Dragoncrest Cliffs It would be after you've caressed me

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The steady crash of the waves against the shore turned rhythmic, lulling him into a moment of absolute serenity. His mind was quiet, plagued not by anything worth worrying over, as was the world around him. His eyes had slowly closed and, though he remained attentive, he was able to relax more so than he had in a long while. It was a pleasant and welcomed change of pace, the only downfall being that he was not familiar with the terrain. The way in which one’s paws sounded as they pressed down against the loose earth was a sound that he’d yet to memorize, and so he was left blind to the approaching woman until she spoke. Prior to that, there had been an uneasy feeling twisting his stomach into knots but, wanting to believe that it was nothing, he'd ignored it. By doing so he’d made a mistake, or so was the conclusion drawn by an unfamiliar voice ringing through his ears.

In an instant, his eyes opened and his body jolted upright, steadying itself a second later as he turned to face the woman. He did not recognize her, but was certain that she belonged to the pack, even without drawing in a deep breath; given their size, he doubted that anyone could weasel their way as deeply into the territory as they currently were without permission to roam the land. For that reason, and because of what he had told Kendra, the boy did his best to relax but was without much success. His body remained tensed whilst his ears stayed upright, the only thing keeping his tail from slowly lifting being the concentration that he devoted to keeping himself in check. That same control did not, however, reign over his voice as he said, “No, my name’s Xan.” The words were slow, precise, and coated in a fine layer of his usual hostility. Although the boy’s hope had been to eventually come off as easier to get along with, he would eventually come to realize that, that would never happen.

Silently, he watched her, studying her physical attributes out of habit. As he finished, his eyes found their back to her face and he—briefly—looked over her expression. “Who are you?” asked the yearling, making an attempt at living up to his word. A part of him was disappointed, though, realizing that his time spent on the shore would not be shared first with Kendra, but with someone that he couldn’t honestly recall having ever seen before that night.

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