Black stockinged paws rushed across the ground. Cream pelted body aimed for the lake, his soul itching to get in for a swim. Fall season was here, but that didn't mean all the heat had left with summer just yet. The day was muggy, the air felt like it was choking him to say the least. The humidity was not his friend today, and neither was he. He didn't like humidity, it made him feel icky and gross. But water? Oh he loved it! If he had the means, he would live in it for the rest of his life like a fish. But for now, that would remain but a distant dream as his body made contact with the cool surface, quickly plunging into its cool depths.

The blonde man laughed, reveling in the splashes and ripples he was making like a child would. He didn't have any friends here, he was still very new to the lands of alacritis and still packless. But he didn't mind right now, even though it got lonely, he still retained his childish freedom to play about in pools of water and snow. At one point, he had thought about joining a pack he knew as Glaciem. But stories spread like a wildfire, and it had changed dramatically from what he heard before. Now, he had wandered well away from those territories and onto a new area he hadn't been to before. And though there wasn't much snow here, there was water. And as long as there was water, Tidus would be. He bounced and played in it, seeming as if he were a big child splashing about in a puddle. He chased after fish, quickly catching a couple and stalking back up the shore with them to deposit them on the land before rushing in for more. It was a strange habit he had...collecting as many fish as he could. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he supposed it was just an OCD thing. He never knew when he would run out of food, or maybe if a starving stranger needed it or if prey would be scarce. So fish collections were his thing, and he would always eat them before they spoiled.

Emer's life had fallen into a routine of sorts, perhaps the scenes differed and occasionally she'd find a new face to speak to for a while but for the most part the female simply found herself wandering around the lands alone. Today had found itself falling into that typical rhythm of awaking and for a while now she'd been travelling through the Western areas of Alacritis though of course with little idea on where she was actually travelling. Whilst elements of certain terrains seemed familiar to her old home or places she had already crossed to reach this point the layouts and scents of the land were of course entirely new to the autumnal coloured wolf. There really was nothing at all to do aside from this aimless movement and exploration of areas. Though she had to admit, there had been times she had considered the possibility of a pack once again, from time to time the loneliness could drag on for far too long. For instance, at this current moment Emer couldn't actually recall the name of her last brief encounter. She'd been a fellow loner, a talkative little thing that had rambled on and on about all kinds of different wolves that each name had muddled up and though she could remember some of those names, she had no idea which belonged to the other female. Hopefully the wouldn't cross paths again too soon, or if they did perhaps the other would managed to forget all about Emer as well, though given the detail she had included in some of her tales, she feared that it wasn't all that likely. Abruptly Emer came to a stop upon hearing the faint sound laughter and splashes of another. Her ears twitched, now focussing in the direction that the sound was coming from, head turning and golden eyes peering through the distance to gaze upon the lake. It would have been her destination, however now the female took more care in her approach. As much as decent company was appreciated, with her family's constant worries over the years, Emer knew full well there had to be some sort of danger out there though she herself had been lucky enough to avoid it so far. Hopefully the luck would continue, just as long as common sense stuck with her as well. The wolf from earlier was still splashing around the water, his focus still away from her for now. He appeared rather cheerful, perhaps she needn't be quite so cautious, though Emer was never a wolf who favoured bringing attention to herself anyway and so the silent approach to the lake continued, ensuring to keep her distance and not disturb the other.

The splashing would continue for some time as the male tried to catch a few fish that swam between his legs. His head struck forward, grasping a silver trout in his teeth and would then bring his head up, his prize glinting in the sun. It was only when he turned towards the shore that he saw her. A woman with a nice coat of brown hues was standing there, watching him. Curious, his oceanic eyes would smile at her as he carefully picked his way over sand and stones and broken shells. Upon reaching the semi muddy grounds, he shook his coat out, his fur sticking out in odd angles and the fur on his head and neck taking on a spiky haired appearance. His nostrils flared slightly, taking in her scent. Though, it smelled strange to him...then he realized he still had the fish in his mouth, and with that he would place it on the ground between them.

"Hi there, I uh...saw you standing here...so I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. Name's Tidus, what's yours?" He would inquire cheerfully and politely, wondering what she had been doing just watching him. Though, he assumed it was because of what he was doing. Wasn't everyday you saw a wolf splashing around in the water like a pup.

On she continued, now only casting brief glances back to the male to ensure he was still preoccupied in his games and if not, hope that her path was a safe one. He certainly didn't seem a danger at that moment, laughing away as he splashed around the water and yet Emer didn't dare assume she was entirely safe instead only went with the choice that hadn't failed her yet; just keep to herself and not be a nuisance. She was clearly mistaken however to believe that at some point the male wouldn't notice her. He had shifted now, and with her attention ahead again she had failed to immediately notice his approach until he had drawn closer to her. She paused now, turning to face him, hoping that her first impressions would indeed be the correct ones and that the man before her now was harmless. "Hi there, I uh...saw you standing here...so I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. Name's Tidus, what's yours?" She was relieved by the polite and friendly greeting that she received and found herself relaxing a little. "Hi. I'm Emer." She responded, never one for too many words.

Tidus

The young boy's smile would turn as warm and as inviting as ever. The woman hadn't given much to go off of, but he didn't mind. At least he knew her name, and that was sufficient enough. With a wag of his tail and a quick dip of his head he grinned wider, excited to have met another wolf here. "Nice to meetcha Emer." He sat down, taking a breath and wondering what to say next. She didn't seem to say much, at least by his judgment. Then again, he really wasn't one to judge. He had no right to, and he disliked judging others based on what he saw. He knew for a fact that there were always reasons why wolves became who they were, hiding behind shells of different reasons. When he came to Alacritis, the first wolf he met had judged him because he had seemed immature when he was playing in the water last winter. With a chuckle, his bright blue eyes would dance and he would speak once more. "You don't say much do ya'? Don't be afraid around me, I won't hurt you. I'm the friendliest guy in the world, I wouldn't harm a thing unless it meant to harm me or a friend." He told her, hoping that she might relax and talk to him. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The warm smile she received certainly deserved one in return, though the calm Emer's perhaps wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the expression that Tidus wore. Truth be told whilst company was indeed welcome when it didn't seem to be any danger, she still wasn't fully sure how to interact with strangers. "Nice to meetcha Emer." More polite behaviour from the white and black male. "And nice to meet you." She returned the phrase, though it certainly didn't spill from her lips in quite the same natural manner as Tidus had spoken. It probably wasn't too hard to pick up on those previous nerves or any that were perhaps still lingering slightly. This point was indeed proven true with Tidus' next words. "You don't say much do ya'? Don't be afraid around me, I won't hurt you. I'm the friendliest guy in the world, I wouldn't harm a thing unless it meant to harm me or a friend." There was a slight error however, even those she knew rather well still had to suffer in silence from time to time. She truly wasn't a very talkative creature, perhaps more so with those she knew though probably not as chatty as Tidus here could be. "No, not really." She decided to confirm his assumption, he shouldn't expect too much more from her beyond the short replies she had previously given. Perhaps she'd get a little less awkward, though certainly no louder. Silently she gave another small smile, keeping in mind his statement about being harmless.