Duck Lake Cruel limits

@Pheiros

Rex yawned. It broke the cover that he was a lone wanderer, eager to venture uncharted lands. Oh how he could spin any story he wanted; blending with the natives akin to a naive traveller. It was sleep that he was not ready for, however, despite the lure and temptation. Night had fallen in a curtain of navy and violet with twinkles of silver.

The black wolf returned to the lake. He knew of it’s location and the resource of water. No need to stretch his wings further than necessary. Sometimes the impatient found patience. He hummed. There was a skip in his step. He drew nearer. His pumpkin orange eyes searched about the edge of the lake. In the observation, he could pinpoint another set of tracks that had not been there previously.

New company? He pondered aloud.

He had a lot to think about lately and found that it was easiest when he was away from home. He worried too much about making others happy, and sometimes he had trouble deciding how he actually felt about things. But when he was alone, with no one to please, things seemed a little more clear. 

He couldn't really remember if he had been to this lake before, but it seemed like a good place to hang out for a while. He had been wandering slowly around the water, lost in his thoughts and when he was making his second trip around, he noticed a dark shape ahead. At first, he thought it might be Merrick, but as she drew closer, he realized it was someone he didn't know. When he was just close enough to speak, he offered a shy: Hey. His tail wagged a little against his legs as he stopped and waited to see if the stranger would turn around.

Rex was curious about the possibility. It would be less likely to run into company during the night, lest they be up to no good. Still, it was worth the further investigation. He drew nearer towards the tracks. It was a few paces forward that he heard another approaching from behind him. With ears pointed back, Rex halted.

The stranger kept an appropriate distance. Rex turned his head, lifting a brow and swingingly his muzzle up and over. Oh hey there. Rex greeted him warmly. Instead of mimicking an owl, the black wolf finally adjusted his hips to the side and faced the other fully.

What fascinating ears you have!

It wasn't until he turned his head that Pheiros realized how handsome he was; it made blood rise to his cheeks and a hard swallow move down his throat. He was so focused on the stranger's face that he let the greeting hang in the air without a reply. The man turned to fully face him, further rendering him speechless. The comment on his ears finally pulled his focus back to the present, and he looked away shyly. Oh, uh, thanks, he replied. It wasn't the first time someone had brought up his strange ears within seconds of meeting him. He was beginning to be a little self-conscious about them because, well, they didn't look like any other ears he had seen on anyone else. Why were his different?

I'm Pheiros, he offered next, his tail wagging against his legs again. Mind if I join you? he asked and then immediately realized it sounded kind of awkward since the handsome man hadn't actually stated that he had been doing anything. I mean, in whatever you're doing, he added, not very smoothly at all.

One could say that Rex had an awful habit of being blunt. The stranger took to the comment with ease. A hint that perhaps his excited words were not the first time he’d heard them; they are, after all, out of this world to Rex. He was used to the run of the mill average wolves. Each of them had different features that a critical eye could point out, and the obvious; that one was brown, this one had blue eyes.

This specimen intrigued him. Rex beamed. His pumpkin orange eyes finally moved from staring intently on the curled ears to the other features of the soft-spoken wolfdog. Rex wagged his tail. Rex, he introduced in the gap between Pheiros’ own and the question that followed. Sure, sure. If it were possible, he would have slung an arm over his shoulders, like they were old pals reuniting.

I’m new here, he explained, so I was inspecting the place. Seems kinda cozy, but there are these tracks that weren’t here earlier today. He gestured over towards the spot he’d previously been glued to with a casual wave of his forepaw. Are you from around here, Pheiros? Maybe you’d know!

Rex. He committed the name to memory and was sure he'd add the man to his list of cute guys he liked to think about at night when he was trying to sleep. And he didn't even seem to notice how awkward Pheiros had just been, though admittedly, a lot of it was probably in his head. Or Rex just didn't mind. Either way, he was eager to move past it. 

He was new here, and he wanted to know if Pheiros was from around here and if he recognized the tracks in front of them. He looked to where Rex motioned and then smiled. Oh, those are mine, he answered. I already walked around the lake once and was making another trip around, Pheiros explained. It probably made him seem like a weirdo, but he was way too bad at lying to try and come up with something clever. And yeah, my pack lives in the bypass northeast of here, he added, tilting his head in the direction of home. Where are you from? he asked curiously.

Rex glanced down at Pheiros’ paws. Muck from the lake’s shore lingered on them, and though it could have been from elsewhere, the story checked out. The black wolf gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders. His head tilted to the side with the motion.

A moon’s journey from here. It’s nothing much to marvel over, hence why I’m here and not cooped up back there. The hint he’d left his hometown because it was boring laid strong over his words. A percentage of that was true. He beamed again.

So, my mystery has been solved. Much appreciated detective work, Mr Pheiros, Rex teased. But why circle the lake? The mention of his pack had intrigued him. It seemed, however, that it was not nearby enough that would warrant such patrolling. A light bulb moment appeared for Rex a beat later. Ah! Could it be that you were looking for me?

The tone in which Rex discussed his home implied that it was not somewhere he would miss being. Pheiros was mildly curious to know more, but more than anything, he didn't want to bring up something uncomfortable for his new friend to talk about, so he didn't pry for more information. Instead, he offered a shy smile and said: Well, you'll probably like it here. Pheiros was pretty fond of the place, although he didn't have much to compare it with. 

The compliment, even though he hadn't actually done anything, made heat rush to Pheiros' cheeks. It was important that this handsome new friend like him, and it seemed he was already off to a good start. His next two questions elicited a soft, awkward giggle from the golden boy. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer him. Obviously, he hadn't been looking for him specifically, but then why did he say that? Oh um, I like it here, he offered quietly. He even more awkwardly left out an answer to the other question because, well, he didn't know what to say. And rather than looking dumb, he just didn't answer.