his feet led him further from the coast with each step, his curiosity for the land blooming the moment he caught sight of the glowing bugs. they'd been nonexistent where he'd grown up, the environment not favoring the species. so it was almost a bit magical to see the lighting bugs dance through the evening breeze, their movements still slow and sluggish from their winter hibernation.

curious as to what light might taste like, he snapped at the air, jaws clamping shut on a few of the glowing bugs. unsurprisingly, they did not taste good and he almost immediately began to spit them back out. as fate would have it, amphitrite was only a short ways off and her movements naturally caught the sable ghoul's attention. "hey" he chirped as he jogged up to her, tail swaying happily behind him. "do i got bugs in my teeth?" he asked once close enough, lips peeling back to flash her a toothy smile.

"oh?" he asked with a tilt of his head. "maybe i'll go chew on some herbs" he thought aloud as he fell to his hindquarters. he knew next to nothing about plants, but figured anything that smelt good would do the trick to get his chompers minty fresh.

"been on anymore adventures?" he wondered as he pulled up an inky paw to begin grooming. "i have. climbed to the top of that mountain over there" he revealed with a motion of his head that pointed to silvertip's peak.

"i'll try not to" he answered with a wink, though took her advice seriously. his mother had dabbled in herbs and poisons and he knew vaguely of the dangers of their existence. but eh, he'd worry about not dying later.

"kinda?" he answered with a shrug. "it might have been a bit more fun if i hadn't been alone." the view was definitely worth the climb, but that didn't make the actual hiking itself any more enjoyable. "me too. so much to see and so little time to see it."

he smiled at her idea of them going on an adventure together, imagining her to be enjoyable company for long or short trips. "anywhere?" he asked while tipping his head skyward, wondering where his dream location might be. "i guess it would be an active volcano" he answered before parting his lips once more "there is supposed to be one in these wilds, or at least that's what i've heard."

rumors of the volcano here had been his reasoning for entering the teekons to begin with. "astaroth" he introduced officially, tail giving a friendly swish behind him as he practiced name in his head.

"of course", he answered to her question on whether she could join him. the more the merrier. "birds tell me it's by a glacier, but that is my only clue on it's location." winter made everything appear as if it were a glacier to him, and so he hoped with spring and snowmelt that finding the fuming mountain might be a bit easier.

"you may call me either" he let out in response to her favor of xiaochou. he did not mind the name she'd given him, and if called by it, he'd answer. as for her compliment - "i am?" he asked while looking himself over. he'd always thought himself painfully average, at least appearance wise. "you are much prettier than me though" he decided after a few quick glances between them.

"i'm not a fan of the cold either" he revealed, a summer baby through and through. "why don't we go searching when the flowers have bloomed?" he suggests with a tilt of his head, wondering if she was up for some spring exploring.

"i don't know" he teased, a toothy grin stretching it's way across his maw. "if i was a girl i might be prettier." he had full confidence that he'd totally rock being a chic, shaking them hips like shakira and shit.

it took him a moment to understand what she'd meant by the whole babies thing, but eventually the lightbulb went off and he let out a sudden "oh" at the realization. he had no intentions of having children this year and promptly decided that spring was in fact a poor season to travel.

"summer then?" he suggested instead, tail giving a flick as he thinks of a signal they could use to know when it was time to travel. "when the fawns are born?". assuming she was still going on her small adventures inland, it would be easy for both of them to tell when they should meet up.

"you can see me anytime you want" he let out, a low purr vibrating in his chest at her touch. their relationship was easy and without labels or expectations, both free to come and go as they please. he'd never placed a limit on her time with him, figuring she would seek him out whenever she sought fit.

he had missed her though, and found some comfort in her scent and touch just as he had before along the beach that night.