Meadowlark Prairie Misery is contagious.

Penn's call didn't illicit a verbal response, but he did at least get the guy to stop. That was something at least. He paused briefly to give his coat a good shake, trying to free it of the ice and slush that clung to his silver fur. It didn't seem to be of much use, but it was more of a comfort thing than anything else. He trudged further forward until he was near enough to the stranger that he wouldn't need to shout, at which point he stopped and put on his friendliest face.

"You seen any prey around these parts?" he asked, forgoing the appropriate order of operations by skipping over introductions and getting right to the point of the interaction he'd initiated. He didn't really need to make a lifelong friend here--just a temporary one that he could use for information for a few minutes before he set off again on his own.