Iktome Plains mujhe buddha mil gaya

set afternoon of march 10

he didn't need a calendar in front of him to know that aditya was older now than any wolf he'd ever known.

his parents, his mentors, his friends—none, to his knowledge, had reached their eighth year.

he felt it in his bones, in the way his gait was slower. everything was slower; haye bhagwaan, he pissed slower! his once burly form had diminished slightly; the alien black collar 'round his neck hung more loosely.

his eyes were still sharp, but sad, a knife-edge glint of pain lingering even when he smiled.

aditya traipsed the plains, looking for easy game. still quick enough to snare a rabbit. . .if he got lucky. he'd learned to tolerate the taste of carrion, a quick meal for no effort. but fresh meat still sated the belly better than anything else.

he lowered his nose to the ground as he walked, ears swiveling and nostrils flaring, searching for the barest hint of a hare or its warren.

The elder man had caught the attention of Valentine. He wasn’t on the hunt himself (he deemed this place to desolate to do so), but he would gladly watch someone else do so. If that was what the man was doing in the first place.
The seasman closed the distance between the two and woofed when he was close enough. Ahoy, old friend! he greeted. What ever are you doing in a drab place like this?

a voice interrupted his hunt, and he lifted his nose—

another young man. he supposed all men were young, now. aditya smiled, his eyes fixed for a long moment or two upon the very symmetrical mark upon the youth's forehead—something he'd never seen before.

exploring old homes, he explained, shrugging. though i never did wander onto these plains. maybe because you're right—they are a bit drab.

the language had been nonchalant, same as the approach. adi turned his head slightly, staring down the stranger with an inquisitive look. and what about you?