The Little Guy [joining]

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A slender brute trotted along the coast, shivering slightly as a light rain bit through his thin coat and chilled him in the cool air. He had been traveling for days and was quite hungry; a soft rumbling of his belly reminded him, but he was not skilled at hunting after spending months as a pampered pet. His instincts had gone soft and since his arrival on Anikira the consequences of that showed plainly in his visible ribs and slightly protruding hip bones. He knew he would be unable to last on his own much longer, and he sought out a pack to join. The scent of fellow wolves surrounded him from all angles as he moved, but he had met no one as of yet. His constant travel north had finally brought him here. His breed was unsuited to the cold climate and he was suffering for it; as he inhaled the ice air, his scarred lungs rattled with every breath. Finally, exhausted, he slowed to a walk and lifted his head, surveying the area as he moved. He was in pack territory, he knew that much--scent marks and visual signs of wolf activity surrounded him. He stopped, standing with legs spread near the surf, his ears swiveling in all directions. He lifted his head back and shaped his mouth into the beginnings of a howl, but he was cut off by a racking cough that caused him to sink to the sand. Between the rain and cold his chronic illness was starting to act up, and, discouraged, he rose and continued forward in silence. If his fate was to die here after all he'd been through, so be it.

As he carried on he came upon a foreboding cavern; frightening, but a welcome respite from the rain. Hesitating for a moment, he finally ducked in and shook his coat, water spattering the stone walls. He coughed softly and ventured into the cave. His twitching nose picked up the scent of wolves and, clearing his throat, he called out: "Um, hello... Anyone here?" He rolled his eyes at himself, feeling foolish for talking to what appeared to be an empty cave. Hopeful fool, he admonished himself, snorting a little. He continued on into the darkness, his pupils dilating as he adjusted to the low light. Just before he lost sight of the cave mouth, he settled down, curling around himself in a tight ball for warmth. He watched the rain trickle down into the sea in comfortable silence and solitude and waited for whatever would come next.

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Red feet paced back and forth, making small pitter-patter noises on the moist cave floor. Isna, the little shore-bird, did not like being inside the cave for so long - she was a sitting duck! Her wolf companion was snoozing off near the back, away from the rain and the wind. An annoyed caw broke the silence, but it did not rouse him. Fluffing her feathers she continued her pacing, this time towards the entrance of the cavern. She was hungry. Shaking out her wings, Isna took off to soar over the ocean, keen eyes searching for the silver flashes of fish. Even in the rain she was an adept fisher, and it wasn't long before she dove towards the torrential waves, her beak snapping a fish off the surface. Giving a few good chomps the thrashing of the small aquatic vertebrate ceased, and she returned back towards the caverns where Huxleyi still lay sleeping.

What Isna hadn't realized was that a new wolf had entered into the cavern, and was standing in her flight path. Swooping gracefully down through the maw of the cave she gave an echoing screech as she had to swerve violently left to avoid crashing into the scrawny white wolf that stood in her way. Fluttering precariously she made a very rough landing, tumbling beak over feet before skidding to a stop. Her small fish prize had gone flying the process, landing directly on Huxleyi's face, an act random enough to awaken him. Before he could truly rouse himself, Isna was already taking action. She had leapt up and was waddling over to the wolf, screeching and cawing viciously. Well, what she perceived as viciously. In truth Isna was barely taller than 40cm and for her all noise and flapping, she just came off as adorable.

Rising quickly, Huxleyi ran forwards, noting that his feathered friend was attempting to take on a wolf that even he did not recognize. "Hey hey hey!" He barked at Isna, rushing to her side and nudging her with a paw, "What's going on?" He asked the disgruntled bird, who by now was out of breath and very ruffled. "This idiot was standing in the way of my landing! And now I've lost my fish!" Pacing again, she kept both eyes trained no the new wolf, glaring up at him.

Huxleyi chuckled, "Your fish is over there," He motioned to where he had been laying when her lunch had struck him in the forehead. "There's no way he could have known you'd be flying in, Isna. It was an accident." He was now talking to her back as she was waddling her way over to her fish, which she intended on savaging while her canine companion dealt with the newcomer.

Shaking his head, Huxleyi turned to the white male in front of him. "Sorry about her she's a bit testy sometimes." He smiled kindly, avoiding any sort of pomp based on his rank at this junction. The wolf before him was rather thin, and appeared to be in a bad state. Winter wasn't kind to everyone, especially those who hadn't dealt with northern climates before. "My name is Huxleyi, I'm the Beta here. No offense but you don't look well. Have you come far?" He was sincerely worried, and hoped that this wolf would be accepting of aide. Airila was doing well for itself, so he could easily hunt the poor fellow a small item, or simply grab something from their prey stocks.

Words: 582
Muse: Good
Tags: @volcanic
Notes: Sorry it took so long to get to this; I'm in tons of threads with Hux, but I'm trying to keep up with everyone joining! Also, for reference, here is Isna: Red-legged Kittiwake