Yao grinned. His teeth stung with the crispness of the air, but he relished the pain rather than shrink away. This was new, different. His home, far south from here, never grew as cold as here, never got this much snow. He was no stranger to the strange precipitation, but it was just that to him — strange. Stranger still was that, this late into spring, it still fell on the ground. Was this just how it was in the north? How long would the snows remain, until the sixth moon? Part of him was delighted at the thought and it was this part that took hold of him as he entered the woods. 

He bounded through the snow like a pup, running in bursts of speed only to skid to a halt. He enjoyed the feeling of the snow building up against his fur, and when he turned with a flourish, the feeling of the snow flying from him. He weaved through the trees, yipping in delight, embracing the childish part of himself that never got much time to flourish. His quest (duty, goal, whatever) could wait just a few moments, couldn't it?

Yao did not fathom the idea of another being nearby. In his childish bliss he focused only on himself and his enjoyment as he frolicked through the snow. It was no surprise then that he was caught completely off guard when a cascade of snow fell upon him. Buried under a thin layer of snow, he panicked for a moment as he realized that someone, or something, could be near him and he had no idea until they made their presence known (though snow often fell from tree branches on their own accord, this fact did not come to mind). He pushed his way through the snow layer and shook himself as best he could. His eyes darted around until they settled on the lupine form sitting by the tree grinning at him. You! Yao barked, all sense of fun drained away.

The anger bubbling inside of his chest could not help but cool down ha! in the face of the woman's exaggerated accent. What? He barked, the words a mix of outrage and mirth. He'd never heard such a dialect before. He shook himself to remove the aforementioned snow from his body, stinging at her words. I was until you dropped snow on me! Yao bared his teeth in a grimace that was not entirely friendly or threatening. Is that how you greet strangers, eh?

It was weird, He wrinkled his nose in amusement. His guard was definitely lowered now. I've never heard anything like it. Where's it from? It sounded pretentious and vapid. Was it a character rather than just an accent? He was honestly intrigued. He had to learn it and bring it back home one day. Glad to hear this isn't a common thing. I'd pity every other person you pull this on. He felt snow melting and running down to his ear. His ear twitched and he shook his head. Oh, I'm fine.

Yeah, I'm gonna take it Yao attempted the accent, failing spectacularly. It was too open, with things emphasized that he had slurred in his normal accent and vowels pronounced differently. He wrinkled his nose. You need to give me more examples,

Yao obliged without a word, charging forward with his paws together, sweeping a mass of snow in front of him and then onto her. He laughed, trying the accent again. Now we're even.

Caught up in her laughter, the dark woman didn't notice the wave of snow heading towards her until it was too late. Yao laughed, harder than before, at her look of surprise when the muddy snow finally hit her. Haoniyao, he managed to say between the ebbing bursts of laughter. You promise?

Yao took her at her word, nodding. I'll call you Lenny if you call me Yao, he conceded. I suppose, Yao hadn't considered putting in his lot with one group for very long. For all intents and purposes, he had struck out as a wandered, but he chafed under the life of a lone wolf. He was too gregarious for it, too used to living in close quarters with his family and friends. Are you offering?

I'm going to hold you to it, so don't forget. She winked at him, an impish gesture that Yao hadn't been on the receiving end before. He felt a tingle run through his body, thinking very little of it in the moment. Sawa. He stood up straight and shook himself. Lead the way,