You're an Odd Fellow

@sparx
 

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Coming to the Rippling Heights was a challenge for Cassian. He wasn't one for athleticism, and he more so lumbered as he walked. Coming from Elsewhen had been a treacherous journey. He had no issues with other wolves or creatures, but he'd be damned if he didn't say his legs didn't hurt. Every joint ached, yet he pushed forward. He wanted to discover things, even if that meant pushing himself to harmful lengths. Maybe he could find a way out of here, although the more he walked the more he doubted it. There was claims on lands. If others had been here longer than him then he didn't know what he'd do.

Slowly the brute came to a stop, heaving breaths between his hairy lips. Ow. That was all he could think. His legs were shaking subconsciously below him, hardly holding him up at this point. He was hoping this was cutting back on some of his weight. If that was even possible.

Cassian looked down below. Rocky terrain, stones everywhere. Not a comfortable resting spot. Definitely not. He could care less about comfort, couldn't he? He just needed to sit his big ass down for at least five seconds.

Letting out a huff he collapsed. He'd meant to ease himself down into a laying position, but his legs were not having any of that. No ease for him. Coming down hard he laid in a ragdoll position. His thickly built legs were strewn uncomfortably on all sides for him, and his jaw rested right on a mossy rock. It felt weird against the fur of his chin.

Gently Cassian closed his eyes, hoping for a few moments of peace and silence.
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Even in this body, he was getting old. It seemed he just couldn't escape it. The Higher Powers— or whoever was responsible for sending them here— sure had a cruel sense of humor.

Doc's joints popped as he traversed the annoyingly uneven, hard terrain. His stomach was really beginning to gnaw at him, as his previous hunting attempts were unsuccessful. But he doubted there would be much to eat here, what with how open and generally unpleasant it was. But he kept on. He had to.

The breeze carried a scent on it, but it was of another wolf. Not prey, but potentially useful nonetheless. He followed it, eventually coming across a man so worn out it made him look like a spry youngster. “Ho there, stranger. Mind if I take a break with you?” If he said yes, Doc would heave himself up to his elevation and take a seat, sliding down into a lie. Oof, the stones were about as comfortable as they looked; which was to say, not at all.

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His eyes slid open at a new presence making themselves known. A fellow exhausted wolf, he could tell simply by the breathy tone. The way the other's words heaved out of their maw was almost comforting. It felt pleasant to know that others were having issues traversing these lands.

Cassian had taken a few moments to observe this new wolf. Tall and lanky, some hunk to his body. His body seemed to be a mixture of colors from the last two wolves he had met. Some whites with darker grays, overlapping each other on Doc's body. He didn't seem too abnormal, although the odd objects upon his face seemed to capture his gaze. A broken see through sheet with what he assumed was some form of leather, although he could not be too certain. He'd come to find that he must second guess everything he sees here. Nothing is explainable, at least not easily.

"Of course. I see the stubborn hills have not treated you fairly as well." He answered the conformation for the other to sit. He knew he had no right to tell him no. This wasn't claimed territory for as far as he could guess, and even so this was not his. He held no right to govern the area itself.
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"I see the stubborn hills have not treated you fairly as well." Doc chuckled.

“Indeed. It's no wonder this place is so barren... ah, I'm getting old all over again,” He mused aloud. Upon closer inspection, the stranger was a massive lad of great heft. He appeared to be getting up there in age as well. It was difficult to explain, but living amongst wolves for the past few months had gotten him accustomed to telling their age by appearance. The marks of time were universal... or more precisely, multiversal.

“My name is Doc; I'm searching for a comrade of mine. What brings you to this hilly hell?” He offered, finding that the man may make good company.

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"Sheer will." He answered plainly. That truly was the only explanation he had. He held no reason for wandering this new world, all besides the hope of finding something among the rocks and grass. He didn't know what he would find, but he hoped it was some form of comfort. Something to give him the ending of a story he just opened. A sequel who's predecessor had been scorched from existence.

Cassian had been within a laxed position, his body morphing with the shape of the ground. He was on his side slightly, a few stones pushing into his side. That made it very uncomfortable, but the wolf saw no other near place that would accommodate for his width. At certain points of his body his fur seemed to mess and melt into the ground below. The lighter tones blended in with the patches where the grass was missing. He had assumed those spots were result of a rock having laid there for years, only to be moved by an outside force.

He had zoned out for a moment before he retraced his mental movements. He had yet to answer his own name. Although it wasn't a comfortable thing to immediately answer for strangers it was something he had to be nice about, at least. "My name is Cassian. Child of the Diorah lineage." That was one of the few things he remembered. Who his mother was, and how formalities went. It was an instinct within him to keep to those customs, to treat everyone you come across as if they were your guest within your household.
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"Sheer will" was the man's answer, and Doc chuffed. The fellow introduced himself as 'Cassian', a fine name. “It's a pleasure, Cassian. Have a destination in mind, or are you a wanderer like myself?”

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Cassian shook his head in response, the thick fur around his neck giving a small tussle. He didn't even know what was around here. He only had a small idea from the areas he's seen. It was unfathomable of what lies beyond this mountainous terrain. "Not unless there's a place with all the answers to this place."

He was a man of rhyme and reason. A man of notions that he firmly believed should not be twisted or broken. He had to find his rhythm all over again. In a world where he was a lavender flower amongst a whole encyclopedia of plants, none of which were like him. He just needed something. Something to give him an answer of what his purpose and role was meant to be amongst this world. He wouldn't take any other answer.
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Cassian's answer really resonated with him. “Answers... that's something else I'm looking for.” His gaze ahead was focused on nothing. “There are so many inexplicable things I've witnessed during my brief time in this world. I picked apart the last, I'll do the same with this one, too; in spite of my limitations.”

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'I picked apart the last.' That was a firm statement to him. He wasn't the only one who had been sent here from some place. He assumed most, if not everyone here had come from somewhere beyond. Was it death that brought them here, or something else? The memory of his situation before Canis was fuzzy. As if it was there, but hidden under lock and key. He felt what it was like before then, but he didn't know what exactly it was.

"Neither of us will be getting any younger." Although it felt as if he had been younger coming to this world. Like his body reverted to a stage before a trauma. A known issue he remembers. When faced with something the mind doesn't like it will revert to a time before then. As if it never happened.
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His statement on how neither of them was getting younger prompted him to stand, having fully regained his breath. “Right, right. Are you hungry? I was looking for a bite to eat.” Doc scanned the expanse before them, still devoid of animal life. “Though I suspect we'd have more success looking elsewhere.”

He turned back to Cassian, awaiting his answer. It'd be an opportunity to get to know the man better, which Doc decided he'd rather like. Maybe they could travel the land together.

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He seemed to flinch when Doc stood suddenly. His head craned as he watched the lankily built wolf arise. Admittedly he was still exhausted, so he opted to remain laying down where he was, thickly furred tail curling around his flanks. He shifted slightly, sitting more upright, but that was his main physical response.

"I... I am hungry, yes." It had taken him a moment to think about it. Amidst all the emotional distress and confusion he'd come to realize that yes, he indeed was hungry. He hadn't even thought about eating while he was here. It just wasn't something that crossed his mind. In fact he hadn't drank in a while, either. Hunger and dehydration was bound to hit him eventually. "These lands most definitely are not feeding grounds." He confirmed, sighing as he pressed his paws below to the rocky dirt, arising from his comfortable position. His chest seemed to give a few huffs in an objective manner.

He shook his head a little, his billowing fur moving along with it. "Herds would be more attracted to fields. This terrain is too rocky for their liking, in fact..." He craned his head down, his back giving a small crack as it screamed. Cassian sniffed the stones below. "It's only moss. We'd likely come across a rabbit or two, but it's not cold enough in this valley for reindeer."
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Cassian was clearly still getting his bearings, reluctant to stand again. He wouldn't rush him. The elder man's back cracked when he bent down, and Doc made a mental note to offer him something for it once they were somewhere with... well, more herbs.

He nodded. “Then shall we continue northwards?” That's where @Zella last saw Hank, so he'd be heading that way, regardless. Doc could smell a great deal of packs around, each one with a mountain as its claim. Should he go 'door-to-door' asking if they'd seen a violent grey man with red eyewear? What if they weren't aware of Hank yet and that put him on their radar? Deflating, Doc nixed that idea. He'd just have to rely on the man's tendency to make his presence obvious and hope for the best.

Mentally shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned his attention back to Cassian. If he was ready, Doc would walk alongside him, ready to get out of here.

“By the way... what is a 'reindeer'?”

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He gave a soft sigh as he stood, closing his eyes momentarily. His ears rotated attentively, calming his mind. He found that was the best way to calm your body as well. A clear mind. He had assumed that's what controlled your whole body, anyways. The mind. If your mind was unwell you were physically unwell. That's just how it went. His presence here? That made him mentally unwell. He'd have to get used to it to get his physicality back to a stable form. He'd be screwed, if not.

A soft nod was given to Doc at the mention of them continuing. He could manage. With frequent breaks, of course. Giving a look above he paused, unsure of how to read things. He knew the suns rose in the east and set in the west but it was peculiar to only see one above. Maybe that's why it was so cold. Either that or just the plain fact he was in a mountainous region, one he had yet to touch before he came to Canis.

"Of course. Let's see what we can find." He started moving, taking careful steps. The hefty man moved in tense motions, but it still held a small hint of grace to it all. Like he'd trained himself to move that way. His answer was short lived as he took a moment to think over what the other had asked him. 'What are reindeer?'  How in the world could he explain that...?

"Big, fluffy deer." Simple as that.
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'Big, fluffy deer'... Hm, would Elkshire have his head for killing a reindeer? They sounded different from elk. He didn't pay enough mind to the details of their odd religion. If push came to shove, he'd do it and simply keep his mouth shut.

“I see...” Eventually, they reached the crest of a hill that overlooked the end of these rocky plains and the beginning of significantly less rocky ones. Thank God. His stomach churned in anticipation.

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