Blacktail Deer Plateau creep

The weather grew warmer here than it did in his homeland. Blackbear stretched out on a flat boulder set into a rocky outcropping, yawning hugely in the heat of the day. Something had stirred him from his nap, but he sensed no danger, and felt no need to investigate further than a few perfunctory sniffs.

He did wonder what his little nephew was up to. Had he reached his destination? Perhaps he should go and see...

After this nap, though, at this beautiful vista. For now, he tipped back his head and gave a querying howl: Kat? You there, kid?

He wasn't, though.

Blackbear pushed away his lingering worries and laid his head once more on his paws.

Hokulani had tried to return home, yet what she thought must have been halfway there she lost her way and turned back.

Her rage had faded over the months, the need for a violent revenge fading with it. What did her father matter when he would be long dead in just a few years? With how his bones were aching she thought it inevitable.

At the sight of a stranger ahead of her Hokulani felt herself freeze. How long had it been since she spoke to another? Part of her worried that she was out of practice, but nonetheless she felt her head lift to call to them with a sing-song howl.

When no answer immediately came, Blackbear thought it prudent to lay his head down once more and finish his nap. But he'd hardly begun to drift again when an unfamiliar voice cut clearly and sweetly through his muzzy consciousness.

Clear and close was his second thought, coming to him quite rapidly and wiping the smile from his face. He was guarded but not quite unfriendly as he hopped to his feet, peering around until his eyes found the pretty stranger's. Her voice, he thought, matched her visage quite nicely. Still, something about her left him feeling vaguely unsettled.

"Hey," he said anyway, tail waving in greeting. He started down the outcropping toward her, closing the distance at a meandering pace. He did not come too close before he said, "You sure aren't my nephew, huh?"

He should probably go and find the kid — but a pretty girl was still a nice alternative.

Nephew? Ah, he must have been who she heard howling then.

She wasn't so sure what to think of the stranger just yet, but nonetheless she narrowed the corners of her eyes into a smile. I'm afraid not. She responded, tail waving low. The sycophant in her said she should offer to help search but that would mean spending a committed amount of time with this guy should he comply. She had to decide if he was worth it. But who I am is Hokulani. She offered her name, pausing for him to provide his.

He wasn't a bad looking guy by any means, but seemed pretty young too. Then again, he did have her ideal build..

She shushed her thoughts. Not yet - he still had time to be annoying.

They made all the right faces, tails waving and body language calm and open — but you could never been too sure, when you first met a wolf. His own friendly overtures were certainly a face he put on in hope it would become the truth. But he was wary, even if she was pretty.

"Blackbear Morningside, he supplied, filing away her given name: Hokulani. It was unfamiliar to him in a way that made him almost certain they had no relation to one another. Not on his mother's side, at least. "But you can call me Kindle. Blackbear was my mother."

She was not so young as he was, Blackbear determined, his nose twitching in quiet curiosity. Still, she seemed at a ripe age for dispersal, and he detected no other scents upon her. Like Hokulani, he was reluctant to commit himself to someone who might end up annoying him — but he was looking to like, if looking liking moved.

"Whatcha doing out here by yourself?" he asked her, stretching in a languid play-bow to — hopefully — set her more at ease. And, yeah, maybe to show off the bod, just a little. Was she interested? He eyed her keenly, not yet adept at reading such signs on the fly.

Blackbear, or.. 'Kindle'. Nice names either way, even if they weren't the usual prefix - suffix style of Kai Ahi.

She traced him with knowing eyes as he bowed, flashing a grin before matching his energy by doing the same - though she flopped to her side after a short moment. Nothing, not really. She responded, tail thumping against the ground. I left home months ago, and I haven't found anywhere else to be. Wandering was a bit more fun anyways.

It was hard not to wonder what sort of situation he was in. Are you wandering too, Kindle?

At this display, Kindle was further relaxed — and more intrigued as well. He was still honing his charm, and despite what he'd told his young nephew, most women still didn't have much time for his antics. His tail wheeled in pleasure as she continued to entertain him, and he was eager now to make conversation.

"Not as such," he disagreed, though privately, he supposed she'd guessed right. "I'm chaperoning my nephew. He's wandering. I'll have to catch up to him, soon enough."

Babysitting was not an impressive venture, he thought, and neither was it impressive that he'd only broke away from his mother a few short weeks ago. Nothing on the months that Hokulani had allegedly spent on her own. He was sensitive to these shortcomings, and so he sought to make up the difference with native charm and pure animal magnetism.

"I've done some travelling, though," he hinted, hoping she wouldn't ask after what had essentially been family beach trips and ritual pilgrimages. He tried to distract her with a smile, crawling a bit closer on his belly to try a nose-to-nose sniff.

Alright, this one seemed fun. Eager to please at least, and she liked that.

That's pretty sweet of you. She spoke with the necessary 'aww' before her words. I'm sure you'll find him soon. You seem like a man with a good nose. She had no way of knowing that, but flinging out compliments was easiest at this stage.

He claimed to have done a fair share of his own travelling, and before Hokulani could question him further he was suddenly wriggling closer. Rolling onto her own stomach, she decided to let him fulfil his curiosity - it would give her a chance to investigate for herself, too.

There was a break in verbal communication, but the exchange of pleasantries and information went on. His tail waved in appeasement as he took in the smell of her breath, learning more about her health, diet and dental hygiene.

He concluded that she was undiseased, and that she was certainly fit. The exchange ended with a cheeky nose-boop.

"It's a pretty good nose," he agreed, a grin back on his face. "Yours is cute, too." he hopped back to his paws, wheeling away with his tail flagging high.

"Do you know your way around this place?" he asked her. "He should be in the valley over — so I gotta get through these mountains."

He flung a compliment back her way, something she could appreciate enough to hop up when he did.

I'm a bit rusty, she responded, looking up over the mountains. Though I suppose I would know them better than you do. I could walk you to the other side. Side-eyeing Kindle, she waited for his decision. It wouldn't be so bad to have a companion for a little while, especially a guy that seemed so easy to please.

She was pretty sure she knew the way through. Hokulani could remember spending some of he time with Reverie within the mountains, before ending up in the valley Kindle spoke of.