Duskfire Glacier uncharted territory is a good place to be in.

In a rare bout of independence Arius finds himself alone, outside the den, while the sun beams hotly down upon him. There isn't some epiphany to accompany this moment. He doesn't even wonder where his siblings are; he can hear some of them within the shared space with the other families, snoring or playing, and doesn't think to include them at all. 

Arius had been adventuring with his mother Tzila earlier in the week and felt a great deal more confident about wandering around now, so, when something-or-other caught his attention outside, he was more than ready to plunge in to the daylight for it. When he stopped for his first break (maybe ten minutes after his eruption from the den) he plopped himself down in a patch of grass that smelled funky and proceeded to roll shoulder-first against the dirt.

The smells gathered across his plush baby coat. He didn't realize it yet but the funny smell was also turning his pale coat a strange shade of yellow, because someone had very recently taken a long piss there. Innocent of such behaviors, Arius rolled and rolled until he was as golden as yellow snow; it was tiring, so a nap would soon be in order unless something more dynamic were to happen.

She wasn't sure how to get in the parents' good graces in order to get closer to the pups and try coaching them. Unlike back at the caldera, they didn't know her at all and she would have to prove her merit and trustworthiness. Not only didn't she know how to accomplish this or how long it might take (possibly ages), the whole idea made her feel a strange mixture of guilty and homesick. Meerkat wouldn't even have to worry about any of this back at the caldera.

But as much as she missed her family, that was the entire point. She needed to experience life apart from the Redhawks and the drama that followed them everywhere. Meerkat needed peace and rest. She also just wanted the opportunity to carve out a name for herself, where hers didn't precede her. She reminded herself of these things as she threaded through the territory, seeking some sort of clue to help her win over these strangers.

She paused in a slanting beam of sunlight to sniff the air. She wasn't a hunter by trade, though of course she was capable. Perhaps the gift of a fresh kill might be a good place to start. Meerkat began to lower her head to sniff the ground, only to freeze when she heard something rustling around in the near distance. She also thought she heard voices, though maybe that was only the wind.

The urine absorbed quickly in to the root of his fur. It had been relatively fresh where it had puddled but now it dried to the warmth of his skin and the heat of summer sun upon him. Now that he carried the weird smell with himself, Arius wondered if he could find anything else to collect - or maybe he should return to the den; but his thoughts were fleeting things with no beginning or proper end. 

He was held together by his imagination, which itself was poorly formed at this stage of his life. As he wormed around in the dirt there came a new smell, vaguely familiar in the way that all Duskfire wolves were familiar (for carrying Wintersbane's mark upon them). It wasn't a smell he could follow with his nose down in the dirt, but that was the only way he'd managed to find anything so far, and so he continued with that style of tracking. Besides, anytime Arius had witnessed the adults doing their patrols, they often stooped low like this.

As he emerged from the foliage to cross the path that Meerkat was on, Arius' attention didn't shift. He didn't see her and didn't know to look up. His steps were high and emphatic, as he tried to keep from tripping on roots or debris, or anything like that. It all made for a curious sight - as if he belonged in the Ministry of Silly Walks.

The noise died down before Meerkat could properly ascertain it, though now she heard what she thought might be footsteps coming this way. They didn't sound quite right, though. They were light, with a strange shuffle. She took a few steps forward herself, angling her body toward the source of the sound and waiting as it came closer.

A pale pup emerged into view. The first thing she noticed—after the peculiar gait, of course—was those eyes. They were rimmed by darker fur, sort of like her own. The contrast of blue on black was so striking. Next, she saw his fur. He looked a little disheveled and there was yellow streaking through his pale, hoary pelt.

Then the smell hit her. Meerkat wrinkled her nose and laughed, saying, "Hey there, stinky." Her tone was fond, playful. "I'm Meerkat. What's your name?" And why was he here by himself? Where were his parents? Her honey eyes darted around momentarily before resting back on his babyish face.

Oh? What's this he's found? Someone tall and big like the other adults, but not as big as mother, and certainly not like his busy-body of a father. Arius can make out where their shape starts and ends because of the aureate glow of their coat, which to his still-adapting eyes looks more like a smudge of gold against the washed out blues of everything else. One might not expect the light to be different around a glacier versus anywhere else, but on some days the space held a gloomy blue affect, which for now made Meerkat stand out starkly.

Arius was not afraid. He'd never had any reason to be nervous of the various adults who minded the various clutches of children, so the sight of this one did not phase him. They spoke to him openly and without any baby-talk. As he approached them his silly walk became a bit more streamlined and direct, meanwhile he babbled in an effort to be friendly, as he had been taught by mother Tzila; he did not understand all that was said until Meerkat asked for a name, at which point he sucked in a breath and trumpeted at her: AWEES!

Was she a trespasser like the big dark man? Arius marched closer and began to probe at whatever parts he could reach, sniffing at her coat, mouthing her ankles or heavy tufts of fur, trying to make sense of the more defined wolf-shape once he was up close and personal. Personal space? What's that?

"AWEES!" the child exclaimed. Meerkat pretended to be a little blown away by his enthusiasm, widening her eyes and raising a paw to her breastbone. Meanwhile, she grinned and wagged her tail, both expressions growing in intensity when he came right up to her and began prodding at her with his little snoot.

"It's nice to meet you, young sir," she said. "Where's your mom and dad? Think they'll hear me if I call for them?" Without waiting for an answer, Meerkat sent up a low call, just letting the parents know she was nearby with their son. He was safe with her, though she would understand if they came and took him back to the den. She was a stranger, after all.

With that said, she was definitely interested in this unprecedented opportunity to befriend one of the glacier's pups. "Did someone wee on you?" she questioned him playfully. "Or did you roll in it on purpose?"

Whatever the reason he was so dirty, she supposed it might be doing his parents a favor if she cleaned him up a little bit before ushering him home. "Hey, do you like playing in puddles, Aries?" Meerkat asked, hazarding a guess to his name's real pronunciation. "Wanna help me find one? C'mon." She gestured enthusiastically with a foreleg and then trotted a few feet, guiding him to some water so she could rinse him off a bit and maybe inject a lesson or two about water safety while they were at it.

Tapping @Wintersbane and @Tzila in case they wanna pop in!

Edit: Arius went inactive, so concluding to archive. :3