Dawnlark Plains Tip-toe through the tulips

The warm summer rain misted through the morning, condensing through the afternoon until it finally wept itself dry come dinner time, not that any weather would have deterred the overcast wolf as he travelled. There was no shelter on the plains; he roamed as an exposed shadow beneath the cotton-swab clouds, keeping his head low in order to investigate the terrain for clues.

The wetness of his pelt gave him an extra level of saturation, soaking him through and slicking back his usually unruly coat. He did not like the rain (despite resembling a land locked moody cloud) and reflected back to an earlier date when the summer sun had been bright and unhindered. Part of him longed for that weather to return - but he would likely find himself complaining about that too, once he was baking in the heat.

The rain had sundered most of the scents he came upon. Even after it ended, as evening crept up to meet him with a few predictable gusts of humid wind, there was little for him to differentiate or discover. He grunted in frustration as he veered along a new heading, unwittingly crossing in to the hunting range of the resident pack.

there was something about the rain aditya enjoyed, a spirit deep and primal within him that rejoiced as the dark clouds rolled in, bathing the land in showers. perhaps it was because it offered some respite from the sun, which was starting to become blinding, as the summer went on; maybe it was the nourishing quality of it all. but the golden wolf was not at all cross as he patrolled the borders during the downpour, shaking the moisture from his silken pelt every so often.

when the storms cleared, he caught sight of a grayscale male near the the border--too near. though he did not look all that threatening, his presence was enough, and aditya headed his way, tail aloft and chest puffed up. he gave him a warning bark before drawing to a halt, surveying the man with warm but questioning eyes.

"what brings you so close to pack lands?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. his gaze drifted along the lines of the man's body, plush pelt criss-crossed with scars. a warrior, then. adi inhaled, but the rain had diluted the stranger's scent enough to make it that his nose couldn't pick up much of anything, familiar or otherwise. he stood firm, waiting for the other's response before he concerned himself all too much.

It came as no surprise when a voice carried on the wind, although the only tell-tale sign that he'd heard the stranger was a shift of an ear, and the slow cant of his muzzle in the direction of its origin. The question itself hung in the air for a few seconds before he deigned to answer it — he was mildly annoyed to have been caught here in the open, but he had done no wrong, yet.

Accident, he rumbles like a cloud. He can see the posturing of the other fellow and honestly, Sterling found it cute that someone would be so defensive over open earth like this. Maybe if he had a home he would react the same way? Coveting it. Designating a space as his, and lording over those that walked upon the earth as if he himself were above it all. He was being slightly judgemental in his thoughts, but it was merely speculation — and he did not take long to add, I was hungry and smelled food here, but... I can choose another path. In truth he had planned to hunt across this space, but now felt midly deterred.

his brows raised, wondering how ignorance of borders in a territorial species could somehow be translated as an "accident," but let the explanation slide, nodding. his next words intrigued him, and aditya's stomach clenched. he, too, was hungry; he was taking less food for himself, with eight growing pups in the pack, and he wasn't the only one. this wolf was in good company, here.

"are you an able hunter?" adi asked, tilting his head slightly to one side in curious inquiry. "we have good hunting here, and plenty of mouths to feed. perhaps we could. . .make an arrangement." whether that was long-term or short-term remained to be seen; it was up to the stranger, and how much he was willing to cooperate. "what's your name? where are you from?"