Blacktail Deer Plateau soft words don't

The southern coast. It sounded... warm, when the only ocean Grayday had ever known was harsh and forboding. Mountains he was more familiar with, having resided on one for a time. But still, the land Aditya spoke of seemed strange and exotic to the northerner's narrow mind.

"This is as far south as I've ever been," said Grayday, looking at Aditya with a new respect in his eyes. "The summer months are terrible - my coat doesn't really thin out much more than this."

His winter coat had only just begun to grow in. It almost seemed too early for Grayday, who still got a little too hot during the day. Still, if they had another winter like the last one, he'd certainly be grateful for it. Aditya might be in trouble, though.

Huh. A stupid idea suddenly popped into the leader's head.

"It gets pretty cold here during the winter," he said casually. "You'll probably need to find a buddy to keep you warm." He marked another tree and moved forward once more. "Dawn has a coat like mine," he added, one ear cupped toward the male to get a sense of his reaction without having to look in his direction and have his face give away the game.