Áki was feeling.. unusually restless. He'd been quite lonely as of late, which was not at all in conflict with his fiercely independent nature. No, in fact the two went together quite well. Áki thrived on the interactions he shared with others, how fleeting they might be. There was little greater joy than spending time with someone new - no matter what they were doing. Though he clung quite tightly to his freedom, he felt quite dreary after not seeing anyone for some time. Not his sisters, nor his cousins, only a few encounters with strangers that had been far too infrequent for his liking.

The crisp chill of the ocean was comforting though, and his slightly downcast mood would brighten as he followed the delta toward the wide expanse of the ocean. The land seemed flat for miles here, only broken up by the occasion small hill or cluster of trees. He followed along the river for some time, eager to feel the briny scent of the salt-water air in his nose, and to feel the icy cold touch of the ocean water on his paws. For now, though, he needed to rest.

Finding a sandy, dry spot near the river he was nearest, he would slowly recline to his stomach as he leaned down to drink. He wasn't quite sure how much farther he had to go, and he figured he ought to rest before returning to his task at hand.

table by argent/neffs

Dirty paws took slow steps so that she seemed to have to concentrate just to make her body move. Caelum wasn't sure how long she had been on the move, but even after running into the occasional stranger she persisted in her aimless wandering. Something in her just wouldn't let her rest, even when she needed it, this part of her mind seemed to know that idleness would only bring about reflection on experiences she wished to escape. It was almost funny how one could know what they were doing was unhealthy and yet continue doing it anyways.

Surveying her surroundings with bright blue eyes she took a minute to appreciate where she was. Grass swayed side to side as gentle winds seemed to play with it teasingly, and the nearby river meandered ever closer to the ocean, she could just barely smell it in the distance. A half-hearted smile made it's way over her lips as she padded forward, hoping to find some refreshment in the water close by. Her lithe form stretched out a bit as she climbed a small hill, pausing at the top before descending the other side on a path to the cool river below.

For a bit she just admired the sparkling water, yawning and stretching her aching muscles. She soon noticed a grey canine across the water from her, his height and size so much greater than her own that at first she was entirely consumed by her absolute fascination with his dimensions that she didn't register what she considered truly odd coloration until a little while had passed. She had never seen someone with such deep crimson markings before. Sure Caelum had witnessed many odd markings and a few uncommon shades, but never this red. And... were those tusks? She could only look on uncertainly, overcome by her incredulity.

He didn't know what the world might have in store for him today. Perhaps he might find someone new to spend the day with, or perhaps he'd simply be alone. A good hunt might be rejuvenating as well. The male was not particularly fond of sea-creatures, in terms of food, and he hoped he could avoid having to fish for dinner tonight..

His thoughts trailed off for a long while as he lapped greedily at the water. It was cool and refreshing, and he felt the chill move straight to his belly, sending a shiver up his spine.  When he was finished, he lifted his head and lapped at his jowls, his head tipping to the sky. Though the day was cool, the sun's rays spread over his face as he tilted it upward, and his tail would bat against the earth in pleasure. The day was not terribly windy, though surely it would get more so as he got closer to the sea, and it took some time for him to catch the scent of a stranger in the near distance. Across the river, actually.

A toothy grin lit up his face as his tusked skull angled toward her, lifting himself upright just slightly. It was difficult to tell what sort of expression she held, from such a distance; though her posture didn't look threatening nor did it look threatened.  Other than that, though, it was impossible to gauge if she was even interested in his company, but he wasn't afraid to figure it out. She seemed to be eyeing him, at the very least. "Hello!" he'd call out, in his deep voice, accented with a heavy northern accent. His tail would bat a bit more fiercely against the ground as he slowly pulled himself to all fours, wondering if she would be at all opposed to him crossing the river to speak more properly.

table by argent/neffs

The question of how she might communicate with this stranger from so far away eventually entered her mind after a good while of simply staring across the water at the tusked creature. She wasn't certain what the man might be thinking once he looked at her but she determined he did not appear to have an aggressive posture as he rose to his paws and called a greeting in a deep baritone that sort of slid across the water to her pricked ears. Her tail wagged slightly of it's own accord, betraying the desire she had to socialize, a desire she had previously been unaware of but now that she noticed it the feeling could not be ignored. Caelum was no solitary creature, even if her current habits seemed to suggest otherwise.

The river seemed to move in a slow, lazy manner which meant she could swim across, but still she couldn't decide if she really wanted to get wet today. Looking across the water she tried to decide if she could speak loud enough to be heard and was unable to come to a conclusion. She began pacing the banks of the river, paws sinking a bit in the mucky ground, while she tried to convince herself to make a move one way or the other.

The deciding factor in her decision on whether she should go to meet this strange man or simply leave was surprisingly nothing more than a memory. The old Caelum would have already been swimming, heaving herself onto shore in search of someone new to talk to and possibly befriend. She wouldn't have hesitated, would have greeted them in a bright and welcoming voice. In a desperate bid to get that version of herself she suddenly hurdled into the water, paddling her way to the opposite side, blue eyes filled with determination.

He was generally the first one to initiate conversation with others, something that he didn't really mind at all - he was intimidating at first glance and he was not ignorant to that fact. That was why he was so surprised when the stranger, who had seemed quite timid at first glance, began to approach him. The river was shallow, and he watched as she made the decision, her uncertainty written plainly on her pretty features as she sized up the body of water.

After a moment, though, she began to pad across it, walking turning into paddling for a short while as she made her way to solid ground. His grin widened, a pleasant expression that lit up his features as he nodded his head to her, recognizing that she did wish to talk, at the very least. "How's the water today?" he'd call out jovially, wondering if it was as chilly as he figured it might be. It was a cool autumn day, after all.

Not wanting to seem too rude, he'd let his tail sway behind him for a moment as she breached the side of the bank closest to him. "My name is Áki, by the way," the tusked man would offer, his head lifting as he got a better look at her.

table by argent/neffs

For a while as she was treading her way carefully across the water she began to second guess her decision. She quickly shook the thought from her mind though, not needing additional negativity in her mind, and soon enough was making her way across as quick as the water would allow. In places it was a bit deeper and forced her to swim more, leaving her fur soaking wet from her neck down. From the shore the man called out jokingly about how the water was and she couldn't help but smirk a bit, calling back, "I might turn into a block of ice at any moment!" in a playful manner. It wasn't really that bad though, Her fur happened to be keeping out a fair amount of the chill but it certainly wasn't warm. She probably wouldn't have chosen to swim if there hadn't been a reason to cross the river.

He introduced himself as she hauled her lithe frame from the water and stood for a moment, dripping everywhere and drenching the grass beneath her. Áki. That was a nice enough name, she thought with a warm smile in his direction. Shaking herself off as hard as she could, Caelum sent a cloud of water flying in all directions. It didn't help as much as she'd like, but it was a start. When she looked back toward Áki she realized she had shaken somewhat in his direction and looked absolutely petrified for a moment. She quickly hopped towards him, looking truly sorry for sending the water his way.

"Sorry! Oh, I didn't mean to do that, that was bad! Uhm, my name's Caelum by the way." Her blue eyes watched him with a sheepish sort of uncertainty. What a Wooonderful way to introduce herself. Honestly sometimes she just managed to embarrass herself to no end.

He smiled a bit wider at her obvious determination, his expression filled with genuine mirth. It was nice to know that others truly valued socializing as much as he did - while he was fiercely, stubbornly independent, he did enjoy the company of others. He preferred them on his own terms, though, unburdened by a sense of.. owing another something. He would not allow himself to ever feel that way. His tusk head bowed to the ground as he watched her emerge from the river, her coat soaking wet.

He laughed at her own joke, fairly certain that the water was not cold enough to pose a risk to her health, or he would've urged her to stop before wading in too deep. She'd be fine once she dried off, though getting to that point might leave her feeling a bit chilly. He didn't mind that she shook water onto him; in fact, it sent him into another bout of hearty laughter, his gaze leaving her briefly to fixate on the sky. "No worries," he'd shake off the apology quickly, his wide shoulders shrugging carelessly. "It's nice to meet you, Caelum," he offered gladly. "Do you call these lands your home?" Admittedly, it would be an odd place to live.. but perhaps she lived close enough to consider this home too.