Difficult Enjoyment

Walk | Talk | Think

Ashtoreth's steps of retreat froze the second she heard the howl, ears turning upon her head to pinpoint the noise while her two-toned eyes grew wide. Oh no. That was definitely not the sound she had been hoping to hear. Why could it not have simply stayed quiet with the only noises being that of the sands shifting under the pressure of the occasional breeze? Great. For a few seconds she was stuck, contemplating what her next course of actions would be. Running held a strong and prevailing sway over her though it seemed dangerous, especially if the stranger was at all prone to giving chase. But then again, if she stayed and waited, she could be a sitting duck for danger. Ugh, I should have just stayed in Valhalla.

She had waited too long, and as she angled her head to peer over one shoulder she could already see the light brown colored wolf clearly against the plain, sandy colored stone with his ambling trot set in her direction. He was coming to greet her, or at least she hoped. Just perfect. There was nothing to be done about it now - if she turned to leave it would be too obvious that she was doing so to get away from him - and so she drew in a deep, steadying breath before she turned to acknowledge him properly, drawing her nervous features into a wary smile while still keeping to her feet. No way was she going to get comfortable around someone who was not of her pack, not after last time.

Thankfully he did not seem like he was up to trouble, and the smile about his face was not plagued by unease or jittery thoughts. No, it seemed sincerely friendly if not a little unsure. It was enough to keep Ash on edge, however, and so she continued to watch him closely, grateful that he at least respected her comfort by allowing room to remain between them. His greeting was swift and conversational, and it became apparent rather fast that whatever he had thought to say to her had left him during his short trek to join her, if he had had anything to begin with. "Yeah. A little warm, but not too bad," she answered, her tone a bit restrained but tolerant for the time being. "At least there's trees around for shade," she added, hoping her minimal help toward the conversation would be enough. She was still not sure this was where she wanted to be.