The volcano wasn't the safest or most intelligent place to explore, but it was warm despite the harsh bite of the wind, and Chaos was enjoying the sweat on his pawpads and the prickle of heat under his fur as he raced up the slope, bounding from rock to rock, the muscles rippling beneath his dark coat. Besides, it was kind of his little 'fuck you' to the pack that had claimed both it and his beloved mountain after the kids had been born. Made it satisfying in more ways than one. He came to a sudden halt though, stymied by the unexpected appearance of a crack in front of him that had the reddish glow that spoke of magma in its depths. Close one. Chaos grinned, not at all phased by the danger, and pivoted to sprint off in another direction to work his way closer to the sullen glow of the caldera.

This time disaster waited until he was leaping from one boulder to another, and as he leaped his hind legs slipped on the rock and he barely caught the second boulder with his forelegs and hit hard enough to click his teeth together with a jarring snap that sliced the side of his tongue and one of his lips. He was lucky he didn't slam his head into the boulder itself and snap off one or both of his fangs, but being who he was he just whooped as he scrabbled his hindlegs for grip enough to lever himself up onto the rock.

Standing there to catch his breath with head and tail high in spirited triumph, he felt blood dribble from the corners of his mouth, and it turned to a gush as the built up fluid ran out over his fangs and down his chin and throat when he lolled open his jaws in a grin. He just laughed and closed his mouth again, swallowing the blood that continued to run from the gashes, but otherwise unconcerned as he surveyed the slope for his next run.

Despite his personal vow to spend the entirety of winter in the north, Kai had diverged slightly from his plan. The godforsaken tusks that had been growing from his upper jaw had left him feeling miserable and achy, and he longed for the day when they would finish growing... which was hopefully soon, judging by the fact that they were quite nearly the size he remembered his father's being. The bitter cold, while normally quite invigorating to him, had become a bit of a nuisance with all his aches and pains and finding a temporary reprieve in a warmer territory was a welcome thought. With that in mind, he headed east, navigating over the treacherous mountain pass and toward Mount Volkan, a landmark he was rather familiar with. The warmth that seemed to emanate from the rocky terrain itself was calming, temporarily soothing his foul mood. It was an enjoyable contrast to the bitter wind that had kicked up around him, rustling his grey coat and causing a delightful shiver to crawl down his spine. The unpredictable rockiness of the volcano had always appealed to him, and now that Elias no long ruled over these lands Kai was pleased to explore them as they pleased. He climbed higher, his chest heaving from the relatively rapid ascent. Unlike Chaos, he wasn't leaping from boulder to boulder, though he wouldn't be opposed to the challenge - he was content for now to stand on solid ground, navigating over the safer expanses of rock and rubble. The mere thought of snagging one of his tusks on something made him wince to even think about. For now, he'd try to avoid tumbling down the mountainside. The scent of blood suddenly hit him as he moved, and he swiveled his head and sniffed hard at the air to try to decipher where it was coming from. It was difficult to track, mixed with the dank smell of sulfur and ash, but eventually he was confident he was heading toward it. It wasn't long before he saw the silhouette of a stranger in the distance, standing on a small precipice and gazing below him down the slope. Grinning at the possibility of a distraction, Kai picked up his pace and hurried to get a better view of the stranger, slightly higher than him on the volcano's side. "Greetings!" Kai called out, forcing a relatively cheery voice. The soreness in his face was irritating enough, he wasn't in the mood to start a conversation on a shitty note.

A hint of movement further down the slope drew his attention to another male moments before the male called up a cheery greeting. The male's eye-catching red markings was the first thing Chaos noticed, but as his gaze traveled over him in perusal he did a double-take. Were those tusks pressing their way out from under the male's upper lip. Chaos' already-welcoming half smile widened into a pleased grin - which he immediately had to exchange for a closed-mouth smile before he could drool blood everywhere, because that would be awkward, and he was careful to swallow what blood was still leaking from his abused tongue and lip - before he hopped down from his perch to land with a 'ta-da' flourish next to the other male. "Why, hello there, and how do you do this very fine day?" he exclaimed with a playful jocularity. And continuing with a tilt of his head and a grin, unrepentant of how rude it might have seemed to immediately bring up what in theory could have been considered a deformity, though how anyone could have considered those magnificent tushes that way was beyond him - "I can't help but notice we have a great deal in common."

Up close, the male's tusks were pretty impressive considering the sad lack of facial adornments most males had to live with. Chaos studied them with frank interest, curious to see the differences between them and the flat, serrated fangs that curved down from his own lips. He was, perhaps, a little closer than a lot of strangers would be comfortable with so hopefully the man didn't have a particularly large personal bubble, but it was very rare for him to meet anyone with features so unusual, and like with Artemis' rare coloring he found himself fascinated. "I'm Chaos," he introduced himself somewhat belatedly, flashing the man an apologetic grin at the lapse.

Kai didn't hesitate in closing the distance between them as well as he could, aiming to get a better view of the stranger. The most obvious feature of his was the two oversized teeth that extended from his upper jaw, reminiscent of a snake's fangs. Almost immediately his interest was completely captured, his grin curling into a slightly wider expression and his eyes widening with visible interest. He chuckled as the slightly larger male leapt down from his elevated position to land near him, greeting him far more jovially than he expected.  "I've been better, but I'm not one to complain," Kai commented conversationally, but the way he continued to grin was proof that he clearly wasn't doing too badly. His new company was definitely a welcome distraction, and certainly brightened his mood.  "Happy to see another friendly face in these parts, though. I was beginning to worry I might die of boredom today on my own up here. What about you?" Kai raised an eyebrow as he studied Chaos further, noting the blood that dribbled slightly down his fangs as he spoke up. The comment about their similarities earned a low chuckle. He hadn't spent time among many wolves since his tusks had made their grand appearance but he still wasn't quite sure what to make of others gawking at them. At least this stranger had a similar feature of his own, and he wasn't ogling them simply because he'd never seen anything like them before. Thankfully. Kai was torn between feeling annoyed and flattered at the attention they were earning him, but this time he settled on feeling quite pleased. His grin widened, lips parting lazily over his tusks as he twisted around to face Chaos a bit better. "I suppose we do, don't we? Can't say I've ever seen anyone quite like you before. Or me, rather, except my father." Perhaps unlike some of the wolves in these parts, he'd never viewed his father's tusks as anything extraordinary, since they were something passed down in his family for as far back as his father could remember. If at all uncomfortable with the way Chaos was leaning in and studying him, he didn't show it, instead returning the frank staring. His eyes roved over the stranger's saber-teeth over appreciatively. Though he'd been familiar with his father's tusks, these were quite different and interesting in their own right. "Name's Kai," he shot back gladly. "Chaos, huh? Tell me, how well does your name suit you?" He always wondered about the origin of names and he raised his brows again, his tone playful and a bit daring as he regarded Chaos curiously.

The male claimed to have been better, but as he continued to grin at Chaos he couldn't have been doing too badly, or perhaps he simply lived a charmed life full of wealth, women, and food. The tusked male examined the blood trickling along Chaos' chin, and Chaos grinned with blood-tinged fangs. "I make my own fun. Sometimes it gets a little bloody." Which sounded a little cooler than 'I slipped and fell jumping around on rocks like a puppy'.

He did preen a little when the other male seemed to be admiring him, saying that he'd never met anyone like them except his own father. Well, Chaos was rather unique, even among the many long-fanged wolves that had been cropping up lately. "Well," he said with clearly false modesty, "other wolves can't really help that they weren't born with features as sexy as these."

He inclined his head towards Kai. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you Kai. And my name?" He grinned wickedly. "Supposedly I was named after my grandfather Kaios but I think my mom might have had a touch of clairvoyance when she named me."

The other man's comment earned a wry grin. "The best things in life sometimes come with a little pain, no?" At least that was what Kai's father had always taught him, and it was a mantra he clung to firmly. And apparently this Chaos had a similar mindset, which he appreciated. "I've found that to be true more often than not." Except the truth was that Kai had lived a relatively easy life, though his penchant toward living on his own surely helped that. The sort of things he found difficult were the basics of survival, things that pack wolves often didn't have to worry about - like where he'd spend the night when the weather was poor, or where he'd find his next meal. But those things were inconsequential, in his eyes, and surely not what Chaos was talking about. His next comment earned a loud chuckle as he let his tongue snake out over his lips, running briefly against the back of one of his tusks where it protruded from his mouth. "Right? It's a shame, really," he commented, his voice brimming with amusement at the thought. "Perhaps it's a good thing most aren't. I'd be far more... distracted, if that was the case..." His voice trailed off somewhat suggestively as he cast Chaos a curious look, deciding that yes, it'd be far more difficult to keep his eyes to himself if every wolf he met was half as sexy as Chaos. Luckily for them both, his attention was fully on Chaos - for the moment, at least. "Perhaps," he mused thoughtfully. "Or perhaps you simply became what you thought you were destined to be," Kai offered noncommittally, shrugging his wide shoulders. The leaned toward the latter. His own name simply meant maybe in his family's native tongue, and he found that amusingly fitting. Deciding not to dwell on it for too long, he lumbered over to the very rock Chaos had been standing on and leapt onto it with one fluid motion, grunting as he landed. The way he bowed his head suggested he was up for a game of sorts, and he motioned for Chaos to join him there.

Chaos gave an appreciative snort of a laugh at Kai's words. "My mom raised me, so I suppose it was inevitable. She was less of a wolf and more of a force of nature. Capricious as the wind." He smiled fondly at the thought, though felt a pang as he wondered what he might have been if he had grown up like his older siblings had, safely in the bosom of the Inperialis stronghold. No, no, no sad thoughts were allowed to intrude on his holiday. "So," he said, scrambling up to another boulder and flipping onto his back to peer at Kai upside down. "Tusks run in your family do they? Must be nice. How do you lot ever get anything done with all the women throwing themselves at you?"

Despite Kai's thoughtful words, he didn't really believe anyone was destined to be anything except whatever they chose for themselves. Sure, wolves had certain underlying characteristics, brought forth by their parents as well as their general upbringing... but in the end, he understood that choices were what made each wolf who they were, and if this Chaos was half as fun as he seemed like he might be, it was much more a product of his own choices rather than merely a result of his name. But the thought was entertaining, anyway. "She certainly sounds like a fun parent to be raised by," he chuckled lightly. His father had been a bit more level-headed, not exactly unpredictable.. just free. Chaos was a bit older than him, he could tell, and he wondered if he still maintained a relationship with his mother... if she was even still alive. It'd been awhile since Kai had seen his father, and he too felt a hint of sorrow touch him as he reflected upon Aki, though the thought was fleeting and he decided against asking. Chaos was climbing onto a nearby boulder and rolling onto his back, stretching out his spine. Kai hunkered down onto the rock he'd claimed, watching his new acquaintance with a wide grin. "They do, as a matter of fact. My father had them, and supposedly to my grandfather too. Mine didn't come in until about a year ago. Quite a surprise," he chuckled loudly, remembering how painful the whole ordeal had been. It'd taken him a while to get used to them, but now they felt like a part of him he'd always had. "The men seem more interested than the women, I'll admit," he replied easily, finding himself laughing again.  "Though the reactions are mixed. I'd say I get as many wolves keeping their distance as I do.. ones throwing themselves at me," he repeated Chaos's phrasing with a cheeky grin.  "What about you? Your teeth must get you a fair bit of female attention?" He raised a brow, only faintly suggestively.. as if testing the waters a bit.