Close Quarters

His ears had begun to deafen the sound of the rain outside of the cave, and the steady dripping as it rolled through the cracks above him and dropped against the soil of the cavern floor. When the sound of another coming into the cave echoed off the walls apart from the white noise sound of the rain, he was attentive once again. He'd been dutifully working on his knife, and though he slowed the rate at which he would strike it against the rock wall, he didn't stop in favor of greeting this newcomer.

He wasn't sure what to suspect, angling himself against the wall so that his watchful red gaze could be upon the stranger as they came around the bend of cavern walls that revealed Elias. When he did, Elias ceased moving the ram horn, clenching it in his jaws as he prepared himself mentally for literally anything. He didn't know this man, but one quick draw of breath and he could smell the thick scent of a pack all across him. It wasn't Lirim, but he recognized it from his time in the West. Elias dropped the knife at his forepaws and lifted his head to look at the stranger, assessing him. Elias himself was manipulative at times, using his charm to get closer to unsuspecting opponents- but.. he read kindness and curiosity in the eyes of Domari.

"Yes, if I must put my plans on hold for the night- I must. You're welcome to wait it out here with me if you don't mind the noise." He pushed his weight up with his forelimbs, forcing himself to sit up and be more presentable as he looked down to the knife.

"It'll be a weapon when I'm done with it. It will be sharper than any teeth you've ever felt, sharp enough that whoever it wounds won't even detect it until the blade is already firmly hilted." A crack of thunder broke his train of thought, lighting up the cavern for a brief moment so that Elias could catch the faint tint of red beneath each of Domari's eyes. He canted his head, curious- red had a way of speaking to him, but he did his best to remain in his.. sanest state of mind and not dive into his fantasies.

"My name is Elias Praetor, and you?"