She hadn't been to this part of Auster yet, then again she didn't go out of pack lands very much, and when she did they were very short and quick trips. Today though, she wanted to see what the rains did to the nearby streams and rivers, so her first destination was the cedar falls. She moved quietly, carefully. Despite her bulk and size, she was a very cautious creature. Blue eyes squinted slightly as she peered through the trees that she passed, the sun high in the sky and the scents and sounds around her urged her onward. Soon, she could hear the water as she drew closer, the rush of the waterfall drummed in her ears and only grew louder until finally, she had emerged near the bottom of it. Tail wagged slightly as she neared the pool, the spray of the water gently misting her coat. Ears flicked nervously, however, when she heard the sound of a bear not too far away, and she wondered if maybe this place was full of them during Auster's spring time. She'd have to be careful, that was for sure. "Talk" "You" Think

He had left Faun playing with the salmon in a shallow section of the stream. It was probably too much to hope for that she would slip and he would be free of his charge. He ignored the twinge of stress that accompanied that image, useless sentimental mush that shouldn't have made its way into his system. Why he hadn't snacked on her when she was bite sized, was beyond his ability to fathom.

It was a relief to finally be free of her constant chatter and questions, and bright eyed curiosity. At least the salmon had kept her busy long enough for him to sneak off. He made his way towards the water, with some vague notion of washing up and relaxing in its depths. Soaking comfortable would be a thing of the past once winter set in properly, and he intended to take advantage of the warm day.

He didn't scent the alabaster woman amungst the fine mist of falling water, and wouldn't notice her until he was almost upon her. The sound of a bear in the distance distracted him, and he fought down the pesky maternal instinct to turn and run to Faun's side. He didn't care if she got eaten... perhaps if he said it often enough he would believe it. Regardless, his attention would find her as he approached the water, and he would smile slow and sly, thankful for the distraction and unable to deny the lustrous beauty of her blue eyes set to the white of her coat. That she was taller then he was unexpected, and he chuckled softly. "Greetings friend, have you also come to sample the waters of this stream?" His voice was gentle and enquisitive, sounding genuinely curious of her answer.

Large paws left prints in the mud as she drew closer to the banks, the roar of the waterfall drowning out most sounds except for the random bear sounds, but they weren't close enough for her to really worry about right now. Or so she hoped. She didn't know what she would do if she came across a bear. She'd never seen one up close, but she had seen polar bears from a distance when she went to explore the neighboring territories when Ivalice was still in the north. Sometimes she missed it there, her heart sinking at the memory of her father being buried. He was left alone in the pines, and she wondered if she should go visit him...would she make it on her own, though? Her sister had left to go do it...and she was way smaller than Okami. She was the biggest of her litter, so surely she'd have no problem getting there by herself, right? When an unknown voice sounded nearby, she nearly jumped out of her skin and whirled to spot a male that was a little shorter than her. Blue eyes were wide, though she tried to calm her racing heart, it took her a while thanks to her being caught by surprise. He asked her something, and the question and tone of his voice seemed innocent enough. "Hello, sir. Erm...I suppose so, yes. After all the rain from the past season, I wanted to see how the nearby rivers were doing." She smiled lightly at him, ears flicking nervously. He appeared to be older than her, but younger than her mother...he looked handsome. For an older wolf. But that was as far as her thoughts would go. "Talk" "You" Think

Clearly he had startled her, and he gave her a moment to recover, taking a seat on the bank near by and getting comfortable as she blinked through her surprise. When she did reply, it was polite and sweet, giving him an idea of her nature. He tried not to smirk, for a giant, she seemed a little mouseish. "Very sensable" he applauded her as she explained why she was there. It was a more sensable reason then playing with salmon in shallow water, but not nearly as enjoyable as relaxing in its waters.

Hev titled his head a little to the side, amusement dancing across emerald eyes as he watched her. He was silent a moment before the wind changed around them, dragging her scent towards him. She was much younger then he had realised, barely older then a yearling. He grimaced, her height had thrown him off. He could hardly charm a lady the same age as his daughter. He sighed softly, and thoughts of finding temporary companionship left him. "I was just going to soak near the waterfall" he decided to explain, rising and stepping forward again, it would be good to dunk his head under the cool water, the thought of her beauty had risen his body temperature.

"Very sensible." He commented. She smiled sheepishly, mixed with a shyness that she was famous for. Or at least, to those who knew her. Her family, mostly. Her tail beat lightly against her ankles as she looked at the male, watching as he seated himself on the river bank. She wondered what he was here for, though maybe he had just been passing by and spotted her, decided perhaps to have a chat before continuing on his way? Possibly. Or maybe he was here for the salmon since the water seemed to be running pretty well after the past seasons cold and rain. The girl would mirror him and sit down too, long fluffy tail sweeping around to curl around her large paws. Sometimes she hated being so big. For some reason, she felt self conscious about it and wished she was smaller, like her other siblings. Afrit was a good size, and Arke and her other sister were smaller even then her wily sister. But her? She was a giant. At least, compared to the rest of her siblings if she didn't count her estranged older brother Lykos who was the same size as she was. He probably liked being big though. But not her. She felt like her personality and demeanor were the complete opposite of her size, and she was sure she scared off more wolves than she knew. Probably before she even crossed paths with them. 775724][i]Maybe that's why it seems so quiet around here...[/color] It was a simple thought, but a thought that made her feel a little sad knowing that she had the potential to scare off others before even saying hi. His voice broke through her train of thought, preventing her from feeling sorry for herself more than she already was, if only for the moment. So he came to sit by the waterfall? Or...under it? She watched him as he stood up and moved closer to the water, the spray still reaching her as it lightly coated her with it's droplets. She wondered what the reason was. Or...maybe he needed a bath? She was curious, though she'd probably be asking for nothing more than a simple answer. Maybe he just liked to sit under waterfalls? "Um...is there a reason you like to sit under waterfalls?" She questioned curiously, though perhaps there really wasn't any reason for it. "Talk" "You" Think

Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war He stepped past the larger wolf and dipped his paws into the water of the stream that spread out in front of the waterfall. He shivered, the rushing water was cooler then he had expected, and certainly chilled in comparison to the shallow water he had left Faun in. He slid further into the water, immersing his belly, and then his hind legs, until he had slipped fully into its depths. He ducked his head under for a moment, and shook out his ears when he resurfaced. Once his body was fully soaked, he began to adjust to the temperature and relaxed. It did wonders cooling his downstairs brain, and he lazy looked over at the wolf by the water’s edge. “Its invigorating, have you ever dived under a waterfall? There’s a small cave concealed beneath this one” he tempted her, padding further into the water, until he was fighting lazily against the current of the waterfall. "Talk" "You" Think

She watched him curiously, watching as he entered the water until he was fully submerged for a moment before rising again. Her head tilted with curiosity, watching as he did something she had never done. She never thought about swimming before, though she doubted this spot of the water was deep enough for her. The male seemed to enjoy himself, and hesitantly she shuffled forward a little as if something within her desired to do as he did. Would that be okay for her though? She had never gone swimming before, especially in the North because the water there was too frigid for them to swim in. But here? Perhaps Auster held better swimming places, and she was now curious about trying. He responded to her question, calling it invigorating and asking her if she had ever done it before. Slowly she shook her head, ears falling half against her head, wide and innocent eyes looking on. "N-no...the water was much too cold where I was born, and I've never gone swimming before." She confessed, somewhat embarrassed by it. Was it uncommon for wolves like her not to have ever swam before? She had no idea. At the mention of the cave though, her curiosity only grew more. She stood up, stepping closer to the water but stopping just short of it. It was just water...she'd be alright, wouldn't she? If he could do it, so could she. With a deep breath, she stepped into the water and waded towards him, a small gasp slipping past her lips at the coldness, but it wasn't anywhere near as cold as it could have been. She approached the man, stopping just before the waterfall as she became hesitant again. The rush and roar of the water was almost deafening now that she was this close, but she was here now, and she didn't want to seem like she was a big baby. Holding her breath, she dunked her head through the waterfall, feeling the rush of the water on her head and body as she strode further. She stood a couple of feet by his side, ears pressed against her head until she opened her blue eyes. They widened with fascination. He was right! There was a cave here! "Wow! I didn't know there were caves behind the waterfalls!" She exclaimed, her pup-like curiosity drawing her forward even more until her body had passed through the wall of water until she was within the cave. "Talk" "You" Think

Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war Never gone swimming? he had travelled a lot when he was young, so he had had plenty of encounters with all sorts of bodies of water, so he found it a little hard to fathom. He tried to hide his smirk, and not imagine how easy it would have been to take advantage of her, larger size and all, in the water. He shook his head; the thought wasn’t as satisfying as it once would have been. “I just taught my Mite how to swim, I could give you a lesson?” he offered instead, internally cringing at himself. He sounded like some kind of good Samaritan. What was the point of such niceties? He wasn’t going to get anything out of it. Yet, his traitorous mouth just kept on talking, headless of his internal dialogue. “It’s really easy to get the hang of, and with your height you won’t have to worry about getting swept away in a little body of water like this” it sounded terribly encouraging. Fyre would have smacked him over the head by now thinking something was loss and rattling around in his brain. She entered the water not long after he did, and he smirked at the little gasp she uttered as she felt the chill against her fur. He moved closer to the waterfall, diving under to avoid the worst of the pressure, and reappearing on the other side. The young lady passed her head through the cascading water instead, and Basil was already pulling himself onto the ledge by the time she saw the cave and was gasping in wonder. “Not all of them, but it’s always interesting to find out which one’s conceal them” he shook out his coat and glanced around. Nothing had changed since he had been here only a few days earlier. Blue light danced off the cave walls, constantly shifting with the moving water that tinted them. He moved further into the cave, ignoring the first branching tunnel. “Come on, there’s something that I think will fascinate you” he offered. Faun had been astonished at the sights in the cave, and he remembered her childish curiosity with a hint of worry. She would start looking for him soon. "Talk" "You" Think