Beneath the paws of a behemoth, white sand shifted, glinting in what light slipped past the cloud canopy. Winter weather bathed the world is a shadowed sort of light, cold and foreboding in its nature. Thick fur, however, protected the large wolf from the chill that attempted to seem past the layers of brown. Sinew circled ivory bones, accompanied by a small amount of fat. While some might see such an addition as an undesirable trait, Dai was only concerned with the usefulness of it.

Yellow eyes blinked as he scanned the horizon with curiosity, watching as waves lapped at the shore of the large island. Dai didn't know what it was called and had no intention to figure it out—he was only interested in hiding here, accompanied only by himself. However, he was aware that there might be others here, and he would not seek them out. Besides, Dai doubted that any of the strangers who roamed throughout the island would be interested in him. He was just a dull giant who rarely spoke.

Hialeah had not been in this place for long and she knew no one. Not that it was hard for her not to meet others, as she was extremely shy and very quiet. She’d made her way to the large island as soon as she’d arrived and had been hiding out in the middle of the island, which was densely covered in trees. Today, however, she was feeling somewhat adventurous and had made her way to the beaches, where the sand was as white as snow. Not long after she began walking along the beach, sand spreading beneath her paws, she caught the scent of a male wolf. Males usually meant trouble, as they either wanted to claim, fight, or breed. Lithe figure darted behind a few large boulders, watching as a large, brown figure drew closer and closer to her hiding spot. Speech

A pointed nose twitched as the scent of another wolf was carried along the breeze. Ears straightened up in curiosity and the shy male, feeling especially bold, headed towards the origin of the scent. Large paws touched down lightly on the sand as the large individual tried to keep his steps quiet so he wouldn't frighten whoever it was who was hidden on the beach. He was led to a pile of large boulders. Considering that it seemed to be the only hiding area on the beach, Dai peered behind them and saw a pale wolfess standing behind them.

Yellow eyes widened slightly and he pulled his head back, darting to the other side of the bolder and pressing his side up against them. What was I thinking! he thought, taking in a swift breath as he continued to hide on the other side of the rocks, wondering if the fae had noticed him peering around the rocks. Hopefully not, as all the courage he had mustered up while walking along the beach had faded quickly.

She could hear the wolf drawing near, and her body started to quake. She wasn’t completely afraid, but she was a little fearful he might do something to her. She’d never been one to just approach others, as it usually ended in her getting injured and running for her life. She crouched and scrunched up into a defensive position as he got even closer. Suddenly, she saw his face peer around the boulders and she scurried backwards, pressing up against a boulder behind her. As suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared around the other side of the big boulder she’d been hiding behind. Relaxing just a little, she crept forth around the boulder and poked her head out to look at him. Bright purple eyes widened as she jumped out and began quickly backing up. P-please..don’t hurt me…She said, her voice full of fear, as she lowered into a crouch.

His heart bounded against his ribs. Dai took deep breaths and attempted to calm down, turning to look at the wolfess as she peered around the rock. He moved himself away from the edge of the boulder and sat down in the sand, the gaze of yellow eyes glued to the ground between them. His chest heaved with each breath he took, slowly becoming more calm. His ears twitched at the female's words—"Please... don't hurt me..."

The male finally looked up, blinking at the female as he attempted to figure out what to say. Of course, the giant was not going to hurt her. Why would he do such a thing? He was just as afraid of her as she was of him, hopefully she would notice that. "I... I'm not going to hurt you," he managed to sputter, his voice deep and raspy as the words slipped past a parted maw, slipping into the air and hanging between them, a quiet answer to her question. But would she believe him?

She watched the giant carefully, looking for any signs of a possible attack. Finally, he looked up at her with his yellow eyes and spoke. “I’m not going to hurt you…” he told her. He sounded sincere, but she couldn’t be sure. She’d heard that many times before, and it always ended up with her getting hurt in some way or another. She lowered herself a little further, making sure she could run if she had to. After studying the giant male for a moment, she finally decided he might actually not be a threat, and raised herself into a sitting position. She still stayed a safe distance away from him, but she no longer had her defenses set. Wh-who are you?She asked, her voice, quiet and feminine, ringing like a bell on the wind. Her bright purple eyes seemed to glow as she looked at the male.

There was a subtle amount of curiosity hidden within his expression, and while Dai would like to know more about the wolfess who stood before him, his silence got in the way. He would not ever speak freely with strangers, and Dai was fairly sure they wouldn't be able to become friends. Both were far too shy, in his opinion. She seemed nice enough, though.

Yellow eyes blinked as she spoke a question, and his ears perked up slightly. "I'm... Dai," he introduced, the space between his words odd and probably not something that other individuals did. He was slow, however, when it came to speaking. Behind him, the wolf's tail thumped against the ground, wondering if he should ask her who she was in return. The male swallowed and then spoke nervously, hoping she wouldn't be upset with him for asking. "And... who are... you?" he asked, trying to speak a big louder despite the fact that the beating of his heart increased in speed when he tried.

The giant spoke, giving her his name. Dai. What an interesting name. They were both extremely quiet creatures, and probably wouldn’t have enough of a conversation to become friends, but it couldn’t hurt to try. She cleared her throat and also tried to speak a bit louder. M-my name is…Hialeah…b-but you…you can call me Hia…She asked, her voice still quiet. She had managed to raise her voice only a little bit, but it was enough for her. Are…Are you from…here? She asked him, surprised at her own boldness. She usually stayed away from trying to get to know strangers, but he was the only wolf she’d met here so far and she would at least like to know about this place. Maybe he knew this place better than her and could tell her where she should go.

The large brown wolf gave a nod as he listened to her introduce herself as Hialeah, and then noted that he could call her Hia. He gave a nod and then searched for words, wondering how to respond to such an introduction. She also had asked if he was from around here and, seeing as he was not, Dai knew just how to answer, but he wasn't sure how to word it, as always.

"I like your name," he said finally with a twitch of his tail, yellow eyes blinking once at the pale fae as he spoke the words. Dai shifted his position slightly, tail curling around his back paws. "And... I'm not from... here," he said, looking down as if to say that he did not live on the island. He had no idea where he lived, actually. Dai slept somewhere different every day and spent the daylight hours traveling. "What about... you?" he asked, returning every question she shot at him with quiet words.

Dai told her he liked her name, and she smiled a very small smile. Then he told her he was not from here and asked if she was. She shook her head so as to let him know she was not from here either, and silence fell between them for a moment. She wasn’t much for speaking a lot, which had always made it hard for her to make any friends at all. I-I am from very far away…She said, remembering her mother’s strict instructions to never give a stranger too much information about yourself. In part, she could blame her mother for her shy nature, as she’d been sheltered and kept away from the world for the entire first year and a half of her life. At one and a half, she had run from her mother after watching the woman kill her father for no reason. She’d loved her father and missed him greatly, which was yet another reason for her quiet and reserved ways.