The scent of sulfur burned his hypersensitive nose, it completely blocked his senses and drew water to his eyes. The lengthy creature blinked pack the water and sneezed roughly, sending a nostril full of soot and ash spiraling into the air. He normally saw beauty in most places but here, he could see only the death and destruction of life. It saddened him, made him wish to bring some kind of life back to this place. He wished his awesome dance moves would be enough to do that... but alas! he had no powers when it came to such miracles! This island had him bewitched, over run by creatures who deemed themselves wolves, predators, but not barbarically so, at least not the ones he had chanced upon! They intrigued him! Piqued his curiosity, those he had met seemed like well enough souls, good company if he should be so bold! His tongue escaped his mouth, coiling around his snout to cleanse it of soot and debris. Vaguely he could taste the scent of termites on the wind and instinctively he perked up, head careening in the direction of his meal to be, it was far a good ten miles, but he would know that scent anywhere, if he got a bit closer he knew he would be able to hear them scampering in the trees. The creature grinned... to the best of his limited ability, his long seven foot long frame shifted, and he turned, lumbering off in the direction of that delectable scent. Speech,

The smell was a curios one. Irin felt her nose twitching and she sneezed delicately as she picked up on the scent. It was foreign, distinctly alien, and she had smelled nothing like it in her extensive wanderings. Curiosity danced in Irin's mind and she broke into a lope, dainty white paws carrying her across the ground swiftly. As she moved, her mind spun a story; this creature would be naked, entirely furless, with stubby legs, judging by the amount of footprints, and hmm, maybe an equally short tail. Maybe it was a cursed wolf from the deserts, twisted by strange magic that had been forced upon it by the shamans of its desert pack.

When Irin first caught sight of the creature, she stopped dead in her tracks, head tilting and blue eyes widening as she examined it. "What are you?" She blurted the question out before she had time to think it through, her blue eyes widening as she examined the creature. Whatever it was, it was indeed very . . . ah, interesting looking. Irin kind of liked it actually. The long muzzle stretched out and extended, and the long torso like a snake's were all very interesting. Cool! The female thought to herself, head tilting as she examined the creature.

Except crap. It was really rude for her to have opened the conversation like that. Irin looked guilty, ducking her head slightly, "My name is Irin. What's yours?" Okay, there, polite. And still satisfying some of her curiosity. This creature was such a strange looking thing. She wondered where it came from! Somewhere with lots of sand, maybe? Maybe the creature lived on beaches, feasting upon barnacles.

He moved slowly, he was in no rush to get anywhere, and it wasn't like the termites had anywhere else to be besides buried within the bark of the tree! He chuckled at his own rhyme! A poet without ever being awares! He enjoyed all aspects of life, all walks, and he danced to the beat of his own tune! Of course, not right now, he saved his dances for the places of beauty and glamor, usually the trees and the rivers were the only ones to witness his dances, but he made exceptions every once in awhile. Just not in places like this, the ash was already staining his pelt, that would take days to come out! Ah! More swimming for him! Another sound, this one much louder than the scurrying of insects shattered his thoughts, a constant drumming, a dull patter of pads upon the earth! Such a drumbeat! It made him almost wish to dance! But no... not now... sadly he repressed the urge! His bodice swung around, front paws curled inward, his claws resting against his forearm as he turned to face this soul. He called her, the feminine scent confirmed, a soul because it seemed a much more beautiful word than creature and as she came to a halt before him she mimicked the exact question the only other wolf he had ever met had blurted. What are you? A smile pulled at his small mouth and he bobbed his elongated cranium, a soft chuckle rumbling up through his vocals. ?Ah M'belle! My name is Anubis and I am ever so cleverly named an Anteater.? being the gentleman that he was he swept his paws beneath him, offering her a humble bow, before he straightened once more. ?It tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance Irin! Might I inquire what a beauty like yourself is doing in a place so dismal?? His tones were open and friendly, gentle and kind. She was a predator and he was technically prey after all, it wasn't like she had anything true to fear, but common courtesy never hurt anyone and Anubis wasn't in the business of making enemies. Speech,

His voice was distinctly masculine, and had a very interesting lilt to it. Irin had to admit that she liked it, that she enjoyed the stranger's accent. He bowed, and, startled, Irin returned the gesture with a slight wag of her tail, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Anubis!" Irin spoke genuinely, tail beginning to pick up pace behind her. This strange looking fellow had allowed her imagination to take off, racing down as many pathways as she could dream up. Though she liked the thought of Anubis living on a beach. Except there weren't that many ants on beaches. But maybe that was why he was here! Maybe he was looking for a meal! Which would mean she was interrupting.

Oops. "I'm just exploring." Irin spoke thoughtfully, though most of her thoughts were focused on his dinner, "I hope I haven't disrupted your search for dinner or anything." Irin flicked her ears, ducking her head slightly as she examined Anubis thoughtfully. He didn't look like he was starving, but what did a starving ant eater look like? She didn't even properly know what an ant eater was, other than an Anubis. If all Anubises were anteaters, were all ant eaters Anubises?

Now she was just confusing herself. Irin blinked, shaking her head slightly, "What do ants taste like?" Another question from the curios wolf, though it was slightly more polite than the 'what are you?' that she had blurted out when he made his first appearance.

A gentleman he was always, he saw no sense in being anything less, he had met a great deal of creatures in his travels, some small, some massive, some as oddly designed as himself, but never did he greet any such soul with anything other than respect. He realized when it came to the hypothetical food chain, he was fairly low on the food chain and even if it wasn't in his nature, he would be wise to show a little kindness. At her encouraging response to his soft greeting he bobbed his elongated cranium, attempting to smile, his massively bushy tail, sweeping back and forth. ?The pleasure is all mine m'belle!? ?Exploring are we? Why I ask why in such a dismal place? You should be reclining in gardens of soft lilacs, oleander, and perhaps even a few poppies! Not in this place of ash, although... you do bring quite a light to these tired eyes.? He chuckled softly, complementing her with a teasing twinkle in the depths of his eyes, at her fast apology, he shook his head, genuine laughter spilled from his mouth. ?M'dear Irin! Where there is dirt and trees, there are ants and termites, I can feast anytime! What I can't do is talk to such an exotic creature like yourself, your presence is entirely welcome.? His lyrics were smooth and deep but always open and friendly. ?Ants taste sweet, like a sprig of honeysuckle. Antsolutely delicious!? He smiled at his own play on words. ?By the look of those pearly whites, you are a carnivore no? What does meat taste like?? His question was inquiring, curious. Speech,