Duck Lake What's this, what's this?

Another night had passed, and Zoratto had yet again run away from the ambitious former khal. He, unlike Rhanno, enjoyed running about and tracking the creatures that were new in this "Rhaesh Thash". He saw many that interested him, many looking delectable, but harder to catch than bison. They were fast, especially the long-horned deer than bounded across the plains. The red-masked wolf chased after those the most, his gray-green eyes gleaming in the moon's light.

But his chase was without a prize in the end. He stopped, watching the deer run off into the night. His chest heaved quickly, the energy that had been building up after a day in Rhanno's presence dissipating. He looked around, getting a bearing for his surroundings. Close by, the young Dotharan saw the moon's reflection. A pond? Ponds were common in Rhaesh Dhaan, but this, this looked bigger. Intrigued, the young man walked towards the glittering pond, gaping in awe of how large it was.

It had been awhile since the Greek had visited the lake in which he'd played a game with an older wolf. She had been fun to be around, and he'd later learned she was apart of the pack he currently resided in, but he did not know where she'd gone. The woman had seemed content with her life when he'd met her, but things must not have been the same beneath as they were on the surface. He could not blame her for leaving, as everyone walked a different path in life, but she had been kind to him when he was still so new to the land. For that, he would be forever grateful, even if he was destined to never set his gaze upon her again. He wondered if the lake had changed at all since he'd last seen it, but did not dwell on those thoughts for long. Of course it would have changed, as things often did with the seasons, but it would still be the same lake, and would still hold the same ducks. Okay, well, maybe not the exact same ducks, but close enough. A mallard was a mallard, after all.

By the time Alastor had reached the lake, the moon and stars had claimed the sky. It seemed to give the area quite the appearance, though, one that he deemed beautiful. The moon's light bounced off the water and it's face showed within it's depths as well. If he looked close enough, maybe he would have even been able to see a star or two that were bright enough to show in the calm waters, but his gaze had been pulled from the pool of water before he could even think to do so. Instead, they came to rest upon the outline of another wolf, one of which presented him with an unknown scent when he'd sniffed the air. Cautiously, he approached, steps slow in case the other boy proved to be vicious. “It looks amazing, does it not?” he stated once within earshot, icy gaze looking to the pond for a moment. It took him a second, but the fact that he was not far from a stranger quickly registered in his mind again, and his eyes were brought back to the red-masked lupine. Curiosity shown through the Greek's face, as it did his posture, and it was directed at the unfamiliar wolf.

He strode forward cautiously, unsure of its depths. First his front paws entered the shallows, then his hind paws. The water lapped at his red legs as he walked in deeper and deeper, but the boy stopped when he heard words. Words that he could not understand. The young Dotharan turned his head, his gray-green eyes gleaming at the wolf. He snorted; so the thash rakhi did not speak his tongue. Great.

He turned his body fully, facing the other wolf squarely. Svabolrinov wer uoinota wux re yentair, si shilta ti kampiun wux, thash rakh. He grunted to him, knowing that the wolf wouldn't comprehend what he was saying as much as Zoratto would him.  

The boy's words seemed to catch hold of the stranger's attention, but the response he received had him confused. How he felt was probably the same way as others did when he spoke Greek and they could not understand. It was clear English was off the table, but maybe there was a chance they shared a common language. It was highly unlikely, but he still felt the need to try. Things could come as a surprise at times. “Μπορείς να μιλήσεις ελληνικά;” Alastor inquired, both curious and hopeful. He was unsure what he would do if they did not share a common tongue. There were other ways to conquer a language barrier, but he couldn't even place the language of the male, let alone whatever culture might come with it. He did not wish to offend him, but also couldn't help but stare at him with a look that showed his fascination with the masked wolf.

He took a few steps closer, making sure to not enter the water, and then sat. For a moment, he thought, before finally giving a dip of his head in greeting. It seemed like a common greeting among wolves, all cultures aside, leading Alastor to believe it was the best way to get his words across. Never had he needed to speak with body language alone, but it was better than sitting around completely lost and confused. The boy's head tilted slightly as he continued to look at the strange wolf, wondering where he came from, who he was, but having no way to ask.

Zoratto's ears pressed back as the wolf spoke in another tongue. Such a thing was unheard of to him; sure he knew slaves spoke multiple tongues, but those were slaves, they were expected to know Dotharan, but no one really cared what else they knew. It made the superstitious young man wary; was this a maegi? Had he just been cursed? Svabol rinov tija wux tepohada filki rechan acht ve, si charis wux dispell coi quickly, maegi. He hissed. Regardless of what tongue he spoke, surely this one knew how to read body language.

Instead, he grew closer, this maegi. He sat just before the water's edge, staring at him. And he nodded in greeting. Zoratto shifted his body to look more menacing, his eyes narrowed, distrustful. He gave a curt, unfeeling nod in return, and prayed to the Great Bison and the Great Stallion that he was not cursed by this warlock.

The boy was taken aback by the way the other held himself, and took note to the tone of his voice when he spoke in his strange tongue. Clearly they shared no common language, which was rather disappointing. Sure, they could show emotions with their bodies and tones, but neither would be able to understand what the other was trying to get across verbally. Alastor believed he must have done something to offend the other wolf by the way the words came out of his mouth, but he did not know the cause of him taking on such a tone. Never would he, either, most likely. “I apologize if I did something to make you feel vexed,” he voiced, despite the language barrier that kept them apart. The yearling even gave anther dip of his head, though one that was apologetic, rather than that of a greeting, this time. If words could not be shared, then he would have to work with what he could, even if it was not a very desirable situation.

Alastor didn't seem to catch on as the male's posture changed. He did not see a menacing creature, but one that was cautious and distrusting instead. The other turned out to be true, he noticed, but couldn't blame him. Not everyone was so quick to trust another, especially if the other was a stranger you couldn't even speak to. Wanting to come off as friendly, which he was, the argent Greek kept a smile secured across his maw as he looked to the boy in the water. Then he turned his head and gestured to the surrounding area, almost as if to ask if the strange-speaking being lived close by. His icy gaze then quickly found Zoratto's once more, holding it as he awaited to see if his question was understood, as well as an answer to it if it had been.

He didn't feel anything as the warlock grew closer. Instead, the man looked rather apologetic. It was strange. Was he sorry for casting a spell on him? Or did he dispel it? He merely blinked warily but curiously at the man. His eyes were very unnerving, being as pale blue as a robin's eggs, but cold. He nearly shivered at the sight again.

The foreign man swept his head around, gesturing to the general area. Zoratto tried to decipher what it could mean. Did he live here? Is that what it meant? If so, then the boy shook his head slowly, his eyes still transfixed on him.

HUGE apology, oh my god. ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃) I've left this thread sitting around for too long. @Zoratto

Soon after, the boy received an answer to his silent question, which brought a wave of delight over him. The answer itself was not what brought him joy, as it was disappointing, but expected, that the other lived elsewhere. He grew excited, however, over the fact that his inquiry had been understood. That he could speak to the other without opening his mouth, and comprehend any responses given. It was, truth be told, quite strange to him, as speaking without words had never been something he'd needed to do. His mother had made sure he knew English to avoid such situations, but it'd only just now dawned on him that not everyone knew it. Taking all those he'd met into consideration, it certainly seemed to be the most common tongue, but even the most common of things were not known by all. Unfortunate, really, but meeting the other boy had quickly taught Alastor that words were not always needed. As they say, actions speak louder than words, and he would make sure to put that saying to good use.

Giving a soft 'hm' to acknowledge he'd understood the other, the Greek then began thinking of a way to ask another question. As an idea settled in his mind, he looked to his paws and, using his tail, did his best to motion to himself. "Alastor," the boy stated, raising his gaze to meet Zoratto's as he finished. With his nose, he pointed to the lupine, then gave a gentle tilt of his head to try and ensure that his query would be easily deciphered. It was difficult, but he hoped it would be well worth it. Perhaps he could even gain the other's trust, and then he'd possess another friend within the odd land of Teekon.

This wolf made Zoratto feel equal parts afraid, curious and confused. He had to be a maegi, who else would speak in a strange demon's tongue so easily? Who else had such strange colored eyes? Dotharan pups never kept their blue eyes past their first weeks. The boy mistrusted him, and yet, he sounded so polite. Was it possible to have a benevolent maegi? Zoratto had never heard of such a thing.

The wolf gestured to himself and uttered a name. His name, no doubt. Alastor. Of course, it sounded strange; he was a thash rakh and a maegi to boot. When this Alastor gestured for Zoratto to return the favor, he was apprehensive. The maegi could use his own name against him in some sort of spell, he knew. Zoratto thought to himself for a bit, wondering if it would be a good idea to say his name. He relented, finally, knowing that he could kill the wolf if he dared utter a word in that demon's language. "Si mi Zoratto, maegi."

Edited an ending onto this.

The yearling awaited the other's answer, and was glad once a name was given. His ears perked up as it was uttered, finding the idea of saying it incorrectly due to hearing it improperly rather troublesome. It would be a rude thing to do, as well, and he did not want to give the younger a bad impression—especially when he already got the sense that the boy was far too tense with him. Knowing nothing of the younger's culture, or where he hailed from, brought him to draw the assumption that the difference in tongues was the only reasoning behind his inability to relax as the Greek had. That was, partially, the issue, as Alastor could have explained he was not a spell-casting lupine had they the capability of understanding one another, but that was not the entirety of it. Even if they'd been able to speak with words, there was no guarantee his innocence would be believed. The argent wolf did not know that, though, so his mind focused on the task of befriending the younger.

"Zoratto," he repeated slowly, feeling the need to try the strange name out. It rolled off his tongue much smoother than he'd been expecting it to, which he silently thanked himself over. He wanted to know what 'maegi' meant, that way he could better understand why the masked boy seemed to use it when addressing him. Alas, there was no way for him to ask with movements alone, nor was there probably a way for the other to explain in an understandable way. There was, however, a way for him to ask something he believed might be a good way to ease the other up some. The boy rose to his feet and then dropped his front half back to the ground, bowing in a playful fashion. Way back during his first visit to the lake, he'd been able to play a game with a woman older than himself, and the memory made him hope the male wouldn't be so quick to turn him down.

Before the other boy was given the chance to respond to the playful action, a sound caught hold of the elder's attention. He brought his front half back up and stood straight, turning his head and twisting his ears about in order to get a better grasp on what he was hearing. The sound seemed to fade away, however, and he was left with his muzzle pointed towards the sky. The passage of time dawned on him, then, making his eyes go wide for a moment. Quickly, he shook his head clear of any thoughts, then sent an apologetic smile towards the masked wolf. "I'm sorry," he voiced, giving a small bow of his head to show the meaning to his words. "I must go now." He needed to get to a certain place, and found that needing to do so didn't leave him with any time to play. He gave one last look to the other, his expression far more understandable than the words he'd spoken, then turned away. Taking his leave, he left the other by the lake, but couldn't help but think back to him and his strange language as he wandered away.