves on this land that he could have run into than Crux.

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It was more the issue that he wasn't fond of conversation, more that what he was asked wasn't something he was comfortable talking about to some rando dude. 

After all, it wasn't like when he'd grown up he'd totally lost his feisty uncooperative spirit. “Then if you're so sure, what's the point of asking? What does that even get you? So some person ends up somewhere totally different without anyone or anywhere they know and you're just rubbing it in?” There was more than that. It just seemed fairly cruel to point it out, and shoving the potential guilt onto someone else sounded far better than him having to deal with it himself. He certainly didn't like the situation he was in, but no weird tooth guy was gonna change things just by asking dumb questions. “And it's then also a waste of time.” Worst case scenario made it sound like he was trying to make it awful and then have whoever his victims were come crawling on after his shadow. Or something. Something conspiratorial like that. Either way, the grey man held his ground.
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 Not just was this one not keen on a nice conversation, he seemed eager to start an argument or something else. Crux simply watched him evenly, flame eyes steady on odd. He was not here for a fight, simply information, so unless the other actively attacked him... he was safe. Were Crux one of numerous other wolves he'd met here, this stranger would already be on the ground - or in it.

 But he would not take the bait.

 “Because,” he said with a cool blink, “I'm trying to find out if it is a universal experience. If it is the case for you, it's best for your sake to learn the truth quickly so you can figure out what your next step is.” Whether the merle wolf would embrace this new world, as Crux had, or whether he would wallow in self-pity of all the things he'd lost.

 He was starting to lose his desire to stick around for conversation. Luckily for this one, he had actively decided to be more patient in this life than in the last.

 So, he would impart some knowledge.

 “Now. If you want to go looking for possible family that woke here too or find followers to start a pack, there are plenty of wolves roaming with no purpose.” He debated on telling this wolf anything about his own home, not exactly wanting him to show up there. “That way,” indicating his head northwards, “after the mountains is tundra, not sure about packs. That way,” he indicated vaguely south. “are the packs known as Empyrean and Nightwalkers. Westward - behind me - at the sea is a pack called Event Horizon.” He kept his voice even and equal as he named all three packs, making no indication of his own alliance. “I'm going east to see what's that way.” It was always better to start in a new place with at least some knowledge of the land.

 Even if you were an insufferable prick.

 Anyhow, this conversation was getting stale. “Whatever you decide to do, good luck.” If we meet again, hopefully you'll have settled in somewhere.

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When this had all started, he might have been just in a frustrated mood -- sure, not great for conversation to start with, but the slide downhill had been purely due to the other man's choices. Before, this dude had just been kind of dense and perhaps just genuinely stupid when it came to personal boundaries, but now he was just doubling down by being arrogant. Oh wow, toothy boy knew all the things! How dare this lesser spotted being not participate in his experiments! People like him were what was wrong in the world, trying to be nice while being not-so-subtly demanding about it. He should go hug a thornbush. It was a familiar attitude and not one that he had any patience for, no matter what universe. 

His own reply was terse and controlled. “Kind of funny you thus expect me to tell you about myself while talking down to me. I'm sure that goes over well. -- Do you honestly not see anything wrong with that?” He gave the guy a flat stare, absolutely unimpressed and unwilling to give him a single iota of information that he might have. Or a clue as to what he might not know. Should he even trust the words the guy said? He talked as if to some child so probably not. A bunch of names weren't really useful. “But whatever. Good luck.” He certainly believed the other dude would need it far more than he would. But he wasn't going to be the one to turn away and leave first either. It wasn't like there was any trust there, and he still was at a disadvantage. He was keen to never turn his back on the guy. He'd wait and leave after, if he was gonna leave.
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 He smiled darkly, past threatening to crawl up his throat to give him sweet satisfaction. He pushed it aside - but only almost. He didn't want to deal with this for any longer than he had already. “Oh, I don't care about that anymore.” He scoffed, as if it had been obvious that that was the case. “This is simply warning you to know your surroundings. There are wolves here who would put you down for being in such a mood.”

 It was best that this one learned that quickly.

 And then, with a smile, he would turn and continue on his way, tail flicking up in confidence. While the other watched him, wary for attack, unwilling to turn his back on him... Crux had no fear of this bitter man. He was confident that if the other did try to attack, he would be at the advantage. Still, he kept an ear on the merle one.

 Just in case.

---

Exit unless stopped.

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There were a few cracks that he felt allowed the true toothy-boy to show through. His hideous dental work was perhaps actually representative of the creature buried underneath the surface. Rooting out these monsters felt good -- liars for some reason were able to gain followings by omission and hollow-but-sweet words. They'd never change their stripes, but just to know that they were cruel, to know that their supposed kindness was a false front was a different sort of power.

The grey man was still unimpressed, words pointed, but he still stayed where he was even if the guy turned and left while he talked, “Of course not, you're too haughty to give a damn about anyone who doesn't immediately bend to your will because they're just stupid, huh? You bury yourself under a veil of faux niceness but you're just as scummy as the 'wolves' you're vaguely warning about.” The wolves that probably didn't exist -- put some air quotes on that -- as the more abstractly the guy had talked about it, the less likely it sounded to be based in reality. “Actually, you might be worse.” Because the foolish ones out there believed that sort of thing, lapping it up with wide puppy eyes. But what he saw was the truth and he had given voice to it, and perhaps in some future day the words would haunt toothy-boys dreams. That was far more satisfying future than trying to chew on someone's hide.

Let the guy rot. There were answers to find. And once the freak was out of sight, he could get back to finding them.
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