Wild Berry Meadow Berry = Good(?)

Bonnie snapped their teeth and Cassian mimicked the motion, all but with a happy, childish glee and a warm, delightful snicker to follow suit shortly afterwards. He wasn’t aware that Bonnie was on the edge of genuine, insurmountable aggression. Cassian just found the noise to be amusing! It was like music, in a way. Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp!

”Man, I’m just missing all the marks today, huh? That’s okay! I think it’s fine to be a little bit wrong here and then every now and again! You know, I appreciate that! Being told when I’m wrong! Helps me know that when I’m eventually right it’ll feel super, duper, extra good! Also, does that not happen to you? Like, when you’re laying down on the ground, under the sun…it just feels fantastical! You know? Like somebody is just rubbing your tummy for you, kinda!”

Bonnie was one neat guy! A stinky one, though, considering that this man didn’t want to share their secrets! Was it really that simple? What he saw was what he got? Well, the two of them were mirrored souls in that sense, then. Cassian didn’t have any secrets! Even if the man did, it was questionable on just how well guarded they’d be. Were secrets even really that important to begin with? They were just information, weren’t they? What if he could get something better for a secret?

”If you did have a secret, though, would you safeguard it? I’m not sure…what I would do! I guess it depends on the secret and if I would get anything nice out of spillin’ the beans, you know? Oh! You also said that what I see is what I’ve got. So, in a way, you’re kind of like me! Yeah, you’re a lot less chatty, but we’re the same in that regard at least!”

The stream Bonnie led them to was gushing. The native fauna around here was far more lively when compared to a vast expanse of the land they lived on. The winds were gentler, the skies clearer, and the bushes fuller. While the blonde drank, a gust of aforementioned wind curled itself within the man’s fur. Gently, as if it were stroking itself through fields of wheat instead of the dense fur off a solo wolf’s back.

When Cassian’s thirst came to an eventual end, the sun-kissed wolf’s tongue lolled out for several seconds on end. Panting, eagerly, as if he hadn’t breathed the entire time. Knowing Cassian, that was honestly quite simply the case. Seconds later, Cassian’s tail wagged like none other from behind. This stranger did him a nice favor! They didn’t need to lead him all the way out to this river and suffer the wrath of Cassian’s “Mighty Maw”!

”Thanks for the water! Good stuff, haha! You know, for somebody that gives off huuuuuge I don’t care energy, you sure did care enough to drag my butt out here! Soooo…”

Just then, Cassian’s demeanor changed. Friendly, hospitable wolf as he was, the man’s gaze somehow appeared to be just a tad more…honed. Sharper. Observant. Brown, murky waters pinned to the onyx-toned wolf’s own eyes and then the smile that usually stayed on at all times fell off. A step forward was taken, and then Cassian simply plopped down. A yawn fumbled its way out, and while one eye was kept open the other stayed closed.

”I was throwing a bunch of questions at you earlier, but really all I’m interested in is what you’re doing out here! You look super well fed. Not fat shaming! Just an observation, you know? You clearly know how to handle yourself, better than me anyways. So, what’s got you out here? All this land, and only four paws and nobody else striding along with you? I mean, come on, guy like you practically radiates trouble! Again, no offense. You’ve got patience, but it isn’t that of a saint! I don’t expect any of this information for free, by the way. I’m just a chatty, nosey fella who likes to indulge in some gossip every now and again. Keep your secrets to yourself. Just lie down and sit down for a spell, yeah? I wanna know more about you! I don’t know much about this world and if I can live a little bit of it through you then I think that’d be great! What do ya say? I can even hunt down some food with ya and we can talk it over something fresh! A deer, maybe? Sure, I gorged myself on berries, but nothing really fills me up like a fresh slab of meat!”