It took a few minutes for Kari to calm down. Michael was surprised at her reaction, but figured it had only been a few days since her last alpha was brutally murdered, she must still be pretty raw. Once she had detached herself from him and scrubbed her face, they set off, following the river upstream. They had only traveled a couple miles when the trees began to thin, the trees spreading further and further apart, until they stopped entirely. The forest gave way to a grasslands that stretched for miles in every direction, until the horizon curved up, and became a mountain range that stretched from the northwest to the southeast. The river he had been following joined several other streams that came off the mountains from snow melt, and joined in ever increasing branches until eventually becoming the river itself.
The spot where two of the largest runoff's met, there was a large, flat, swell in the land; forming a sort of bluff overlooking the valley. It was easy to see why the tribes would choose that location for their annual gatherings. Sadly, the space was empty except for the dirt and torn grass that marked where they had been a couple months ago.
Michael surveyed the plateau looking for any lingering signs of life. Any at all. When he found none, he began to lose heart. He had already been traveling for days and he still hadn't reached civilization. There wasn't a village or town to be seen for miles.
He sat on the grass and contemplated his options. Kari came over and sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She nuzzled him gently, as her eyes watched him curiously. The plains were likely to be mostly free of wild game, which meant he would begin to get very hungry. He would also be exposed to the elements until he could reach the mountains and find a cave. The base of the nearest mountain looked to be at least twenty miles away. About an entire day's traveling.
The forest ran up to the mountain range to his east. Rather than walking the plains, Michael figured it would be a better idea to stick to the forest for now until he got to the mountains and then he could decide what to do. Perhaps he could climb up it a bit and get a good view of the surrounding areas and see smoke.
He turned to Kari. "Hey, what do you think we should do? If we go into the plains we won't have food or shelter. If we get into the mountains over there, where they meet the forest, we should have food and shelter. If we are extra special lucky, maybe there will even be people."
Kari cocked her head and considered him. "You are looking for people? Why? People are nasty."
Michael nodded. "I need to find people so I can get some gear and training. I was hoping there would be a city here, but...nope."
She shook her head, red hair waving behind her . She turned walked a few paces west, following the forest away from the mountains. She sniffed the air, then turned looking back at him.
"There are no people over in the mountains, but I can smell humans over this way my alpha." She gestured the opposite direction, west and back in the forest a bit.
Michael gestured back towards the mountains. "Nizhoni told me they would be near the plains beneath the mountains. Where you're going is nothing but more...plains."
Kari grinned and bounced on her heels, grinning like an idiot. "Trust me my alpha. I don't know what this Nizhoni said, but there are people that way. I promise."
"Alrighty, after you then."
