[the valley offered good hunting of elk and some caribou, though not the herds. yet this gave him hope, bolstered his heart. he made a small loping sweep of the place where the lanzadoii had settled near their sharadoii — hosts? now the three factions had come together, and he was not so sure trouble would not break out. the sun clan wolf was not sure he would stop it. what a land this was. the slate eye had kept hard all the same.]

the valley offered good hunting of elk and some caribou, though not the herds. yet this gave him hope, bolstered his heart.

he made a small loping sweep of the place where the lanzadoii had settled near their sharadoii — hosts? now the three factions had come together, and he was not so sure trouble would not break out.

the sun clan wolf was not sure he would stop it.

what a land this was. the slate eye had kept hard all the same.

It had found the outskirts of the odd, infuriating miasma, and noted with interest the areas that it could not — or had not — yet reached.

It would return, of course, it's curiosity insatiable — but for now it decided to explore. Question the locals, perhaps, see what they knew. Discover if other areas besides were similarly afflicted.

Nose to the ground, it sniffed along what seemed to be a border. Fresh. A large group had settled here. How close.

How convenient.

It raised it's head, spotting a dark clad wolf on the move, and chuffed a greeting.

[so very many things had occurred, so very many odd things, that when the sunwolf raised his head, he did not immediately question what he was seeing. and then each guard hair winked to quick life, tail, shoulders, a tall bristle that sunk the chieftain's wary head between watchful shoulders. a cat, and the largest he had ever seen. and he had never seen such a feline as this, greater than the mountain lions he had known, far more powerful than the lynx or bobcat. stripes broke the outline of the creature's body, and its stare was mismatched with violent color. it took a large effort not to growl a warning, to incite the mighty animal in some way. but the stance of the lanzadoii hunter proclaimed a threat that would be carried out, the summoning bark resting just in his throat. claws dug into the loam. he waited.]

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so very many things had occurred, so very many odd things, that when the sunwolf raised his head, he did not immediately question what he was seeing.

and then each guard hair winked to quick life, tail, shoulders, a tall bristle that sunk the chieftain's wary head between watchful shoulders. a cat, and the largest he had ever seen. and he had never seen such a feline as this, greater than the mountain lions he had known, far more powerful than the lynx or bobcat. stripes broke the outline of the creature's body, and its stare was mismatched with violent color.

it took a large effort not to growl a warning, to incite the mighty animal in some way. but the stance of the lanzadoii hunter proclaimed a threat that would be carried out, the summoning bark resting just in his throat.

claws dug into the loam. he waited.

Ah. The wolf must be new.

It watched his demeanor shift, defensive and wary in the face of the unknown. A humorless smile stretched its mouth into a thin line. It was normal to greet such things with uncertainty. Caution kept one alive.

So very little was unknown to it, now.

I bear no harm, it rumbled, forcing its tail to snake back and forth in a crude imitation of a wag. It had lived as the wolves do before. Their language was familiar to it, though harder and more unnatural to replicate in this form. Only curiosity.

[words. common, he knew, but had put no stock in learning it. belated occurrence now, that perhaps so strange a beast might speak with more than one tongue. do you understand my words, claw-runner? asked the hunter as slowly the bristling along his neck began to grudgingly settle. and that odd tail-lash; this cat knew the way of his kind. still he did not approach; still he dropped no iota of his guard. slate eye searched in near-hunger now for any sign that they were not alone, that this was a trap of massive dark cats. this possibility was almost more acceptable than this — oddity of a conversation. in too many ways was the sun man traditional. this instance, also, his turn to stand before what he did not know.]

words. common, he knew, but had put no stock in learning it. belated occurrence now, that perhaps so strange a beast might speak with more than one tongue. do you understand my words, claw-runner? asked the hunter as slowly the bristling along his neck began to grudgingly settle. and that odd tail-lash; this cat knew the way of his kind.

still he did not approach; still he dropped no iota of his guard. slate eye searched in near-hunger now for any sign that they were not alone, that this was a trap of massive dark cats. this possibility was almost more acceptable than this — oddity of a conversation.

in too many ways was the sun man traditional. this instance, also, his turn to stand before what he did not know.