Kione was slowly getting used to being alone.  He didn’t like it but, he was getting used to it.  The African wild dog with an array of white, black, and orange across his coat planned to travel the length of the land in search of more of his species.  The closest he had come to so far was wolves which were interesting in their own way.  Other than the occasional meet up he had spent most of his time alone.  Day by day he had put more interest in the world about him.  Oh, he hated the current state of things, it was this cursed existence that had cost him everything.  Still, he could imagine what new settings would look like if they saw the light of day and the strange fauna and crystals were gone.

This new place he had found himself was completely different from anywhere else he’d traveled so far.  The cliff was steep, and numerous caves were pocketed away but weren’t always noticeable until you got close.  For all Kione did not have, the wild dog did have plenty of time.  So he moved among the slopes at a relaxed pace, snooping about into the various crevices and caves he found.  In the daylight, he might have run across the slopes without much care but in this odd sort of night with faded light from the surrounding fauna, bugs,  and moon the shadows were a concern.  He imagined shadows lying to him about where to put his feet and kept mostly to a walk, at his more daring moments on safer-looking spots he might pick up to a trot.

"Speech"

The Bent Canyon was a dangerous place to be in alone on a good day. The ledges of the rocky cliffs were crumbly and unstable at best, there were frequent landslides, and if you were here alone, a sprain or broken leg could mean the end of your life. In the shrouding darkness of the Long Night, that danger was amplified tenfold. Yet here she was, the fiery-coated vixen of a wolf wandering through the canyon alone in the darkness of the night, with only the silvery moon and the aurora belts overhead to illuminate the world for her. Syanna had since recovered from her mushroom infection, but there were still so many in the Hallows suffering from the unknown affliction. She and Gwynevere had run through all the medicines and treatments they could think of to save their pack mates, and though fortunately there had been no casualties yet, Syanna wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

One of the biggest complaints of the afflicted was their inability to get comfortable or sleep. The canyon itself played host to lavender, which was Syanna's goal for the day. With it, she could defuse an oil to hopefully help her sick friends find comfort and rest. But it was proving hard to find, given there hadn't been much sunlight for the plants to flourish in. Scowling to herself, Syanna wandered further through the canyon, being careful to watch her step on the craggy, arid ground. She refused to have survived a mystery disease only to get taken out by a twisted ankle. She looked around the high canyon walls rising up around her out of the dark. This would not be a forgiving place to get crippled in.

The sound of claws clicking on hard stone just up ahead caught her attention and raised her guard. Someone else was here with her... Moving slowly to remain quiet, Syanna strained her ears and eyes to try and pick up where the noise was coming from. Thanks to the canyon walls creating an echo, it almost seemed to be coming from all around her. But as Syanna rounded a bend, she spotted a strange creature emerging from one of the caves. It looked canid in shape, but had these oddly long legs, rounded ears, and a bright splotchy coat. It definitely wasn't a wolf of any kind, that much she could tell. But was it friendly? Only one way to find out. Stepping over some rocks jutting up from the ground, Syanna sauntered closer, still on the lookout for her lavender all the while. "Good day," she called to the creature. "Er... or is it good night?" It was impossible to tell the real time of day anymore.

"Syanna"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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Those overly large ears twitched in the direction of the shifting rocks and then the voice.  It was a wolf, one with a coat resembling a fox.  Her voice had a pleasant sound to it and she lacked the bulkiness of some of the wolves he’d caught sight of.  Kione trotted over closer, ever the friendly fellow.  He was light on his feet, back feet seemingly skipping as a clump of rock gave out on him. “Hello lass,” the painted dog responded in kind, “Not really sure day or night matters anymore. Perhaps a new word will be invented should this devilish night never end.” Nor was it all that good lately but, he could ignore that technicality.

The place did seem good for setting up homes in one sense, it did have spots to hole up but they didn’t smell particularly strong of wolves, at least not any of the cave pockets he’d checked so far.  On top of that was it a spot you really wanted for your home?  Sure, there were spots to hang out in but the surrounding terrain wasn’t ideal, at least to Kione’s way of thought.  That could be debated with the water below.

Kione had come here to explore and on what seemed an eternal search for his own kind.  What brought this one wolf here?  Was it just one?  Kione didn’t smell or hear any others wolves at least.  The top of the cliff could hide others though unless they were to show up on the edge.  “Names Kione,” he offered the name out equally as curious to see how friendly this wolf truly was, would she be freely offering her name in return.  


"Speech"

The bizarre canid came trotting closer with a few hops and skips of his long back legs over the uneven terrain, and the closer he came, the more Syanna began to realize that she actually had no idea what the hell she was looking at. The creature had the face of a dog, but overly large and rounded ears that looked like nothing she'd ever seen before, and a striking coat of flaxen gold, onyx black, and snowy white. Camouflaged, he was not down in this canyon—although she supposed neither was she. Orange didn't exactly blend in anywhere. He spoke with a strange foreign accent, but seemed chipper and friendly enough. He greeted her, made some small banter about the exact terminology used in her greeting, then introduced himself as Kione.

Syanna gave a humming chuckle and cast a half smile to her new acquaintance. "Syanna," she introduced herself in turn, giving him a polite dip of her muzzle. "Sorry if I'm being direct, but I have to know—what are you? I've never seen a wolf like you before in my travels." Syanna leaned in closer and took. tentative sniff of the male. He definitely didn't smell like a wolf, nor did he smell like any sort of group or pack either. "So what brings you around a dark canyon anyway, Kione?" She gestured broadly around to the craggy, arid crevasse they found themselves in. Was he planning on claiming one of these many caves for his home? Not many lived out this way, so it would be private, if nothing else.

"Syanna"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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What was he huh?  Kione grinned as if he’d been holding back some juicy secret but gave way, “Well, we’ve had a few different names tossed around for my kind.  I guess that’s what you get when you look as fancy as this, hm?”  Humble, he was not.  “I think my favorite would be ‘painted dog’, it’s pretty fitting don’t you think?” Kione looked over her coat that, while colorful, lacked the abstract patterns on his own thinner coat.  

Kione followed her gesture around the strange environment.  Perhaps not strange so much as just an odd sort of place to choose to roam?  Admittedly, it still seemed far from ideal.  “Well, I haven’t been here before so that seemed a good reason,” a seconds pause before thinking further information might be in order, “I’m looking for more like me.  You see, I had a large family and well, I don’t know.  So, I was hoping to find another pack.  I haven’t had much luck though.” No point in asking her if she’d seen any of his own considering she had to ask what he was. “maybe tomorrow, eh?”

Kione tilted his head up a little, catching a breeze that was blowing the scent of the water and more information of what animals were about.  Mostly the scent of boring things such as lizards, mice and a hint of something that he’d guess to be a type of goat maybe?  What else would want to travel on this? Regardless, mostly he just liked the feel of the wind along the jaw and under his muzzle.


"Speech"

Kione grinned and began to explain that his kind had many names. That intrigued Syanna; she'd never heard of a species having multiple monikers before. So he was a painted dog, huh? That would certainly explain the abstract markings across his bold coat. "I'd be inclined to agree, painted does seem to describe you pretty aptly," she remarked with a smile of her own. Kione continued on to explain why he was wandering about this barren area. So he was looking for more of his kind? Well, Syanna wished him luck with his quest. He was the first sort of creature she'd ever seen like him. He had his work cut out for him.

"Maybe tomorrow indeed," she agreed with him. He was a friendly sort of guy—cocky for sure, but friendly, and he had a rich, smooth accent to boot. Were she not a taken woman, she might have given this handsome devil a chance to sweep her off her paws. What a shame. A glimpse of purple from beyond Kione's bold colors caught her attention, and with a gasp of delight, she slipped by him to rush up to the lavender bush. This was exactly what she'd needed to find! Now she could hopefully bring some comfort to the afflicted back in the Hallows.

Syanna harvested a few large sprigs of the floral plant, stashing them away in her herb satchel before turning back to Kione. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Kione. Take care of yourself out here, okay? Oh, and if you ever find your way out to western Auster, swing by the Hallows some time. They're a friendly pack that can give you a place to crash while you search for your family." Bidding her new friend a goodbye, Syanna began the long walk back home, following her footsteps to try and navigate the uneven terrain back out of the canyon and into more hospitable lands.

"Syanna"

As her mate, Ezra may enter her threads not marked as Private.
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