There were many wolves here. Too many. It wasn't often that Candle left the cave she shared with The Tribe, now that Zoug had brought her to it. She spent most of her time watching over S'ari, worrying endlessly.
But on occasion she felt the need to get away from it all. The sad, small state of their Tribe; the endless fear that S'ari would die, or worse, that she would suffer like this indefinitely. Forever. And there was nothing Candle could do, nothing!
So she left sometimes, when it felt as if her skull might explode from the sheer size of her fear and self-loathing. She explored the desert, took note of the changes. This one was the least welcome of them all.
Candle stayed at the outskirts of where the wolf-scent was most thick, bristling. She traced each scent trail she picked up, making mental note of all of them. Too many wolves, far too many. Of course, the ideal number was zero.
After tracing the salty scent to its source and discovering it was just an endless stretch of water, Talis promptly pivoted and made a beeline south. He put plenty of distance between himself and that place likely
infested with otters.
He wandered ceaselessly for many days after that, eventually finding himself back at the same place where he’d met that strange woman (
@Qiao). Talis walked up to the very same stream and snorted before dipping for a drink. Despite himself, he kind of hoped to catch sight of her.
After he took care of his thirst and began meandering through the scrub lining the trickling stream, he caught the scent of someone else. His heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t seen anyone in almost two weeks. And it had been much longer since he’d come across any of his kind.
She’d been the last.
Hello?
he called out, trotting toward where he thought the scent originated.
His pace slowed a little when her scent began mingling with wolves’. Cautiously, curiously, Talisman prowled forth until he finally caught sight of a small, dark figure ahead.
What Candle did not expect was to find another coyote here; an unfamiliar face, though she noted that the male was very pretty. She yipped her own cheerful greeting, spirits lifted by the sight of kin, and dashed over to greet him. Her tail waved merrily as she hopped around him, sniffing here and there at his pale furs and nosing him lightly.
Yes, this stranger was very pretty indeed! Candle slowed in her hyperactive greeting after a moment. She wondered if she might convince him to come home with her, to meet the other members of The Tribe.
She spotted him. Talisman froze, watching her carefully. For once, he wasn’t greeted with disdain, suspicion or both. Rather, she yipped as if overjoyed to see him, then raced closer. Disarmed by this, he remained braced where he stood, a little stiff and wary as she sniffed closer.
Her cold nose pressed against him a few times, making his heart pound a little with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Talis slowly relaxed as she evidently harnessed her frenetic energy and calmed, all without saying a word.
Hi,
he broke the silence, blush tail swaying tentatively. I’m Talisman.
Talisman. He was hesitant, so Candle moved back a little to give him some space. Ta - al - is - man,
She echoed him brightly, ears pulled forward. The priestess has never heard a name like that. Candle.
She cast a glance in the direction of the ravine, then looked back to Talisman. You - Tribe?
Not for the first time, Candle was frustrated by the difficulty of speech. Her invitation was not as clear as she might have liked. But there were no scents of others woven into his coat, and so she hoped that he would find value in her offer of a home. Companionship. She hoped, too, that S'ari and Zoug would be pleased to see she'd found another of their kind!
She sounded out his name, breaking it into too many syllables. Talisman smiled, his tail beginning to wag properly when she gave her own name in turn. This was his first friendly encounter in… he wasn’t sure how long.
Her question made his brow furrow before he shook his head, replying, No, I’m not part of a tribe. I’m a loner, a nomad,
he explained. You can call me Talis, by the way.
He couldn’t deny that he often yearned for fellowship. Talis had never been part of a pack, tribe or any kind of settlement. But sometimes he wondered if it might be nice to have a traveling companion.
Talisman confirmed her suspicion that he did not yet belong to any group, but Candle was a little disheartened by the misunderstanding. Still — he was very kind, seeming to notice her difficulties with his name and offering a shorter alternative. The priestess resolved to try again.
Talis,
She echoed him a second time. You - c-co - ome Tribe?
Candle gestured in the direction of the ravine. Others.
She glanced nervously behind them, toward where the wolves were gathering, before her eyes turned back to him. It was not safe to be a coyote alone when wolves lurked about.
She spoke in fractured sentences, though Talis thought he understood. She gestured toward a nearby ravine, saying,
“Others.” She wanted him to come meet this tribe.
Other coyotes?
he guessed, licking his lips. He was intrigued.
Sure, I can come check it out.
He wondered if
she (
@Qiao) lived among them. He might’ve asked, only he’d never gotten her name. In any case, that would make for an interesting reunion, wouldn’t it? He’d called her bluff simply by not dying.
It might be fun to just rub that in her face, though truth be told, Talis wasn’t very interested in that. Instead, he sort of wanted to further their discussion about errand boys, seeing as he wasn’t dead…
Finally he understood, and he agreed to meet The Tribe! Candle expressed her joy in another series of high yips, and turned to lead him to the ravine with a beckoning gesture. She was more than happy to leave these wolves behind, though she knew she would have to warn Zoug and Ko'a.
Her thoughts drifted briefly to the future, the children which would soon come to The Tribe. Her children. Zoug's children. They would need to be careful if they were to keep them safe. Candle cast another bright glance back at Talisman to make sure that he was following her. There was safety in numbers, and this new addition would surely help.
Giddily, Candle darted ahead. Talisman couldn’t help but think of Winston. He huffed a soft laugh and trotted after her. When she glanced backward, he shot her a little smile, oblivious to her innermost thoughts and intentions… as well as the incredible distance to their destination.