Dirty and Gross

The red brute prowled silently through the underbrush, his muscles twitching as they always did as he moved, his golden eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the newcomer. He was a straightforward young man, he didn’t beat around the brush. He wanted to meet each of these… Dunamis, This one he knew not the name of. She had an interest in terrain, in new surroundings perhaps, that much he could gather, but what brought her to this forsaken place? There was nothing to see here. Not even prey. He did not understand.

He paused, his ears flicking back as the scent of mud and decay reached him, a sharp contrast to the usual wilderness smells. It was summer. The lake had possibly dried up. The black and white wolfess seemed out of place here, her careful steps along the cracked lakebed telling him more than any words could. She didn’t belong, not in this barren wasteland. But still, she was here. And he was here. Trailing her like an opportunistic scavenger.

Redrum's breath hitched slightly as he watched her toss a stone into the strange mud. His lips twitched in a faint, almost unintentional smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Her markings were strange. Not the strangest he’d seen thus far, but strange. He pondered what he might address her as, until he could ask for her name. He could think of nothing. Maybe it would come to him if he heard her speak.

He took another step forward, carefully, silently, positioning himself just within earshot but out of sight. His nostrils flared as he caught her scent, testing it against his memory. Finding a familiarity between the dragon Enyo and Erebos, as blood does. She was probing the land, analyzing it, much like he was analyzing her.

With a soft exhale, he allowed himself to step a little closer, his voice breaking the silence with its halting rhythm.

“Hello.” he greeting, his head tilting slightly as he studied her reaction, opting for simplicity. His speech was slow, uneven, as he fought to control the spasms in his muscles. The predator in him wanted to circle her, to see if she’d tense or flee. But he waited, his claws flexing lightly into the dirt as he watched her every move, anticipating what she'd do next. He briefly wondered if she would be like Enyo, and his skull dropped to eye her from between his shoulders. He did not know what to expect.

"Murder"