The tall dame wandered out onto the beautiful plains, her violet eyes shining with joy. Such a place, it was so much like her home, and yet so different at the same time. The giantess' large ears rotated as a mouse scuffled a few of her long strides to the front of her. Pinpointing the creature, the black footed canid lifted her front paws to her chest and launched herself to the exact location with her strangely long rear legs. Fiery red was all that would be glimpsed as the strange woman landed directly on top of the shrew, her small ebony paws crushing it neatly and bloodlessly. Picking up the small rodent, she quickly shredded it into bite sized pieces and snapped them up in turn. A few more tiny beings were caught and devoured, and then the giant creature laid herself down in the tall grasses, feeling content in a place that seemed so much like home.

After a long rest, the dame picked herself up and trotted over to a meandering river that snaked through the plains. Lowering her delicate cranium to the edge of the aqua, she lapped it up with her salmon tongue. Resting on her haunches at the water's edge, she panted a bit and stared out at the vast expanse of beautiful plains. Lifting her powerful nose to the air, she tested it for scents of a nearby pack. There seemed to be one, faint, but if it was in this subtropical, warm environment, she would gladly join. She wasn't cut out for the cold, at all. Neither was she made for heavy forests, so she would have to see if she could find a place like this to stay. These thoughts ran about in her mind while she sat on the bank of the river, and awaited what came next.

Anthem was distracted, enthralled by the change in the season, enraptured by the light dusting of snow that had begun to fall from the sky above. It was pretty and light and it reminded him of home, and so his paws would carry him away from Ludicael, his attention drifting from one flake to the next as he walked. He was hardly looking at the ground below, instead stumbling forth with unabashed interest and joy at the first snowfall of the season in these lands. His movements were uncoordinated and mildly childlike in their carelessness, as he left his home territory and ventured toward the plains. Though it was no longer quite as lovely as it had been months before, it was still nice; some hint of green grass remained, and the earth was not yet frozen solid. A gleeful laugh would escape Anthem Destruction's lips as he continued on. Often he was quite unfocused and even flighty, especially when not in the presence of his family. And today was such a day, and he was so wrapped up in the complexities of his own mind that he hardly noticed the presence of another. And when he did, he was confused and somewhat alarmed -- pausing in his tracks to gape and stare. She lay alongside a river, something he had yet to notice either. A bark escaped his lips as he alerted her of his presence, unsure what her reaction might be to him.

Her large ears alerted the maned wolf to an unknown being approaching her from behind, and soon a bark of surprise was heard by the fiery dame. Turning her cranium to face the newcomer, she noticed it was simply a pale coated male wolf with golden optics. Her own purple eyes met the man's gaze calmly, and she smiled. Standing, she approached the much smaller wolf and lowered her cranium towards his. "Hola senor. What brings you to this little slice of heaven?" She asked, her native tongue slipping out accidentally. She was feeling uncomfortable looking down at the pale man, so she sat herself down on her haunches and let her cranium lower once more to meet his gaze calmly. The woman's ivory tipped tail rested on the ground behind her, too short to wrap around her ink dipped paws. How interesting, she had never met any wolves with a coat like this, it was so thick this one would have overheated and expired within a few days. She examined the magnificent pelt, awe struck by it's unique beauty. The only things that set her kind apart in pelt was the length of their ebony socks, or the size and colours of their throat patches. As well, she had heard that these wolves had different colours of eyes, instead of all having the same pigmentation in their irises that coloured them a dark brown. She wondered what this one was doing out here, seeming to be far from home, if home was the pack she had scented earlier, which clung heavily to his luxurious pelt.

Anthem had never seen such a creature in all his life. The creature looked a bit like a wolf, but was taller even than him, but she wasn't particularly big overall. Slowly the man's head would cock to the side, curiosity brimming in his gentle dandelion gaze. Was it safe to talk to her? He knew he had been told to stay away from most wolves -- Anthem was ignorant as to why, unaware that it was his lack of better judgment that could easily get him hurt -- but didn't even know what kind of creature this was, let alone how he should act around it. But then -- she opened her mouth to speak, smiling kindly at him. Her tongue was foreign and strange to him, but he recognized some of her words and he would blink slowly, taking in the meaning of her lyrics. "I come to watch snow," he said, as though it was the most obvious statement in the world to him. Slowly he crept forward a bit, poised on his paws in the off-chance she tried to hurt him. He was quiet and docile as he watched her, wondering -- still -- what kind of creature she was. "'n you?" His gaze would leave her for a moment, resting on the grey skies above, amazed at the white snow that fell from the heavens above, before returning to Araceli.

His voice came slowly in reply, causing the she knight to ponder his mental stability. Judgement was not her place, so she let those thoughts be banished from her mind. His question posed an interesting possibility for replies, and she wondered how to answer. The giantess let her lilting voice fall from her tongue as she finally decided on an answer. "I am seeking a home, and a pack to live with." She finally replied, an easy smile finding itself on her ebony lips. It was a simple answer, one that couldn't be read into very much. "What is your name, senor?" She asked him, realizing that she had never asked, nor- to her horror, introduced herself. Once more did her vocals pierce the warm winter air, and her name was produced from between formidable incisors. "I am Araceli Iris." She told the pale coated man, smiling sweetly and dipping her cranium respectfully.

Anthem's voice always came slowly, unsure and humble -- like that of a young child who had just barely found its voice. There was no doubting that he was not the smartest man, despite how hard he tried; but he had a heart of gold. The stranger's words were confusing to him, and he cocked his head to the side as he gazed at her from behind his gentle yellow gaze. His siblings were much more straight-forward to him, using words he understood well and was familiar with. "No home?" he inquired with a slight whimper to his voice. It was hard for him to imagine trying to find a home; did she not have a family? "I have home here. Maybe you come?" She was a strange creature, though certainly pleasant on his eyes, and his lips had begun to curl upward in a grin. Her voice was foreign, but pleasant to his ears, even though he wasn't quite sure he understood her words fully. "No, name not senor. Anthem." His tail began to wag where it lay at his hocks, obvious enjoyment overtaking his unassuming features. "Araceli is pretty name."

When the pale man inquired to whether or not she spoke the truth about having no home, the she knight shook her head slowly, solemnly. Her deep violet eyes were sad, but she smiled half-heartedly, trying to ease the male's obvious turmoil at the thought. Then he offered her a home, and her grin broadened, reaching all the way to her deep purple eyes. "I would love to join you there." She spoke, happy that the first wolf she had met was offering her a home already. Her short tail whipped back and forth on her hocks, a blur of ivory behind her tall, lanky frame. When he corrected her on his name, she giggled at his manner of speech. "It's nice to meet you, Anthem." She told him, dipping her head politely. His compliment surprised her, and she murmured a quiet thank you, and smiled shyly. She wasn't really used to compliments, being part of a species that only really sought each other out to mate, and occasionally there were packs formed when the situation was dire enough. Just then, a rumbling within her abdomen alerted her to her speedy metabolism's requirements. "Are you hungry? I could use a snack.." She offered, wondering what could be caught around here, other than shrews and mice, like maybe ground squirrels or larger rodents? Her cranium tilted to the side quizzically, and she awaited a reply.






talk, think

It was still baffling to the man that someone might not have a home. Araceli was a very interesting looking thing, and her voice was sweet and calming, like music to his ears -- who would not want her around? And so he had invited her into his pack, his family, oblivious to the danger she might pose to them, oblivious to the fact that he really ought to get permission first. A gentle smile would tease the corners of his lips as his face morphed into a rather pleased expression. "Okay," he said, happy that she seemed so pleased at his offer. Still he wondered what she was -- her scent was different from anything he was familiar with, and she was tall and lanky. Definitely not a feline, but she did not strike him as a wolf either. His mind buzzed with questions that he could not voice, but his own pleasure was displayed by his tail waving gently where it lay behind him. She asked if he was hungry, and he slowly nodded. But he had never let someone outside of his family hunt for him. "Little bit," he offered slowly, creeping a few steps closer. Again he would not, showing he was hungry and ready to find something to eat with her... or at least try.

The wolf seemed pleased that she would join his home, and it made her glad that she had been the cause of his joy. She was always a stickler for making other happy, which is why she did what she did. He seemed confounded by her appearance still, but she decided it would be best to simply wait until he asked to tell him what she was. A reply came to her large audits, and the pale wolf would step closer to her cautiously. Yes, food should be found quite soon, Araceli was getting hungrier by the second. Her deep violet orbs scanned the surrounding land, and her highly perceptive ears would pivot to catch the sounds of prey. The telltale slithering of a snake caught her attention, just to her left, and she turned towards it, bunching her rear legs. Lifting long, ebony stained front legs in to her chest, she launched herself on top of it and felt a reassuring snap of it's spine. She adored snake, it was quite a delicious meal. Picking it up in her dainty jaws, she carried it back over o her new friend and then realized her mistake. Dropping it on the ground, she tilted her head to the side and let her voice leave her maw. "Does you kind eat snakes? Or is there something else you prefer?" She asked, suddenly very aware of how foreign she was to these lands. She searched around some more, finding many small animals scuffling in the long grasses, but unsure which ones her companion would enjoy eating. Talk like this

Not only was Araceli appealing to Anthem Destruction's eyes and ears, which were perked somewhat quizzically on the crown of his head, she was also quite nice! A wag would begin in his tail, so fierce that it shook his lower half and made his smile grow widely. "So food, then go home," he repeated their plan to himself, intending to remember it. The quiet man watched with obvious awe and slight disbelief as Araceli caught site of a snake, leaping to snag it between her jaws. A delighted laugh left his lips after a short pause. "Never tried," he noted honestly, but leaned forward hesitantly to sniff at the thing. It didn't smell anything like his usual food, but it wouldn't hurt to try. "I try with you?" Innocent gaze would fall back upon the strange female, eyes wide and brimming with curiosity.

The male confirmed her previous statements, and soon took an interest in the serpent she had offered him. How could someone have never tried snake? The idea seemed incredulous, since snakes were the most readily available, succulent meals one could find. When Anthem offered to share the snake, she nodded in agreement and dropped her paw upon the middle of it's lengthy, limbless body and tore it in half with her jaws. Nudging the rear half towards the male, she began to eat the top of the serpent. The heads and front halves were a better plan for her, since this one could be toxic. Luckily she knew which parts to avoid, so there were no worries for her. She watched her newfound friend with elated violet optics, excited to see how the pale man would react to his first bite of her favourite meal. Speech,

Eyes were wide with unabashed curiosity as he watched Araceli. What a strange creature she was, so pretty and yet so different all at the same time! Though Anthem was easily frightened of strangers, often wary of them even after warming up to them, once he decided someone was good, it seemed his trust would never fade. Even if he was harmed or mistreated somehow. This girl had earned his liking and trust, and so he watched her with a silly grin and a gentle wagging of his tail, so enraptured by something so simply as eating a snake. She seemed skilled at it, and seemed to nudge some of the meal towards him. Strange. He sniffed at it warily, but quickly moved to grasp the thing in his jaws. Setting it down, he would tear gingerly at the flesh, avoiding the scales that felt strange in his mouth. The meat was not bad, only different.. and he would look up at her with a soft giggle after gulping down some of the meat. "Not bad," he stated surely. "But don't want to eat all the time."

The pale wolf seemed quite astounded by her ease with hunting and eating serpents, and his reaction to consuming the snake was the best she had seen so far. It appeared to be an uncommon thing to eat amongst the species, but introducing them to something new was always important, right? His altogether contented, polite reply made the woman giggle, joyous. "I wouldn't blame you, your kind doesn't seem to enjoy las serpientes." She chuckled, deep violet optics squinting slightly with mirth. "Would you like me to find you something else?" The dame inquired, tilting her dainty cranium to the side quizzically. Someone had told her that wolves had a much faster metabolism, and a much larger appetite than her own kind. Maybe that would mean she should search for more food? The fiery pelted giantess would have to wait and see, maybe the little bit of snake was good enough to last. Until when? Would she be following him to this pack of his? The fox like creature hoped so, she was getting tired of being alone. Even though her kind were naturally solitary, she had been raised by a pack wolf and therein enjoyed the company of others. Wagging her short, ivory tail, the she knight waited eagerly for a reply from her newfound friend. Speech,