Word Count → 416
Eris offered a handshake, which Darkness readily took. It was a greeting he hadn't encountered much, despite all of the canines he had met in his travels. At least it was a sign that she really was up to a nice talk. He had to force himself to stop casting short, sideways glances at the mountains, once again dragging his attention to Eris. Friends were always a welcome distraction, always.
She mentioned that there were six packs in the area. He had to admit, he found this fact surprising; the land was so large, he thought there were easily many more packs than six. Being a wanderer at heart he doubted he would ever settle down, and if he did he wanted to be with someone he knew well who lived far away from these blasted mountains. Io and Layla were the only canines he had encountered more than once; Layla had been a loner last time they had met, and Io lived in Inferni, where wolves were equal to flies, meaning it didn't matter if they had actually gotten along before. Even if he could make a friend of Eris, her scent suggested that she lived far too close to these hills for his liking.
Fortunately he got the opportunity to evade his distraction when the hybrid suggested they go for a little walk. "I'm absolutely not against company," he replied, readily smiling. "If you don't mind the fact I have no location in mind, you're free to wander with me." He hoped the mention of being somewhat lost didn't disturb her; he wouldn't feel comfortable venturing near Anathema's lands with one of their members near him, though he had no intention of getting himself and Eris lost down south. He would just walk where the land took him, just as he always had.
Taking a quick glance at the sky, he noticed that it seemed to have gotten darker since he had first seen Eris, which hadn't been all that long ago. At this rate it might start raining when they walked. Well, that didn't help things at all; now, if she decided to come with him, he'd be leading her further from her dry home in Anathema, and if it started to rain she had plenty of reason to abandon him on his path, leaving him to wonder why he had ever bothered to scale Halcyon. Suddenly he regretted admitting that he had no location in mind; the odds were surely against him.
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