It was a rainy day, and Ivy couldn’t say that he disliked it. Something about it was calming, hearing it filter down and splash into the river. Grey days in the summer… who would have thought? Well, the stringy boy certainly hadn’t. Still, it wasn’t like he could complain about it. It was midday, and the clouds were keeping the heat of the sun at bay. He could get used to this.

Idly, the boy crossed to the bank of the river for a drink. What did you do when it rained like this? Seemed silly to nap and waste the afternoon. Maybe he could goad Lotus into doing something fun? They could play a game? Hmmph. A treasure hunt? Was there even treasure to hunt out here? With too many questions and not enough answers, Ivy grumbled to himself and scowled at his reflection. It was far too good a day to waste.


"Words"

The pouring rain had little effect on him, other than giving him the urge to seek out shelter underneath the canopy of some trees. It was calming, the rain, as long as he wasn't getting absolutely drenched in it. And so he sat next to the river under a large tree, giving a big shake of his pelt before settling in next to the base of the trunk. He wasn't much of a fisher; he didn't even know where to begin to learn how to fish. But he was content to simply sit and listen to the rain until it eased up a bit. It didn't take long for a small wolf to arrive, definitely pup-sized, and that had him a little worried that someone had lost a child. There were dark and light tones on the child's pelt, a mix of blue thrown in there, and he watched as they moved to the water to take a drink. Astrophel didn't want to scare the child, but he also needed to know that they were okay and had someone to look after them, and so he woofed softly from where he sat to announce his presence. "Are you lost?" He didn't move towards the child, and made his tone as soft as he could so as to not scare them away.

Fishing could be fun, but Ivy wasn't sure he had the patience... and his paws were too big. Too clumsy, at least as of yet. No thank you, he would stick to prey that walked on land. Fish were way too slippery anyway. That, and any sort of failure was way too frustrating. Not that he was easily frustrated, just that things he wasn't good at weren't likely to keep his attention. Things he wasn't good at other than fighting. It sorta sucked, actually, having siblings who were so inclined to it. Ivy had to try way harder than they did, and still wasn't getting good results. He'd have to get Lo to practice with him more. If Ivy was going to lose, then it would be to his other half.

A woof. Not just any woof, a strange woof. He should have anticipated someone else being out here, really. Fresh water attracted all sorts of creatures, predators, prey, and other wolves alike. Still, who else would be out in the rain? Ivy's brilliant blue gaze flickered to the direction of the sound-- a man. A strange man, all dark and a little purple. He wasn't moving though, and he didn't look threatening. Didn't smell like Fireside either, at least from here... weird. A stranger, a real stranger. Well, at least he didn't look like he wanted to eat the stringy boy.

Are you lost? the question came, breaking through the questions that swirled in his head. "No, I'm Ivy."

"Speech"

The child didn't seem threatened by him. Cautious, maybe, and a little wary, but not threatened. That made him feel better. He smiled at the child, showing just the smallest toothy grin when he got a response. "It's nice to meet you Ivy. My name is Astrophel." He then slowly got to his paws and made his way over to the river, still keeping some distance between himself and Ivy. It would still be easy to scare the child off, and he wanted to know a little more about why Ivy was alone. There were some other scents on the boy's pelt, but he could see or smell anyone else nearby, but Ivy had said he wasn't lost, so Astrophel was a little confused. "What are you doing out here in the rain?" The same could definitely be said for himself, but he hadn't expected it to rain during his travels and had gotten a bit caught by surprise. Perhaps Ivy was a fisher? Astrophel knew that sometimes fishing during the rain could be beneficial.

The stranger smiled, and Ivy took another careful step forward. It was curious, his head quirking to the side. What was he even supposed to do with a stranger? At least Ivy wasn't a fraidycat. Nope, he'd walk right up to the strange man and... oh, well, maybe he shouldn't do that? Who knows. Not that Ivy would be trusting about his approach to the man, but it was easier to relax now that this Astrophel smiled. A smile was a good sign-- right? There was a snowball's chance in hell that Ivy would be able to say his name (too many syllables, Ivy could already feel himself tripping over all of them), so he focused on his question instead.

"Lookin' for something fun to do," Ivy said with a shrug. "Everyone else is napping, or doing adult things, or something," the pup wrinkled his nose at the mention of adult things. The "or something" was for good measure, because there was really no telling exactly what his family was up to at this point. The pup was bored, so he'd decided to entertain himself... but what entertainment was there out here. "What're you doin'?" Ivy peered at the man with curiosity. Maybe he had something fun to do? The pup could hope.
"Words"