It was dark now, a cold wind rustling through the leaves of the trees I lay perched in. I'd finished a good deal of the deer I had caught, famished after my three day run through the Nightmare Lands. I wrapped my tail closer around my form, eyes glowing softly as I peered down at the squad of bears approaching the tiny patch of forest I had chosen to hide in. I considered climbing down and greeting them; our clans were still friends, at least to my knowledge, and I desperately needed safe passage through Ursus territories if I hoped to survive as an exile. Perhaps this meeting would be beneficial, despite the shame I felt at even speaking as an exile.<br/><br/>The second I saw the bears enter near the stream I changed my mind. They were traveling in twos, an easily recognizable Ursus war formation. They began looking around, a panda directing the squad then heading for my tree. Were they exiles in search of food as well? The Nightmare Lands didn't belong to any tribe in particular; the prey here was scarce and the land was bare. In fact, even exiles would share rather than fight over these lands. Not to mention, Ursus rarely exiled more than one bear every hundred years or so, much like Atma Kabile's own hesitance towards a punishment as harsh as exile. Suddenly, the panda began to climb my tree. I flattened against the branch and shivered, gripping the dead deer to balance it on the branch.<br/><br/>A few precious minutes passed while the panda stealthily made his way up the tree; I gripped the branch with shaky paws and dug my claws deep into the bark. Sap seeped from the wood and coated the pads of my paws as I clung desperately to the branch. The bear's head poked up through the thick foliage and I stifled a tiny giggle at how comical he looked. He told me not to worry and I blinked, caught off guard; Atma Kabile and Ursus weren't at war the last I'd heard. We'd been allies and friends for hundreds of years. Unless things had drastically changed in the last three days, there was no real reason to worry. We were both in neutral territory.<br/><br/>I lay frozen on the branch as he introduced himself and took a piece of my deer. I didn't growl or hiss, too surprised. What did he need to prove to his squad and why were they even bothering to map out the Nightmare Lands anyways? I blinked, watching him bid me a quick farewell then disappear beneath the leaves. My fur quivered and I blinked again. I stretched on the branch, arching my back and snowy fur ruffling as I balanced the deer on the tree branch. Then I carefully began to climb down the tree, with blood stained claws. I paused by the stream, washing the blood from my maw, claws, and fur; the water was terribly cold. Still, I didn't want to seem barbaric, all adorned in the blood of a recent kill and all.<br/><br/>Finished dousing myself in the freezing waters, I bounded out and shook vigourously; water went spraying in every direction and my fur hung from my form in a matted, soaking mess. I didn't have time to lick it down unless I wanted to try and find the bears while they were in their own territory. After seeing them scouting the Nightmare Lands and traveling in war formation, I didn't want to risk being found in their territory. Sighing, I dashed after them, likely looking more bedraggled than the humans' ragdolls. Catching up, I slowed down slightly and let out a small greeting between ragged breaths. "Excuse me, Orsin, is it?" I asked, settling on the grass and flicking my tail gently. I assumed a regal position in the grass, hair matted and dripping water; stiffly looking at the bears while I sat, I softly brushed my tail across the grass, still freezing from my hasty wash. "Are you a squad sent from Ursus?" I added, teeth chattering slightly as I watched them.