Bottom. Again.

To be doing this a second time felt strange. Before, he had followed Aphrodite's lead only because he had trusted her. Now, he had done the same, but it was Takiyok he followed. They were completely, entirely, absolutely different women. He had no interest in trying to forge romantic relationships with either. It was only that this trust was something he desired in his life, for things were hard enough without it.
Taikon was not fascinated with the group. He knew what was expected of him, and he knew that he would deliver exactly what he had promised to Wylla. The rest was an unknown. As the pale-coated prince strode about a clear part of the mountain, he found a young woman. She looked dog-like. She had a husky stare and an odd coat pattern that made him uncomfortable. He sighed.
Hey, said Taikon, attempting politeness. I'm Taikon, he said, bowing in the classical way he did, low and formal.

The odd wolf bowed. Like he did.
Taikon rose. One ear turned sideways. This had never happened before. Of all the people he had met on his travels, not one bowed in the way of the Farukan kingdom. His interest piqued, he nodded when she introduced herself. Same, he said calmly. She confused him with the combination of her strange appearance and familiar mannerisms. None of it made sense to him.
My friend Takiyok convinced me to come; I was at Whitebark Stream before. He explained it in the shortest form of the story he could tell. She didn't need to know the details; they would probably bore a stranger. And you? He tilted his head slightly, wondering where the strange one had come from.

Asra was greener than green. Right off the boat.
He supposed this was the most common story. She was merely a traveler, a young woman dispersing from her home of wherever land. Taikon was the odd one out. While he had never actually told anyone what had happened to him, he assumed that other people just left when the time came. He had done so as an exile.
I see, he answered. Taikon sat down, relaxing. The air was chilly on the mountain. He could smell moisture on the wind — a foretelling of snow. And after the next few seasons? He probed on purpose, wondering why she had only planned that far in advance. He was reminded a bit of Celnes, who had joined Whitebark with her siblings and then abruptly left after they had had their fill of the caches. He wondered where the elk-like woman was these days.

So she did want to stay longer. Perhaps permanently. Fate. Taikon drew in a deep breath. He didn't used to believe in fate. The more recent, continuously negative events in his life had started to convince him that he was indeed cursed, and it was fate that followed him. It was fate that made his friends leave him or die, and fate that broke his life apart whenever he felt remotely stable. He nodded.
Sure, I grew up on a mountain, so this is familiar I suppose, he said, although the mountain homes had truly nothing in common. It's nice not to have to scrounge for food quite as often, he continued, looking rather knowingly at her. Surely she was also enjoying the stability of hunting that came with pack life. If ever they were hungry and they didn't manage to catch anything in a day, there were almost always full caches available thanks to the pack's hunters.

The far north? He had known some from there. Takiyok, he assumed given her name, was likely originally from up there. Or else her parents were. Astra was no tundra wolf, though, for she spoke of trees where in the tundra there were none. He wondered what could possibly have brought her all the way down here. Dispersal was an interesting thing.
You'll get used to going up and down the mountain a lot — your muscles won't always be sore, I mean, he said, though he wasn't sure if she was feeling it yet. For Taikon, he was fit even though he had lost weight, but acclimating his body to the constant inclines was a different kind of workout. Do you have somewhere to stay yet? A dry place? He asked it in the hopes that she hadn't so that they might look for some suitable spots. The peak was a large territory. Many chose fox burrows and altered badger holes as good places to sleep, while Taikon often slept in the open until the rains came.

Asra was a pretty young thing. He figured she would have no trouble making friends and finding herself on the mountain, or whatever it was young wolves did. She hadn't yet figured out good sleeping quarters. Though Taikon by no means knew all of the areas of the mountain, he did have a couple of spots of his proverbial sleeve that might be helpful.
There are many small caverns closer to the treeline, but they are quite cold. Perhaps we can find you something closer to the rendezvous, something to your taste? He asked it while standing back up, watching her carefully. He wasn't sure if she'd rather do that sort of thing on her own, or if she might like some help getting to know the area better. Takiyok had done the pleasure of showing him around.
He placed himself in such a way that it was clear he was offering to help, gesturing with his stance toward the terrain. She deserved to have a good start, after all.

Born and bred eh? Taikon saw that Asra was a proud young woman. He nodded to the declaration, understanding that everyone had their preferences. The prince also preferred when the weather was cooler, although it was more bitter during his stints as a lone wolf due to a lower percentage of body fat.
You can be as selfish as you want; it's your place, he smiled cooly. His tail waved back and forth as he moved forward, watching her pace closely so as to match it. There's a trail that leads up the slopes this way, he explained, leading the way through the meadow and then to a forest. For a time, they moved quickly. They passed by little streams that flowed down the paths carved into the mountain slopes. A turkey was spooked and made a quick exit from tall grasses.
When they approached the sloping path that led up to the colder regions of Nova, Taikon's pace slowed. You bow the way my family bows. I've never met anyone that does that, he observed, glancing at her. They were from very different places. The Farukan Kingdom was a long way off from the far north she had spoken of. Clearly, the Tse family line had learned the move from somewhere else.

The ascension was slow up the pathway. It was not far up the caves; Taikon used the journey as a chance to get to know the emblazoned she-wolf better.
Asra spoke of her Court. The bowing now made more sense. Traditional courts were the type to follow such formalities. Technically, the Kingdom of Faruka also had a court, but it was not much of a subentity. His mother had put it in place in order to give certain members of nobility the guise that they were partially in charge of decision making. In reality, she was quick to oust anyone who did not act as a sycophant for her.
Ah, see, I was born in a Kingdom. Here, though, I am but dirt from the perspective of others, and so I bow, he explained. His wording started to slip into an older, noble way of speaking that he had long ago abandoned. This happened sometimes when he was reminded of his origins. Clearly, the two of them had more in common than he thought they had in the beginning. Taikon was not the type of person to open up easily to others, and so he left the rest of it unsaid as she had.
As they moved further up the path, a borderline violent gust of wind whipped past them. Taikon nearly lost his balance, forced to plant all four feet down hard on the ground to avoid being swept away. Instinctively, he placed himself between the wind direction and Asra, standing sideways to shield her.
When the wind passed, he let out a short, breathy laugh. Well, you wanted cold, he offered a lopsided grin.

Taikon didn't answer her comment. It was true that he was often harsh on himself, but it was also true that he did not have status anywhere in the Wilds. He had gladly traded in his princehood to become the prince of nothing here. It was a great bonus that he was able to be with his friend in a pack that neither of them was particularly thrilled about being in.
Easily, Asra located an entrance to what looked like a cave. Taikon wasn't even sure how many of these little areas were worn into the mountainside, but felt quite pleased that she had managed to find at least one to shelter them from the wind. He walked further toward the opening and stuck his head through the entry. It was quite dark, but the light entered in enough to see by once his eyes adjusted. There was enough room for both of them, so he entered and called for her. Roomy in here, he said, happy that they might have found something.
If this one wasn't good enough, he was happy to keep looking.

Bedding, right. This was a sensible thing for her. Because Taikon generally slept in the open, these weren't typically things he paid attention to. He noticed that women, and men who happened to live with women, were quite particular about the types of places they slept. Him, he was happy to sleep under a tree in a rainstorm, even if it meant he would be soaked to the bone and miserable in the morning.
Good idea, he followed, wondering if they might be able to catch some squirrels or other small prey that might act as good bedding once skinned. Taikon would have been pleased with dried leaves and other litter, but she was a Court lady. We can look for something suitable; I've got time, he said, eager to help more with whatever she might need. Any previous assumptions about her being lesser because of a dog-like appearance had been left behind. She seemed like a good person. Time would tell.