Anubis, such a dismal name for such a mellow soul, but his mother had always had a thing for mythology, her stories were one of the few things the male remembered about his family. They had been amazing parents, he couldn't complain, he was alive and well was he not? He spoke a variety of languages and had seen a variety of places, but nothing quite like the island he found himself on now. He hadn't been here long, a scarce few weeks, maybe more... this place seemed to have every possible micro climate there was to be had. Deserts, meadows, forests, mountains, beaches, swamps... he was fascinated and thoroughly enjoying himself. His lanky seven foot long torso rocked back and forth as he moved, his large tail, brushed the earth, creating odd swipes in the dirt and leaving a trail. He didn't mind if anyone wished to track him, he enjoyed meeting new people, seeing new faces. This island seemed to be rather vacant, he hadn't encountered much of well, anything, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the scenery and soaking in the beauty of earth. Ah... well. He suppressed the sudden urge to dance, save it, he told himself, save it for the night. Dark eyes scoured the land before him with curiosity, bits of cloth, chunks of metal and shrapnel... what in Gods name had been here? Slowly he meandered forward, the soil was moist beneath his feet and with each step he took, his pads sunk into the soft ground. A flash, a glimmer of light caught his attention and he lowered his elongated cranium. A small shiny piece of metal, shaped into a small cylinder with a point. His tongue escaped the confines of his mouth to coil around the piece, testing the weight and texture of the odd piece before releasing it, eyes darting to continue his exploration. He paused when the sound of something drawing close caught his attention, he could hear and smell termites and ants, whatever this was, was akin to a freight train to his sensitive ears. He turned, lanky body swinging around to face the soul whenever they arrived, if it would have been anatomically possible, he would have been smiling, but alas! All he could was pause and wait. Speech,

~*~ Orica raised her head. Had that been thunder? She gazed up at the sky, ears perked and puppish mouth hanging slightly open. No, she didn't think so. There were clouds in the sky, and it was getting a little darker, but it didn't look or smell like a storm was coming. But then what in the world could it have possibly been? The little girl had been begining to explore other lands. Her trips were never very long, and never tooo far, but she knew that wouldn't matter if her parents caught her. If that happened, she didn't know what would be worse, her father threatening to rip off her ears, or her mother's sad look of disappointment. But it was only fair right? Crusade's boys got to explore off whenever they wanted. And she was getting older - she'd be nine months soon. She could already track all sorts of scents and (after a bunch of tries) could catch something to eat on her own. She didn't want to be out on her own all the time - no, no, far from it - but she did like to venture out now and again to experience the world through her eyes alone. And ears, today. Orica picked up the pace and started running towards where the source of the sound seemed to have come. It was an odd place this - she noticed several craters and holes in the earth that had long ago been filled in with grass. Some were the perfect size for a couple of wolves to curl up and sleep in, others were big enough to house a whole family. And another one - longer and thinner had filled up with rain water. Orica was just thinking of going over to get a drink when a horrid, acrid smell assaulted her sensitive nose. There were shreds of smoke still hanging in the air, and the smell of burnt earth was strong - but she could see no fire. What she did see was the strangest animal, she had ever laid eyes upon. How to describe it? It- well at first it looked like a huge wolf with a beautiful, extremely long furred tail. But then it's face came around. It's head was too small and it's nose was too long. Was that even a nose anymore? Or was it a long furry tongue? Orica's eyes bulged. It was strange enough to scare some pups, but she was just so surprised... "What are you?" she blabbed out at once. ~*~

Anubis watched, dark eyes keen on his surroundings, his front paws were turned inward, claws curled against his forearm, he stood silent on his wrists, watching, waiting for whatever soul was soon to join him. It didn't take long, nor did they disappoint. He had never seen a creature quiet like the one that emerged from the woods, muscles that rippled and were obviously built for a great deal of speed and power and...ah....were those canines? A predator? Well... not necessarily good for him. He studied her quietly, she seemed a bit small, perhaps a youth? Was she lost? She seemed mesmerized by the surroundings and just as curious as he had been. He had never before seen materials molded and fashioned like this and apparently neither had she, this was obviously a site much older than either of them... not that that was surprising, he was only one after all. It didn't take her long to notice him and for a moment it seemed all they would do was stare one another down. She didn't have near as much fur as he and her coloring consisted of only two colors, her tail was much thinner and she appeared much more dainty. She was beautiful in his eyes, than again, he found beauty in damn near everything, her fast question caught him slightly off guard and he chuckled. ?M'belle, my name is Anubis, I am, ever so tactifully named, an anteater, tis a pleasure to meet you miss, might I inquire as to what you are?? His voice had the slight tinge of a french accent. He was fluent in several different languages, having ventured mainly about Europe, but he had never seen a creature quite like her before. Such an intriguing world they lived in no? Speech,

~*~ Orica did her best to stop gawking, as soon as the-the ant-eater? was it? started speaking. It conversed just like any wolf, save for a lovely purr that slanted his words. He was strange lookin' alright, but there was something kinda pretty about him and the odd way he moved. Maybe it was that lovely tail. Orica had a big, puffy plume herself, but nothing like that. For a second she felt a tinge of puppish jealousy. But then, remembering her manners, Orica gave a graveful dip of the of the head, sweet enough to rival any curtsy. She'd been rather rude there, and he'd returned with nothing but politeness. She had better make amends quickly. "I am Orica, Anubis," she said, liking the sound of the name that was as strange as the rest of the creature. "And I'm just a wolf, part eastern timber, part something, part doberman on my grandmother's side." She grinned a little. "I'm a mutt." She said the word as a simple fact, she'd never known it to be anything negative. She was a crossbreed, a hybrid, and it was no different than saying she was black and white. "I'm also training to be a healer," she piped up. She cocked her head to the side, looking him over with wide eyes of blue crystal. "I don't suppose you have any wounds you need taken care of?" She did her very best not to sound hopeful. ~*~

Anubis had never thought himself as beautiful, or had he ever thought himself as ugly, in his own mind, he simply was, it wasn't up to him to determine whether or not he looked pretty. Paws pulled his lengthy torso toward the small creature. How intriguing, such an interesting species... not that he was one to talk, he dined on ants and termites and very little else and he pondered how strange that might sound to an outsider. He stopped still a respectable distance away, nose extended up and towards her slightly, curiously smelling her. Similar to canine. Curiouser and curiouser. ?Orica? It tis a pleasure to meet part timber wolf, part something, part doberman, can't say I ever have before.? He teased her with a gentle gleam in his dark eyes to show he meant no harm before dipped his upper torso down in an elegant bow and pressed a paw to his chest. ?I fear I have no fascinating mixes, I am merely a droll anteater.? The paw raised to his eyes and with a dramatic swoon he fell with a dull thump onto his side, eyes twinkling with mirth all the while, his goal, of course, to make her laugh. ?A healer? How intriguing! I know nothing of herbs I'm afraid, save for which draw the plumpest of ants, teach me something, anything, I would love to have just a taste of your trade.? Genuinely interested, he dragged his feet beneath his and bolstered himself back up onto his paws. (((OOC: Totally just made me think, you know what would be funny if she goes home and is all... DAD YOU MAY HAVE TRAVELED EVERYWHERE BUT I BET YOU AINT EVER SEEN NO ANTEATER. I would pay to see Gargoyle's reaction.))) Speech,

~*~ Orica to Anubis The male succeeded, first drawing a grin from the girl, and then, when flopped over dramatically, a burst of full fledged giggling. It was high and sweet an serene, much like the sound you'd expect if a mountain stream could laugh. Her eyes danced - as did her paws, hastening to make sure she was not in the way of his stage dive, and to make sure she was in front of him again when he stood. Well, whatever the animal said, she had decided that being an anteater was any thing but droll. Strange and silly and lovely- those we're the words she would've used, especially when she spied that glorious tail of his. For a moment she was quite jealous, but then her attention was being caught with more words out of that funny looking mouth. She wanted to pet it. When she focused on what the male was saying, she grew thoughtful. What should she teach him? What could she show? Of course it would be so much easier if he was hurt, but that couldn't be helped. She cast her gaze about the brush logged plateau and then up at the sky as though expecting some bird to hurt its wing and come crashing down for her to use as an example. But it inspiration, not a falling bird that hit her on the head. "How about you come with me while I go foraging?" That was why she was here after all. "I can show you all sorts of different plants, and you can help me carry things!" oh she hoped he would agree! It would make things so much fun and it would make her feel less guilty for going off alone, knowing she had a giant fluffy ant monster by her side. Absentmindedly she was already wondering how many bundles of herbs she could tie to those tail hairs of his. ~*~