Hoshor Plains he's got hungry eyes

Late afternoon, light rain, overcast sky, 6°C. Tag for @Alexandre

Light rain drizzled down from the overcast sky, coating Maksim's pelt in a layer of tiny water droplets which made it appear as if his pale fur were glistening. Maksim paid no mind to the rain, only acknowledging it with the occasional shake of his pelt as he travelled through the steppe. 

He remained always on the look out for food; an un-eaten carcass to scavange or an easy hunting opportunity to take advantage of, should one present itself. So far though, Maksim had not had any luck. He lifted his head to peer across to the small herd of bison which grazed peacefully on the tall grass in the distance, and sighed. Despite his grumbling stomach, it seemed he would go hungry for another day. 

Yeah, it'd been a while since Alejandro had gotten to eat a full meal. Scavenging wasn't often something the St. Clair had to do, but he didn't mind too badly. It wasn't as demeaning as he'd initially thought it might be to struggle for food. 

The spotted man watched a herd of bison as he passed by - it'd take multiple wolves to take one of those down, and they didn't even seem all that perturbed that he was near them. Icy eyes scanned over the clearing and fell on a white form that stood out like a beacon over at the other corner of the field, and he padded over, offering the man a friendly smile. "How's it going?" he asked, inviting himself to walk alongside the other wolf.

Maksim noticed the grey spotted male approaching him from a distance, though made no attempt to avoid him. Company would make a welcome distraction from the hunger that ached deep inside his gut. The tundra wolf remained neutral in expression before the stranger spoke up, not wanting to come across as too desperate for attention. 

"Fine." Maksim lied, offering the stranger a forced smile, though his furrowed brow exposed his his inner frustration. 

"I was hoping to scavange something today." He admitted, his gaze returning to the grazing bison herd in the distance, as he continued to walk through the steppe. 

At least this man didn't immediately attack him like the first wolf he'd encountered in this place. Delighted, Alejandro padded alongside the larger man, tail swishing by his hocks. But this man did seem annoyed - by what, the spotted wolf did not know. Perhaps the lack of food.

"Well, perhaps I can help with that," he offered amiably, eyes crinkling in a smile. "Two heads are better than one, n'est-ce pas, mon ami?"

Maksim glanced across to the smaller male as he offered to help with his hunger situation. He tipped his chin down curiously, eager to hear further explanation on the matter, and nodded when @Alexandre suggested that they work together—at least, Maksim understood that much. 

"What do you have in mind?" The paler wolf inquired with a single raised brow. "I hope you are not about to suggest we try taking down a bison." Maksim added on quickly in jest. Such an idea was foolish. It would take an entire pack to take down one of those beasts, and even then the risks of injury were extremely high. 

"Oh, god no," he said with a laugh in regards to the question on hunting the bison. "Look at me - they'd flatten us like flies." Ice gray eyes scanned over the larger wolf. "Though you'd stand a better chance than I would." 

Shaking his head, the male continued. "I meant something more along the lines of fishing, or finding a carcass. Not the most dignified options, but options nonetheless," he offered, a smile on his maw. "My name is Alejandro, by the way. And yourself?"

Maksim gave an amused snort in agreement, turning his head to eye the smaller grey male up and down. The stranger was right, they would be flattened, and death by trampling was not the way Maksim imagined that he would go. No, he had much more exploring, learning and living to do before he welcomed death's cold embrace. 

The pale wolf's ears pricked up at the mention of fishing and his eyes widened in interest. "I have been wandering around these plains for days and I am yet to come across any scraps worth mentioning." Maksim admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Fishing, though, that is something I am yet to try." The male pondered, his gaze now moving to search along the western horizon. "There is a river, running through the western stretch of this prairie, the can try our luck there?" Maksim suggested with a grin, moving now to walk in the direction of the river.

The tundra wolf gave a dip of his chin in acknowledgement to the name offered to him. "Maksim." The male offered in return, flashing @Alexandre a sideways glance with his deep maroon eyes. 

Alexandre hummed at his response and nodded his head. "It does seem like everything is picked clean, doesn't it," he stated thoughtfully, then smirked. "Though I did meet an odd fellow the other day, thought I stole his meal once. I suppose there must've been another spotty wolf he had mistaken me for."

Another smile then. "Ah, fishing. There's nothing to it, really. Just takes some getting used to. No worries, though - I'll catch you one if you've never fished before." This man hadn't been mean to him yet - better to make friends than enemies. And he even knew of a river!

The spotted mercenary dipped his head with a small smile. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maksim," he said genuinely as he followed the larger wolf along. "You on your own, or are you with a pack?"

Maksim scoffed, rolling his shoulders back dimissively. "The ravens have had their fill no doubt." He added, flashing a light-hearted grimace to the male. "Strange. I've not seen another with markings like you before, if I'm honest." Maksim pondered, turning his head to eye the spotted grey male thoroughly up and down. 

Alejandro's offer to catch him a fish was well accepted. "I'd appreciate that. I'm more used to taking down larger prey, though nothing that large." He jested, pointing his muzzle back across the prairie to the large bison herd. 

The tundra male offered a polite dip of his head and a smile towards his new acquaintance, and contiued to lead him through the tall grass towards the river. "On my own. I don't plan on joining a pack just yet, thought I'd scope out the area first, see what this place has to offer." Besides, Maksim had only recently unshackled himself from his family's pack. He wasn't willing to give up his freedom just yet, no matter how sparse the meals available were. "And yourself?" Maksim threw the question back to Alejandro, just as the sound and sight of the river came into view.

"Yes, I don't believe it's a particularly common coloration," he explained with a small smile - slightly proud, if he were to be honest with himself. "So it is a bit strange that he mistook me for someone else. I'm betting someone I know is around here somewhere."

A smile formed on his maw and he nodded his head. "Of course, mon ami. It's no trouble at all." 

Then they were on the same page there. "I won't be joining a pack in the near future," he agreed with a nod. "I don't know that I've ever been truly on my own before now. It's kind of nice." He perked up when he saw the river, hurrying over to the surface of the water to scan it for fish.

When Alejandro mentioned that the other wolf must have mistaken him for someone else he knew, Maksim grew curious. "You have family around these parts then?" It would make sense, the merle male seemed to be doing well for himself, unlike Maksim who was living from scrap to scrap. 

"It is nice not having someone else to worry about, just getting to focus on your own needs for a change." Maksim continued on in agreement. 

Now at the river, the tundra male approached the edge of the water and peered into it in search of fish. He had not much experience with fishing, so his eyes kept wandering back to his new acquaintance to see how it was done. He would be impressed if Alejandro caught one on his first try. Maksim knew them to be slippery, slimey creatures.