Luneshale Pass with fire and with blood

On the dawn of a grey day, when rain fell even in the desert, Disa decided that she was recovered. Her wound itched and seeped, but instinct told her that she was out of the woods – that she had been lucky.

That it was time to get back to work.

She dipped into one of the many low, wide canyons that ancient forces had cut into the rock. The drizzle had raised the scent of @Dracarys from the ground, and Disa followed the invisible path as it faded. He was here somewhere, disguised by the desert color of his fur. Disa moved slowly, squinting at every cactus-infested crack and mean little shrub. The rain intensified.

dawn rain showers brought with it the distinct scent of petrichor; earthy with notes of sweetness that dracarys cannot directly place. he lingers in an outcove of rock, avoiding the rain for the moment despite that he might want to feel the cool kiss of it as it sinks into his fur when the sun crested the horizon.

already, there is heaviness to the usual arid air, a thick soupy dampness.

dracarys is no weather expert but he suspects it means the day would grow to become unbearably hot.

he shifts, plucking a small pebble from betwixt his left front pawpad, large paw lowering and frostbound gaze locking in on the woman peering into every crevice. clearly looking for something. or someone. the siren prince shifts then, pushing himself to his paws; low chuff of greeting slipping betwixt his lips.

looking for something?

There was a shift in the haze, and suddenly a wolf stood there - as she had guessed, perfectly disguised in the gloom beneath sheltering rock. Disa wondered if he would be offended if she compared his coloring to a rattlesnake.

"You, " she replied, stopping and giving him a quick once-over. The desert really was teeming with large, strapping men; Disa was surprised that they had not come to blows in the time thay she had been here. "Thought we should get to know each other better."

you.

surprise takes hold of dracarys' expression having not expected that answer. he whisks it away quickly, settling into an expression of cool neutrality in the next moment. a sweep of his tail is given, ears flicking back before roving forward again as his mind switched gears.

she wanted them to get to know one another better. and it was true that dracarys was there, present, but did not necessarily go out of his way to make friends or well, anything really.

hm, drawls the siren prince; considering as silver bound gaze takes her in. fair enough. he allows after a short moment.

"Hm. Fair enough."

Not a very promising start if an exchange of personal information was the goal. No name, no indoxation where he hailed from – of the mountains, or similar. Disa stepped out of the rain and beneath the natural awning, but did not shake. It had rained heavily enough  for water to hang heavy in her fur, smoothing it into wet spikes. This was the first time Disa had felt even remotely cold in months, and she enjoyed it.

The soaked wolf stared expectantly back at her packmate, silver on silver, and waited.

it becomes rapidly apparent to dracarys as she draws nearer and takes refuge beneath the stone outcropping keeping the sirenprince dry, that he was meant to go first. a small noise lingers in his throat, quirk of brows above frostbound gaze given before acceptance quickly settles within.

i am dracarys, he offers as his gaze settles upon her soaked form; taking in the details of her face as he inclines upon his haunches. i hail from the far icy north but i have been a desert dweller with verapaz for a few months now. as it turned out, though starkly different then his birthplace he liked the desert. a lot.

and you are? he inquires in turn.

Dracarys needed no further nudging - he made an awkward face and a strangled noise, but eventually shared his name and spawn point.

"Disa," she replied in turn, and squinted again at his fur. The rain intensified. "You blend in. Literally," she remarked, "Why the change of scenery?"

survival, replies dracarys with a small, lofty shrug of his shoulders. the hierarchy of my family is ruthless and with four older brothers all vying for the same thing... dracarys trails off... but it was evident enough that self-preservation had worn out over pride. what was the sense in pride if it cost him his life? turns out i like the desert. wiry smile begins to tug at the edges of his lips.

perhaps this was always ordained by the gods; always meant to be where i ended up. though his faith had tapered off in the past months, set aside as he struggled to find and claim his place in these wilds.

where do you hail from, disa? asks the desert dweller in turn, frostbound gaze lingering back upon her face.

Brothers. Vicious competition. Gods that he did not name. Disa pocketed the knowledge as it came pouring out. He seemed polite for a wolf that had been raised in such an masculine environment, and yet did not act like she was a thing to be owned - yet. Veneers were opaque, but thin.

"South," she answered cryptically and with a smile. "Assorted siblings. No more or less competitive than anyone else."

The rain intrnsified and calmed in bursts, as if the sky was attempting to speak."You know about the green?" Disa asked, breaking eye contact to search for any creatures with one eye that might be lurking.

But she didn't get an answer. A howl from a wolf unknown sounded through the whisper of the rain, and Dracarys went to answer it.