Winter Moon

The man whirled around to face Alarik as if startled by his presence, and the Xanilov man felt his smile melting into a frown. Well, he hadn't meant to frighten him like that. Alarik knew he was a large man, but besides that, he'd always thought he had a rather gentle and relaxed aura about him. He was certainly friendly, and had made that clear. But just in case, he stopped before walking any closer and lowered his head and tail to make his body language altogether less intimidating. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Alarik said quietly, and he took a few steps back for good measure. "I'm... I'm not going to hurt you... my name is Alarik Xanilov. I was just passing through, and wanted to say hello."

What else could he say to calm the poor soul? Alarik had never seen anything like it. Perhaps he'd seen pups with shy and timid personalities, or little trembling tails and downturned ears. But never had he seen a grown male behave in such a way. Had he been born like this, or had someone tortured and broken him? Either way Alarik knew he wouldn't be able to fix him with one conversation, but he could at least attempt to put him at ease. "Are you sure you're alright? If there's anything I can do to make you feel better, please tell me."