Grow New Roots

The larger male dismissed his thanks, citing the fact that it wasn't his cave, but Valens doubled down, adding, "Regardless... Thank you." There would have been no hope of him attempting to fight for the chance to use this shelter if the man had decided he wanted this space for himself so whether or not it seemed like a kindness to this other wolf it still felt like one to him. He had no doubt that some of the brutes that he had served before would have kicked hm back out into the rain without a second thought–or would have immediately tried to get something from him in exchange for this. This stranger didn't seem to be doing either of those things, at least not right away, and for that Valens was thankful.

Val made sure to commit the man's name to memory once it was given to him. Chimera. It wasn't as if Chimera was easily forgettable anyway, but he knew next to no one in these lands aside from Cyprian so it was nice to have at least one name and a now familiar face here. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said politely and was prepared to wait out the rain in silence, but instead Chimera questioned him, asking where he came from. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, glancing up at the two-toned gaze of the larger male before quickly looking back at his paws. He certainly didn't want to lie to someone who had been kind to him, just as he was about to speak the thought crossed his mind that this man could know about the place he had escaped from and might try to take him back. Still, he had seen nearly every male that had come through the holding area for the gladiators and had never seen anyone that looked quite like Chimera. He and Cyprian had traveled a long way so what were the chances that he had come from there as well?

"I've lived in a fighting ring for as long as I can remember, sir. I was a servant there," he finally replied after a long moment of silence, picking his words carefully. Servant was perhaps a generous title for himself, but he didn't want to fully admit the station he had carried either. This place was supposed to be a new life for himself–he didn't want to carry his past here even though he didn't know another way to live. "Could... you tell me where I am?" he asked curiously after a moment, glancing up to meet Chimera's gaze once more. "I've traveled a long way, but I didn't have a particular destination in mind so I'm not exactly sure where I've ended up."

"Valens"