Firestone Hot Springs Darkfall

Despite her efforts, Koontz simply could not identify the source of the smell. Eventually, she stopped and let out a long, low breath, accepting defeat. She then lifted her head, ears quivering as she looked upward at the plateau looming overhead. The sight of it filled her with a strange sense of joy and she felt a howl bubbling deep inside her chest, readying to scuttle up her throat and pour into the night...

Before a sound could escape her, a noise in the night made Koontz swallow the howl and turn. Although her gray fur bristled slightly and her tail stiffened, she otherwise did not assume a dominant stance. For starters, this was not her territory. For another, Koontz wasn't the overbearingly assertive type anyway. Out here in no man's land, she wouldn't posture; she would simply adapt whatever pose was necessary given the situation.

Eyes the color of sea ice plucked a shape out of the darkness, which eventually took on more detail as she stared at it. The silhouette belonged to a wolf and, even in the lackluster light, Koontz could make out a typical agouti pelt. Briefly, her eyes touched the other's—they were a shining gray—before Koontz let her gaze drift sideways. She did not seek to pose or field a challenge.

When the other didn't speak after a few beats, Koontz said softly, "Hello." Her tail twitched, indicating her benign intentions, and she made a conscientious effort to smooth her prickled fur flat again. Her ears tipped forward, giving her a more approachable, amiable air. "I'm Koontz, from Flightless—from Dragonwatchers," she corrected herself mid-sentence with an amused cough. The tip of her tail waved once more. "Who're you?"