Of penguins and power animals

Soon, Marleen's view was blocked by a figure standing in it. The creature blinked and stood, as if content in that standing to do it forever. No hello or apology, no discussion or goodbye, no nervous energy or wasted words. Just what the body did and physics to keep her upright.

Marleen rose, echoing the posture of this one, and walked closer, not stopping upon reaching conversational distance. If she reached licking distance, she stretched out her neck and tried to lick the wolf's nose tip, and if she hadn't moved still, Marleen tried to allow her body to connect her nose to the stranger's and utter a high-pitched single word of "Boop", upon which she would stop at last, nose to nose and their eyes only inches away.

Marleen gazed at such a one, taking in the young age, studied eyes, and perhaps a vacant expression. "One black gene, one white, as one feeds the black wolf, the white -", she started to say, but paused. "One paw in this realm and one in the next, you possess a talent few others have. But it will cost you in this one. ", she then paused again, allowing her nose to tell her things. "And you'll keep your tail for as long as the tales you tell, unlike another male of yours I met some time ago and very far away."

Unassuming, she continued to stand, her tail without posture, her face without expression, her eyes just as empty as the pup's, and her soul akin to the night of the pup's pelt.