Though Mapplethorpe had very little to do with tunneling through the ice and snow when the wolves of Nomads Pass successfully made their attempt to escape the cliffs of the Mountain of Dire, his joints ached and his slender limbs felt as though they would fold with every other step he took. Appearing indifferent and, at best, strong and proud at the feat they had conquered over the past few days of traveling was important, and traveling very close to the front just behind Naira made the grizzled man all the more aware of his stance and poise. For most of the journey, starting after his descent from the rocky slope, he was quiet, assured that the cubs at his back were well-behaved and obedient and their superiors just as solemn and quiet. The wall of crooked trees that had come to greet them held nothing pleasant in its wake but the more the small band of nomads traveled through the Ghastly Woods, the more Mapplethorpe hoped that the wolves under his and Naira's care would trust their decision in finding them a new safe haven.
The branches above creaked and as his head and eyes went up in search of crows, he felt his queen's slow just enough to walk beside him. Leveling his muzzle, he glanced over at his mottled equal, scanning her face. She turned away to observe something off to the side. Mapplethorpe's ears twitched as they stood up atop his skull, listening over the sound of the pack's footsteps for any sign of danger or the opportunity to feed. Their caches were no longer theirs; all of their resources and means of sustenance on the mountain... gone for the sake of slipping through Death's grasp.
When he had once thought of Datura, Adonis, and Taima, he now thought of @Aponi, @Nova, and even @Mercy and their well-being. They had grown up on the mountain and the cozy cradle that was their playground between the bluffs of the Pass. Here, on even ground, he could only wonder just how well they would fare. He cast a look over his shoulder before turning to glance into the side of Naira's head.
"We need to go a little further," he rumbled, a quick jab of his nose towards the space over his shoulder suggesting that they could still be seen from the forest's edge if he could still see the snow-covered boulders at the base of the mountain.
Up on the mountain, the wolves of the Pass had the rocky ledges and lofty perches to their advantage; now, they had to adjust... They needed cover. Once the ideal spy and predator, now the perfect target and prey if they did not keep going. Everywhere he looked he pined to be under the dying hedges and beneath the brambles and dried vines, but often found nothing but the crisp line of white snow, leading in every which direction into the unknown. If memory served him correctly, he also hoped that Aponi would keep in mind the stories he had told her and her sister about the Yeth Hound. About how it snatched wandering cubs from their homes in the middle of the night and preyed upon the wary lone wolf with no company to keep.
Something about the thought actually made a smile crack on one side of his muzzle and he gave an airy snort as they continued to travel whitherward to their new home. With @Rhysis seemingly out of the picture for good, or so Mapplethorpe believed, the Consort now set his mind on a new vision. With Naira at his side, together, they would rebuild the life they once had on the mountain, not as keepers of this forest, but as the ravenous monarchs and hounds of Northern Eden.