With a stretch and a yawn Basileus exited the shallow nook he'd spent the night in. Once outside he stretched again, this time a little more thoroughly. The nook was a touch too small for him so of course he'd slept wrong. It took a few moments to loosen the stiffness in his joints and to work out the knots in his neck. For all of about a minute he was at peace. And then he remembered and his mood soured. It had been nearly a week since he'd last scented Enrico. Time was running out. After straightening he shook out his coat and then began to make his way down the steep hillside. He'd chosen that particular nook because of the superior vantage point it offered. From it he could see down the side of the mountain and into the surrounding hills and valleys. Since losing Enrico's trail Basil had been working in ever widening circles around the place he'd been last scented. It was as if the man had simply vanished. One minute he was following it without difficulty and the next there was simply nothing to follow. He'd scrutinized the man's tracks for signs of careful back tracking, searching the surroundings for suspicious offshoots...and there was simply nothing. Basileus was at a loss. After reaching level ground he picked up where he'd left off. It had been quite some time since his last meal and he was beginning to feel the effects of it. At some point or another he was going to have to stop to hunt. Or maybe if he were lucky he could find or commandeer a kill and shave off some of this necessary down time.

Eep! Nope don't step there, nope nope nope not there. Quickly, the red woman would bounce from one paw to another avoiding the steep drop below, balancing precariously on the edge. She could feel the fear pounding through her veins, but with it was the throb of excitement and thrill - the danger seeping through her skin and causing a delighted laugh to emerge from her as she danced around what would have been certain death.

Nope, she wasn't insane. She was just in heat. And this was a great distraction from the desires that she craved.

She'd spot a hill - hmm, what was up there? A great view, no doubt. Paws moved to start up on that hill, when a whiff of a scent caught her attention, and she'd freeze. It was male, undeniably male. Alarm sparking in her gaze, her tail would move down, hugging her rear end and slightly below, as if it would stop the heat pheromones from being noticed.

She knew that if she scented him, there was almost no doubt that he had already noticed her, and she'd turn in a slow circle in an attempt to spot him. It didn't take long; his tall, dark form stood out among the white, chilly snow that had yet to melt due to the altitude. She stood there awkwardly, uncertain if she should say something, but uncertain whether to go.

"Speech"

For the first time since he'd set out on this mission Basileus let his frustration bubble to the surface. He hissed a growl, the sound low and menacing as it ricocheted off the sheer rock walls around him. After shifting his weight the mafioso lifted a forepaw and inspected a pad. A small shard of rock had wedged itself between his toes and cut into his skin. He hissed again in aggravation before burying his nose between his toes and hunting around for the piece of rock. Once his teeth found it Basileus wrenched it free and spit it to the side. He spread his toes and looked at the place the shard had been. A small drop of blood welled from it and the brute was on the verge of sparing it a lick when movement pulled his attention away. Slowly he placed his paw on the ground as he turned to face the woman. He hadn't been spotted yet. The woman's thoughts were clearly fixed elsewhere as she moved past him without taking notice of his presence. He took the opportunity to study her. She was very pretty and with her dark red coat she would have had no trouble fitting into his clan. Basileus was in the middle of enjoying watching her leave when she became aware of his presence and slowly began to turn his way. The movements of her tail didn't go unnoticed. Her eyes briefly roved the bleak landscape before fixing on him with ease; no doubt he stood out as sharply as she did in such a place. He waited for her to say something and for a brief second they stood looking at one another in silence before he took the initiative. "Ciao," he said simply with a dip of his head.

Red - that was the first thing she noticed about the male. That, and tall, but she was used to tall. She was not used to the red, particularly a shade that was deeper than her own. It was quite a stunning shade, and the first time that Lillie had seen another red wolf such as her. It was quite hte handsome shade, and he'd fit easily into her family - with her mother having the shades of red, and now this man.

He'd greet her first - and not in English. It sounded familiar, the lilt of the language, but she couldn't identify it; not with one word, anyways. She presumed it meant hello, and she'd dip her head in a return greeting. "Hello," she replied softly. "My name is Lillianna - who are you?" she questioned, curiosity in her gaze. Mostly, she was hoping he'd speak more of that language. It would be nice to identify why it sounded so familiar.

She turned to look at him and Basileus' eyes were immediately drawn to her scars. The marks were wicked and hinted at some past brutality. The brute was accustomed to scars so he didn't find them particularly remarkable and his gaze didn't linger for long, but a small part of him was curious. It would be rude to voice such a curiosity so it was likely he'd never know and that was more than alright. He had bigger things to worry about than a pretty woman's scars. "Hello," she greeted him. Her voice was sweet on his ears - a rarity given the language she spoke. Lillianna. Her name suited her. "Nice to be meeting you," he murmured back. "My name is Basileus." And that about used up his knowledge of her language. "I don't speak english well," he said regretfully. "You speak italiano, maybe?" It was a long shot, but he didn't have much of a choice but to take it.

OOC: so much suck >.<

She would notice his gaze on her scars - but just as quickly, it would move on, almost as if the male was used to the appearance of scars and was observing her... ears or something. Okay, that analogy didn't even make sense to her. He'd soon speak again and she'd listen, the signs of him not being from around Alacritia growing more and more obvious. Basileus, eh? It was a name pleasing to the ears. "Nice to meet you too, Basileus," she would return softly. Her calmness would disappear in an instant, though, when he asked about - what? Italian? She immediately straightened, leaning forward and ears pricking fully. "Italian?" she asked excitedly. "Sì. Piccolo. Parole," she would tell him in fragments. "I know... un lupo who speaks italiano," she would attempt to tell him, wincing at her own butchering of the language. But, italian! Excitement!

ooc. laziness - yes, little, words. a wolf who speaks italian. that's the translation xD

Perhaps his luck was changing. Instantly the woman had his undivided attention. The words she spoke were halting, clipped and accented strangely, but they were undeniably Italian. Anything was better than how he'd been bumbling his way through. Her limited Italian with his limited English was better than his limited English and no Italian at all. He'd make it work. "Grazie a Dio!" What really interested him was her statement concerning a wolf who was - presumably - fluent in Italian. This gave him hope. It seemed that few in this land spoke his language, so hopefully Enrico in his travels had stood out. That assumed many things, but if it were true then he must have caught someone's eye at some point. Would Enrico have been drawn to those who spoke his first language like Basileus himself was? That could be the key to finding him. The chance to actually speak with someone in his native tongue was too great to pass up. Basileus sought to stride closer and bring them within speaking distance. "Please," he considered attempting what he had to say in English, but the odds of him mangling it to bits were great. He forced himself to speak slowly and clearly. "Sto cercando qualcuno. Forse l'avete visto lui? Parla anche italiano." Basileus paused there to gauge her reaction. If she understood he was ready to launch into a description of Enrico and if she didn't then he'd just have to try again, wouldn't he? Hover speech for translation