he had been spending much time in the herbalists' forest, lately. the plains were a constant reminder of duty, and he could not set foot in the maplewood without thinking of dawn. it was peaceful here, green and sweet-scented, and he found the relaxation he so often craved under the boughs of these trees. plus, it was within calling distance of morningside's territory--so if he was truly needed, he was a simple short howl away.

aditya usually had the place to himself, but today, he caught a glimpse of brown amidst the leaves, wandering through the woods. he took a deep breath, trying to separate their scent from the muddled aroma here. warily, he picked his way through the brush, giving a low, steady chuff to make sure they knew he was coming. he emerged into the clear, where they were, and blinked at them, golden eyes luminous in the dim light.

a female, unknown to him, both by face and by scent. he gave her a small smile. "out for a walk?" he asked casually, flicking an ear. "mind if i join you?" he wouldn't be able to be away from the plains for long, but perhaps there was a potential ally, in this woman.

she spoke in an accented tongue, and switched up to another language altogether, leaving him perplexed. it sounded familiar, like he had heard it before, but he couldn't be sure. still, he identified with all bilinguals, and shot her an even bigger smile, nodding (though not sure what he was nodding about). maybe she could even teach him some of her language.

"your name?" he asked, keeping his words as simple as possible. one thing that had helped him learn the common tongue was the plain speech of the wolves of the southern coast; superfluous words had always thrown him off. it came off, perhaps, as too business-like for his tastes, but once they got into a rhythm, the camaraderie would no doubt improve.

"aditya," he responded, bowing his head. "nice to meet you, catalina." pretty name; rolled off the tongue easily enough. like her language, it reminded him of somewhere, something, far in the past, but there was no concrete memory he could attach to it.

he pondered his next question, wondering how best to word it. in his language, you would say "aap kahaan se hain?" which differed greatly, in structure, from the common tongue. he pursed his lips, thinking, before speaking again, keeping it simple: "where are you from?" should she not grasp the meaning of that, he would try again.

mi inglés un poquito rattled in his head; he wanted to know what it meant. a place? a sentiment? a greeting?

now that definitely rang a bell. adi perked his ears, brows raised high as he stared at her. "uh, south?" he asked, pointing his muzzle toward the mountains and beyond in illustration. "mexico. . .that way?" he was almost certain he had heard of mexico, through acquaintances and their tales, and that it lie far south of his old home. she certainly had come a long way, then.

"where are--" he cut himself off, not wanting to overwhelm her with questions. face sheepish, he fell silent, giving her a shy smile. "sorry. south?" he prompted again, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"me, too," aditya answered, maw cracking wide in a grin. "i know of mexico. . .i think. hot? dry?" paradise, compared to the winters here. maybe one day he would visit the place. for now, duty tethered him to the taiga.

finally, curiosity got the best of him, and he asked: "'mi inglés un poquito.' kya matlab--sorry, meaning? what does it mean?" he stumbled a bit clumsily over her language, blinking apologetically at her. "sorry. i understand. this language is not my first, either." that was one thing they could bond over.