Sir Gareth squinted up at the trees, scowling. The leaves that had begun to shift in hues from green into the iconic golds, reds, and oranges of autumn were starting to turn brown, the sign of burning as the trees started to struggle with survival in the harsh heat. Gareth snorted, then turned and padded along the path, no longer heading south. He had planned on going to the coast as winter set in, perhaps meet up with his brother, as it had begun to grow cold, but with the return of summer's heat the plan had changed. An owl had been helpful enough to go find Galahad to let him know.
As he climbed over a tree, something he found much easier when shifted into his bear form, Gareth kept his ears trained to the sounds around him. Perhaps he could find something to hunt? Or maybe he'd find something to scavenge. Hopefully scavenging, it was too hot to hunt. Maybe he could find where a deer or something had-
There was a snap near by, a twig that had long fallen off and dried out some time over either the actual summer or during the farce they were calling autumn.
Lifting his head, Sir Gareth let out a growl and shifted, pelt pulling back to reveal the equine body underneath. "Who's there?! Show yourself! I know how to fight." Such anger wasn't usually in his nature, usually more stoic and calculated. The heat had been getting to him, though, making him irritable as it made it harder to sleep
A mountain lion stepped out, watching him, then looked to the side. Much smaller than the lion was the winged fox that stepped out, a red gem glimmering on the left ear. "I mean no harm or intrusion, nor does my companion. We were passing through on our way to cooler areas." He regarded Sir Gareth, then shifted form. Even in a more equine form, he still stood shorter than the bear. "I am Sir Ector Morency, this is my companion, Dinkie. And you... Look very tired. Has the heat been getting to you much?"
Another shifter. Gareth closed his eyes, letting out a sigh, then said, "Sir Gareth Fairburn. No companion. And yes, the heat has been getting to me." He looked in the vague direction of south, frowning. "I was going to head for the coast, and had started that way when the weather had started to cool, but now it's too hot to go there. What about you, where are you two heading?"
Shifting and stretching his wings for a moment, Ector used one to point toward the closest mountains. "We're heading for a slightly higher elevation. It's not so hot there, and the mountains have dark and cool caves to hide in." As his wings folded up, Ector's ears perked up. "You should come with us, then you can get some proper rest."
The way the fox looked at him, the earnestness in his eyes, told Gareth he was being genuine. He liked to think he was decent at reading others, so perhaps he could trust this fox. He closed his eyes again, then said, "Alright." As he opened his eyes, he shifted back to his bear form. "Lead the way, Sir Ector, but know that I'm not exactly fast." To emphasize his point, he stepped up to the fox, staring him in the eyes. This was no little fox, no small cat, and no wolf. This was a bear, an apex predator that came as close as any predatory land mammal could to being megafauna like the great big moose or the giant buffalo.
Ector could only raise his eyebrows under his fox pelt. "You're very big." Even as a bear, this other shifter came up to his eye level, with Ector still in his equine form. But this close, he could also see the dark gem that lay hidden in his face markings, the touch of the Angeni and their protective power. Recovering from his sudden distraction, Ector said, "Going fast is probably not a good idea in this heat. We'll want to go slower, pick the paths of least resistance."
"Yeah that sounds like a good plan." Looking at the lion, the bear asked, "Does he talk at all?"
"Not really, but he does like to cuddle. He's a good nap companion." Ector smiled at the lion, then shifted down into a fox. "Come on, we have a ways to go until we reach the hills. It's best if we stick to the forest so we stay in the shade." Tail flicking, Ector started walking, curling the appendage so the white part was bright and visible. Behind him, Gareth let out an amused sound and began to pad after the smaller shifter and his lion companion.
(WC: 822)
