mating season was driving him mad.

he had assured dawn he was not upset with her at the prospect of no pups this spring--and he wasn't, not at all. he couldn't be upset with himself, either. he knew that waiting a year would be fine, that if he had survived this long without issue, then it would be fine.

but the women were beginning to go into heat--all save dawn and pema--and it crawled under his pelt like a roving insect, one he couldn't reach. aditya was not like engel--his lips drew into a snarl at the very thought of the man--he needed no guard, but to be surrounded by fertility was an aggravation almost too much to bear.

he found himself taking his border patrols wider and wider, often straying into the neutral ground between the plateau and silvertip mountain. morningside did not claim this land, true, but he liked to keep a careful eye on it, anyway. the ravensblood wolves had been quiet, and the war to the south seemed contained to that area. all was well here, for now.

so why was he so angry? today, he paced in the shadow of silvertip, tail lashing. he had gone out hoping to fetch small game for the caches, but his thoughts of sex and pups overwhelmed all other senses. giving it up with a curse, he tried praying instead.

hariji, give me strength, he thought. so that i may stay true, and steady, and not bear a grudge against any man or woman for things beyond our control. the words calmed him, slightly, and he repeated them again and again, holding them close to his heart.

just as he was beginning to let go of this angst, who but a pretty girl should stumble his way?

aditya resisted an exasperated snort as the sleek dark-pelted she-wolf approached, giving him a timid greeting. his better nature won out after a few seconds of internal conflict, and he smiled gently at her, giving his tail a few shakes in greeting.

"hello," he echoed. one side of his smile lifted wryly as he caught the smell of ravensblood forest on her, or at least that of one of the woods' inhabitants. "are you one of the neighbors?" aditya asked, one ear canting curiously. "i haven't met anyone from the bleeding forest, yet."

they weren't enemies, per se, but they were a little too close for his comfort. nevertheless, the wolves of those woods did keep to themselves; it was remarkable aditya was just now coming across one, with as much as he scouted.

"ah," he responded idly, absorbing the information with a little disappointment, though not directed at her. he had been given the opportunity to meet wolves from almost every pack in the valley, but the members of ravensblood were still--and would remain so, for the time being--unknown to him.

he nodded at her question, dipping his muzzle to the east. "at the base of the mountains, over that way," aditya informed her, eyes wandering back to meet hers. "i'm just out for a little day trip."

he tilted his head, surveying her with interest. "just passing through, then?" he felt a slight itch to just up and leave; the girl was beautiful and coy and testing his patience. she reminded him of the moonspear girl, and even she had given him something to work with, spilling useful intel.

at her mention of the coast and the subsequent trail of her gaze toward the sea, aditya smiled warmly--and genuinely, this time--and nodded. "i grew up by the sea," he murmured, and inhaled deeply, as if he could smell the salt and seaweed from here. as if on cue, a seabird flew overhead, squawking down at them on its way to the ocean.

heartened at finding a fellow shore-dweller, aditya gave a bow of his head at her introduction, deciding to give his true identity. he went back and forth with using his own name or that of his uncle's, but he felt as if he could trust this woman. "aditya," he responded, wagging his tail once.

he noticed she gave a last name, something he had gone most of his life without. true, he had inherited the morningside name with his marriage to dawn--but he preferred the anonymity of just a first name, nothing tying him to a particular family or place. when the occasion merited it, he would give his full name--but for now, he was aditya. sirf aditya.

"are you from the sea originally, or have you taken to it?" adi asked, one ear canting in intrigued inquiry. he loved hearing the stories of those who fell in love with the coast; it did his heart good to know that the bosom of the sea, like a mother to him, had welcomed so many others into embrace.