Sunder was having a bit of a panic. His first winter in Boreas had been the single most miserable season of his life. He never wanted to do that again. And yet, inevitably, it was going to happen again. For that reason he was doing everything in his power to be ready. He saved the hide from every kill he made as well as every abandoned one he ran across. Last winter had been frigid and he'd feared for his toes. This time he was determined to be warm.

There had been one hitch in his plan, however. The naked dog had planned on waiting out the winter in the hot springs. For that reason he'd made himself a nice little den and stored all of his goods there. Sadly, a pack had moved in and, fearing the reaction of wolves, he'd decided to sneak out rather than press his luck with an introduction. Wolves so far had been a mixed bag for him. Some, like the first he'd met, were kind. Others fearing he might be ill, shunned him while yet others found his differences to be worthy of their derision. This last reaction had made him a little wary.

So, he was back to square one. He had no stores, no furs, and no plan except to acquire all of those things again. But as was characteristic for the dog, he didn't fear a challenge and was in good spirits as he loped away from the new pack's borders and into the heart of the Mangroves. He'd lingered for awhile trying to decide if he could sneak in and get his things and today was the day he gave up on them. He would head west and see what those lands had to offer.

The Warlord often kept track of the territories surrounding the Armada. Lately, there was a lot less unclaimed territory around him to explore it. It provided a sense of protection for his wolves, knowing that these packs were either a part of the collective Empire, or on friendly terms to it. It also meant that when he explored, he moved more East then he did any other direction. Taking him along the beachfront territories there.

He was just moving through the Mangroves and keeping an eye out for condors when he caught the scent of a stranger, the scent was close to that of a wolf, but he recognised it immediately as a dog. Not a mixed scent, so couldn’t be a part of the wolf/dog family that presided in the Empire.

Following the scent brought the creature into view. It was as naked as Naiche, a thought that almost brought out a snort. He managed to swallow it down, and idly wondered if his Warrior wanted a mascot.

The air was noticeably chilly as Sunder trotted along, but from experience he knew that as long as he stayed moving he could avoid the shivers. Soon enough the sun would be high in the sky and its rays would beam down and warm his black skin, and then the fear of the cold would be over for the day. Granted, the moment the sun started to slip behind the horizon the cycle of cold would start all over again, but that was a problem for later. For now he was going to enjoy the warmth and focus on the task at hand. One thing at a time.

Sunder stilled as the scent of a wolf reached him. He glanced around in search of it. They were such a mixed bag he wasn't sure he wanted to confront one right now. He glanced back the way he'd come as he deliberated what to do. It almost felt like a tossup. He could go forward and encounter a potentially hostile wolf or he could go back and take his chances with a pack of them. His tongue rasped across his nose as he considered his options. In the end he opted for forward. One wolf versus many; his odds were with the one.

Stepping with caution now, Sunder wove through the Mangrove trees on high alert. When at last his gaze fell up on the wolf he'd scented he froze with one paw raised. Both ears swiveled forward as he eyed the beast. It was a great deal bigger than him, but who wasn't in this strange and overly hairy land? For now he would be silent and simply wait for a reaction. If he was lucky the wolf wouldn't take an interest in him and go on its way. And if he wasn't so lucky? There was no shame in retreat.

It wasn’t long before the hairless beast spotted him, it seemed on guard, and cautious but did not run. There was an intelligence in his eyes, every bit as sharp as Natha, and the rest of his pack. Strange, considering how different the creature was - or was that true? Seeing Naiche shaved made him consider just how different this bare-butt thing was. It lacked much of the size and build of a wolf, but Sirius had seen a dog before. This was a dog, albeit a hairless one.

“Do you understand me?” he called out, curious if there was a language barrier between them. He did not believe there was exactly an intelligence barrier, but he wasn’t going to think too-indepths at the difference in intelligence of species. In his experience, Wolves were the creatures of greatest intelligence in the world. Natha had thrown a spanner into that idea already, would this creature do so also?

Sunder's tongue rasped across his nose as he debated what to do.  The wolf hadn't made a move towards him and it didn't look all that unfriendly. Usually if he was in for any hostility he picked it up very quick and just as quickly he high-tailed it out of there. Sunder would rather save his hide than his pride in most circumstances. It wasn't for lack of self respect, rather, he just knew when to fold. Some fights were worth having and others simply weren't. Any fight based on his appearance or perceived illness wasn't worth having.

"Yeah buddy," he confirmed in an easy tone. "I undastand ya." Sunder had learned a thing or two since coming to Boreas. Language was becoming easier with every interaction. They'd always had a great deal in common it was just a matter of getting his words in the right order here and enunciating a bit more forcefully. The R's everyone here was so obsessed with were a stumbling block he just couldn't get over.

To snag the dog-creature and bring him back as a gift to one of his children, or to let him be and move on? It depended how much effort the Warlord could be bothered to put into pursuing and subduing. Ah! It spoke. Did that change things? He supposed it did. Anything that spoke couldn’t be subdued with Zee’s support. He had almost lost his wife the last time he had pressed a creature into service. It wasn’t a path he wanted to walk down again, not for a hairless dog. “Interesting. Do you spend much of your time with wolves? Does your species have a name?” other then.. ‘Dog’ that was. "Speech"