Phoenix Maplewood just dance

things were good. the warm welcome he'd received from the wolves of whitebark stream helped him to forget (at least most of the time) how homesick he was. after all, how could he be homesick if this was now his home? the pack had made that clear; he was one of them, now. and settling in just fine.

he followed the meandering stream into the maplewood, where he caught wind of another nearby. a dark shadow among the trees. it wasn't kavik nor anyone else from his pack—the smell was off. his ears came forward, intrigued. . .and wary.

surya didn't know how artyom and dawn felt about strangers nearby. it wasn't officially their territory, but the forest did provide plenty of opportunity for hunting and shelter, opportunities they seized quite frequently. he didn't have much of a territorial streak in him (yet) but on behalf of his betters, he began to make his way toward the other wolf, looking inquisitive.

it wouldn't hurt to say hello, right? get some information out of the man. and if he was a threat, surya would have to do his best to ward him off. his stomach clenched at the thought.