Fairspell Meadow Vagabond's Waltz

@Haizel Here we go! :D Lemme know if I need to fix anything! <3

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Louis had allowed his feet to carry him further West, avoiding the rougher mountain terrain in favor of the valley game trails - rich now with animal life as summer's bounty kept the herds moving. At first it had been hilly, but now the world spread out before him in a vast flat plain, interrupted only rarely and framed by distant peaks of stone that promised adventures of their own, someday.

For now, he was content to take a break here in the meadow close to a stalwart mesa, where a patch of robust berry bushes made a tasty snack for the trail. Though usually alert, these were really good berries, actually, and he ended up a little too focused on cramming as many into his face as he possibly could to notice when he was no longer alone.

This was surprising, considering the wolf that walked up next to him was about as large as a half-grown deer and stuck out like a sore paw against the surrounding territory. Haizel had been out on an adventure, trying to find the Perfect Dirt for Akashingo's future royal garden and needed to consider all available options, and happened upon a wolf eating berries.

Fun! he thought, though he had a bit of a conundrum. You see, he wanted to talk to the wolf and make friends with him! He looked like he had interesting stories to tell! Yet he didn't want to interrupt. So he just... sat there for some time. 

Before he couldn't take it any longer. Hi there! I'm Haizel! Can I have some, please?

Jumping a good foot into the air, Louis landed sloppily on his feet and half into the bush he'd been feasting from. With all the grace of a newborn deer taking its first steps, he scrambled and flopped, head turning sharply toward the far-too-close voice.

In the rush of his surprise, Louis first thought it was a bear behind him. But a moment to breathe and he realized the stranger had the bearing(hah) of a wolf. A very... very large. Wolf.

Crouched in the half-smothered bush and covered in blueberry stain, Louis laughed. A short soft one, then a loud, cackling free thing. "Ha - haha! You, ah, scared the bujeezes out of me. Pff. I'm Louis." Glancing at the bushes, he wagged his tail and looked back at a Haizel. "They're not mine. Help yourself."

Haizel's tail wagged happily, going to eat some of the delicious blue circles with a level of gentleness that allowed him to pluck the berries without rustling the bush. 

Louis? That's a cute name, really kingly. Um... whatcha doing all the way out here? You don't smell like you're from around here, Haizel smiled, licking the blueberry juice off his muzzle. Not that I smell much like a pack, either. Where ya from?

Extracting himself from the bushes, Louis shook stray leaves and twigs from his fur and lifted both forepaws in turn, examining the sticky mess of them with some amusement. He cocked his head. "Kingly? I don't know, I've never met a king before." What a curious thing to consider. But he went on to explain, "I was named after my grandfather. He led a pack waaaay up North. I was born in Lamartine, but I haven't seen home in a while."

Haizel was a surprisingly dainty eater, and when Louis returned to feasting on the bush, he mirrored his new companions, and did so with a little more care than before. A little. His tail wagged, and he spoke as he chewed, "I wanted to explore. Meet new people. See new places. And well, right now, I'm here because of the berries." A giggle. "What about you?"

He stayed quiet throughout the explanation, repeatedly wagging his tail.

OOo! the bigger male wuffed happily upon the question, another berry silently plucked from the bush. I also came here to explore! And make new friends! There's this really nice pack with a nice little queen. Kinda took me in about a month ago. She's very nice and loves flowers even more than I do! So right now, I'm trying to figure out how I can get dirt from a forest about north from here to her palace for a garden!

Haizel didn't mention where he was from. He couldn't quite remember, anyway, so it must've not been too terribly important. Besides, right now was more important, and the wolf before him was a friend to be made. He kept his body lowered, almost on the ground, so he didn't seem so scary. A panting smile on his muzzle, eyes yellow and bright with a genuine interest for Louis' story. 

He was wondering what kind of flower would look best in his fur. Maybe lavender.

Louis listened attentively, finding himself more and more curious about his new acquaintance. "She sounds like a good queen." Louis replied, taking another, slightly less graceful bite of berries. The attempt was still there, but he was more focused on talking than minding his manners. Haizel hadn't seemed to mind overmuch.

Truthfully he didn't know enough about queens to know what made a good one of those. But liking flowers and being kind were traits he generally attributed to good wolves, and a queen, he imagined, must be a good wolf before anything else.

Louis liked to feel helpful and thought for a moment about Haizel's predicament. Head tilted, the much smaller wolf pricked his ears and suggested, "Maybe you could use a turtle shell to carry it? If you found a big one, you could drag back a lot."