Aki had abandoned the northern lands once again. He'd spent a large portion of the winter there, hoping he might come across a few companions to take down a reindeer with, but he'd been without luck. He found himself longing for the company of the tribe he'd been born into; he came across Sabine and Sunniva both occasionally, and he'd even had the pleasure of running into two of his cousins since he'd come here. But he couldn't help but miss the way things had once been. He was not one to regret, or to hold on to negativity - so he'd only dwell on it briefly before deciding to change course and head south again.

The weather was bearable, and he enjoyed the feeling of the dimming sun on his back as it began its descent toward the horizon. Afternoon was slowly coming to an close, and the setting sun cast lovely shadows down on the river's surface. A lovely array of orange and purple painted the skyline and danced in the steady-flowing river. His heart was light as he traveled along the body of water, occasionally leaning down to drink from its depths, taking a deep breath of the warm spring air as the world began to cool.

The cool water rushed over her paws as she carefully stepped into the river. It was like a breath of fresh air, the setting sun reflecting in her two-toned eyes. It was late spring, and already the air was bring in wave after wave of heat. She could tell that this summer was going to be rough, after a rather warm spring it wasn't unexpected. It was time to enjoy the cold while she still could, maybe she would even head up north if it proved to be too much. Jaelle wasn't a fan of extreme weather, but she would much rather be cold than hot. With a sigh, her tail swung behind her and her bells chimed. The water was only halfway up her limbs, the bangles on her front paws were completely submerged. Thanks to the help of the river, her body temperature was lowering quickly, the fact that the sun was almost out of the sky helped as well. She was about to go in further, when a rush of water came towards her. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped back, not wanting to get her scarf or her belly wet. Jae narrowed her eyes at the swell of water as it quickly flowed down the river. What the hell was that from? Did someone jump in up ahead of her? Curious, she looked around her, only to see a rather large brute heading down the river bank. She had to keep her eyes squinted, the light of the sunset casting odd colours against his coat. It took awhile to realize that he had some sort of elongated teeth coming out of his maw, but she just shrugged it off. It may be odd, but so was a wolf wearing bells and cloth. The monochrome woman shook herself, scattering droplets of water all around herself. Her bells gave a loud call, all of them now freed from the confines of the water. Her blue and brown eyes looked back up to him, now able to see him a bit more clearly. His goat was a swath of greys like her own, but it was broken up by a deep red that gave him more of a tasteful look than she thought. Openly she inspected him, not ashamed of herself at all. She had grown a lot bolder in her days alone, since she hadn't been able to locate even one wolf of her troop. "Pretty colours you got there," she called out to him, a smile spreading across her lips. She didn't move from where she stood, standing at a T to the strange male. Her tail wagged a few times in greetings, the soft melody of her bells following in suite, just like they always did. She made no comment on his tusks, now that she saw them for what they were. They were pretty sweet, in her opinion, but she had seen stranger things in her life time. "SPEAK"

Life truly was a beautiful thing - there was too much positivity for him to dwell on the minor things he wished could be slightly different. Each day had its fair share of things to enjoy, to cherish and to love. Today was no different. Happily he continued on, briefly dipping his forepaws in the water to cool himself off before continuing on. He'd never been much of a swimmer, and had no real intentions of trying to fight against the flow of the river here, though it was not terribly extreme.

Before he caught sight of someone ahead of him - his attention had been taken by the gentle rapids, watching the water tumble over the rocks and riverbed - he heard the gentle jingling of.. something? It was not the sound of an animal. Curious, his head tipped upwards, soft gaze searching for her. The woman wasn't far ahead of him, and she was rather odd looking, though not in an entirely bad way. She was adorned with bells and some sort of cloth that hung from her neck. Nothing he could ever be bothered with, but it was interesting, and his gaze lit up as she drew closer.

Her words brought a deep laugh from his chest, booming and joyful and deeply uninhibited. "Why, thank you," he'd call out, voice thick with a northern accent, laughter audible in his words. "I've tried very hard to get it just right. I'm glad I've succeeded." Crimson gaze sparkled with a bit of playfulness at his own quip, his own eyes roving over her. She was lovely on the eyes, with gentle markings splattered all across her pelt, and was considerably smaller than himself. Interested shone in his stare as he padded closer to her, remaining close to the riverbank with each step. "You're a pretty one yourself. Would you honor me with a name?" She was pretty, and he was not ashamed to say it - why disregard beauty when it was right there in front of you?

He made his way calmly towards her, chuckling at her compliment. She took a pause when he spoke, listening to the odd accent that he carried. Her smile only grew, she had a feeling that this brute would be exotic, just like the look of him. She giggled at his quick retort, her tail swinging happily behind her, the always constant sound of her bells following. "How ever did you pull that off? I bet you had to add a lot of berries to your diet to get that lovely shade of red. Or do you prefer to bathe in the blood of your enemies? With nice chompers like those, and as well built as you are, I have no doubt that it would be quite easy," her smile grew more sly, her back and forth with Xeph had brought out more quick quips from her. Gone where her shy and fearful days, she was now a bold and confident woman. Still had no luck keeping on all fours, and she still loved her childish games. She was also getting a lot better at flirting. He very openly looked at her, just as she had done to him. There was no harm in looking at things that pleased your eye, was that not a reason why the gypsies wore such extravagant things? Jaelle's chest puffed up when she complimented him, all in a mock show of her pride. She didn't think she was too pretty, really. She was quite plain, only spectrum of gray colouring her pelt. He asked for her name, to which she just let out another laugh. Stepping lightly around his larger body, she danced circles around him as her bells called out. "Now, where would be the fun in that? That would take all the mystery away, good sir," she came up in front of him again, lightly booping his nose with the tip of her tail. Trotting away, she looked over her shoulder and winked her brown eye at him, before sitting at the rivers edge, dipping her paws in. She sat in silence for a few heartbeats, acting like nothing had happened at all. Her head slowly tipped towards the sky, watching as the stars started to grow more and more apparent. Letting out a sigh, she turned and eyed the handsome stranger, her head tipping towards the side. "You gunna join me, pretty boy?" she asked softly. "SPEAK"

Amusement flickered in his eyes at this woman's joyful nature as she greeted him. She seemed just as full of life as he typically felt, and her positive energy was absorbed by him and reflected back tenfold. "I'm not a big fan of berries," he admitted, a bit regretfully. "Though blood.. that's a different story." Briefly, his smile would fade as he struggled to keep a serious face. Unsurprisingly, he quickly faltered; letting out a sound that sounded a bit like a snort mixed with a laugh.

She seemed willing to play along their playful banter, and he found himself laughing a bit more softly now as he regarded her. "Let's be honest," he started, his head swiveling as she danced around him, her bells jingling in a soft tune. "What's in a name, really? It's not much more than a sound, if you think about it," he offered, shrugging his wide shoulders. As he felt her nose on his tail, he flicked it against her face and then away again, spinning to face her as she moved to the riverside, tilting his tusked head down slightly to face her.

Joining her there didn't sound like a terrible idea. Thinking on it for a moment, he decided to move to stand by her at the edge of the water. "What's the plan, lovely?" he'd ask her with amusement in his voice. "Planning an evening swim?" Though not much of a swimmer, truth be told, he wasn't opposed to trying most anything in this world - except for tree-climbing. He shuddered slightly when he recalled his most recent encounter with a wolf who'd been up in the treetops.

The stranger spoke of his dislike for berries, making her chuckle softly. Blood was a very different tale indeed, and she looked him up and down once more. Poking closer, she sniffed at the red bands on his legs, before carefully flicking out her tongue and attempting to lick one of the dots. "Mmm..." she hummed, pulling back and licking at her chops. "Well, it doesn't taste like blood, or berries. I am just going to have to assume that you were born that way. No fair, you get pretty colours and all I get is grey," Jaelle said with a mock pout, her eyes sparkling at her jest. This was too much fun, it wasn't often that she got to play like this. She was used to getting shut down and being called childish, or have someone like Xephyris who was a big grumpy butt most of the time. But this exotic gentlemen? Well he was too much, playing along with her like this. It was great fun, and Jaelle was glad that he had crashed her quiet evening. As the monochrome female did her little dance, she felt his blood red eyes on her. His comments on names made her laugh again, her head tilting to the side as she regarded him again. "A sound that we are assigned and forever referred to, I'm glad you agree," she said softly, the tip of her tongue sticking out from between her teeth. His tail moved and flicked against her, making her sneeze. Letting out a huff, she attempted to nip the appendage softly before moving to the waters edge. Now that the temperature had cooled down, the water was a little too cold, making a shiver run down her spine as her toes got tickled by the waves. The giant came to sit beside her, asking her of any plans. Jae just shrugged her shoulders, eyeing the water in front of her for a little bit. Since nearly drowning in the ocean about a week ago, she didn't really feel like going for a dip. Instead she looked upwards at the stars for a moment, watching them dance before her. Letting out a rather comfortable sounding sigh, she turned up to the tusked wolf. "Naw, I'm not too keen on going swimming just yet. But what about you? Surely a big guy like you has plans," she said with yet another laugh, her tails moving so that her bells rang out with her. The more she looked at the brute before her, the more curious she got. "So, Mr. Toothy. I wasn't going to say anything, but I am quite curious..." she pointedly stared at his tusks, like she was going to question him about it. She didn't doubt that everyone he met asked about them, so she was going to make him sweat for a bit. Until at last, after several moments of silence, her mismatched eyes drifted over to his face again. "Do pretty red markings like that run in your family?" Her tone was cheeky, a sly smile on her lips. So had she done it? Had she made him freak out? "SPEAK"

It was near impossible for him to even pretend he might be the type to enjoy blood; though he enjoyed a good fight as much as any fighter might, he didn't wish for the suffering of others. He was much more interested in his own state of being to worry about such things.  He gaze followed her as she leaned close, her tongue lashing against his leg - his grin widened, amusement flickering in his stare. She was a bold one, wasn't she?  "Oh, your coat is plenty pretty," he retorted lightly, his gaze roving over her again.  "I wouldn't complain." It could be worse. Many wolves were born with plain coats, unadorned with markings - he definitely thought they'd gotten the better end of things than some.

He was happy to stand with her dancing around him. He enjoyed the sounds of the pretty bells and he light pawsteps that took her in a circle. When she stopped to move to the riverside, he moved also, eventually dipping a paw into the cool water.  "I'm not a big swimmer myself," he admitted.  "Though I have no plans for the evening either." He usually didn't have plans, but rather enjoyed doing as he pleased, figuring things out as he went.

A question seemed to linger on her tongue for a bit, and he'd glance at her as she formulated it. It didn't make him panic - instead, he found himself laughing again at her suggestion.  "Why do you ask?" the man inquired, his tone somewhat accusatory, in a playful manner.  "My sisters bear similar coats. If you're interested, I can certainly lead you to them..." He grinned cheekily, choosing to respond to her teasing with more of his own.

Apparently he found her pretty, she could feel his blood coloured eyes roaming around her coat. She smiled at him, her bell wrapped tail wagging behind her slowly. Jaelle found herself rather plain, but he wasn't the first to be interested in her coat. It was just a whole hell of a lot of grey, her eyes the only real contradiction to them. He told her not to complain, and she poked her tongue out at him cheekily. She would complain all she pleased, there were a lot prettier coats out there. But, it was her own, and there was no changing it now. Well, unless she wanted to roll in blood or berried. She snickered at herself, laughing at her own joke. This wolf was definitely a special one. She supposed that there were wolves around here with just one solid colour, at least she got a mix of different greys to set her apart. Mm, perhaps she didn't have any room to complain. Looking up at the tusked wolf, she smiled and tilted her head to the side. "I'm flattered then, really. But how many strange woman do you stumble upon and call pretty, mm?" she asked in a teasing matter. This was just too fun, it had been awhile since someone played this nicely with her. The giant brute was not a swimmer, it would seem, but neither was she... for the moment. It would seem like his evening was wide open, and she peered at him from the corner of her eye. "I'm not really one for plans anyways, I like to come and go as I please. See the world and all within it, maybe steal and ravage some things..." she said, tossing a wink at the gentleman. Jaelle was one to go with the flow, she didn't care much for rules or deadlines. She tried out a pack, mostly because she was grateful to them for saving her life, but she liked her freedom too much. A packs borders were far too small for her, she needed wide open spaces and the wind in her fur. It did make her miss her troupe though, she hadn't seen anyone for quite some time now. A frown touched on her lips, but she tried to shrug it off. Now was not the time to grow depressed, not in the company of a lovely wolf like the one beside her. Although, she had to admit, she was growing a bit bored of not knowing his name. Withdrawing one of her paws from the water, she shook it off and looked back at the tusked man, her ears fully pricked on her head. "By the way, my assigned sound is Jaelle, if you feel like using it," she offered, looking at him and hoping that he would share his as well. As much fun as 'sir, brute' and 'gentlemen' were, a name would kind of be nice after all. Sometimes all of her games didn't work out in the end. Jaelle pouted when she was unable to make the giant male squirm. Aww, no fun! But it would seem like she was messing around with quite the expert, and he twisted it around on her. She narrowed her eyes playfully when he suggested going to find his sisters, his implications quite clear. While she found other woman pretty and they were nice to look at, she wasn't quite interested in them in that manner. "I am sure they are quite lovely, if they have a brother like you," she said with a soft laugh, turning and looking back down at the river below them. "But that might spoil our fun here, eh? All their attention would be on me, and there would be none left for you!" Grinning, she looked back up at him with a wag of her tail, her bells singing out once more. "SPEAK"

Aki was no stranger to flirtatiousness, and he reveled quite gladly in the stranger's attention. Her demeanor was goofy and lighthearted and he found himself grinning widely in her direction. Her question elicited a laugh from him.  "Not too many," he murmured, his brows furrowing as though in thought. "Most are rather average, some are quite ugly too - fewer still are as lovely as you, though I would lie if I said you were the only one I'd called pretty recently." His tones were playful, a hint of mischief in his voice.

Her explanation sat well with him; he was more spontaneous than many, and didn't like having plans that were firmly set in stone. "Ah, steal and ravage?" he'd ask with a light chuckle, raising his brows. "I enjoy a woman who lives life on the edge." He eyed her appreciatively, dipping his paw into the river again before pulling it up quickly, aiming a small splash of water in the direction of her chest.

"Well, miss Jaelle, mine is Aki," the male offered gladly. Names meant less than most assumed - though it was nice to assign a name to a face, it was not always necessary. At her statement about his sisters, he snorted again. "This is true," he agreed, his own tail wagging in a wide arc behind him. "I suppose I'm lucky that it's just us here, then, hm?"

He was quite the charmer, it was a shame that she hadn't run into him sooner in life. Apparently he hadn't run into too many pretty females, complimenting her once more before his last comment made her glare at him playfully. "Oh? Prettier than I? They must have been dripping in rubies and gold to even hold a light to myself!" her voice was overly dramatic, and she raised a damp paw to her forehead which lowered to meet it. The droplets of water ran down her muzzle as she blinked up at him, dropping her leg down into the cool water once again. With lowered lashes she batted her eyes at him, almost one for a big show. The river water ran down her face until it dripped of her nose, the sensation made her snort. Aww, so much for looking sexy. Letting out a giggle she shook her head and looked back at the ripples across her paws. It did grab her interest though, it seemed like he did quite a bit of traveling himself. She wouldn't mind at all to do a little wandering with him as her handsome companion. Smiling to herself, she looked back up at the tusked man. She just smirked at his comments, winking as he mentioned living life on the edge. "Yes, if I don't topple right over the edge," While her tone was still light, there was a slight rumble to her voice. Besides all of her oh so obvious assets, she thought with a large smile, she was rather clumsy. She dripped over air, leave it up to her to fall over whatever cliff she may dangle her toes over. No, the stealing was more what she had grown up with and she had quite deft paws. "I could show you sometime, or perhaps steal your heart instead?" she teased, her bell clad tail thumping behind her. This was just too much fun, she didn't want this night to end. He introduced himself as Aki, and she was rather surprised. For some reason she was expecting something longer and more... foreign sounding. But it was short and sweet, rather unlike the tall and handsome man that sat beside her. She was taken out of her thoughts when he spoke of them being alone, and she tipped her head to the side and glanced at him with her blue eye. "Yes, it would be a shame if all the male suitors that I have trailing behind me at all times," As if to make more of a point, she looked over both her shoulders as if she was going to see one of them behind her at that very moment. "SPEAK"

Ah, it'd been awhile since he'd felt so.. delighted by the company of another. The grin that touched his lips seemed to never fade, and he didn't bother to contain his joy. It was obvious enough that they were both enjoying their interaction; what would he gain by downplaying it? The brute was not the type for mindgames and so no purpose in presenting himself as anything but genuine.

Her words made him chuckle again, somewhat appreciatively. "She's not just pretty," he spoke softly, as though thinking aloud to himself, "But quite cocky too. A lovely mix." He didn't mind the confidence, even if it was a bit excessive for most - though she seemed to be teasing more than anything.

She certainly was full of life. He appreciated that, more than he could display to her. He'd met so many wolves that were bogged down with.. nothingness. He thought very briefly of his dark-furred friend, the one he'd met years ago, who seemed like he'd been about to hop right off a cliff's edge. How could someone be so blind to see all life had to offer? It was easy to move away from the things that ailed you, for him at least. It was impossible for him to imagine such.. darkness.

The topic brought him back from his thoughts, and he shook his head. "You may only borrow my heart," he suggested, feigning a sad smile. "You must give it back after for someone else, not keep it forever." His own tone was playful his tail batting lightly against the earth. "Don't worry, I'll fend off the suitors," he decided, nodding as he leaned toward her - flicking his tongue against her shoulder. "If you'll let me, of course."

It was hard not to enjoy his company, and the emotions that he stirred up in her. It made her feel special and cared for, something that had been lacking with her being on her own for so long. She had been so used to being surrounded by her family and loved ones, but they all vanished. But now with Aki, the conversation flowed so smoothly like they were old friends. It was such a lovely break from her lonesome travels. Her grey ears twitched when he spoke of the woman that he had met, and she was interested. Her head tilted to the side, a smile on her black lips. "Sounds like quite the woman. You fancy her?" she asked softly. Jaelle was no stranger to being sweet on someone, but from that point on she had no idea. Hell, she was going to be five next season and she had yet to actually be with someone in... that manner. It was slightly embarrassing, she was thankful that their conversation hadn't taken that turn quite yet. Hopefully it wouldn't, but there was no telling with this smooth talker. She kept peeking at him as she waited for an answer to her question, an almost wistful look in her eyes. She wanted to feel special like that, and she wondered if anyone she had met went around to talk about the woman clad in bells. It was a nice thought, and she rocked back on her haunches as the water cooled her legs. It had her thinking, when he said that she had to give back his heart. Was he another male who had so much love that they needed to share it with the world? She was unsure how she felt about sharing, the brow above her blue eye raising. "So, our meeting with be fleeting before you run off to tame another damsel?" Her voice was still teasing, but her gaze was more serious when she looked at him. "Will I become another legend that you whisper to the next pretty lady?" This time she lightened up, a laugh leaving her maw. She would like that, actually. Maybe she would have more 'suitors' for him to chase off. When his tongue rasped over her shoulder, she paused as her smile grew. It was nice and warm against her fur, and she scooted a little closer to playfully bite one of his tusks, if he allowed her. It wouldn't be hard enough to leave scores, but she let out a little growl like a puppy protecting its bone. "Ywe can dow whatewer ywe want," her words came out broken over the bone in her mouth, her ears standing on end as she looked at him with a mischievous look in her eye. So what if their little game ended tonight? She hadn't quite grown too sweet on him yet, not to the point where she never wanted to let him go. Although... maybe she was lying to herself. "SPEAK"

Aki cared about most wolves he met. He'd always thrived on interactions with others, however short-lived they might be. He was in love with the act of loving - and he had loved many over the years. Her words then made him wonder if she got that he was talking about her, and he simply chuckled, the sound full of mirth. "She's lovely enough," he answered simply, his tail wagging more rapidly behind him, batting at the earth behind him.

He snorted at her question, amusement sparkling in his crimson gaze. "Only as fleeting as we both hope it will be," Aki answered nonchalantly. And not a moment sooner. There were simply too many wolves to stay attached to just one - family, of course, was an obvious exception to that rule - but it was equally as foolish to leave someone when they were still enjoying each other's company. His grin appeared again as she leaned closer - though he was taken by surprise when he felt the pressure of her jaw closing around one of his tusks, tugging downward just slightly. Most people tended to either gape over them, or ignore them entirely as though afraid to bring them up.. but grab them? Never. Wildly amused, and perhaps a bit excited by her boldness, a soft rumble came from his chest.

"How do I taste?" the brute chortled playfully, his eyes gleaming as he looked at her from the corner of his vision, tugging lightly at her grip on him.

She couldn’t help but chortle at his answer, her blue and brown eyes gazing at him with a fondness in them. She rather liked his company, and she hoped that this wouldn’t be their last meeting by far. He had spoken about a lust for wandering, something that she had as well. Perhaps they could go and explore this world together? She kept that in mind as she boldly grabbed onto his tusk, looking up from where her teeth were lightly locked around him. His head pulled down ever so slightly as her weight pulled on him, obvious shock in his eyes. What, were wolves scared of his oversized bones? She snorted around her grip, just the corners of her mouth pulling up in a grin. He rumbled at her, causing her tail to spin behind her and let her bells ring out softly. Aki asked how he tasted, and she made a show of pretending to bite down harder. Her nose wrinkled up as she giggled, letting him go for a moment to lap at the area she had just been holding. "Like sunshine and rainbows," she said in an overly sweet voice before attempting to reclaim her hold. If he allowed her to, she gently shook her head back and forth to tug on his head a bit. Letting out a playful growl, Jaelle dropped her upper body and hoped to bring the giant wolf’s head lower. If she was successful, she tried to keep him there as her raised tail jingled behind her. Would he try to fight back in this playful banter? She was pretty light, she had no doubt that he would be able to lift his head and pull her up with it. Jaelle wasn’t strong by any means, none of this would be possible if he didn’t play along. "SPEAK"