Coconut Grove deta woh tumko bataa--

دیکحا

---

the trees were unlike anything he had seen in the north, their verdant, feather-like brows casting shadows on the already darkened ground. the clouds had swept in, and icy rain began to fall. rehan had been stuck on the salt flats when the first droplets hit his muzzle and had ran swiftly to shelter.

despite a lifetime spent in the mountains, his coywolf lineage did not take well to freezing precipitation. his fur was light and coarse, not downy, and there was not much of an undercoat to speak of. rehan huddled under one of the unfamiliar trees and shivered, looking forlornly into the rain.

the rain.

when he had first met zooni, it had rained and rained. it reminded him of the days where she was blissfully ignorant of his past, of his family. but it had been warm rain in the midst of summer, and this was colder, more akin to the blizzard when they had parted. this was a cruel wintery mix, bittersweet, taunting him with past and present alike.

his heart had frozen over, but even the sleet had a way of melting it. he wept silently underneath the palms, head rested against the banded trunk. water from the leaves drip. . .drip. . .dripped. . .onto his head, sluicing through his pelt, but he cared not.

he only felt the heat of her touch and the warmth of her breath, the sunshine in her voice.

"Come all you young sailor men, listen to me." The black and white wolf temporary slunk away from her bay as the chilled ocean breeze brought weather she wanted to escape from. The white mane that settled around her neck brought a comfortable warmness that followed through with the rest of her core, but she did not want to stay still and embrace such coldness. She had thought to take a stroll to see further upon the coast, moving her body to keep a warm pace. Norsamu wandered downward even when the rain started to padder onto her dark head, "I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea!"

The weather may have worsened, but her mood did not shake, "and its! Windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys!" It showed clear as Norsamu usual shanties rung out as she loudly sung her tales. She grinned madly while happily swiveling her body in a groove toward the tunes. Nothing seemed to shake her joyful and rather barbaric moods, "when the wind blows, we're all together, boys," not even the dampen mood of a wolf from afar, "blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow!"

A sunset gaze caught wind of a figure in this rainy weather, and so her tunes came to a momentarily stop as Norsamu called over, "Yo!" she loudly said, ignoring the saddened atmosphere the wolf contained, "great weather, aye?" She joked in a friendly tone, giving a large cackle to her own sarcasm.

---

a song rose on the wind, loud and raucous. it cut even above the hiss of rain, and rehan turned, garnet eyes seeking the source of the noise. it emerged in the form of a gray and black woman, her pelt tousled, a toothy grin over her face. he regarded her with a long, impassive look; once upon a time, he may have entertained her tunes.

but he had killed that rehan, destroyed in fire.

besides, the words were foreign--he picked out maybe one or two, and even those he wasn't certain on. he shook his head, heavy-lidded as he stared at her. "main samjha nahi," rehan responded, not bothering to amplify his voice. it came out hoarse anyway, rough and cracked. "main aap zabaan nahi bolte hoon--sirf thoda--"

he growled, scowling as he turned away from her. "understand not," rehan explained succinctly, loudly, wishing she would leave. it was bad enough that she was so chipper, but chipper in another tongue? that was akin to hell.

"Goddamn, language barrier, aye?" Upholding a smile, Norsamu curiously cocked her head to the side in wonder. She had absolutely no idea what this dude had said, or even the faintest clue on the language he spoke in. Even he confirmee it. Well, who cares. She shrugged it off, uncaring of the fact neither could understand each other. There's always a way, somehow, some way. She was here already facing an unknown language, the maned wolfs mindset was to continue forward this meeting regardless.

What she did understand though was the scowl, and the look he held. Ah? Is he bothered by her? Nah, can't be. She's just a friendly lass with shanties to share! Clearly he needed some sunshine too. Norsamu got closer to him, a wild grin upon her face. She lifted a paw to herself, then to him, "join me my lad!" Join in the sea shanties!

He probably wouldn't understand, but hey, she could always wildly sing till' he does, "come all you young sailors men, listen to me!"

---

haye allah, this woman! loud, boisterous, energetic. it was how he used to be, and perhaps that is what rubbed him the wrong way--because that part of him was dead and gone, never to return. she was a mirror to the past, and rehan wanted to smash it.

he almost did when she drew near, rising to his paws and snapping his teeth at her, a snarl in his throat. "jao!" he growled explosively, garnet eyes flashing. "chhod do!" he didn't want to sing, he didn't want to dance, he didn't want her.

he wanted zooni, and no one--not this woman, nor any force of nature--could bring her back.

the rain slicked down his pelt. he was a demon, bony and furious.

"Ah?" The language  Her lips curled in amusement, but not in laughter or the usual joy, but a smirk from his demenour. The snarling and snapping were clear signs of aggression, and she was no fool when it came to the 'challenge.' She wanted a conversation of this rainy day, but the unknown wolf wanted none of what she intended to get. Though there was always other ways to enjoy life then to banter in charades, isn't there? 

"A spar in the rain, aye?" Norsamu cackled slightly. She was no stranger to fighting, and rather enjoyed when the time came, though not often. She hasn't met too many aggressive wolves lately. The maned wolf took no care to trying to diffuse the tensity and fell into her own stance of battle. Her tail flickered in teasing, as she looking at him with her wicked smile. She welcomed his anger.

---

he didn't want to fight, either! the laughter, the gleaming of her eyes--this wasn't a game; she couldn't play with him like this! rehan snapped at her once more, not aiming for anything in particular but simply as a warning shot. stay. back. he was being clear as day. he had no idea what was wrong with the woman, but she needed to leave.

"no--fight--" rehan emphasized, shaking his head. there was a pleading edge to his growl, a desperation. "leave." he clawed for words from the common tongue; he knew so little, but he hoped that the ones that he did know, plus his tone, would be enough.

He said he didn't want to fight, but gave warning shots! Norsamu laughed loudly at his confusing signals. She saw a wolf that seemed desperate for her to leave, but being a rather rebellious spirit, did not want to, especially one that was quite an interesting fellow, "nay." If one takes the stance, shouldn't they be prepared to take a hit? 

"Ya seem like a lonely lad." She inched clossr, prodding where the line as. She held an amused grin, growing wider with each step Norsamu gave. Her stance remained the same, as she was ready to strike back if he took things too far. For now she simply liked the idea of this amusing teasing.