Thunder Dome death's door

ever with a stratagem, stigmata sauntered in a direction that both led him away and kept the stranger in his peripheral. he wasn't expecting any trouble out of the wolf, but found himself slightly taken aback when the sootfiend course-corrected and started to follow. he was interested, but felt too tired to treat the situation with the same deliberation he treated most things, so he turned to the face his opponent, rather than play hard to get.

he started to speak, but watched - with deflating enthusiasm - the august wolf take an unseemly tumble, that drew stigmata in despite himself. he did not speak, but rather came close (within several short bounds) and stood watching the handsome shadow closely. with ears pressed forward, he tipped his skull slightly and leveled the stranger with jaded eyes. it was the only indication of his willingness to know this wolf; and that window of opportunity, yawning through stigmata's lingering exhaustion, was fast closing.

their greetings were brief, quiet and fairly docile, before parting ways with the understanding that the wolf would only be allowed to stay in the mountains as long as he provided for diaspora. the wolf accepted these boundaries and remained only as long as his will allowed.